Preparing and retaining high quality science and mathematics teachers: Research, programs and results

A growing body of research is revealing that the much‐publicized lack of sufficient high‐quality teachers in U.S. schools is a problem of retention rather than insufficient production, particularly in the case of secondary math and science teachers. Across all subjects, nearly 50% of teachers tend to leave the profession within the first 5 years of beginning teaching, so the attrition problem appears to be one of novice teachers rather than veterans. Furthermore, there is a common assumption in the U.S. that math and science teachers leave at a higher rate than teachers of other subjects because more, and more lucrative, career opportunities are available to individuals with science and math backgrounds. In response to a growing need for highly effective math and science teachers, the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation (KSTF) provides 5‐year teaching fellowships to beginning secondary mathematics and science teachers across the United States. In this presentation, I will discuss the structure and rationa...