Is the Supply of Mathematics and Science Teachers Sufficient?

Abstract

This study seeks to empirically ground the debate over mathematics and science teacher shortages and evaluate the extent to which there is, or is not, sufficient supply of teachers in these fields. The authors' analyses of nationally representative data from multiple sources show that math and science are the fields most difficult to staff, but the factors behind these problems are complex. There are multiple sources of new teachers; those with education degrees are a minor source compared to those with degrees in math and science and the reserve pool. Over the past two decades, graduation requirements, student course taking, and teacher retirements have all increased for math and science, yet the new supply has more than kept pace. However, when preretirement teacher attrition is factored in, there is a much tighter balance between supply and demand. Unlike fields such as English, for math and science, there is not a large cushion of new supply relative to losses-resulting in staffing problems in schools with higher turnover.

Seven Trends: The Transformation of the Teaching Force

“…As mentioned earlier, we have found that one negative consequence of teacher turnover is its important but often overlooked role in teacher shortages (Ingersoll, 2011;Ingersoll & Perda 2010). Turnover is a major factor behind the problems that many schools have staffing their classrooms with qualified mathematics, science, and other teachers.…”

“…We have explored this issue in depth elsewhere (see Ingersoll & Perda, 2010;Ingersoll, 2011). Among other findings, our data analyses show that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the growth in the new supply and employment of qualified mathematics and science teachers has not only more than kept pace with increases in mathematics and science student enrollments, but also with mathematics and science teacher retirement increases-a point we address in Trend 2.…”

“…In our research on the math and science teacher shortage, as mentioned above, we have found that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, the new supply of qualified math and science teachers has been more than sufficient to cover student enrollment increases and teacher retirement increases in mathematics and science. In contrast, the main, but underrecognized source of mathematics and science teacher staffing problems is pre-retirement voluntary turnover (see Ingersoll, 2011;Ingersoll & Perda, 2010), an issue to which we return in Trend 7.…”

Accountability as a Design for Teacher Learning: Sensemaking About Mathematics and Equity in the NCLB Era

“…This premise is flawed for a number of reasons. To begin with, there is a shortage of strong mathematics teachers in urban schools (Ingersoll & Perda, 2010), an issue that cumulatively limits many children's learning opportunities year after year. Even beyond school staffing challenges, technical issues abound in the measures themselves.…”

Supporting Middle Grades Mathematics Teachers and Students: A Curricular Activity System Used in an Urban School District

“…All but four of the teachers had earned a bachelor's degree as their highest level of education; three of these four teachers had earned master's degrees, and one teacher had a doctoral degree. As Ingersoll and Perda (2010) identified in their research, several teachers who participated in the study entered teaching mid-career. Eight participating teachers had careers outside of education prior to teaching mathematics in the middle grades.…”