As postsecondary developmental education policy reforms are implemented, increased attention must be given to students with learning and attention disabilities. The purpose of this study was to bring these students into the conversation, by examining their representation in developmental education broadly, as well the effect of this intervention…

Analyzing data from students in the NCES High School Longitudinal Study dataset, we drew upon expectancy-value theory to examine the role of student motivation (measured by self-efficacy, identity, utility, and interest), as mediators between 9th grade math test scores and final math GPA for autistic students. In predicting final high school math…

Demand for engineering-interested and proficient high school graduates continues to grow across the nation. However, there remains a severe gap in college participation and employment in engineering fields for students with learning disabilities (SWLDs). One potential way to encourage SWLDs to consider engineering as a profession and promote the…

This secondary data analysis of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS) examined math efficacy among 9th-grade students with disabilities (n = 2,065), as well as the instructional efficacy among the mathematics teachers to whom they were assigned (n = 1,478). Follow-up tests showed both positive and negative relationships between each of…

As educators and policymakers increasingly use parental involvement as a mechanism to increase student achievement, scholars know surprisingly little about the disparities in frequencies of parental involvement for first-generation immigrant compared to native-born parents as well as how involvement may differ for parents of students with…

Despite growing calls to increase diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, students with learning disabilities (SWLDs) remain underrepresented in STEM at the postsecondary level. Considering this call for increased diversity as a means to expand and strengthen STEM success, we used the High School Longitudinal…

Although postsecondary STEM outcomes for students with disabilities are poorly understood, literature exploring this problem is quite sparse. We examined the career aspirations of high school students by modeling the likelihood of students with individualized education programs (IEPs) aspiring to STEM careers. Results demonstrated no differences…

We leverage nationally representative data and statewide data from Washington to investigate trends in occupational career and technical education (CTE) participation for students with and without disabilities. Consistent with prior work, we document declines in occupational CTE participation since the early 2000s, but we provide the first…

Background: After nearly a century of federal policies focusing on career-related high school coursework, a 2006 policy reauthorization especially called for increased rigor in STEM-themed career and technical education (CTE) courses and increased participation from all students, and particularly women and those with disabilities. We explore…

Background/Context: Career and technical education (CTE) coursework in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical/health (STEMM) fields has been supported by policy makers as a way to align the secondary-to-postsecondary-to-career pipeline. Yet, in the research, the focus has been on whether STEMM CTE coursetaking in high school…

Background/Context: Career and technical education (CTE) coursework in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical/health (STEMM) fields has been supported by policy makers as a way to align the secondary-to-postsecondary-to-career pipeline. Yet, in the research, the focus has been on whether STEMM CTE coursetaking in high school…

Increasing and improving the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational pipeline has been a point of emphasis for decades, and federal policy in the United States has urged high schools to embed new types of STEM courses into the curriculum. As one example, applied STEM courses--one growing branch within career and…

The ink from the reauthorization of the Perkins Act -- the federal policy governing career and technical education (CTE) -- in the summer of 2018 is still fresh. This much-needed update builds upon some of the major tenets of the 2006 version, including emphases on increasing the participation of low-income students in CTE and encouraging CTE…

The ink from the reauthorization of the Perkins Act -- the federal policy governing career and technical education (CTE) -- in the summer of 2018 is still fresh. This much-needed update builds upon some of the major tenets of the 2006 version, including emphases on increasing the participation of low-income students in CTE and encouraging CTE…