The broad question addressed by this project is: How are some of the most significant contemporary educational reforms impacting the ability of schools, especially those serving disadvantaged students, to retain qualified mathematics and science teachers? The project?s broad goal is to identify promising tools and strategies that policymakers, school officials, administrators, and educators could use to improve the retention of mathematics and science teachers to enhance the quality, quantity and diversity of the teacher workforce.
The project addresses two specifically related research questions: (1) what impact have accountability policies and practices had on the retention of mathematics and science teachers? (2) What impact have teacher preparation, education and training trends, and levels had on the retention of mathematics and science teachers?
To address these questions the project analyzes data on mathematics and science teachers from multiple cycles of the National Center for Education Statistics? (NCES) nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SSS) and its supplement the Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS).
