These schools are a relatively new
feature of the U.S. education landscape and can have policy implications
for school reform, STEM initiatives,
and improving opportunity to learn.
They may also point the way for high
schools of the future.
Inclusive STEM high schools are
stand-alone schools, schools within
schools, or school programs that
accept students on the basis of their
interest in STEM rather than on the
basis of aptitude or prior achievement.
Inclusive STEM high schools prepare
students with the mathematics and
science experiences they need to
succeed in a STEM college major
through a program of greater depth
and breadth than is typically required
for high school graduation (Lynch,
Means, Behrend, & Peters-Burton,
2011).
The Many Faces of Inclusive
STEM High Schools
Inclusive STEM high schools
enroll students from groups underrepresented in STEM professions
through an application process that
doesn’t require high test scores before
high school entry (Means, Confrey,
House, & Bhanot, 2008). These
schools are designed to develop
students’ STEM expertise rather than
to select students already identified
as gifted and talented or as high
achieving in STEM. In 2008, there
were approximately 100 inclusive
STEM high schools in the United
States (Means et al., 2008). Currently,
there are probably three to four times
that number.
Inclusive STEM high schools can
be found in a wide range of environ-
ments. They may be catalyzed by
statewide STEM school initiatives
established through boards of edu-
cation, as we see in Texas, Ohio, and
North Carolina. Similar efforts to
create such high schools are underway
in 16 other U.S. states through the
multistate STEMx network (www
. stemx.us).
Inclusive STEM high schools can
be individual public charter schools
with a STEM theme or members of a
STEM charter school network, such
as the New Tech Network ( www.new
technetwork.org). Some career and
technical education high schools have
STEM-related themes (for example,
health sciences, engineering, or
agriculture); some of these can be
classified as inclusive STEM high
schools because they were designed
to be both college preparatory and
focused on STEM.
Some magnet schools also target
STEM-related themes. For instance,
Connecticut has several magnet
schools that can be classified as
inclusive STEM high schools, and
the state is using them to respond to
court-ordered desegregation (Thomas,
2013) as they improve opportunities
The curriculum is linked to real-life experiences
that require students to perform as responsible
individuals operating in collaborative groups.
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