The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between self-efficacy and maintenance of interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) resulting in completion of an undergraduate degree in a science related area. To pursue this analysis, the researchers surveyed 3,510 graduates from selective specialized science high schools within the United States as well as 603 same age participants in Talent Search programs who did not graduate from a specialized science high school. Using binary logistic regression analysis, the researchers identified individuallevel variables associated with the decision by both groups of high-ability adolescents to earn an undergraduate degree in STEM. These variables include self-efficacy and stability of interest in science, mathematics, and/or technology, and suggest that both specialized science high schools and Talent Search programs both serve equally well as incubators of talent for adolescents with a proclivity for STEM related disciplines.
To ensure that our nation's children have the competent teachers they need, long-range and comprehensive efforts focused on teacher education are needed at the state level. Although local colleges and universities are trying hard to increase enrollment in teacher preparation programs and to revise curricula to ensure quality in the programs they offer, state-level coordination is needed to bring the K-12 and higher education sectors together to prepare and retain sufficient numbers of competent, classroom-ready teachers.In this chapter we provide an overview of the structure and authority of state higher education agencies, concentrating on their role in academic, funding, and information system policies and practices. We then touch on the key state policy issues; decisions about these issues affect the manner in which and extent to which community colleges are involved in addressing teacher quality issues in the state, specifically through the structure and function of preparation programs. Finally, we suggest ways that states can encourage greater cross-system collaboration among K-12 schools, community colleges, and universities to promote systemic solutions to the related crises of teacher supply and teaching quality in the United States.
Role of State Higher Education AgenciesEvery state system of postsecondary education includes an agency with responsibility for the governance or coordination of the institutions making up the system. The primary coordination function of a postsecondary
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