This thesis reviews the enrollment policies and procedures for advanced and college prep classes in a central Texas school district to determine if there is fair and equitable access for all students. The paper contains two major components. The first is quantitative study of the four entrance requirements for 8th grade Algebra I Pre-AP at a central Texas middle school. The purpose of this study is to determine the necessity of these requirements by showing which if any of these prerequisites predicts the how the students will perform in Algebra I. The results have determined that only the students? scores from their 7th grade advanced mathematics course correlated well with the students? scores from their Algebra I class. The second component is a qualitative study to determine if the parents of the district?s secondary students in have sufficient knowledge of advanced courses and how to enroll their children into advanced classes when warranted or desired. The study determined that parents had insufficient knowledge of advanced courses and the districts strict enrollment policies. This paper ends with recommendations for the district on how to make advanced course more accessible for all students.

The current study focused on the extent to which participation in academically rigorous college preparatory programs, International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Advanced Placement (AP) particularly, impacts students from racially diverse backgrounds (Caucasian, African American, Asian American and Hispanic/Latino American). Student outcomes of interest included the program satisfaction, school climate perceptions (relationships with peers and teachers), and psychoeducational adjustment (academic and mental health functioning). The experiences of 381 college preparatory participants were also compared to 143 general education peers and subjected to a series of MANOVAs and ANOVAs. General findings indicated that, regardless of the student's racial identity, students in AP and IB had very positive experiences in terms of high academic achievement, healthy student-teacher and student-peer relationships, and no mental ill health (no stress, anxiety or depression). Limitations, implications and future directions are also discussed.

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Increasing the number of students of color in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields is critical for America’s economic, technological and scientific advancement, yet many are less likely to enter or persist. National efforts to decrease racial differences in STEM have been ongoing but their outcomes have not markedly broadened participation. Under-examined is the role of students’ STEM-specific identities, such as their math identity, on their STEM outcomes. Qualitative findings suggest learning mathematics is a racialized form of experience where students’ math identities and educational opportunities are shaped by race-based narratives of math ability. However, this hypothesis has not been tested with rigorous empirical evidence. Moreover, the role of students’ learning opportunities on actual outcomes is unclear. Using data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS: 09), this study examines the role of math identity and other math attitudes in racial differences in four STEM-related outcomes: advanced math course enrollment, math behavioral and emotional engagement, and STEM career aspiration. Guided by a sociological perspective, I also examine the degree to which students’ school-contexts effect their outcomes and experiences. Lastly, drawing from intersectionality theory, I offer insight into how the inclusion of race and gender interactions change model results. The findings suggest that there are racial differences in mathematics identity, behavioral and emotional engagement, and school characteristics. However, math identity was not a significant predictor of math course enrollment and had little impact on the other outcome variables when student background and school characteristics are considered. The findings also illustrate how learning opportunities are allocated in ways that mirror the race-based hierarchy of math ability. I conclude by describing the study’s implications for policy and future research. / Urban Education

It was a goal of this study to identify factors affecting African-American enrollment and intent to enroll in an advanced placement program and other select variables such as prior course work, teacher expectations, academic motivation, peer affiliation, counselor advisement, teacher perception, and student self-efficacy. Pearson correlations, ANOVA, Post Hoc and regression tests were used to analyze the data that had the greatest significance on African-American enrollment in an advanced placement program. The researcher concluded that teacher expectations, peer affiliation, and student intent to enroll have the greatest significance on African-American enrollment in an advanced placement program. Recommendations were suggested for classroom teachers, educational leaders, and future researchers.