Scale-Up of Selective STEM Specialty Schools: Effi

在过去的二十年里，更好地赋予高能力STEM（科学，技术，工程和数学）学生权力的愿望促成了选择性STEM专业高中的创建。 这些学校把所有的注意力都集中在只由最有才华的学生组成的学生身上，这些学生最有可能学习最苛刻的STEM内容，发挥他们的STEM学习潜力，并追求中学后的STEM学习和职业。 然而，对于选择性STEM专业学校在实现其使命方面所发挥的作用，人们的看法不一。 在评论关于STEM学科教育的已知知识时，国家研究理事会最近一份题为"成功的K-12 STEM教育"的报告指出，"没有系统的数据表明，如果他们参加了另一种类型的学校，参加这些学校的高能力学生是否会同样有可能追求STEM专业或相关职业，或者对技术或科学做出重大贡献。学校"为了解决研究差距，这项影响研究解决了一个问题：获得一所选择性STEM专业学校的录取是否会提高学生在SAT，SAT II（数学2级）和Advanced Placement考试（微积分AB，化学和物理B）中的学业成功？ 调查的其他部分遵循额外的学生成果，包括：参与和成功的STEM竞赛; STEM出版物;国家优秀奖学金;中学后STEM教育和STEM职业的意图;和初步的中学后STEM教育。这项研究是基于最严格的设计的焦点话题：一个真正的实验调查的结果，为学生从许多选择STEM专业学校。 这项研究是通过随机分配同等的治疗组和对照组来完成的，并基于足够的学生来产生统计功效，从而产生可能的最明确的因果结果。 研究人员正在招募所有符合条件的学生，他们申请进入美国目前约100所此类学校中的20所选择性STEM专业学校。 对于2013年秋季入学的班级，研究学校正在修改他们的常规选拔程序，通过随机分配合格的申请人来分配学生接受（处理条件）或不接受（控制条件）。 然后，研究人员通过他们的STEM学校跟踪治疗学生，并在他们继续接受中等教育的任何地方集中跟踪所有对照学生。 该研究还调查了在选择性STEM学校教育高成就学生与在其他学校教育他们的相对成本效益。由于美国的STEM专业人员和技术人员严重短缺，国家教育系统必须确保有才华的STEM学生发挥最大潜力，并追求中学后STEM学位课程和职业。 由于越来越多地用于解决这一需求的一种策略是在选择性STEM专业学校教育有才华的STEM学生，这项研究正在考虑将资源用于支持这些学校的成本/效益。

The desire to better empower high-ability STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students has contributed in the last two decades to a jump in the creation of selective STEM specialty high schools. These schools devote all of their attention to a student body comprised only of the most talented students, ones who are most likely to be able to learn the most demanding STEM content, reach their STEM learning potential, and pursue postsecondary STEM study and careers. However, there are mixed views on the role that selective STEM specialty schools play in achieving their mission. While commenting on what is known regarding education in the STEM disciplines, a recent National Research Council report entitled "Successful K-12 STEM Education" notes that "there are no systematic data that show whether the highly capable students who attend those schools would have been just as likely to pursue a STEM major or related career or make significant contributions to technology or science if they had attended another type of school." To address the research gap, this impact study addresses the question: Does gaining admission to a selective STEM specialty school improve students' academic success on the SAT, SAT II (Math Level 2), and Advanced Placement exams (Calculus AB, Chemistry, and Physics B)? Other portions of the investigation follow additional student outcomes, including: participation and success in STEM competitions; STEM publications; National Merit scholarships; intentions for postsecondary STEM education and STEM careers; and initial postsecondary STEM education.This study is based on the most rigorous possible design for the focal topic: a true experimental investigation of outcomes for students from many selective STEM specialty schools. The study is being accomplished through random assignment of equivalent treatment and control groups, and based on enough students to yield statistical power that can produce the most clear causal result possible. Researchers are recruiting all qualified students who apply for admission to 20 selective STEM specialty schools among the approximately 100 such schools currently in the United States. For the class entering in fall 2013, study schools are revising their routine selection process to one of assigning students for acceptance (treatment condition) or not (control condition) through random assignment of qualified applicants. Researchers, then, are following treatment students via their STEM schools and also intensively tracking all control students wherever they continue their secondary education. The study also investigates relative cost-effectiveness for educating high-achieving students in selective STEM schools versus educating them at other schools. Since there is an acute and growing U.S. shortage of STEM professionals and technicians, it is imperative for the nation's education system to ensure that talented STEM students are reaching their maximum potential and pursuing postsecondary STEM degree programs and careers. As one strategy increasingly being used to address this need is to educate talented STEM students in selective STEM specialty schools, this study is informing considerations of the cost/benefit of directing resources to support such schools.