This study will explore the experiences and perspectives of teacher effectiveness from those directly involved in arts intensive education at an arts magnet school in the Midwest to gain a deeper understanding of their experience. Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky's social construction theory will serve as the theoretical framework for…

This ex-post facto quantitative study examined how a comprehensive STEM education program impacts high school students' ACT math and science scores as well as their attitudes toward STEM. Using data from one STEM-designated school, the researcher examined ACT math, science, and STEM results for students who took the ACT in the Spring of 2024,…

Public-school choice programs have multiplied over the past decades. Previous researchers have analyzed the significant roles that parents play when deciding what they think is best for their children's futures. Though research has shown the roles and factors over parents' educational choices for their student, there are limited studies on student…

Two-hour long developmental teaching interviews were conducted with each of 14 sixth grade students, ages 11-12. The purposes of the interviews were to investigate how students solved arrangement problems (APs), and how their solutions of these problems differed from their solution of Cartesian product problems (CPPs). The 14 students represented…

Student engagement has been at the forefront of education in all levels. From Pre-Kindergarten to Higher learning, the ways in which students attend during instruction and with tasks can be seen as an indicator of varying levels of student achievement and growth. The Corona Virus of 2019 opened up new questions when examining student engagement.…

The creation of specialty science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Schools has been presented as a way to improve both academic and STEM-related outcomes, particularly in urban school districts where "failing" schools are converted the STEM Schools. This study examines this conversion process through the tenets of critical race…

Agentic engagement refers to students' proactive and constructive contribution into the flow of classroom instruction and activities. Given its potential as a student-initiated pathway to promoting motivation and learning, the goal of this study was to describe agentic engagement from the perspectives of racially diverse students in urban high…

Policymakers originally created magnets to voluntarily enroll a racially diverse population of students in non-White city neighborhoods by offering unique curricular experiences intended to attract White parents. Successfully desegregated magnets inorganically curated racially mixed schools by appealing to the interests of affluent and/or White…

In this study, we compared the perspectives of students' 21st-Century competencies (critical thinking and communication, applied learning, and intrapersonal and interpersonal skills) based on participating in an urban magnet information technology (IT) career academy compared to a traditional, comprehensive high school. We utilized propensity…

Situated within scholarly research on tracking, within-school racial segregation, and student career aspirations, this qualitative study examines how three Black students in the mainstream program at a magnet high school in the Southeastern United States discussed their career aspirations. Results indicate that while each participant aspired to…

Policy efforts to enhance postsecondary access and completion often emphasize the construct of college readiness (CR). While most research has focused on defining and measuring CR, less has examined the perspectives of first generation students and the urban high school contexts in which many prepare for college. This study utilizes data from an…

This research presentation seeks to illustrate how tracking produces within-school segregation, which, in turn, shapes the future aspirations of students. Scholars have shown that while schools have become more racially integrated over the years, another sociological phenomenon has occurred: within-school segregation as brought on by tracking.…

Despite their long history and importance in the American curriculum, music programs must constantly justify their place in the twenty-first century. Urban areas that are economically depressed sometimes may not be able to offer music instruction due to the emphasis on raising test scores as well as unfavorable economic conditions that may limit…

Positive youth development (PYD) orients youth toward pro-social and forward-looking behavior through programs that emphasize youth empowerment and involvement, focus on skill development and character building, incorporate community collaboration at multiple levels, and include positive adult role models and mentors that interact with youth in…

This qualitative study explored student and parent perspectives on the extent to which gifted and talented programs met the educational needs of gifted students in Grades 4 to 7. Fifty-two interviews were conducted with students and parents from 10 public schools including seven neighborhood schools and three magnet schools. Participant…