This retrospective quasi-experimental design research compared student achievement of students in two active learning environments. One is referred to as Student Centered Active Learning Environment with Upside-Down Pedagogies (SCALE-UP), and the other is referred to as traditional classroom environments. Student final course grades of physics…

The demographic statistics for gifted programs in the United States (U.S.) reveal consistent underrepresentation for students from Cultural, Linguistic and Economically Diverse (CLED) subgroups. Despite the priority placed on addressing this imbalance through policy, funding and research, significant improvements have yet to be seen in the U.S.…

Schools in the United States are not producing competent STEM graduates qualified to meet employment demands. STEM employment is projected to increase twice as quickly as all other occupations combined over the next decade. Since competition is increasing internationally for scientific and technological innovations, the United States is focusing…

The underrepresentation of women in STEM more generally and in physics specifically has been well established (e.g., Hyater-Adams, Fracchiolla, Finkelstein, & Hinko, 2018; Johnson, Ong, Ko, Smith, & Hodari, (2017); Lock & Hazari, 2016), and the field remains challenged by the negative consequences of this underrepresentation. Women's…

First-generation, low-income, underrepresented minority (URM) and female undergraduates are matriculating into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors at unprecedented levels. However, a disproportionate number of these students end up graduating in non-STEM disciplines. Attrition rates have been observed to spike in conjunction…