key stats on stem from nsb

Key Stats on STEM from NSB

"Students from financially poorer families or whose mother had less

formal education entered kindergarten with lower levels of mathematics

skills," according to the National Science Board's (NSB) Science and

Engineering Indicators 2008. This is one of many STEM

education-related observations in NSB's most recent Indicators

publication, released this week. The publication is meant to lay out

the "data and trends" within science, engineering, and technology, on

a biennial basis. Each publication includes a separate companion piece

that offers the Board's perspective on the policy implications of that

year's Indicators (all of these materials are available for free

online: the full Indicators here, the brief companion piece on policy

here, and a "Digest" summary of key statistics from the Indicators

here). The companion piece includes three policy recommendations:

enhancing Federal funding of basic research; encouraging greater

"intellectual exchange" between academia and the business sector; and

developing new data to track the economic effects of globalization.

Though issues related to these recommendations were the most salient

points in NSB's unveiling of the Indicators, there was a story behind

the story for the STEM education community.

Below, we will list some selected high and low points of that story,

all of which are direct quotes from the publication, unless otherwise

noted. The statistics generally come from the "highlights" section of

chapter one of the Indicators (pages 1-4 to 1-6), but will be cited

when drawn from another section, or from the Digest. Please visit

chapter one, titled "Elementary and Secondary Education," for more

complete information. The sections below are broken into the following

categories (all taken directly from the text), and within each

category there are subheadings which are italicized:

-Student Learning in Mathematics and Science

-Standards and Coursetaking

-Mathematics and Science Teacher Quality

-Professional Development of Mathematics and Science Teachers

-Teacher Salaries, Working Conditions, and Job Satisfaction

-Transitions to Higher Education

______________________________________________________________________

Student Learning in Mathematics and Science

All student groups made gains in mathematics and science during

elementary and high school, but performance disparities were evident,

and some gaps widened as students progressed through school.

Students from financially poorer families or whose mother had less

formal education entered kindergarten with lower levels of mathematics

skills and knowledge than their more advantaged peers. Substantial

racial/ethnic gaps in mathematics performance were also observed.

In 2005, U.S. fourth and eighth grade students outperformed those

tested in the 1990s in mathematics, and fourth grade students improved

in science.

Widespread increases in mathematics from the 1990s to 2005 were not

matched in science. Since 1996, the first year the current national

science assessment was given, average science scores increased for 4th

graders, held steady for 8th graders, and declined for 12th graders.

Standards and Coursetaking

In 2006, slightly more than half the states required 3 or more years

of both mathematics and science courses for high school graduation.

Students in more than 40 states were required to complete at least 2

years of both mathematics and science in high school; 3 years was the

most common requirement for both subjects, in effect in just over half

the states.

State development of course content standards has progressed in recent

years and standards continue to be reviewed and revised.

All states had issued content standards in mathematics and science by

2006-07, and 35 states had schedules for reviewing and revising those

standards.

Trends from 1990 to 2005 show increases in advanced coursetaking;

growth was especially strong in mathematics.

Class of 2005 graduates completed mathematics courses at far higher

rates than their 1990 counterparts in all categories except

trigonometry/algebra III.

As the school's poverty rate diminished [i.e., as income level

increased], [high school] graduates were more likely to complete many

of the advanced mathematics, science, and engineering courses [e.g.,

only 16.8% of students in schools with a high poverty rate completed

trigonometry or algebra III, versus 26.2% in schools with a very low

poverty rate; similarly, only 49.6% in high poverty rate schools

completed chemistry, whereas 67% completed chemistry in low poverty

rate schools; see tables 1-9 and 1-10 below for more details]. For

some subjects, a significant different existed only between schools

with very low poverty rates and all other schools (Indicators, page

1-23).

Mathematics and Science Teacher Quality

Most mathematics and science teachers have the basic teaching

qualifications of a college degree and full state certification.

At least 75% of 2003 mathematics and science teachers with less than 5

years of teaching experience participated in practice teaching before

their first teaching job.

The majority of public high school mathematics and science teachers

had a college major or certification in their subject field, that is,

they were "in-field" teachers. Infield teaching was less common in

middle schools than in high schools.

In 2003, 78%-92% of mathematics, biology, and physical science

teachers in public high schools were teaching in field. Out-of-field

teachers (that is, teachers teaching their subject with neither a

major nor certification in the subject matter field, a related field,

or general education) ranged from 2% of physical science teachers to

8% of mathematics teachers.

The proportion of in-field mathematics and science teachers in middle

schools was lower (33%-55%) than in high schools (78%-92%). About

3%-10% were teaching out of field.

Teachers in schools with low concentrations of minority and low-income

students tended to have more education, better preparation and

qualifications, and more experience than teachers in schools with high

concentrations of such students.

Mathematics and science teachers in low-minority and low-poverty

schools were more likely than their colleagues in high-minority and

high-poverty schools to have a master's or higher degree and to hold

full certification.

Mathematics and science teachers in low-minority and low-poverty

schools were more likely to teach in field than their colleagues in

high-minority and high-poverty schools.

New mathematics and science teachers (those with 3 or fewer years of

teaching experience) were more prevalent in high-minority and

high-poverty schools than in low minority and low-poverty schools.

Professional Development of Mathematics and Science Teachers

Participation in induction and mentoring programs was widespread.

In 2003, 68%-72% of beginning mathematics and science teachers in

public middle and high schools reported that they had participated in

a formal teacher induction program or had worked closely with a mentor

teacher during their first year of teaching.

Teacher participation in professional development was common. However,

various features of professional development identified as being

effective in bringing about changes in teaching practices were not

widespread.

Teacher Salaries, Working Conditions, and Job Satisfaction

Attrition from teaching was typically lower than from other

professions and attrition rates of mathematics and science teachers

were no greater than the overall rate. Many were satisfied with being

teachers and planned to stay in the profession as long as they could.

In 2003, 90% of mathematics and science teachers said that they were

satisfied with being teachers in their schools, 76% planned to remain

in teaching as long as they could or until retirement, and more than

66% expressed their willingness to become teachers again if they

could start over.

In academic year 2003-04, about 59% of the public secondary schools in

the United States reported vacancies in mathematics teaching

positions, and of these nearly one-third said that they found it "very

difficult to" or "could not" fill those vacancies (Digest, page 19).

About one-third of public secondary schools with vacancies in

mathematics [32%] or physical sciences [31%] reported great difficulty

in finding teachers to fill openings in these fields, whereas 22% of

schools reported that this was the case in biology/life sciences

[similarly, 31% in ESL, 32% in foreign language, and 31% in special

education] (Digest, page 19).

Science and mathematics teacher salaries continue to lag behind

salaries for individuals working in comparable professions and the

gaps have widened substantially in recent years.

In 2003, the median salary for full-time high school mathematics and

science teachers was $43,000, lower than the salaries of professionals

with comparable educational backgrounds such as computer systems

analysts, engineers, accountants or financial specialists, and

protective

service workers ($50,000-$72,000). From 1993 to 2003, full-time high

school mathematics and science teachers had a real salary gain of 8%,

compared with increases of 21%-29% for computer systems analysts,

accountants or financial specialists, and engineers.

In 2003, 53% of public middle and high school mathematics and science

teachers said that they were not satisfied with their salaries.

Transitions to Higher Education

Over two-thirds of all U.S. high school graduates enroll in

postsecondary education immediately after graduation, although

immediate enrollment rates for low-income families are lower (Digest,

page 18).

Between 1975 and 2005, the percentage of students ages 16 to 24

enrolling in college immediately following high school graduation rose

from 51 to 69%, with increases evident across all income levels

(Digest, page 18).

Over 80% of high school graduates from high-income families attend

college immediately after graduation, compared with 54% from

low-income families (Digest, page 18).

______________________________________________________________________

Science and Engineering Indicators, Chapter 1, Appendix Table 1-9

*Click to enlarge.

Science and Engineering Indicators, Chapter 1, Appendix Table 1-10

*Click to enlarge.

Labels: nsb, science and engineering indicators

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