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<b>EDUCATION WEEK<br>
</b>Published in Print: June 13, 2007<br><br>
<b>Business-Higher Ed. Group Offers Plan for Teacher Shortfall<br>
By
<a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/contributors/vaishali.honawar.html">
Vaishali Honawar</a> <br><br>
</b>A report that was
<a href="http://www.bhef.com/solutions/anamericanimperative.asp"><b>
slated for release this week</a></b> foresees a vibrant, hands-on role
for businesses in combating the much-publicized shortfall of math and
science teachers in K-12 schools. <br><br>
Members of the <a href="http://www.bhef.com/index.asp"><b>Business-Higher
Education Forum</a></b>, an organization made up of Fortune 500 chiefs
and higher education leaders, say the United States will need 280,000 new
mathematics and science teachers by 2015. But there simply are not enough
skilled teachers in those areas entering the profession or committing to
long-term careers, the report underscores. <br><br>
To help relieve the shortage, the Washington-based forum puts forth a
detailed plan that calls on the federal and state governments, school
districts, higher education institutions, and businesses to work in
concert in teacher recruitment, retention, and continuing professional
growth. <br><br>
For instance, the report says, in the area of retention, the federal
government could expand support for comprehensive, research-based
teacher-induction programs; state governments could disseminate tools to
evaluate the effectiveness of such programs; school districts could
establish, evaluate, and report on the programs; universities could
conduct research on their effectiveness; and businesses could sponsor and
support the programs. <br><br>
Forum members hope their strategy would double the number of college
graduates with degrees in critical STEMscience, technology, engineering,
and mathdisciplines in eight years. <br><br>
Many reports in recent years have sought to highlight the problems in
STEM education, most notably
<a href="http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11463.html"><b><i>“Rising Above the
Gathering Storm,”</a></i></b> which was prepared in 2005 by a panel of
business leaders convened by the National Academies. The report warned
that the U.S. economy would suffer if it failed to improve the scientific
and technological skills of its workforce. <br><br>
But Brian Fitzgerald, the executive director of the Business-Higher
Education Forum, said very few of the other reports have called for a
<br>
strong role for business in addressing the critical shortage of math and
science teachers, or identified sound strategies to counter it. “This
report is unique because it deals with recruitment, retention, and
renewal, and creates a road map for each of the five stakeholders to get
this work done,” he added. <br><br>
<h2><b>New Ideas </b></h2>Some recommendations in the report are
familiar, such as scholarships for teacher education students in the STEM
disciplines, differential pay for such teachers, and ongoing professional
development. <br>
But there are new ideas as well, among them the creation of an
administrator’s position at each schoola vice principal of academic
affairs to provide support for new teachers, help experienced teachers
master classroom-instruction skills, and help all teachers develop and
implement curricula. <br><br>
While some may worry about adding another administrator to schools, the
authors say the idea was modeled after the leadership of universities,
where a president and a provost handle different affairs, complementing
each other. <br><br>
Gerald F. Wheeler, the executive director of the National Science
Teachers Association, in Arlington, Va., said that is one of the many
proposals in the report he is excited about working with schools to carry
out. “A vice principal for academic affairs could be a coordinating glue
who would bring teachers together,” he said. <br><br>
The report also proposes early and aggressive teacher-recruitment
efforts, such as targeting middle school students and presenting them
with teaching as a viable career option. <br><br>
With two major pieces of federal education legislation up for
reauthorization, the No Child Left Behind Act and the Higher Education
Act, <br>
forum members said a window of opportunity is open to influence
significant change. <br><br>
Investing in STEM programs, Mr. Fitzgerald said, is “a national
imperative” to keep the United States intellectually vibrant and
economically competitive. <br><br>
Vol. 26, Issue 41, Page 13 <br>
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