ED478713 2002-09-00 Finding

Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Development Team

www.eric.ed.gov

Table of Contents

If you're viewing this document online, you can click any of the topics below to link directly to that section.

Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest................................. 1

PROGRAMS TO ENLARGE THE POOL OF MATHEMATICS

TEACHERS................................................................ 3

STEPS TO TAKE............................................................... 4

WEB RESOURCES............................................................ 5

FINDING RESOURCES IN THE ERIC DATABASE...................... 5

REFERENCES.................................................................. 6

ERIC Identifier: ED478713

Publication Date: 2002-09-00

Author: Milbourne, Linda A.

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse for Science Mathematics and Environmental Education

Columbus OH.

Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

Student performance in mathematics has been a matter of national concern for many

years, and formal efforts to reform mathematics education has led to the development

of national content standards (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

(NCTM),1989) and an update of those standards. (NCTM,2000). U.S. Governors

ED478713 2002-09-00 Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest. Page 1 of 7
identified mathematics achievement as a national priority by setting a goal that "By the

year 2000, United States students will be first in the world in

mathematics...achievement" (Report of the National Education Goals Panel, 1989).

International comparisons of mathematics achievement, however, indicate that this has

not occurred (National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st

Century, 2000).

The good news is that we know how to improve the mathematics performance of

students. Research shows that there is a connection between student achievement in

mathematics and both the structure of the curriculum and the content of textbooks

(Schmidt, et al, 2001), so ongoing development and implementation of content standard

should ultimately lead to a desired increase in achievement. Research also indicates a

positive relationship between teacher preparation and student achievement (Fetler,

2001; Darling-Hammond, 2000). Indeed, the research on teacher preparation in

mathematics and science has led to very specific and practical guidelines for improving

teacher education programs (Committee on Science and Mathematics Teacher

Preparation, 2001).

The bad news is the shortage of qualified teachers in mathematics classrooms. Though

the number of high school mathematics teachers in U. S. public schools increased by

22,000 between 1990 and 2000 to a total of 134,000, the percentage of teachers who

are assigned to teach high school mathematics classes who are certified to teach

mathematics has decreased from 90% in 1990 to 86% in 2000. The situation is worse in

middle schools. The number of middle school mathematics teachers has increased by

44,000 since 1994 to a total of 124,000 in 2000, but of teachers assigned to teach

middle school mathematics in 2000, only 66% were certified to do so. Among the 50

states, only 11 have over 80% of their middle school mathematics teachers certified in

mathematics (Blank & Langesen, 2001). The shortages for high-minority and

low-income schools are particularly distressing. In schools with over 50% minority

enrollment in grades 7-12, 24% of mathematics teachers teach out-of-field. For

high-poverty schools where 60% or more of the students qualify for free or

reduced-price lunch programs, 31% of mathematics teachers have neither an

undergraduate or graduate major or minor in mathematics (Clewell & Forcier, 2001).

Though state certification standards vary widely and some states do have higher

percentages of their teachers certified to teach mathematics, the supply of qualified

mathematics teachers remains inadequate nationwide. Indeed, 95% of urban school

districts nationwide report an immediate need for high school mathematics teachers

(Council of Great City Schools, 2000). The need to find qualified mathematics teachers

for the nation's schools is critical.

Shortages in qualified mathematics teachers led the "Glenn Commission" (National

Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, 2000) to call

for a significant increase in teachers as one of its three primary goals (p. 29). To

achieve this goal, actions are needed both to identify exemplary teacher preparation

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 2 of 7 ED478713 2002-09-00 Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest.
models that can be widely replicated, and to attract larger numbers of qualified

individuals into teaching mathematics.

PROGRAMS TO ENLARGE THE POOL OF

MATHEMATICS TEACHERS

A wide variety of strategies have been used to recruit and prepare qualified

mathematics teachers, from offering summer undergraduate courses that promote

teaching as a career (Della-Piana, Blake, Lopez, & Hurley, 2001) to recruiting

mathematics teachers from Russia (Becker, 2000). Clewell and Forcier (2001)

examined the range of recruitment programs and developed a continuum of outcomes

for measuring program effectiveness. Following is a brief synopsis of their findings.

National Program

The Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP) created by the

National Science Foundation is the only national program dedicated to the recruitment

and development of mathematics and science teachers. This program supports a

variety of activities to recruit teachers from nontraditional sources (i.e.

paraprofessionals, mathematicians, scientists, and engineers who are seeking career

changes), and particular attention is given to attracting prospective teachers from

underrepresented groups. Of the more than 26,000 in CETP programs during 1998,

42% were minorities, and of those graduating, 50% were teaching in 1999.

State Programs

A few states have established policies that provide monetary incentives for individuals

willing to teach subjects such as mathematics where there are teacher shortages

(Clewell & Forcier, 2001), but there are no broad scale state programs specifically

targeting mathematics teachers. The "Troops to Teachers" program is a mid-career

transition, referral, and placement assistance program funded by the federal

government, but administered through state support offices, and the U. S. Department

of Education's "Teacher Recruitment Grants" support projects at the state level or

partnerships between local education agencies and teacher preparation institutions. The

funded projects target a variety of groups, including minorities; non-certified, mid-career

degreed adults; certified reentrants; teacher aides; military personnel; "Teach for

America" graduates; graduating college students with degrees in mathematics, science,

or technology; undergraduates; and high school graduates living in high-need areas.

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED478713 2002-09-00 Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest. Page 3 of 7
Local School District Programs

At the local level, individual schools districts have tried to tap nontraditional sources by

targeting mid-career "switchers" and implementing alternative certification programs.

Unfortunately, few nontraditional teacher recruitment and development programs collect

and report evaluation data. In a study of programs in the past Kirby, Darling-Hammond,

and Hudson (1989) found that graduates of alternative programs enter and remain in

teaching in proportions comparable to those of graduates from traditional programs, and

expressed interest in remaining in teaching are also comparable. Reviews of available

data on more recent programs (Clewell & Forcier, 2001) indicate that current graduates

are more likely to be minorities, and to be high achieving college students. Though most

programs are modest in size and too new to provide reliable data on retention, early

evidence suggests that some programs are exceeding yearly recruitment targets and

the national average retention rate.

STEPS TO TAKE

Despite early signs that alternative programs and policies can contribute to an

increased supply of qualified mathematics teachers, programs must be rapidly

expanded and must address some issues particularly pertinent to recruitment of

mathematics teachers (Clewell & Forcier, 2001). First, the labor market for individuals

educated in mathematics has been increasing dramatically in recent years, yet the

graduate pool has remained relatively constant. As a result, the level of competition for

graduates will likely increase rather than decrease in upcoming years. This situation is

exacerbated by the ongoing salary differential between teachers and other

professionals with credentials in mathematics.

Second, research shows a positive relationship between student learning in

mathematics and teacher preparation in content knowledge and teaching methods, so

the current movement toward increased teacher preparation requirements will serve to

reduce the already limited pool of prospective teachers.

Following are actions recommended by Clewell and Forcier (2001):

*Increasing monetary incentives to teach, including raising teacher salaries, providing

scholarships, and forgiving loans of those who earn credentials to teach mathematics.

*Supporting development of partnership structures between universities and local

schools and communities to target specific needs, share cost burdens of preparing

teachers, and facilitate placement and ongoing professional development of teachers.

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 4 of 7 ED478713 2002-09-00 Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest.
*Expanding the search for recruits among nontraditional sources, including mid-career

"switchers", retired military personnel, undergraduates switching majors or those with

undeclared majors, community college students with majors in math-related fields, and

students who prepare for teaching but do not immediately enter the field.

*Pushing for greater evaluation and reporting of data on local programs that are

successful in recruiting and preparing mathematics teachers.

WEB RESOURCES

Recruiting New Teachers, Inc.

http://www.rnt.org/

Resources include publications on recruitment practices and preparation of teachers, a

teacher recruitment clearinghouse, descriptions of alternative pathways to teaching, and

links to other resources.

Troops-to-teachers

http://voled.doded.mil/dantes/ttt/

A program authorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

FINDING RESOURCES IN THE ERIC DATABASE

The best strategy for identifying useful resources is to use a combination of ERIC

Descriptors and ERIC Identifiers to specify the content of interest. To find resources on

teacher shortages, use the following Descriptors: "teacher supply and demand" or

"teacher shortage". To find resources related to recruitment or alternative routes to

certification, us the following Descriptors: "teacher recruitment" or "alternative routes to

certification". You can restrict your search to mathematics teachers by using the

following Descriptors: "mathematics teachers" or "mathematics education". To stipulate

a particular grade range or level, use the following Descriptors: "elementary education",

"intermediate grades", "middle schools", "secondary education", or "elementary

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED478713 2002-09-00 Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest. Page 5 of 7
secondary education". The following two Identifiers will lead you to alternative programs

that have attracted qualified candidates into teaching: "AmeriCorps" or "Teach for

America".

REFERENCES

Becker, J. (2000, November 15) Recruiting math teachers in Russia. "Houston

Chronicle."

Blank, R. K., & Langesen, D. (2001). "State indicators of science and mathematics

education 2001: Stat-by-state trends and new indicators from the 1999-2000 school

year". Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.

Clewell, B. C., & Forcier, L. B. (2001). Increasing the number of mathematics and

science teachers: A review of teacher recruitment programs. "Teaching and Change", 8

(4), 331-61.

Committee on Science and Mathematics Teacher Preparation, National Research

Council. (2001). "Educating teachers of science, mathematics, and technology: New

practices for the new millennium". Washington, DC: National Academy Press. [Available

online at: http:// www.nap.edu/books/0309070333/html/]

Council of Great City Schools. (2000). "The urban teacher challenge: Teacher demand

in the Great City Schools". Washington, DC: Author.

Darling-Hammond, L. (2000). Teacher quality and student achievement. "Education

Policy Analysis Archives", 8 (1). [Available online at: http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v8n1]

Della-Piana,C., Blake,S., Lopez,J., & Hurley,S. (2001). "Uncle Sam wants you: Looking

for a few good teachers". (Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American

Association of Colleges for Teacher Education ,53rd, Dallas, TX, March 1-4).

Fetler, M. (2001). Student mathematics achievement test scores, dropout rates, and

teacher characteristics. "Teacher Education Quarterly", 28 (1), 151-68.

Kirby, S. N., Darling-Hammond, L., & Hudson, L. (1989). Nontraditional recruits to

mathematics and science teaching. "Educational Evaluation and Policy analysis", 11

301-33.

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1989). "Curriculum and evaluation

standards for school mathematics". Reston, VA: Author.

National Council of Teacher of Mathematics. (2000). "Principles and standards for

school mathematics". Reston, VA: Author. [Available online at:

http://standards.nctm.org/]

National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century.

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 6 of 7 ED478713 2002-09-00 Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest.
(2000). "Before it's too late: A report to the nation from The National Commission on

Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century". Washington, DC: U. S.

Department of Education. [Available online at: http://www.ed.gov/americacounts/glenn/]

Report of the National Education Goals Panel. (1989). Washington, DC: U. S.

Department of Education.

Schmidt, W. H., McKnight, C. C., Houang, R. T, Wang, H., Wiley, D. E., Cogan, L. S., &

Wolfe, R. G. (2001). "Why schools matter: A cross-national comparison of curriculum

and learning". San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

-----

This digest was funded by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S.

Department of Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0024. Opinions expressed in

this digest do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI or the U.S.

Department of Education.

Title: Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC/CSMEE, 1929 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1080. Tel:

800-276-0462 (Toll Free); Fax: 614-292-0263; e-mail: ericse@osu.edu; Web site:

www.ericse.org.

Descriptors: Educational Quality, Elementary Secondary Education, Labor Supply,

Labor Turnover, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics Teachers, Professional

Development, Teacher Education Programs, Teacher Persistence

Identifiers: ERIC Digests

###

[Return to ERIC Digest Search Page]

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED478713 2002-09-00 Finding Mathematics Teachers. ERIC Digest. Page 7 of 7