Des Moines Register
12-02-07
Allen: Ramp up education in math, science
Benjamin Allen • December 2, 2007
Of all the issues facing Iowans, none presents as compelling an impact on the
state as the proficiency of our children in mathematics and science.
Iowans historically have understood that education and the economy are
interrelated. The will to act on that understanding is about to be tested - and the
ability of Iowa's work force to compete globally in bioscience, advanced
manufacturing and information solutions depends on our response.
Of the 20 fastest-growing occupations awaiting our children, 15 will require high
math and science proficiency, according to The National Academies of Science.
The highest-growth jobs in Iowa through 2012, according to Iowa Workforce
Development, will be in health care and in computer software and applications.
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At the same time, IWD asserts that the greatest factor transforming Iowa's labor
market is competition from globalization. This means Iowa's work force will have
to be up to the task. One measurement of preparedness is the National
Assessment of Educational Progress, which shows that Iowa students in general
perform slightly above the national average in math and science.
This is hardly an encouraging comparison. Seventeen-year-olds in the United
States score well below average on math and science assessments when
compared to youth in 41 other countries.
Exacerbating concerns about academic performance and our STEM (science,
technology, engineering, mathematics) work force is an unprecedented shortage
of qualified teachers. Nationwide, 200,000 math and science teachers are
expected to retire in the next decade, leaving the United States short by 283,000
highly qualified teachers in 2015.
Iowa is already 173 teachers short in science and 121 teachers short in math.
According to the Iowa Department of Education, 93 of Iowa's physics teachers
are eligible for retirement, while only 14 entered the profession from Iowa
colleges and universities.
This convergence of educational, economic and work-force conditions is
tantamount to the perfect storm - one that Iowa's new economy will not weather if
action is not taken.
Fortunately, the Iowa Board of Regents' Mathematics and Science Education
Collaborative Initiative, a joint effort among the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa
State University and the University of Iowa, has proposed a comprehensive
plan for addressing this problem.
The $5.5 million plan, designed with broad stakeholder input, proposes a series
of high-impact projects coordinated by a Regents Mathematics and Science
Education Institute that would provide an organizational structure for long-term,
sustainable collaboration and cooperation. Fully funded and implemented, the
Regents Initiative will 1) recruit more college students into math and science
teaching, 2) professionally develop and retain teachers in STEM disciplines, 3)
create new pathways for middle and high school students into math and science
careers through curriculum innovations, and 4) increase the number of STEM
faculty at community colleges.
Stakeholders agree that the plan could double the number of math and science
teachers produced by Iowa universities in five years. The quantity and quality of
math and science course options for students across the state would improve,
resulting in better preparedness for college and the work force. Additionally, more
young Iowans will enter math and science-reliant programs when more welltrained and diversely representative teachers meet the growing demand.
That so many educational investors from across public and private sectors agree
on a course of action suggests high-priority consideration in the next legislative
session. Those on the front lines of Iowa's economy understand that the
initiative's plan is essential to Iowa's future. The only question is whether we
have the public will to implement it.
BENJAMIN J. ALLEN is president of the University of Northern Iowa.