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Note: Gordon M. Ambach's oral presentation refers to the following outline that was distributed to all participants.
SHAPING THE FUTURE: SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & MEDICINE
Key Challenges for Education in the 21st Century
Overcoming the Crisis in Science and Mathematics Learning
Gordon M. Ambach
November 18, 2000
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Teaching and learning science and mathematics at the elementary and secondary education levels are in critical condition. The problems are both pedagogical and “political.” They will worsen in the 21st Century unless there is major intervention of added public commitment and resources and action by scientific, engineering and medical professionals. Our nation will not overcome the problems unless we encourage and engage more talented persons for careers in teaching mathematics and science.
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Appreciation for the Academies’ commitment to education
- Advocacy for improved mathematics and science education
- Analyses of evidence informing policy decisions in education
- Promotion of effective evaluation and international benchmarking of education progress
Appreciation of your individual and organization commitments
- Personal advocacy, partnerships with schools and teachers, support of school projects
Objectives for Students
- Early preparation of science, engineering and medical practitioners and preparation of all the people for scientific and mathematical understanding.
Problems
- Unacceptable results of student achievement. Evidence from Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) showing decline in U.S. rank order from grades 4 to 8 to 12.
- Shortfall in the curriculum and use of learning technology, even though much work has been done on challenging standards. Work needed on curriculum sequences and depth.
- Unacceptable proportions of unqualified teachers, both secondary level specialists in science and mathematics and elementary level common core teachers who teach science and mathematics. Need for continuing update in subjects for all teachers. The problems are in both public and private schools.
- Severe problem of recruiting teachers in most school districts. Alternative professions for women. Demographic projections show largest increases in population groups (“minority populations”) have lowest proportions of math and science teaching candidates.
Agenda
- Making the nationwide case for investment in 21st Century science and mathematics education.
- Teachers, teachers, teachers who know science and mathematics; are creative, passionate and infectious in helping students learn; love to work with children and adolescents; and want to make teaching a career.
- The challenge is to recruit, prepare, increase pay, recognize and welcome these teachers into your professional colleagueship.
- Salaries and working conditions are the key. Pay must be raised to compete for talent. Note - evidence of salary comparisons with teachers in Japan and with other U.S. science and technical professionals.
- Generating the political will to set and maintain high standards, creative and rigorous curriculum, and first rate study with lots of “bench work."
The Campaign for Public Commitment and Political Will - Understanding the Territory
- Action on science and mathematics education must be part of the overall education reform effort. Cannot separate improvements in mathematics and science education from other aspects of reform, e.g. setting standards, finance, technology, etc.
- Education is at the top of the nation’s agenda. The political stakes on education policy decisions are high and subject to fierce public controversy, e.g. “math wars,” “reading wars,” “Kansas, creationism and evolution.” Individual interventions need organizational backstopping.
- Action at six levels – teacher, school, district, state, university and national – very complex and “unscientific.” Every unit and every level believes it needs to invent its own solution in our decentralized system of educational governance. Strategies must simultaneously address the several levels and be coordinated through the states.
Targeted National Strategies
- Organizing advocacy for multi-billion dollar federal investment in science and mathematics education administered through the states.
- The heart of the investment must be in teachers (current and prospective) – recruiting, preparing and re-training. Recent recommendations of the Senator Glenn Commission, “Before It’s Too Late,” are important.
- Earmark federal student aid for preparation of teaching candidates and improving preparation programs.
- Increase funds for research and development on curriculum, learning technologies and evaluation of student achievement.
Targeted State Strategies
- Promotion of rigorous standards with aligned student tests for accountability, school by school. The standards set the priorities of what students and teachers should know and be able to do. Scientific and technical professionals must help set them.
- Increase state investment in salaries of science and mathematics teachers and in curriculum, materials, and technologies for teaching.
Local School District Strategies
- Promotion of competitive salaries with differentials for mathematics and science teachers.
- Make connections between science and mathematics teachers and professionals in businesses, universities, scientific and technical organizations.
University Strategies
- Increase the commitment of university presidents and officers to teacher preparation in their institutions.
- Increase commitment of arts and sciences faculty to the quality of teacher preparation in sciences and mathematics. Seventy percent of all teacher preparation in these subjects is actually done by these faculties outside of schools of education.
Strategies for Individual Teachers
- The single most important action scientific, engineering, and medical professionals can take is to make personal connections with science and mathematics teachers at the elementary and secondary level. They desperately need a closer relationship with those who practice in your fields. They are isolated from cutting edge scientific and technical work and need the connection with colleagues to help them be part of the larger scientific and technical community and who will encourage their important career contributions.
National Academies’ Strategy
- Guide the Nation to understand the crisis and the necessary actions.
- Help the societies, professionals, academic and corporate world organize the campaign for pedagogical reform and the public will for our students to become “First in the World.”
Thank you. 
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