Attracting Science and Mathematics Ph.D.s to Secondary School Education (2000) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 11-24
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From page 11... ...
The nation needs to meet these challenges at a time when the National Research Council (NRC) and others are urging states and school districts to improve science and mathematics education through the implementation of National Science Education Standards and other efforts (National Research Council, ~ 996; National Research Council, 1997~.
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From page 12... ...
TABLE 1-l Estimated Number of Newly Hired Full-time Equivalent Public School Teachers Needed Under Alternative Scenarios, 1994- 1995 to 2008-2009 (in thousands) , Scenano 1 Scenano 2 Scenano 3 Projections of Constant Constant number Education Statistics pupil/teacher ratios of teachersb to 200SC Total needed 1998-99 to 2,399 2,159 2,693 200S-09 (]
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From page 13... ...
The need for more qualified secondary school science and mathematics teachers and the call for inquiry-basect teaching underlie the NRC efforts to attract Ph.D.s to secondary school science and mathematics education. An Untapped Resource At the same time that the nation requires more qualified teachers of science and mathematics, the number of new science and mathematics Ph.D.s who have difficulty securing positions in academe or industry is growing.
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From page 14... ...
Unfortunately, those already stuck in postdoctoral positions especially those who have been in more than one do not appear to be benefiting from the improving job market. Thus, the large numbers of Ph.D.s who have found themselves in this postdoctoral "holding pattern" the current "oversupply" of Ph.D.s may provide an untapped source of qualified secondary school science and mathematics teachers.
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From page 15... ...
To this end the Center produces reports on implementing science standards, teacher preparation, and student assessment designed, above all, to improve science and mathematics education. Recent NRC reports include: Every Child a Scientist: Achieving Scientific Literacy for All (1997)
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From page 16... ...
training with its strong emphasis on experimental evaluation of scientific questions could be useful to teachers in providing the inquiry-based learning environment in schools recommended in the National Science Education Standards, and (2) that the deeper training of Ph.D.s in quantitative approaches and content—and their firm attachments to the nation's scientists and engineers—could also be very helpful in improving American science and mathematics education.
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From page 17... ...
It is the object of the phase one study to explore the interest of Ph.D.s in secondary school education and to see what incentives might be implemented to overcome the potential obstacles to Ph.D.s following this career path. Problems and Possibilities The NRC launched this project understanding that certain aspects of the graduate education and secondary school environments pose obstacles to Ph.D.s taking secondary school teaching positions.
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From page 18... ...
states meet the need for qualified teachers and will continue to be important as they seek to hire 200,000 or more teachers each year in the next decade. School districts, states, and institutions of higher education first developed alternative certification programs in response to the threat of teacher shortages in the early ~ 980s and the number of programs has grown since.
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From page 19... ...
the design of programs to attract science and mathematics Ph.D.s to secondary school positions, drawing on the results of phase one, and a dialogue with those interested in secondary school science and mathematics education; and (3) the implementation of demonstration programs that place Ph.D.s in such positions in selected states.
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From page 20... ...
The committee found it necessary to discuss and address two issues that developed directly from the study data and that extended beyond its specific charge. First, in the course of holding focus group discussions, the committee found that many participants believed there were a number of ways, beyond secondary school teaching and curriculum development, that Ph.D.s could contribute to improving science and mathematics education.
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From page 21... ...
The committee believed it was important to explore these suggestions both in their own right and as context for the more specific questions on secondary school teaching and curriculum development it was asked to address. While the focus of this study remains secondary school science and mathematics education, the suggestions of focus group recipients were addressed by adding an additional question to the survey questionnaire.
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From page 22... ...
The information gathered here is designed to inform the discussions and deliberations of the committee overseeing the second phase of this project as this committee addresses options for developing demonstration programs with a small number of states. METHODS OF STUDY The committee began its information gathering by conducting five focus groups with advanced graduate students and recent Ph.D.s on their career aspirations and perceptions of secondary school science and mathematics education careers Let!
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From page 23... ...
In addition to fielding the survey, staff conducted a series of telephone interviews with interested individuals in secondary school science and mathematics education during the summer of 1999. We conducted interviews with 18 science and mathematics Ph.D.s currently in secondary school teaching or curriculum development positions to learn about the barriers they encountered, their strategies for overcoming these barriers, their areas of success and achievement, and their thoughts on the recruitment and retention of other science Ph.D.s.
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