Reenergizing science and math education in the U.S. has to begin with the teachers

[Forkboy]

Calculus does not have to be made easy—it is easy already. That banner used to grace the Los Angeles classroom of someone once called the best teacher in America. Jaime Escalante​, the unconventional calculus teacher who was depicted by Edward James Olmos in the 1988 film Stand and Deliver, died last year of cancer at the age of 79. The year before the film, more students from Garfield High School took the AP calculus exam than at all but three other public schools in the country, with two thirds passing.

Half a year after his death the Obama administration weighed in on the state of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in this country. The report, “Prepare and Inspire,” reviewed the sobering statistics about how our K–12 schools suffer by comparison to their counterparts in other developed nations. It called for recruiting and training 100,000 STEM teachers. President Barack Obama​ mentioned STEM as a priority in his State of the Union address this year, and advocates for science education have been pressing to get student science performance incorporated into the No Child Left Behind law.

But achieving these goals is not going to be easy. The report noted that 25,000 STEM teachers leave the workforce every year, mostly because of disgruntlement with their jobs and lack of professional support. To attract and retain enough science and math teachers will require an elevation in their status and a thorough revamping of attitudes toward the entire profession.

Escalante’s career illustrates why. From a job mopping floors after he arrived in the 1960s from his native Bolivia, Escalante procured much better paying work as a technician at an electronics company. From there he went on to get a teaching credential to pursue a passion that dated back to his early years in Bolivia. In 1974, at the age of 43, Escalante decided to take a lower salary as a math teacher at Garfield. He made academic successes of many of his poor Hispanic charges, but first, he had to overcome the system’s built-in inertia. Garfield initially assigned him to teach what would have been the equivalent of fifth-grade math in Bolivia, and he had to convince school administrators that students there were capable of learning math at a higher level.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=stand-and-deliver

[shireen]

1. teachers deserve higher pay and more support in our communities

they have one of the most important jobs in our society ... shaping the lives of future generations.

Many of us have one or two teachers that made a profound impact in our lives. I do. She was a science teacher who took an interest in me, and encouraged my passion for astronomy.

[Forkboy]

2. I had a couple of teachers go above and beyond the call of duty.

Not just for me as a student, but in caring about what was going on at home. It was hard for me to recognize that at the time, but I sure do now.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[surrealAmerican]

4. Underpaying doesn't help either.

We miss out on the talents of people who would love to teach, but can't afford to take a job that pays so poorly.

I'm not sure I understand what point you are trying to make about high standards vs. low standards.


Welcome to DU.

... and you might want to edit your post to remove the offensive term in your first paragraph.

[GeneStoney]

5. Standards

Hi thanks for the welcome.

Sorry about the word I didn't really think it would be offensive, isn't it still a medical term used by Doctors? I'll edit it later I guess there's an edit button?

My point was that it is good to aim for a high level but if not everyone can reach that high level they might only get more confused than when they started, and it could also damage their confidence which is important in young people. Imagine if you were in eigth grade and they started teaching you about advanced quantum physics, you'd be like huh? And you'd leave class just more confused.

So if you teach everyone to a lower standard that they can all understand then you know you have 100% of students with a good understanding of the subject. Also because the standard is set at that level, there will be more teachers who are able to teach it. You will have more to choose from, so you can find the ones who really love the subject and so will teach it well. If the standard is too high you'll have to pay extra for the better teachers but still not have 100% of students understanding it.

[The Midway Rebel]

6. Wait. What?

I just don't know where to even start with replying to your rude comment and misinformed theories that we should keep teachers pay low and dumb the curriculum down to the lowest common denominator, so I won't.

Welcome to DU GeneStoney. Enjoy your stay.

You "guess there is an edit button"...sheesh.

[GeneStoney]

7. Misinformed?

Hi, thanks for the welcome. The edit button says I'm too late to edit but if a moderator can change the word to "dumb" or something else that isn't offensive but gets the message across I would appreciate it. I couldn't do it earlier because my wife needed help with something and I didn't know I would run out of time.

I don't think we should make things dumb, that isn't going to help anyone. I think that we need to find a good solid common ground that everyone can reach so we know everyone has a good standard. It's not fair to make little Johnny really smart if it means little Bobby doesn't know what is going on, is it?

As for the money, I think teaching is about the person really wanting to do it and I'm worried about attracting the people who are only doing it for the money. That guy in the story took a paycut to teach which shows he really loved doing it, and it was the love which is probably why he was so good. Maybe once you found those people you could pay them much more to keep them, but they'd have to prove it first.

I'm sorry if you thought the comment was rude, that is not what I meant to make you think at all. I have got young kids who are going to be learning in these schools one day and I really am concerned that education in the future will not be good enough for everyone *including* them. If maybe I didn't get my message across properly then I am happy to apologise out in the open to you and everyone else.

[The Midway Rebel]

11. Finding a good solid common ground is exactly what many good teachers do.

There is as much risk as boring the piss out of "little Johnny" as there is of confusing "little Bobby", perhaps even more. Many good teachers do exactly as you suggest and it helps if the teachers are fairly paid for their developed skills and natural talents.

Applying your theories about keeping teachers pay low to keep out those that would do it only for the great pay is a bit of a logic fail if we apply the theory to any other profession.

Personally, I have never met any teacher who aspired to be anything more than middle class American.

The system you describe in paragraph #3 is not far from the current reality except that the merit system is not about good teaching, it is about not rocking the boat.

[nashville_brook]

9. i don't think you need to worry about people teaching b/c they're greedy.

not in this universe.

[DirkGently]

10. We're in no danger of attracting teachers with only high salaries in mind.

[nashville_brook]

8. I'd love to be able to afford being a teacher.

Maybe one day we'll get back around to valuing the profession.

[fujiyama]

12. Stand and Deliver was a great film

The lower standards for STEM subjects is something I have heard often from Asian parents. Though, depending on the district, AP Calculus and Calculus II may be offered, raising standards somewhat (but only for those capable of getting in and succeeding). My guess is a majority of students in those subjects have parents that are better educated and may have given their kids extra training outside of school.

What's interesting is that at the same time our students have thicker and heavier textbooks than any other country and schools are asking parents to spend more on technology (expensive graphing calculators and computers). And in an effort to be "edgy" and "modern", many of the newer books are filled with photos and meaningless filler. Where they are really failing is on the basics - basic algebra, geometry, and trigonometry. Without a strong foundation in those subjects, you can't expect students to succeed in subjects like engineering. We're focusing on being able to use physical tools (ie a calculator), without giving the mental training to use them effectively.

The textbook industry is hardly ever scrutinized and it's worth asking why. It's a multi-billion dollar industry and I think there's too much politicization as well.