Philadelphia, where most of the 164,227 public school students are from low-income, historically underserved minority backgrounds, has an especially urgent need for greater numbers of qualified math and science teachers. The Philadelphia Math + Science Coalition was founded in 2005 to address the quality of K–12 mathematics and science teaching — the single most important factor in improving student math and science achievement.
Resource:
Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future
Findings:
The recent climate of widespread advanced knowledge and low-cost labor is readily
available, U.S. advantages in the marketplace and in science and technology
have begun to erode. This report makes Four recommendations along with 20 implemenation actions that federal policy-makers should take to create high-quality jobs and focus new science and technology efforts on meeting the nation's needs:
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Increase America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 mathematics and
science education;
- Sustain and strengthen the nation's commitment to long-term basic research;
- Develop, recruit, and retain top students, scientists, and engineers from
both the U.S. and abroad; and
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Ensure that the United States is the premier place in the world for
innovation.
Resource:
Business-Higher Education Forum, An American Imperative: Transforming the Recruitment, Retention, and Renewal of Our Nation’s Mathematics and Science Teaching Workforce
Findings:
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The U.S. will need more than 280,000 new math and science teachers by 2015, a shortfall already felt in schools serving the poorest students.
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Resource:
The Ed Fund, Focus on Math: A Key to Student Success
Findings:
Math course-taking and achievement trends across the District, beginning with 9th graders in 2002-03 and following them to 05-06 were reported.
- Seniors were the least likely to take math; in 02-03, 82% enrolled in math, compared with just 62% in 05-06.
- Only one-third of students graduating from the six high schools that were studied took high-level math courses.