Education and Experience: Do Teacher Qualifications in Career-Focused STEM Courses Make a Difference?

当高中生参加"STEM CTE"（即，这些课程包括科学、技术、工程和数学领域的职业和技术教育课程，它们在学校到大学/职业管道中具有更强的成果，包括更低的辍学率和更好的高中出勤率，12年级更强的数学成绩，以及在高中和大学攻读高级STEM课程的几率更高。越来越多的教师研究表明，教师对学生的成功至关重要，特别是在STEM方面。特别是，研究已经确定，教师教育和STEM领域的证书，以及多年的课堂教学经验是支持学生成绩的关键教师因素。然而，关于（a）谁教STEM-CTE课程和（B）这些课程和途径的好处是否受到STEM-CTE教师的具体特征的驱动或影响的先前研究有限。本项目旨在探讨这些问题。使用高中全州纵向数据从马里兰州从2012年至2022年，本研究将首先记录谁教过STEM CTE课程在此期间。该数据集包括大约5，000个独特的教师观察和大约500，000个独特的学生观察。在探索了教学前景之后，这项研究将探讨资格（即，教育，证书，教学经验）的教师在STEM-CTE高中课程与他们的学生的成功。数据集中的成功指标包括课程结束成绩，STEM-CTE浓度/行业认可的资格认证，高级STEM课程（例如，荣誉，AP，IB，双招生），STEM标准化考试成绩，数学SAT/ACT成绩，出勤率/停学率，按时毕业，减少辍学。数据分析包括多元回归分析，并辅以对教师和学生进行非随机排序的测试。Discovery Research preK-12项目（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高preK-12学生和教师在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）方面的学习和教学。DRK-12项目中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究以及为拟议项目提供理论和经验依据的先前研究和开发工作的基础上。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

When high school students take “STEM-CTE” (i.e., career and technical education courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields), they have much stronger outcomes across the school-to-college/career pipeline, including lower dropout rates and better attendance in high school, stronger math achievement in 12th grade, and higher odds of pursuing advanced STEM courses in high school and college. Growing teacher research shows that teachers matter for students’ success, particularly in STEM. In particular, research has established that teacher education and credentials in STEM fields, as well as years of classroom teaching experiences are key teacher factors in supporting student outcomes. However, there has been limited prior research regarding (a) who teaches STEM-CTE courses and (b) whether the benefits of these courses and pathways are driven or influenced by specific characteristics of STEM-CTE teachers. This project will aim to explore these questions.Using high school statewide longitudinal data from Maryland from 2012-2022, this study will first document who has taught STEM-CTE courses over this period. The dataset includes approximately 5,000 unique teacher observations and approximately 500,000 unique student observations. After exploring the teaching landscape, the study will then explore whether qualifications (i.e., education, credentials, teaching experience) of teachers in STEM-CTE high school courses were associated with their students’ success. Indicators of success in the dataset include end-of-course grades, STEM-CTE concentration/industry-recognized credentialing, advanced STEM coursetaking (e.g., honors, AP, IB, dual-enrollment), STEM standardized test scores, math SAT/ACT scores, attendance/suspension rates, on-time graduation, and reduced dropout. Data analysis includes multivariate regression analyses, supplemented with tests for nonrandom sorting of teachers to students.The Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.