Michael Atzbi Ph.D. Dissertation Proposal Defense: “Three essays examining access to and participation in advanced mathematics and science high school courses for students of color”

Abstract: “Access to and subsequent participation in advanced mathematics and science courses can often be used as an indicator for future success of a student. In the past, most of the research done in this area has been limited to the effects of Advanced Placement courses due to lack of available data. Within the past ten years, detailed student data from the Civil Rights Data Collection has opened the door for more immersive studies on access and participation trends in other types of advanced coursework. This data, coupled with state policy data, can shed new light on the effectiveness of educational policies and help inform policymakers in the future. This study seeks to identify relationships between state policy designed to increase access to or participation in advanced mathematics and science courses for students of color and actual student data on a nationwide scale. The proposed dissertation will follow the three publishable papers format with the following topics: (1) current and historical state policies that may affect student access and participation in advanced mathematics and science courses, (2) descriptive analysis of student data to identify predictors for disparities in access to and participation in these courses for students of color using data available from the Civil Rights Data Collection and School Finance Database, and (3) state policies that were put in place within the timeframe of data to evaluate the effectiveness of those policies on student access and participation rates.”

To access the Zoom link required to attend this defense, please contact academic.services@gse.rutgers.edu.