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Improving Science And Math Education
by Randy Barrett
The need to improve mathematics and science education at the elementary and secondary levels is currently all the rage among Washington policymakers fearful of crouching Asian competition. But curriculum experts say hurling dollars at the problem offers only a partial solution.
In January, President Bush unveiled the American competitiveness initiative to boost federal spending on research and math/science education by $136 billion over the next decade. The proposal includes $380 million in new money for science and education initiatives in public schools in fiscal 2007.
The problem of poor student performance in math and science is decades old. According to the National Science Foundation, kids' math scores are on the rise, but only about 30 percent of fourth- and eighth-graders have solid math proficiency. The situation worsens in high school, where a paltry 16 percent of 12th-graders have a strong grasp of the subject.
"Although gains in mathematics achievement are encouraging, despite the improvements, most students do not demonstrate solid mathematical skills and knowledge for their grade," the National Science Board said in its biennial report, "Science and Engineering Indicators 2006."
Student performance in science is equally poor. Between 1990 and 2003, 12th-grade proficiency remained essentially unchanged at less than 20 percent.
The Elements Of Relevance
Abundant research shows that many American students tend to lose interest in math and science by the ninth grade. The problem lies in weak curriculum taught poorly by teachers in an educational system that fails to adequately support them, experts said. "Math gets taught wrong on one day, and you lose a thousand great scientists," said Robert Boege, executive director of the Alliance for Science and Technology Research in America.
In a common refrain, Boege asserted that money alone is not a panacea. "This is not so much a problem of funding but learning from good [curriculum and teaching] models that are out there," he said. "Money isn't the answer."
Observers said several good science- and math-teaching models exist, and all share a common thread: showing relevance to the everyday life of kids. "The community is forgetting we're actually teaching the whole child," said Jo Anne Vasquez, a science curriculum expert and member of the National Science Board. "Students need to know how to learn about science."
She said hands-on activities are key, and so are exercises that made direct connections between real-life problems and science. "If you engage their brains, they start asking questions," Vasquez said. "Science is a thinking enterprise."
A teaching method called "Understanding by Design" is gaining popularity in schools. The curriculum starts with real-world challenges, such as water pollution and dying fish, and requires teachers to lead students' through the math and science skill sets necessary to find answers.
"You begin with the end in mind," said Cindy Moss, a science curriculum specialist for the Charlotte Mecklenburg school district in North Carolina. The system is a vast improvement over what one curriculum professional called the "sit and git" approach.
Education Starts With The Teachers
But the approach requires fully trained and prepared teachers. According to NSF, less than 30 percent of math and science instructors in public middle schools and high schools hold undergraduate college degrees -- either majors or minors -- in the fields they teach. "We have to change how we prepare teachers to teach science, Moss said. She added that many teachers around her 128,000-student district are stuck in the "sage on the stage" model.
The Bush administration is now aware of the problem and has requested $122 million to expand the advanced-placement program by training 70,000 AP teachers in math and science. As well, Bush has proposed spending $25 million to bring 30,000 adjunct teachers into American classrooms from business and industry to teach the disciplines.
The theory is that former private-sector engineers and scientists can bring real-world experience to the classroom. Unfortunately, that knowledge rarely prepares them for the rigors of teaching kids, Moss said. In her district, more than 90 percent of adjunct teachers quit after their first year. "The skill set that makes you a good engineer does not prepare you to deal with 14-year-old, hormonally challenged organisms," she said.
Many younger teachers come to the same conclusion. "Dissatisfaction with working conditions was among the most common reason mathematics and science teachers gave for deciding to change schools or leave the profession," the NSF said in its report.
Half of public-school math instructors quit within five years, according to Cathy Seeley, president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. A primary problem is low pay, an issue the administration's competitiveness initiative does not address. According to the NSF, the average public school K-12 teacher salary is $44,000 per year, only $2,600 more than it was in 1972, when adjusted for inflation. Starting salaries typically begin at about $25,000 per year.
"School systems are spending millions on a revolving door," Moss said. "Our teachers are constantly recruited out of the classroom." In her district, some join the state alcohol control board, where they can earn $15,000 more per year than they do teaching.
Challenges Of Curriculum And Competition
Curriculum experts are ambivalent about the value of mandatory science and math testing required by the 2002 federal education law known as the No Child Left Behind Act.
Public schools now face heavy pressure to "treasure what gets measured," Moss said. So the subjects get taught and tracked, but teachers are relying more on rote learning -- often from text books -- to boost test scores and failing to engage their pupils' analytical abilities. "What we've done is squash [students'] natural curiosity," she said.
Another problem is competition for instruction time among subjects. Math and reading tend to be high priorities, but science often gets bumped down the list, said experts who noted that individual school administrations' support for science is vital but not always evident.
Moss welcomes the new funding proposed by Bush and lawmakers but said money cannot buy time -- the crucial ingredient lacking in nearly all teachers' schedules. Instructors are badly bogged down with administrative, non-teaching tasks and do not have time for professional development courses, Moss said.
"A lot of teachers care," she said, "but they are trying to keep their head above water."
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