Socially just or unjust? A quantitative analysis of BIPOC girls' placement in the non-traditional CTE-STEM engineering program of study in Houston independent school district

ABSTRACT

The coronavirus (COVID-19) created unprecedented changes for teachers and students worldwide. K-12 institution were forced into action, requiring a shift in their respective teaching, and learning modalities. The global pandemic caused all institutions to re-imagine educational opportunities, equity, and access relative to middle-skills options, combined with ensuring curriculum and learning outcomes remain relevant with rigorous [faculty to student, and student to business partner] engagement. In Houston Independent School District (Houston ISD), the pandemic provided an opportunity to examine the STEM Engineering program of study within the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department, to determine if equity and access have been, and continues to be a reality for BIPOC girls. This research will quantitatively analyze CTE-STEM disaggregated data for the 2018-2019 cohort. Specifically, the study will explore the intersectional experiences of BIPOC girls as they relate to placement in the non-traditional CTE-STEM engineering program of study, and the designation of concentrator or completer to determine if gaps of equity and access exist. Further inquiry will consider the likely effects to [future earnings and widening of middle-skills gap]. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)