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

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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).

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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.