Research & Policy

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education has become increasingly important to enhancing college readiness in mathematics and science, cultivating STEM interest among students, increasing the number of students majoring in STEM fields and preparing those students for the 21st century workforce. The purpose of this study was to investigate a new STEM project- based learning model developed by Harmony Public Schools (HPS). Using theoretical sampling, we interviewed 11 students (5 seniors, 5 juniors, and 1 sophomore). Interview transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory coding and constant comparative analysis. As a result of the analysis, a new STEM education model titled “STEM Students on the Stage” (S.O.S. TM) emerged. Study findings suggested that students who received instruction in the STEM S.O.S. model increased their conceptual understanding of STEM subjects, reported greater interest in both STEM and in pursuing higher education, developed greater self- confidence and enhanced their technology, communication, life/career and collaboration skills. Findings are discussed in the context of STEM education and its effects on students’ interest in STEM careers.

The skills necessary for the 21 st century workforce have evolved as the world has transformed from an industrial society to a knowledge-based society; therefore, today’s employers are often looking for employees equipped with a new set of skills that are more sophisticated than typical qualifications. This case study examines how students attending a Harmony Public school (HPS) that implements the Science, Technology, Engineering and mathematics (STEM) S.O.S. model in their mathematics and science courses develop 21 st century skills. The STEM S.O.S. model was developed by HPS and incorporates project-based learning activities by using ready-to-teach projects developed by the HPS science department. The sample was comprised of 120 11 th grade students. The data were analysed by grouping students’ responses according to common themes. Results revealed that students developed oral communication and teamwork/collaboration skills, persistence and a strong work ethic, critical thinking/problem solving, leadership, creativity and innovation, information technology, ethics/social responsibility and mathematics and science skills through the STEM S.O.S. model. This chapter will discuss how the STEM S.O.S. model helps students develop the skills necessary to be successful in the 21 st century workforce.

This chapter examines a novel teaching method, the STEM Students on the Stage (S.O.S.) model, in which teachers receive regular training and implement a well- developed project-based learning curriculum. Specifically, we investigated the STEM S.O.S. model teachers’ reflections and experiences with the model. Seven teachers volunteered to participate in the study. The subjects taught by teachers included physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology. The methodology used in this study was consistent with the principles of the phenomenological approach in which each participant experienced the same phenomenon (Creswell, 2007). The common phenomenon in this study was that all teachers taught with STEM S.O.S. model. Within the analysis, emerging significant statements formulated the participants’ feelings. After grouping those formulated statements, common themes and sub-themes were identified. We found that teachers focused on two fundamental themes: how the STEM S.O.S. model works and benefits gained from implementing the STEM S.O.S. model. Teachers described their teaching in two groups, as the things happening within and after school. The within group had two sub-themes: teacher and student. The after-school group also had two sub-themes: talking about chapter projects and rigorous Level II and III projects. Benefits of the STEM S.O.S. model were grouped under benefits for teachers and students, with a total of 7 sub-themes. Themes and implications are discussed in this chapter.

In the past two decades, charter schools have become increasingly prevalent and popular in the U.S. education landscape. The purpose of this study is to examine the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills [TAKS] school level mathematics and reading test scores performances over time by school types. The specific research questions are: how does student academic performance differ for students enrolled in charter schools from non-charter public schools? How does minority student academic performance differ by each of the three comparison school types for minority students? The sample consisted of 7,220 Texas schools including charter schools. A hierarchical regression model with propensity scores as covariates and school type as the primary grouping variable formed the basic analysis. Public schools did not significantly differ from charter schools in terms of achievement. Charter and public schools traded performance across grades and subjects. We found that a multi-school charter system, Harmony Public Schools [HPS], consistently produced better achievement at grades 6-11 on mathematics and reading for all students. Findings and implications are discussed in light of developing more systematic studies to examine charter school systems.

This study aimed to investigate the performance of a charter school network, Harmony Public Schools (HPS), in a 3-year longitudinal student level research study of high school mathematics, reading, and science performance using 2009–2011 Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skill student data. Propensity-score-matched public (N = 19) and Harmony (N = 11) schools’ per- formances were compared. We conducted a two-level multivariate analysis of covariance on binary outcomes (pass–no pass) for grades 9–11. HPS performed significantly better at grade 9 and worse at grade 11, with no statistical differ- ences at grade 10 in mathematics. Type of school was not significant at either grade 9 or 10 for reading. For science performances, Harmony charter schools performed better at 10th grade and significantly better at 11th grade. Implica- tions of the findings were discussed whether charter schools keep their promises of providing quality education.

This study examined the high schools’ state tests performances in mathematics, reading, and science of an open-enrollment STEM-focused charter school system,Harmony Public Schools(HPS), between 2010 and 2013, and compared them with the performance of matched traditional public schools (TPS) in Texas. After propensity score matching, 12 HPS schools were com- pared with 32 matched public schools. Independent sample t-tests were performed to compare the schools’ TAKS and STAAR scores in each year. One-way ANOVA was conducted to examine differences across years for each school type and Univariate General Linear Model was used to investigate if school type by year interaction had an effect on scores for each subject over the years. T-test results revealed that HPS scores were significantly higher than TPS scores in most of the categories. One-way ANOVA results showed that both TPS and HPS scores dropped sig- nificantly in most of the categories during the transition from TAKS to STAAR and univariate GLM analyses indi- cated significant interaction effects between school type and year variables for all but 10th grade mathematics.

This study examines college students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) choices as they relate to high school experiences, parent, teacher, and self-expectations, and mathematics and science efficacy. Participants were 2246 graduates of a STEM-focused public Harmony Public Schools in Texas, Harmony Public Schools (HPS). Descriptive analyses indicated that the overall percentage of HPS graduates who chose a STEM major in college was greater than Texas state and national averages. Logistic regression analyses revealed that males and Asian students are more likely to choose a STEM major in college than females and non-Asian students, respectively. Moreover, students whose parents had a college degree in the U.S. are more likely to major in STEM fields than those who did not. Furthermore, males with higher mathematics efficacy and females with higher science efficacy are more likely to choose a STEM major than their counterparts with lower mathematics and science efficacy.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how students’ high school experi- ence, math and science efficacy, and student, parent, and teacher expectations affect their plans for college major choice after controlling for students’ gender, ethnicity, and parental variables. Over 1500 9th grade students participated in the study. Using logistic regressions, we found that males and students whose parents held degree from a U.S. college are more likely to consider STEM majors in college. Hispanic students were found less likely to consider STEM major in college compared their Asian counterparts. Students who completed more STEM PBL projects and attended STEM summer camps are more likely to consider STEM majors. Students with higher GPAs also indicated that they are more likely to study STEM majors in college. In addition, students with higher parent and teacher encouragement are more likely to consider selecting a STEM major after graduating from high school. Moreover, students who had higher math and science efficacy are also more likely to consider choosing a STEM major in college. Last but not least, we found that students’ future career choice is also positively associated with their interests and goals they develop during high school years. Other findings and interaction effects with gender and ethnicity are also discussed in the paper. Overall, this study demonstrates that students’ contemplations about STEM major selection in college is influenced by the complex interplay between the individual, environment, and behavior, three major components of social cognitive career theory.

This study explores the characteristics of after-school program activities at a charter school in the Southeast US highlighting students’ experiences with and gains from these after-school program activities. A qualitative case study design was employed to understand students’ views and opinions regarding the activities and their learning trajectories. Study data were collected through formal and informal observations, one-on-one semi- structured interviews, and field notes. The study’s findings indicated that such activities emphasize open-ended and collaborative scientific investigations in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields and provided an arena for students to demonstrate various uses of 21st century skills. We have described and explained: (a) the importance of collaborative learning groups, (b) the popularity of after-school program acti- vities, (c) interest in STEM fields, and (d) activities’ contribution to developing 21st century skills. These findings show that STEM related activities have the potential to promote collaborative learning and inquiry as well as to contribute to the development of 21st century skills. These findings have also been discussed in light of how STEM related after-school program activities support students’ learning.

The purpose of this study was to examine the views of international Science Olympiad participants on the benefits of the competition and the factors that affected their career aspirations. We also investigated how students’ choice of competition category varied with respect to gender. The sample included 273 International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering, and Environment Project (I-SWEEEP) participants from 39 countries. Mixed-methods were used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics and t-statistics were provided to answer the first question. As a means of addressing the second question, a chi- square test was utilized to examine how participants’ category selection differed by gender. Qualitative analysis was used to reveal the types of benefits students reaped from participation in the I-SWEEEP. Results indicated that students were most affected by their teachers, parents, and personal interests. Although the relationship between gender and competition category was not statistically significant, there nevertheless emerged a pattern showing that girls preferred environmental science projects (45.5%) to engineering projects (24.4%). Qualitative analyses revealed six themes as benefits that students gained from participation in the I-SWEEEP. The relationship among the fundamental themes was also examined and revealed important findings. The results have educational implications for helping students accomplish to be science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals in the future.

In the global economy that is intertwined with scientific and technical knowledge and innovation, raising a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-literate generation of students has emerged as one of the paramount goals of most countries. Educational models that contribute to meeting those countries’ goals have become important in education. The absence of standards-focused, ready-to-teach teacher and student materials and lack of regular teacher trainings are some of the barriers attributed to the current STEM teaching approaches. Against this background, we investigated a successful STEM teaching model that has ready-to-teach materials, standards-focused, regular teacher professional trainings and student choice and voice that utilize both classroom and out-of-classroom projects as a solution to the aforementioned issues. The purpose of this research is to examine a new STEM teaching approach developed by a public charter school system, Harmony Public Schools (HPS). We used theoretical sampling; 11 semi-structured interviews were conducted with high school students. Grounded theory and constant comparative analysis were utilized. Study findings have revealed that the students were active learners most of the time, presenting and sharing their findings with classmates and visitors. Thus the title of this research, STEM Students on the Stage (SOS), is used to describe this model. In addition, emerging substantive theory suggested that STEM SOS model helped students learn STEM subjects better, cultivate STEM subject interests, and develop skills for their college and professional lives. Implications of the effect of this model on K-12 students’ learning experiences are discussed in detail.

Social cognitive theory guided the design of a survey to investigate high school students’ perceptions of factors affecting their career contemplations and beliefs regarding the influence of their participation in the international Science Olympiad on their subject interests and twenty-first century skills. In addition, gender differences in students’ choice of compe- tition category were studied. Mixed methods analysis of survey returns from 172 Olympiad participants from 31 countries showed that students’ career aspirations were affected most by their teachers, personal interests, and parents, respectively. Students also indicated that they believed that their participation in the Olympiad reinforced their plan to choose a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) major at college and assisted them in developing and improving their twenty-first century skills. Furthermore, female students’ responses indicated that their project choices were less likely to be in the engineering category and more likely to be in the environment or energy categories. Findings are discussed in the light of increasing the awareness of the role and importance of Science Olympiads in STEM career choice and finding ways to attract more female students into engineering careers.

This study was grounded in the social cognitive career theoretical framework (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994). The purpose of this four-year longitudinal study was to examine the factors that may have contributed to students’ motivation to develop STEM interest during secondary school years. The participants in our study were 9th- 11th grade high school students from a large K-12 college preparatory charter school system, Harmony Public Schools (HPS) in Texas. We utilized descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses to carry out the study. The results revealed that three-year survey takers’ STEM major interest seemed to decrease steadily each year. Although there was a significant gender gap between males and females in STEM selection in 9th and 10th grade, this difference was not significant at the end of 11th grade. White and Asian students were significantly more likely to be interested in STEM careers. We also found that students who were most likely to choose a STEM major in college had higher parent and teacher expectations, higher math and science self-efficacy, higher GPA grades, took more AP courses, and participated in STEM clubs.

The purpose of this study is to compare the college enrollment and STEM college major choice rates of graduates of a STEM-focused charter school system to those of students who graduated from traditional public schools in the state of Texas and the United States for low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented groups. In addition, the factors students perceived as important in their STEM career selection were examined. Participants were Harmony Public Schools (HPS) alumni who graduated between year 2002 and 2016. Data were collected through annual and additional surveys via emails and Facebook. Data were analyzed descriptively to answer the research questions. It was found that HPS had significantly higher college enrollment rates in all minority groups including female, African American, Hispanic, and low-SES when compared to public school students in the state of Texas and the United States. The second research question revealed that HPS graduates’ STEM major choice rates were significantly higher than their counterparts in the state of Texas and the United States in all subgroups including female and students of color. Students’ self-interest, teachers, and parents were found to be the top three factors that students thought affected their major choice.