In 2013, Texas adopted a graduation plan that required students to complete an endorsement, a curriculum-area concentration, during high school. While this policy change intended to broaden opportunities for Texas students, regardless of whether they aspired to attend college, scholars have suggested that the endorsement system, specifically the STEM endorsement, might serve as a form of tracking. Drawing upon the sociological theories of effectively maintained inequality and categorical inequality, and using data from the Houston Independent School District, we find that students who completed the STEM endorsement earned higher grades and took more advanced courses than students who completed other endorsements. While STEM endorsement completers enrolled in more selective institutions, this relationship appeared to be mediated by their strong academic performance. In practical terms, the STEM endorsement appears to function as a funneling mechanism for high-performing students into selective colleges and universities. Thus, this study highlights how policies that aim to expand education may have unintended consequences that reify existing inequalities.

Brian Holzman is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development at Texas A&M University. His research examines the pathway to college, paying particular attention to first-and second-generation immigrants, English learners, students of color, and students from socioeconomically marginalized backgrounds. He completed an M.A. in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Sociology of Education and Higher Education Administration at Stanford University. He will be a visiting scholar at UCI the week of January 13-17, sponsored by CPIP and the Institute for Research on Poverty at University of Wisconsin, Madison.