About a third of high school math students and two-thirds of those enrolled in physical science have teachers who did not major in the subject in college or are not certified to teach it. There is an essential need for investment in teacher preparation and professional development programs as a way to improve student achievement and produce a better-prepared workforce.

The lack of certified science and math teachers is a growing concern for schools around the nation, especially in low-income areas. Competent and engaged teachers are needed to inspire students to pursue a career in math and science. If Americans continue to remain disengaged in this challenge, the United States’ role as a leaderin technology development and scientific research will continue to diminish.

If you can solve the education problem, you don’t have to do anything else. If you don’t solve it, nothing else is going to matter all that much.

-Alan Greenspan, outgoing Federal Reserve Board chairman

“If you train a teacher, they reach hundreds and hundreds of students, and that spreads the quality of math and science education very broadly.”
-Myron Salamon, dean of the University of Texas at Dallas’ School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

“We stand in real danger of falling behind in innovative capacity. Most of the good-paying jobs that will be created in this country in the future will require a whole lot more math and science literacy than in the past.”

-Tom Luce, CEO NMSI