Failure, The Next Generation: Why Rigorous Standards are not Sufficient to Improve Science Learning

Abstract

Although many states in the United States are adopting policies that require all students to complete college-preparatory science classes to graduate from high school, such policies have not always led to improved student outcomes. There is much speculation about the cause of the dismal results, but there is scant research on the processes by which the policies are being implemented at the school level, especially in schools that enroll large numbers of historically non-college-bound students. To address this gap in the literature, we conducted a four-year ethnographic case study of policy implementation at one racially and socioeconomically diverse high school in Michigan. Guided by the structuration theory of Anthony Giddens (1984), we gathered and analyzed information from interviews with administrators and science teachers, observations of science classes, and relevant curriculum and policy documents. Our findings reveal the processes and rationales by which a state policy mandating three years of college-preparatory science for all students was implemented at the school. Four years after the policy was implemented, there was little improvement in science outcomes. The main reason for this, we found, was the lack of correspondence between the state policy and local policies developed in response to that state policy.

Content-Specific Leadership: Identifying Literature-Based Implications for Principal Preparation

“…Drawing upon Hitt and Tucker’s (2016) instructional leadership framework synthesis, we find that most discussions about leadership in content areas emphasize the leader’s responsibility for shepherding resources and creating conditions that facilitate teachers’ efforts to improve their instruction. These supports include providing a clear vision for mathematics and science instruction (Cobb & Jackson, 2011), establishing a robust mathematics and science curriculum (Casey, Dunlap, & Starrett, 2012b), offering professional development aligned to specific content areas (Bair & Bair, 2014; Fitzgerald & Schneider, 2013; Higgins & Bonne, 2012; Sebastian & Allensworth, 2012), and establishing teams that support instructional improvement through strategic hiring (Horng & Loeb, 2010). (More on strategic hiring is included in the next section.)…”

Influential Spheres: Examining Actors’ Perceptions of Education Governance

“…That being said, our findings reveal important variation within and across spheres of influence in terms of the areas of education governance that policymakers found salient and that they emphasized. Bair and Bair (2014) note the importance of state legislators and other policymakers understanding "the local contexts and structural constraints within which policies are being implemented" (p. 10). Examining the stark differences we detected between spheres might be particularly useful for such pursuits.…”

Preparing Historically Underserved Students for STEM Careers: The Role of an Inquiry-based High School Science Sequence Beginning with Physics

“…In addition to closing opportunity to learn gaps at the high school level, better academic preparation of students in elementary and middle school is crucial for increasing the number of historically underserved students prepared for successful pursuit of STEM careers (Venkataraman, Riordan, & Olson, 2010). As noted by Bair and Bair (2014), students who arrive at high school lacking the prerequisite skills for successfully attaining the NGSS need additional supports and more time for learning.…”

“…The NGSS "seek not only to provide students with a foundation of essential knowledge, but also to lead young people to apply their learning through scientific inquiry and the engineering-design process to deepen understanding" (Robelen, 2013, p.1). The adoption of the NGSS, along with aligned curriculum and instructional materials, is a necessary but insufficient strategy for increasing the preparation of students for STEM careers (Bair & Bair, 2014). For students to attain the NGSS, educators must improve students' opportunity to learn by focusing on "what and how well students are taught in classrooms" (Herman, 2007, p. 4).…”

“…Both Bair and Bair (2014) and Wallace and Kang (2013) argue that sustained and supported professional development is integral for enhancing teacher skills in implementing inquiry-based science. Employing student centered approaches including inquiry and modeling can increase teacher self-efficacy (Hunzicker, 2012).…”