The Impact of Different Early-College/Dual-Enrollment Programs on Minority Student Persistence in Science Disciplines

Nancy Shapiro and David May, University System of Maryland
To address the representation gap in the sciences, a partnership of institutions has implemented multiple early-college/dual-enrollment courses for high school students. One program is a full-time, residential, summer program, and the other is a school-year program with single courses that take place in the high schools. In this interactive session, presenters will discuss strategies for determining the effects of these and other dual-enrollment programs on students’ persistence in college and choice of major.


About the Presenters:
Nancy Shapiro, Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Special Assistant to the Chancellor for P-20 Education, University System of Maryland
As the University System of Maryland (USM) director of preK-16 partnerships, Nancy Shapiro works with K–12 schools, two-year colleges, and 11 degree-granting institutions of the University System of Maryland to foster critical partnerships and learning communities to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Maryland. Over the past five years, she has been the PI and project director for several federal projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation that address teacher quality issues. Prior to her work at the University System of Maryland, Shapiro directed the freshman writing program and served as the founding executive director of the College Park Scholars Program at the University of Maryland, a community of 12 special living-learning programs for academically talented first-year and second-year students. She has served on the NCATE Board of Examiners, the Fielding Graduate Institute Board, and the editorial board of both Liberal Education and Communication Education. She was also a fellow in the National Learning Communities Project. Shapiro graduated from Brandeis University and earned her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland.
David May, Project Director, P-20 Partnerships and STEM Initiatives, University System of Maryland
As the director of the Minority Student Pipeline Math Science Partnership (MSP)2, David May works with K–12 schools, several institutions of the University System of Maryland, and a two-year college to strengthen the pipeline of underrepresented minorities into science fields. (MSP)2 offers opportunities and special programs for K–12 teachers, university faculty, and students across the educational spectrum. Over the past nine years, May has been a co-PI and project director for several NSF partnership projects that address improving science education in Maryland at the K–12 and higher education levels. Prior to his work at the University System, May was a science education researcher and instructor at the University of Maryland, College Park, and at The Ohio State University. May was on the Planning Committee for NSF’s Math Science Partnership Learning Network Conference in 2008. He also was a peer review panelist for Science Education, Physical Review Special Topics—Physics Education Research, and several professional conference proceedings. May graduated from Earlham College, earned an MA in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Rochester, and holds a PhD in Physics from The Ohio State University, where he specialized in physics education research.