Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Putting the "A" in AP: the effect of advanced course access on AP participation and performance(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2022) Callen, Ian Andrew; Co-chairs, Graduate Committee: Christiana Stoddard and Andrew HillThis paper investigates the effect of state-level policy regarding access to advanced course curriculum on participation and performance within the Advanced Placement (AP) program. From the early 2000's through 2019, participation in the Advanced Placement (AP) program, the most popular college-preparatory course in the United States, has nearly tripled in size. Today, nearly 20% of all high school students taking at least one AP exam per year. The AP program provides an opportunity for students to potentially earn college credit while still in high school which, at least in theory, reduces the cost of a college education. While the AP program provides many benefits to students, it also presents two major barriers - the ability to access advanced-level courses, and the monetary cost associated with taking the AP exam. We find that when states require schools to offer AP courses and when states fund AP exams, participation within the program increases drastically. For Black and Hispanic students, our estimates indicate a large increase in the number of exams that receive a passing score. These findings indicate that when states reduce the financial burden associated with taking an AP exam, students have the ability to participate and succeed in the program at higher rates than their peers in states without AP curriculum and exam funding.Item Effective engagement : a study of educational leader interactions with legislators in the 2013 session and its impact on education policy in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 2015) Lougheed, Kala French; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: William RuffPolitics and education continue to become more intertwined, and the need for educational leaders to effectively engage in political participation increases. Although limited discussion exists in the literature about the political participation of school leaders (Crow & Weindling, 2010; Milstein & Jennings, 1972) and political engagement is called for in the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium Standards for School Leaders standards (Council of Chief State School Officers, 1996), few studies have examined the types of activities educational leaders engage in politically nor the effectiveness of those activities in influencing policy outcomes. This study examines, through the lens of stakeholder theory, the historical context of the relationship between politics and education, the current status of the relationship, and the reasons for school leaders' hesitancy to engage in political affairs. It also examines the considerations of the legislature and their perceptions on effective engagement, to better understand and consider future efforts of educational leaders to influence policy. The quantitative study includes electronic surveys of school leaders, legislators, and education stakeholders to identify effective methods of political engagement, using descriptive statistics, Spearman correlation, and open coding of open response questions to answer the following research questions: 1) What were the most effective methods of legislative engagement and interaction utilized by educational leaders during the 2013 legislative session in Montana? 2) Was there a difference between engagement activities reported prior to the 2013 session? Responses were also compared with prior study results, legislator responses, and to one another for inter-rater reliability and triangulation. The most effective activities school leaders engaged in were specific conversations with legislators regarding education issues, and both written and in person testimony. The results demonstrate a need for school leaders to align their engagement efforts more closely with activities deemed effective by legislators, though there were significant differences in the activities reported during the 2013 session. Conclusions include the need for school leaders to overcome barriers to engagement, for increased stakeholder participation and policy community engagement, and for further research.