STEM-Focused Career Courses and College Pipeline for Students with Learning Disabilities

Recent educational policies in the United States have fostered the growth of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career-focused courses to support high school students' persistence into these fields in college and beyond. As one key example, federal legislation has embedded new types of applied STEM (AS) courses into the career and technical education curriculum (CTE), which can help students persist in STEM through high school and college. Yet, little is known about the link between AS-CTE coursetaking and college STEM persistence for students with learning disabilities (LDs). Using a nationally representative data set, we found no evidence that earning more units of AS-CTE in high school influenced college enrollment patterns or major selection in non-AS STEM fields for students with LDs. That said, students with LDs who earned more units of AS-CTE in high school were more likely to seriously consider and ultimately declare AS-related STEM majors in college.

Automated summary

Recent educational policies in the United States have focused on promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career-focused courses for high school students. However, the impact of these courses on college STEM persistence for students with learning disabilities (LDs) is not clear. A nationally representative study found that earning more units of applied STEM (AS) courses in high school did not influence college enrollment or major selection in non-AS STEM fields for students with LDs. However, it did increase their likelihood of considering and ultimately choosing AS-related STEM majors in college.