Many STEM Teachers Lack Majors
Posted on June 19th, 2011 by Mary Lord
Teacher layoffs nationwide threaten to make a bad STEM education situation worse, as more educators must cover subjects they are not certified to teach. A new survey by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) found that fewer than half the chemistry and physical science teachers in public high schools had degrees in those fields, with about 30 percent lacking certification in those subjects.
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Tags: Higher Education, Public Policy, Research on Learning, Science, Teacher Training, Teachers
It’s been a banner spring for STEM this year. First, a Maryland science teacher draws White House honors as national Teacher of the Year. Now, the School of Science and Engineering Magnet high school in Dallas, Texas, has soared to the head of the latest Washington Post Challenge Index of more than 1,900 high schools nationwide. 
Why do U.S. students fare so poorly in mathematics compared with peers in other nations? A new study suggests a major factor may be the easier math curriculum American kids typically encounter. “The consequences are clear-less opportunity to learn challenging mathematics corresponds to lower achievement,” the researchers conclude. 
A new study shows an increase in students taking rigorous high school courses and, as a result, scoring higher on achievement tests. The 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress High School Transcript Study reveals that the percentage of high school graduates completing a “rigorous” curriculum jumped from 5 percent to 13 percent.
Civil rights, business, and education advocates are urging Congress and the Obama administration not to undermine a key portion of the No Child Left Behind Act in their quest to make the law more flexible—a move they fear will shortchange minority students and other historically overlooked groups in the process.
Many students consider Algebra II a complex course with scant real-world value. Yet, of all of the classes offered in high school, it is the leading predictor of college and work success. In recent years, 20 states and the District of Columbia have raised graduation requirements to include Algebra II. Now, researchers wonder if that’s such smart policy.
The number of U.S. schools with such poor graduation rates that they are known as “dropout factories” fell by 6.4 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to a report released at the Building a Grad Nation Summit in Washington, D.C., March 22. The report also included recommendations to help ensure a high school graduation rate of 90 percent for the class of 2020–today’s third graders. 
With the stakes for educators growing ever higher — and the majority of American schools somewhere on 
Education Secretary Arne Duncan warned last week that 82 percent of the country’s schools soon could be considered failing if the No Child Left Behind law is not changed. The administration is seeking to relax some accountability measures in the law. “The law has created dozens of ways for schools to fail and very few ways to help them succeed,” Duncan said.
