Math & Science Education: Hearing, Press Conference, Policy Statement

Everyone agrees that K-12 math and science education in the United States is not what it should be. On June 10, a former AAPT president testified before the House Science Committee and Committee on Education and the Workforce. This joint hearing was on a key component of the solution to this problem: “Finding, Training and Keeping Good Teachers.” The day before, a press conference was held at which a math and science education policy statement was released.

House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) opened the June 10 hearing saying “every student should have...a solid background in math and science.” American students are not receiving the foundation they need in science, he said. Teachers, Sensenbrenner stated, are the key.

Sensenbrenner turned the gavel over to Rep. Vern Ehlers (R-MI), who discussed projections calling for two million additional new teachers. “It is vitally important that we not only increase the quantity of teachers, but also concentrate on recruiting, training and hiring the highest quality teachers to educate our students,” he said. Ehlers hoped the hearing’s witnesses would provide “gems of wisdom” that the two committees could use to develop an effective strategy.

One of the four witnesses was Howard G. Voss, Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Arizona State University. Voss is the former president of the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), a Member Society of the American Institute of Physics (AIP). Portions of his oral testimony follow:

“I do not come with easy, quick solutions or even much in the way of techniques; however I offer some comments as one who has had a four-decade career as a high school teacher, university teacher, teacher of teachers, and chair of a university teaching/research department.

“We will need to recruit about two million K-12 teachers by 2007 and almost all grade school teachers are science teachers. That two million assumes that all recruited will stay in teaching. History indicates otherwise. Since teachers are effectively recruited while they are young, 2007 looks frighteningly near given the decade or more pipeline. The task will be especially hard because it is not acceptable to hire people to merely occupy the front of the classrooms as we have too often in the past.

“I am convinced that nothing short of societal changes will do. We do not have campaigns to recruit lawyers, neurosurgeons, or physics professors (anymore).

“National leadership is essential as is strong leadership by the higher education complex and by the professional and scientific societies, with help from industry and business. Creating the conditions for recruiting teachers is a shared responsibility.

“In a previous hearing the most obvious cause was highlighted. The CEO of a high-tech company bemoaned his need to spend $70,000 to make foreign engineers eligible to work in America. He indicated that he could have hired an engineer with this money. Well, his local school could probably have hired two or three science teachers.

“Here is a list of some other causes: “Americans no longer hold teaching in high regard, contributing to poor learning/teaching environments.
“In other fields, salaries rise to attract sufficient applicants. In teaching we have too often simply lowered our standards.
“Many candidates are lost in elementary and high school when they fail to take the courses, especially mathematics courses, that they need for later work

“Now turn to some cures which we will call catching, keeping, and converting. If keeping were spelled with a ‘c’ my points would be even easier to remember.

“CATCHING: We must make the profession attractive to the young people we want teaching our children. Let me start a list:
“Elementary school science must be taught by people who have learned science through experience and inquiry methods and who have learned about science pedagogy. <br “the="" most="" efficient="" recruiting="" engine="" we="" will="" ever="" have="" is="" the="" cadre="" of="" enthusiastic,="" well-prepared="" high="" school="" science="" teachers. “Colleges (including the two-year variety!) and universities must make the undergraduate experience conducive to learning science, to choosing teaching as a career, and making teacher preparation programs exciting and effective.

“KEEPING: Recruitment of teachers is hindered by exactly the kind of things that cause teachers to leave the profession. Some suggestions:
“Teachers must be treated as the professionals they are. Counter examples abound. I know. I was there.
“Teachers must be assigned to teach only courses for which they have sufficient preparation.
“Science teachers must have real opportunities for professional development and scientific education.

“CONVERTING: “My experiences amply show that a good source of science teachers is current and prospective non-science teachers willing to change fields. We will need the help of:
“Colleges and departments of education - we science types need the education types and they need us. We will likely recruit more science teachers by collaboration with the colleges of education than any other way.
“University and four-year college science departments - these are where the prospective teachers get their exposure to science and mathematics, and catch the excitement of science.
“Collaboration between colleges of education, science departments, and state certification officials can create paths into the profession after a time in other parts of the work force.
“Two-year college science departments - universities can collaborate with two-year colleges so that two-year college faculty can offer courses (including needed credit) for practicing science teachers and for non-science teachers who wish to become science teachers in the elementary grades.
“High school teachers - university and college professors can collaborate with highly qualified high school science teachers who can then offer courses for elementary teachers wishing to becoming science teachers.
“Professional and scientific societies: All have become interested in the teacher recruitment problem. After all, science in the schools is the other end of the pipeline that creates scientists. You will find brief descriptions of some programs to create more and better teachers in the addendum to my written testimony.”See http://www.aapt.org/voss.html for the full written testimony.

The committee also received testimony from John Staver, Kansas State University; Jane Kahle, Miami University of Ohio; and Pamela B. Tackett, Texas State Board for Educator Certification. All four witnesses were asked by Ehlers to send him a letter outlining what they would have the federal government do - “what could we best do to realize” K-12 math and science education goals.

The day before the hearing, AAPT and AIP sponsored a Capitol Hill breakfast and press conference for the 24 members of the U.S. Physics Team and their Members of Congress. Rep. Vern Ehlers (R- MI) and Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) hosted this well-attended event, at which the following statement was released:

“As Congress considers the future of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act this year, we urge Congress to maintain support for programs which benefit K-12 science and math education, particularly professional development programs for teachers.”

This statement was endorsed by AAPT, the American Astronomical Society, American Chemical Society, American Geological Institute, AIP, National Association of Geoscience Teachers, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the National Science Teachers Association.