In this article, we describe the implementation and results of a formative experience with prospective mathematics teachers, focused on developing the competence for didactic-mathematical analysis of curriculum materials, specifically student workbooks related to probability. The research design follows a methodological approach typical of…

We survey undergraduate students at a large public university to understand the pecuniary and non-pecuniary factors driving their college major and career decisions with a focus on K-12 teaching. While the average student reports there is a 6% chance they will pursue teaching, almost 27% report a nonzero chance of working as a teacher in the…

This paper provides the first experimental evidence of how admission outcomes in centralized systems depend on strategic college choice behaviors. Centralized college admissions simplify the application process and reduce students' informational barriers. However, such systems also reward informed and strategic college choices. In particular,…

Introduction: Critical thinking is a highly-valued skill in higher education, even though there are few studies that demonstrate its effectiveness on scientific skills of pedagogy students. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of a critical thinking program (PENCRIT-RC) on inquiry and probabilistic reasoning skills in pedagogy…

Students leaving institutions of higher education prior to graduation leads to millions of dollars in lost revenue (Sutter & Paulsen, 2016; Undergraduate Retention and Graduation Rates, 2018). Retention theorists Tinto (1975) and Kuh (2008) recommend practices such as academic interaction, social interaction, faculty engagement with students,…

This study employed design-based logistic regression to examine the extent to which attending a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) magnet high school, school demographics, and student-level factors explain a student's intent to declare a STEM major in the first semester of college. The results show only student-level factors…

Washington, DC's Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP), the only federally funded school voucher program in the United States, has provided private school scholarships to low-income students in DC since 2004. From its inception, the program has received significant attention in national debates and has been the subject of rigorous evaluations…

Close to two million first-year undergraduates enroll in developmental education each year. According to recent national estimates, less than half of students who start in developmental education go on to complete gateway courses and less than one-third eventually earn a degree. However, more research is needed to better assess potential…

We estimate the impact of one of the largest college-to-student outreach efforts in the nation, the College Board's Student Search Service. In an oversubscribed "order," colleges receive contact information of a randomly chosen subset of PSAT and SAT exam takers who opt into the service and meet colleges' search criteria from a larger…

Background: Developmental education (i.e., remedial education) has come under scrutiny given evidence that it is ineffective for learning or hinders students' progress toward degree completion (Scott-Clayton & Rodriguez, 2014; Xu & Dadgar, 2018). However, there is heterogeneity in the effect of developmental education, with positive…

This study examines the long-term relation between an Integrated Student Support (ISS) intervention and postsecondary enrollment and completion for predominantly low-income students of color. We use propensity score weighting to estimate the relation between receiving ISS during elementary school and postsecondary outcomes for 2009-2017 high…

Playing board games is known to improve pre-school student numeracy and many board games are used to motivate and explore concepts in probability. This study investigates whether college students in liberal arts mathematics courses assigned to play the board game "Settlers of Catan" develop a stronger grasp of basic probability concepts…

This study examines the effect of dual enrollment (DE) on college enrollment and degree completion for less academically prepared students who attended public high schools in Texas. The authors employ a propensity score matching method to reduce selection bias from DE participation and supplement the analysis with a bounds test. The results show…

Educational stakeholders are keen to know the magnitude and importance of different interventions. However, the way evidence is communicated to support understanding of the effectiveness of an intervention is controversial. Typically studies in education have used the standardised mean difference as a measure of the impact of interventions. This…

Though statistics is covered in secondary-school curricula, it is usually limited to few lessons and mainly taught in a procedural approach. There seems to be a gap between the education of mathematics teachers and the demands on their practice. Learning statistics from a mathematical perspective does not qualify to teach the subject properly.…