These costs amount to millions annually. This need for extensive workplace training mirrors the poor performance of U.S. students on international comparative tests and national assessments. According to the International Assessment of Educational Progress, a large gap continues to exist between the United States and the highest scoring countries in student science and mathematics achievement. The number of teachers lacking such degrees increases for both elementary and junior high school teachers. A NSF report indicates that many of these teachers make textbook learning the center of their lessons, teach laboratories that do not reflect the inquiry process, and rarely discuss nonacademic applications of science and mathematics.
Teaching involves lifelong learning.
The ideal professional development of teachers is continuous, beginning with college preparation, extending through the first few years of teaching, and includes a variety of opportunities to extend knowledge and skills throughout a career. Teachers advise that with this professional opportunity they are more comfortable and better prepared to meet the needs of their students. Working with professionals in business and research laboratories creates a link between the teachers and these individuals that lasts beyond the internship experience. Participating teachers often form networks that offer a stronger support system in their schools than before the internship. According to a recent publication of the National Center for Science Teaching and Learning, effective professional development programs can serve as a starting point for fundamental school change.