Martha Cecilia Bottia is a Research Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2010 where she also obtained her Masters’s degrees in Sociology. Additionally, she has Master’s degrees in Economics and Environmental Economics and a bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Los Andes University in Bogota, Colombia. Dr. Bottia’s research interests include the effects of school racial and socioeconomic composition on educational outcomes, the impact of the implemented curriculum on racial and socioeconomically diverse students, and the role of K-12 school structural characteristics on college STEM outcomes. Her other research interests include illicit drugs and terrorist organizations, and the education of immigrant students. She has published recent articles in Economics of Education Review, Review of Educational Research, Sociology of Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Science Education, Social Justice Research, Elementary School Journal, Social Forces, Social Problems, Homicide Studies, and Teachers College Record.

Research Interests:

Education Policy, STEM, High School, College, Desegregation, Latino Students, Immigrant Students, Armed Conflicts, Drug Trafficking, Violence. Diversity.

Publications:

Bottia, M. C., Mickelson, R. A., & Stearns, E. (2023). Racially diverse educational pathways and STEM college outcomes: A quantitative analysis of students in North Carolina. Science Education. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sce.21797

Allen, DD., Dancy, M., Stearns, E., Mickelson, R. & Bottia, M.C. (2022). Racism, sexism, and disconnection: contrasting experiences of Black women in STEM before and after transfer from community college. International Journal of STEM Education 9 (1), 1-21. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40594-022-00334-2

Bottia, M.C., Jamil, C., Stearns, E. & Mickelson, R. (2022). “Socioeconomic Differences in North Carolina College Students’ Pathways into STEM.” Teachers College Record. 124(1), 30-61. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/01614681221086105

Mickelson, R., Ayscue, J., Bottia, M.C., & Wilson, J. (2021). “The Past, Present, and Future of Brown’s Mandate: A View from North Carolina.” American Behavioral Scientist. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00027642211033296

Bottia, M.C., Mickelson, R., Barry, L., and Jamil, C. (2021). “Factors Associated with College STEM Participation of Racially Minoritized Students: A Synthesis of Research.” Review of Educational Research, 91(4), 614-648. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/00346543211012751

Mickelson, R, Bottia, M.C., & Larimore, S. (2020). “A Metaregression Analysis of the Effects of School Racial and Ethnic Composition on K-12 Reading, Language Arts, and English Outcomes.” Sociology of Race and Ethnicity. https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/C9GXHEN7PH3ZYMETDTDV/full

Bottia, M. C., Stearns, E., Mickelson, R. A., Moller, S., & Jamil, C. (2020). “The Importance of Community Colleges in Students’ Choice to Major in STEM.” The Journal of Higher Education, 1-33. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221546.2020.1742032

Stearns, E., Bottia, M.C., Giersch, J., Mickelson, R., Moller, S., Jha, N., & Dancy, M. (2019). “Do Relative Advantages in STEM Grades Explain the Gender Gap in Selection of a STEM Major in College? A Multimethod Answer” American Educational Research Journal, 57 (1), 218-257. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0002831219853533

Giersch, J., Bottia, M.C., Mickelson, R.A., Stearns, E. & Moller, S. (2019). “The Predictive Role of School Performance Indicators on Students’ College Achievement.” Educational Policy.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0895904819857827

Mickelson, R., Stearns, E., Bottia, M.C., Rainey, K., Dancy, M., Moller, S., Allen, D. & Giersch, J. (2019). “The Roots of Race, Class, and Gender Disparities in College STEM Outcomes in North Carolina”. Poverty & Race, Vol. 28, No.3.

Bottia, M.C. (2019). “Educational and Residential Segregation of Immigrants in the United States,” PRRAC Report. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED598425.pdf

Bottia, M.C., Stearns, E., Mickelson, R. & Moller, S. (2018). “Boosting the Numbers of STEM Majors? The Role of High Schools with a STEM Program,” Science Education, 102, 85–107. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/sce.21318

Mickelson, R. A., Giersch, J., Hawn Nelson, A., & Bottia, M.C. (2018). “Do Charter Schools Undermine Efforts to Create Racially and Socioeconomically Diverse Public Schools?” in Rotberg, I. C. & Glazer, J. L. (eds). Parallel Education Systems: Charter Schools and Diversity. Chapter 8. NY: Teachers College Press.
https://www.tcpress.com/choosing-charters-9780807758991

Ayscue, J., Hawn Nelson, A., Mickelson, R. A., Giersch, J., & Bottia, M.C. (2018). Charters as a Driver of Resegregation. The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles and UNC Charlotte. January 30. https://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research/k-12-education/integration-and-diversity/charters-as-a-driver-of-resegregation

Bottia, M.C., Mickelson, R., Giersch, J., Stearns, E., & Moller, S. (2018). “The Role of High School Racial Composition and Opportunities to Learn in Students’ STEM College Participation,” Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 55, 446-473.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/tea.21426

Bottia, M.C., Valentino, L., Moller, S., Mickelson, R. & Stearns, E. (2016). “Teacher Collaboration and Latinos’ Mathematics Achievement Trajectories” American Journal of Education, 122(4), 505-535.

Mickelson, R. A., Bottia, M. C., Larimore, S., & Lambert, R. (2016). The Effects of School Composition on K–12 Reading and Math Achievement. School Integration Matters: Research-Based Strategies to Advance Equity, 56.

Giersch, J., Bottia, M. C., Mickelson, R. A. & Stearns, E. (2016) “Exposure to School and Classroom Racial Segregation in Charlotte-Mecklenburg High Schools and Students’ College Achievement” Education Policy Analysis Archives, 24 (32) from http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/2123

Bottia, M.C., Mickelson, R. Giersch, J., Stearns, E. & Moller, S. (2016) “Distributive Justice Antecedents of Race and Gender Disparities in First Year College Performance,” Social Justice Research, 29(1), 35-72.

Stearns, E., Bottia, M.C., Davalos, E., Mickelson, R., Moller, S. & Valentino, L. (2016). “Demographic Characteristics of High School Math and Science Teachers and Girls’ Success in STEM,” Social Problems, 63(1), 87-110.

Mickelson, R. A., Bottia, M.C., Larimore, S., & Lambert, R. (2015). “Does School Racial Composition Matter for Achievement: Findings from Metaregression Analyses of the Effects of School Racial and Ethnic Composition on K-12 Reading and Mathematics Test Scores Since 1990.” In Erica Frankenberg, (Ed). Education and Civil Rights: Obstacles and Opportunities for Supporting Racial Diversity and Equity across the Educational Pipeline (in preparation).

Bottia, M.C., Stearns, E., Mickelson, R., Moller, S., & Valentino, L.(2015).“Growing the Roots of STEM Majors: Female Math and Science High School Faculty and the Participation of Students in STEM,” Economics of Education Review, 45:14-27.

Bottia, M.C., Stearns, E., Mickelson, R., Moller, S., & Parker, A.D. (2015).“ The Relationships Among High School STEM Learning Experiences and Students’ Intent to Declare and Declaration of a STEM Major in College” Teachers College Record, 117 (4), pp.1-46.

Bottia, M.C., Moller, S., Mickelson, R., Stearns, E. (2014).“Foundations of Mathematics Achievement: Instructional Practices and Diverse Kindergarten Students,” Elementary School Journal, 115 (1), 124-150.

Moller, S. Banerjee, N., Bottia, M.C., Stearns, E., Mickelson, R., Dancy, M., Wright, E. & Valentino, L. (2014). “Moving Latino/a Students Into STEM Majors in College: The Role of Teachers and Professional Communities in Secondary Schools,” Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 14 (1), 3-33.

Moller,S., Stearns, E. Mickelson, R., Bottia, M.C., & Banerjee, N. (2014). “Is Academic Engagement the Panacea for Achievement in Mathematics across Racial/Ethnic Groups? Assessing the Role of Teacher Culture,” Social Forces, Vol. 92(4): 1513-1544.

Mickelson, R., Bottia, M.C., & Lambert, R. (2013). “A Meta-Regression Analysis of the Effects of School and Classroom Composition on Mathematics Outcomes,” Review of Educational Research, Vol. 83: 121 – 158.

Moller,S., Mickelson, R., Stearns, E., Banerjee, N. & Bottia, M.C. (2013).“Collective Pedagogical Teacher Culture and Mathematics Achievement: Differences by Race, Ethnicity and Socio-Economic Status” Sociology of Education. 86(2): 174-194.

Kuhns, J.B., Exum, M.L., Clodfelter, T.A. & Bottia, M.C. (2013). “A Meta-analysis of the Alcohol and Intoxication Status of Homicide Offenders”. Homicide Studies, 18(3): 251–270.

Bottia, M.C., Cardona Sosa, L. & Medina, C.A. (2012). “El SISBEN como mecanismo de focalización individual del régimen subsidiado en salud en Colombia: ventajas y limitaciones”, Revista de Economía del Rosario, Vol. 15(2): 137-177.

Mickelson, R. & Bottia, M.C. (2010). “Integrated Education and Mathematics Outcomes: A Synthesis of Social Science Research”, North Carolina Law Review, 88(3):993-1090.

Tegeler, P., Mickelson, R. & Bottia, M.C. (2010). “The Impact of School Integration on College Attendance and Poverty Reduction”, available at http://www.spotlightonpoverty.org/ExclusiveCommentary.aspx?id=5cd06dda-6a5f-4c22-939d-d65574151c25

Mickelson, R. A., Bottia, M.C., & Southworth, S. (2012). “School Choice and Segregation by Race, Class, and Ability” in W. Mathis, Gary Miron and Kevin Welner (eds). School Choice: The Evidence, Politics, and Policies for the 21st Century. NY: Routledge.

Bottia, M.C. & Mickelson, R. (2008) “Desegregation.” In Encyclopedia of African American Experience Kofi Lometey (Ed). Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.

Bottia, M.C., Cardona, L. & Medina, C. (2008)“Bondades y Limitaciones de la Focalización con Proxy Means Tests: El Caso Sisben en Colombia (Strengths and Limitations of the Focalization with Proxy Means Tests: The Case of the Sisben in Colombia),” Borradores de Economia 005185, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.

Bottia, M.C. (2003). “La presencia y Expansión Municipal de las FARC: es Avaricia y Contagio, más que Ausencia Estatal (Municipal FARC”s presence and expansion: is more greed and diffusion, that lack of State’s presence)”, Documentos CEDE 03, Universidad de Los Andes.

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Martha Bottia