Date:
Location:
PoLS-T Talk & LIVE Discussion Series | June 5, 2021
Title: ‘Studying STEM Pathways in a Research-Practice Partnership’
Speaker: Brian Holzman, Rice University
TALK SYNOPSIS
'Studying STEM Pathways in a Research-Practice Partnership'
Since the 2014-15 school year, ninth-grade students in Texas have been required to choose an academic endorsement during high school. Endorsements are similar to college majors and are intended to help high school students develop subject-area knowledge. Among the five endorsement options, STEM has the most rigorous math and science requirements and appears most aligned to selective four-year college admission requirements. In this talk, I will discuss equitable access to the STEM endorsement in a Houston-area school district. First, students who live in lower-socioeconomic status neighborhoods are more likely to live in a STEM desert—areas of the district in which there are fewer opportunities to choose the STEM endorsement or take STEM courses in high school. Second, female students are less likely to initially choose the STEM endorsement, even after accounting for background characteristics. However, guidance counseling may close these gender gaps and help female students stick with STEM through graduation. Following the presentation of findings, I will share insights on how research is conducted in a research-practice partnership. Specifically, I will discuss how this project started, challenges and opportunities when communicating with district partners, and how the project changed over time. I will also talk about the next steps for information dissemination and recommendations for policy and practice.
SPEAKER BIO
Brian Holzman, Ph.D.
Research Scientist, Houston Education Research Consortium, Rice University
Dr. Brian Holzman is a research scientist at the Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC) at Rice University. At HERC, he leads research projects that study and evaluate interventions, policies, and practices in Houston-area school districts. Dr. Holzman’s research examines the pathway from middle school to and through college. His research pays particular attention to educational equity and often focuses on structural and informational barriers to college access and success among first- and second-generation immigrants, English learners, students of color, and students from socioeconomically marginalized backgrounds. Dr. Holzman’s ongoing work includes a study of recent immigrant students and school structures than enable their English language acquisition, as well as a study of pathways to and through STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in the wake of a state policy change to high school graduation requirements. He is also co-principal investigator of a National Science Foundation-funded middle school text messaging field experiment that aims to improve parent engagement and child academic and socioemotional outcomes. Dr. Holzman completed his graduate education at Stanford University, earning a master’s degree in sociology and a Ph.D. in sociology of education and higher education administration.
SPEAKER CONTACT: brianholzman.com
