Eric.ed.gov – Toward Achievement in the “Knowledge Economy” of the 21st Century: Preparing Students through T-STEM Academies

Schools are constantly engaged in implementing reform strategies to prepare students for postsecondary education leading to their career choices. Challenges here involve education initiatives addressing programs not strategically planned, educators not prepared for transition, and no follow-up support beyond initial implementation stages. This study examined school reform initiatives by the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math academies toward better-quality instruction, to prepare students for post-secondary education, and in-turn, for the knowledge economy of the 21st century. The purpose of the study was to gauge the effectiveness of these academies in math, science, and engineering, and if these academies are successful educational-reform systems. Inductive data analysis was conducted from general program data and teacher interviews from one rural and one urban high school. Data were obtained through observations, interviews, and program documents. The coding system subdivided the data into domains to establish semantic relationship, and to uncover frames within the data. Terms under each domain served as parameters for each respective domain. The practice of member-checking, peer debriefing, and data triangulation ensured validity, and case study protocols established reliability of results. Results indicated that T-STEM academies have implemented educational reform strategies that produce better-prepared graduates for post-secondary education and perhaps students that are prepared for the knowledge economy. Implications of the study for social change include heighten awareness of effective instructional practices to increase student achievement, as well as contribute to future STEM development relative to economic trends.