Math and Science Achievement: It Starts With Better Teaching!

That, the commission says, will take a nation working together to rethink how U.S. educators teach math and science. The report, which states that there are no quick fixes, calls for immediate action. Long-term results will require several strategies, such as developing high-quality professional development through summer institutes or academies, improving preservice education, and establishing ongoing local inquiry by teachers.

The report also warns that competitive pay and improved working conditions are needed to attract mathematics and science majors to the field of teaching -- and to retain them.

Although some of the strategies cost very little, others don't come cheap. The commission estimates the nation will have to pay about $5 billion annually to improve mathematics and science instruction so U.S. students can compete in the global workforce. The hefty price tag would help pay for a variety of strategies outlined by the commission, such as the establishment of a fellowship that would provide 3,000 new and experienced teachers the opportunity to attend intensive courses in effective teaching methods in math or science for one year.

CALL TO ACTION

Former U.S. Senator and NASA astronaut John Glenn headed the commission that set out to explore ways the nation could fix declining mathematics and science scores. Glenn -- along with 25 educators, policymakers, and technology and business leaders -- released the report Before It's Too Late on Wednesday.

"We as a nation must take immediate action to improve the quality of math and science teaching in every classroom in this country," Glenn said when he presented the report. "If we delay, we put at risk our continued economic growth and future scientific discovery. Here, we outline a workable, balanced strategy that builds on what has been learned in the last decade, improves teaching, and thereby improves student achievement."

The report stresses the dismal performance of U.S. students in math and science. Test scores go down in the United States the more U.S. students study math and science. American students in fourth grade are among the leaders on math assessments worldwide, but by the time students graduate from high school, they are nearly last among 41 nations, according to the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). According to the U.S. National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), fewer than one-third of all U.S. students in grades four, eight, and twelve performed at or above proficient achievement levels. Nearly a third performed below basic performance levels.

"It's a sad state of affairs in this country," said Paul L. Kimmelman, superintendent of West Northfield School District No. 31 in Chicago and a member of the commission. "If we don't do something now, it really will be too late."

The commission's 45-page report warns that the United States "has to do this," said Kimmelman, who led a consortium of 20 school districts in Chicago that successfully competed internationally in mathematics and science. Improving instruction, curriculum, and classroom practices accomplished that goal, he said. (See the story sidebar for a link to an Education World story that reported on these Chicago-area efforts.)

Kimmelman is retiring from his position as superintendent shortly and said he intends to pursue his personal ambitions to implement the goals of the Glenn Commission.

When Kimmelman was asked to serve on the John Glenn Commission last year, he came across a Life magazine article published during the 1950s about the crisis in education in our nation's schools. "Here we are 50 years later saying the same thing," Kimmelman said. Not only are the problems the same, but little has changed in teaching math and science since then, he added.

HIRE QUALIFIED TEACHERS

"There is a teacher problem," Kimmelman said. "There are a number of teachers who are not qualified to teach math and science. They do not have sufficient professional development and are using 'inadequate instructional resources.'" More than 25 percent of high school math teachers and 20 percent of high school science teachers lack even a minor in their main teaching field, according to the report.

The report recommends that school districts hire only certified teachers and those who have a major in the field in which they are teaching. But that sounds easier than it is. Teachers earn nearly a third less compared with other professionals with a baccalaureate degree, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Competitive salaries are needed to attract and retain teachers in the field, the report advises.

IT TAKES A NATION

The commission plan calls for the entire nation to work together at local, state, and federal levels. It outlines the roles of higher education institutions, businesses, school boards, principals, superintendents, and teachers.

"The commission puts the whole thing in context," said Gerry Wheeler, executive director of the National Science Teachers Association. The commission "said how we should go about improving teaching and who should do it. The commission plan maintains the thing we value -- local control -- and at the same time acknowledges a national crisis."

"I teased [Secretary of Education Richard] Riley when the plan was presented Wednesday and asked if there was a packet for grandparents [in the commission's plan]," Wheeler said, noting that the plan calls for everyone to get involved.

"Everybody has to get involved, or you won't get the results," said Kimmelman. "Every school district in this country can bring teachers and school board members together for inquiry and to self-evaluate themselves as a starting point. I think it is critical for them to take an introspective look at their mathematics and science programs, teaching environments, and professional development plans."

"Every school district in this country can bring teachers and school board members together for inquiry to self-evaluate themselves as a starting point. I think it is critical for them to take an introspective look at their mathematics and science programs, teaching environments, and professional development plans."

-- Paul L. Kimmelman, member of the John Glenn Commission and superintendent of West Northfield School District No. 31 in Chicago

DEMONSTRATE TEACHERS' VALUE

The report challenges organizations to take personal responsibility for improving mathematics and science teaching, said Lee V. Stiff, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

Although the NCTM has always focused on ways to improve professional development for mathematics teachers, such as developing standards for mathematics, Stiff said, more needs to be done. This fall the organization will host its first mathematics teaching academies, he explained.

He applauded the commission's report for addressing several problems facing teachers, including keeping teachers from leaving education. Many math teachers leave education within five years, citing poor working conditions, Stiff told Education World. Low teacher pay is another problem. Better working conditions and better pay go a long way with teachers, Stiff said. "It says we value what you do."

One way to enhance the work atmosphere is by giving teachers more time on the job for introspection, Stiff said. "When visiting other nations, I have found that their teachers have time on the job to reflect on their teaching and time to consult with other teachers on how to do their jobs better. But it takes an allocation of resources so they can focus only on instruction."

NCTM's goal is consistent with the goal of the Glenn Commission, which is to better prepare teachers so that they can reach out to every student, Stiff stressed.

"We've done a lot," Stiff said. "But we are a very big nation, and we have a lot more to do."

Diane Weaver Dunne
Education World®
Copyright © 2000 Education World

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