Education Commons^™

Switching Majors – Into And Out Of Economics, Tisha L. N. Emerson, Kimmarie Mcgoldrick

Economics Faculty Publications

Using student transcripts from six institutions over a 23-year timespan, the authors investigate the movement of students into and out of the economics major. Considerable movement between majors occurs with 83 percent of economics graduates switching in after their first principles course. These eventual majors come from a variety of sources, but primarily from business, engineering, science & math. In an absolute sense, weaker students (as measured by cumulative GPA) switch into economics. However, students appear to move to disciplines of relative academic strength (as indicated by relative grades). While females from other majors are less likely to switch into …

Creating More Integrated Schools In A Segregated System: A Window Of Opportunity, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Kim Bridges, Thomas J. Shields, Brian Koziol

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

The city of Richmond is changing. Over the past decade, an influx of young, white professionals and families has fueled population growth. And increases in the residential population of white families have very slowly translated into increases in the enrollment of white students in Richmond Public Schools (RPS). These shifts come on the heels of decades of intentional division of and disinvestment in majority black urban communities, offering renewed opportunities for neighborhood and school integration, along with a stronger tax base and increases in school funding. But changing demographics also bring challenges. Both the opportunities and challenges have been on …

Magnet Schools Promote Diversity, Opportunity, Equity, Achievement, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Thomas J. Shields

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

Last spring, nearly 400 people from across the metro area came together over two days at the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University to learn about our region’s troubled public school history … and how to move forward.

Indicative of significant and communitywide investment, conference attendees expressed interest in solutions that would promote school diversity, equity and opportunity in central Virginia. These included innovative solutions and tested strategies for addressing educational inequalities both within and across area school systems.

One of the key solutions discussed during the conference was the establishment of regional magnet schools. These programs are typically …

Increasing Diversity In The City Schools: Unexplored Paths Of Opportunity, Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Kimberly M. Bridges, Thomas J. Shields, John V. Moeser, Renee Hill

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Faculty Publications

In its school rezoning and closure process from May 6 - June 3, 2013, the Richmond School Board voted to close 3 schools and change 14 elementary school zones despite opposition that overwhelmingly outweighed support at both public hearings. Though there were a wide range of concerns cited, including the rushed timeline, lack of transparency and absence of clear criteria for closing and rezoning these schools, many stakeholders expressed particular disapproval related to the potential increase in racial isolation that would result from the plan, formally known as Option C.

While regional efforts to promote school diversity—a central theme of …