Students in Greatest Need of Highly Qualified Teachers Least Likely to Get Them - June 9th, 2009

A University of Texas at Austin College of Education study funded by Texas Instruments and Texas Business and Education Coalition shows that the math and science teacher shortage in Texas has increased dramatically and that Texas schools serving large percentages of poor, minority and low-achieving students have the least qualified teachers.

Dr. Ed Fuller, a special research associate in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Administration, conducted the study in order to find out if data supports the long-held assumption that there is a significant shortage of math and science teachers and to pinpoint causes for the shortage. His aim is to use the information provided by a scientific study of the issue in order to spur state policy changes.

Fuller’s study focuses on Texas and addresses six major topics:

• Texas math and science teacher demographics, experience and content knowledge
• teacher attrition, retention and turnover
• extent of the shortage of science, technology and math (STEM) teachers
• distribution of secondary math and science teacher quality
• analysis of supply trends
• projections for the supply and demand of secondary math and science teachers
• policy recommendations

In addition to finding that there is an alarming shortage of well-qualified secondary STEM teachers and the shortage is going to continue, some of the more important conclusions drawn in the study are that:

• schools with high numbers of poor and low-achieving students have the least qualified STEM teachers
• there has been a steady increase in the number of secondary math and science teachers produced since 1995
• routes to certification for secondary math and science teachers have changed drastically over the past decade or so
• a near majority of prospective math and science teachers did not reveal strong content area knowledge
• teacher attrition rates vary significantly, depending on the teacher preparation program

Fuller also offers a very detailed list of policy recommendations that, if implemented, would likely improve teacher content knowledge, competence and retention, as well as the equitable distribution of highly qualified to schools around the state.

“There needs to be greater coordination among those doing research in this area,” said Fuller, “and far more funding for high-quality evaluations of the extraordinary number of interventions and programs implemented across the state. State policy makers need to address the issues of supply, demand, attrition and distribution, while concomitantly focusing on quality as well.

“For example, when state policymakers adopt policies that increase the demand for teachers such as the adoption and implementation of the ‘4 by 4’ requirement, they must also adopt policies that increase the supply of teachers as well. When the state pushes for increased supply through the creation of alternative certification programs with low barriers to entry, they also must attend to the issues of quality and attrition. Adopting policies in isolation will likely exacerbate the current difficulties we face rather than ameliorate them.”

Fuller works for the University Council for Educational Administration, a national organization that is now based at The University of Texas at Austin, as well as the University of Texas Education Research Center and the Texas Center for Education Policy. He serves as consultant to education organizations such as the E3 Alliance, The Education Trust, the Center for Teaching Quality and Kids Ohio.  He is a former Director of Research for the State Board for Educator Certification and was a high school math teacher in Texas.

—Kay Randall, University Communications, 512-232-3910