Secondary School Curricular Reform and Postsecondary Education Success

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9725509 Schneider The purpose of the proposed project is to examine the relationship between students' academic experiences in high school and their success in postsecondary education. In 1990, the National Science Foundation created the Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSI) program to create broad-based statewide coalitions to undertake extensive coordinated reforms of science, mathematics, and technology education. Evaluations of the first wave of these programs pointed out that many educational practitioners remain unconvinced that the type of standards-based reforms envisioned by educational and policy leaders are needed (Zucker, Shields, Adelman, and Powell, 1995). This project is designed to determine whether high school curricular programs that exemplify standards-based reforms lead to increased student achievement in science and mathematics and have enduring effects on student matriculation, persistence, and career development in postsecondary school. Currently, SSI relies on changes in student achievement as one of the major indicators of program success. However, we are interested in examining the wide-range effects of standards-based curricular reforms on postsecondary school experiences, particularly those of students traditionally underserved in high schools. The logic underlying the SSI program is that student attainment of high standards of learning requires meaningful improvements in classroom teaching, the implementation of more challenging curricula and materials, and regular assessments of learning aligned with instruction. Furthermore, effective implementation of these initiatives requires better-trained teachers and administrators, support within and outside schools, and collaborative working relations among key constituencies. Launching these major reforms is a significant task, and there has been some concern among local and state educational leaders that such initiatives may not be worth the time and resources needed to implement them (Zucker et al., 1995). Therefore, it is not surprising that the response to their implementation has been less than enthusiastic. This project will provide information on the connection between high school and college success, and the different paths through which students arrive at college. In doing so, it also has implications for how to prepare a more educated and equitable work force for the 21 st century. Our results will highlight how schools and communities can encourage traditionally underrepresented students to pursue studies and careers in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Furthermore, our analysis will reveal the returns to course sequences, classroom learning environments, school organizational resources and family and community involvement in terms of postsecondary success. Finally, through an examination of students' educational experiences with NELS:88-94 compared with data from TIMSS and HS & B we can determine how contemporary young Americans fare in the new context of the global marketplace and international competitiveness. ??