Improving Teacher Quality - 2006: Retention of Science & Mathematics Teachers
Many national and state reports cite a dangerous fact: neither the state nor the nation have
enough qualified mathematics and science teachers. In fact, a report from the California
Commission on Teacher Credentialing shows that California's demand for qualified STEM
(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teachers exceeds the supply by many
thousands of teachers each year. One solution-California's Science-Mathematics
Initiative-commits the University of California and California State University to train
1,500 new STEM teachers annually. The ITQ Science and Mathematics Teacher Retention Initiative
(Winter 2006) sought to increase STEM teacher numbers by employing a different strategy:
using quality professional development programs to reduce teacher attrition.
In order to maximize the number of teachers included in the initiative, the Commission utilized a
master grantee strategy, making awards to both the California Mathematics (CMP) and Science (CSP)
Projects. Each master grantee then held internal competitions to provide ten site awards each
around the state. This funding strategy allows the retention initiative to reach over 600
teachers delivering more than 66,000 hours of professional development annually.
Most of the CMP sites focus on new teachers, and provides content-based professional development
that includes summer academy models, university course work, test preparation, and/or summer
institutes with year round follow- ups. All of the CSP sites employ a community of practice
approach tailored to fit local needs. For example, the San Diego site's community includes
all the science teachers in a large urban high school Humboldt's community includes 38
teachers from 16 mostly rural, districts. Other sites have different models of learning
communities. These projects are only half way through their five year funding period, but
preliminary research suggests that they do help to keep qualified teachers in mathematics
and science classrooms.
- 03-350 - California Science Project Teacher Retention Initiative (CSP TRI)
- 03-360 - California Math Project Supporting Teachers to Retention (CMP STIR)
