Unless Texas finds a way to pay talented individuals comparable salaries to teach science and math, our children will be at a disturbing disadvantage in a workplace that increasingly demands advanced technical skills. Detractors point out that new teachers don't last. In fact a huge proportion of new teachers do not last their first year. More than 40 percent of new teachers hired in Texas in 1995 had left by 1999. However, the probability of new teachers continuing to mid-career depends on the way they prepared to enter the profession.
Many programs try to prepare new teachers in a very short time, often less than a year.
In one study, only 43 percent of teachers prepared in this way were still teaching three years after they started. UTeach supports its graduates, helping them obtain suitable positions, and providing a source where they can turn for advice during the first difficult years. We experiment both with electronic and traditional means of providing this support. In collaboration with a Systemic Research Collaborative for Education in Math, Science, and Technology, we are designing effective approaches starting with students planning to become teachers until they become accomplished practicing teachers involved in advanced study. Indeed, UTeach should be a place its graduates can return throughout their careers, to learn about advances in their fields, and renew connections with the excitement of creating knowledge.