affects a different outcome: teacher
retention. We asked, Do the kinds and
amounts of education and preparation
that new teachers receive before they
begin teaching affect whether they
remain in teaching?
Early attrition from the
profession is a major,
Statistics’ nationally representative
2003–04 Schools and Staffing Survey,
along with its supplement, the 2004–05
Teacher Follow-up Survey (http://nces
. ed.gov/surveys/sass). This is the largest
and most comprehensive data source
available on elementary and secondary
teachers and schools.
© PETER M. FISHER/CORBIS
We focused on teachers in their
first year of teaching, when attrition
is highest and when the effects of preservice preparation are perhaps most
powerful. We looked at whether they
stayed in teaching or left after their
first year on the job. We defined mathematics and science teachers as those
who had received an undergraduate or
graduate degree in mathematics, in one
of the sciences, or in related fields, such
as engineering, mathematics education,
or science education.
Our findings are striking: The preservice education and preparation of
new mathematics and science teachers
are strongly related to their retention—
but it depends on which aspects of
preparation we look at.
but often overlooked,
factor behind shortages
Zeroing in on Mathematics
and Science
In earlier research, 1 we have documented that early attrition from teaching
is a major, but often overlooked, factor
behind the much-heralded shortages of
mathematics and science teachers. In
turn, we have also investigated which
aspects of schools, their working conditions, and their leadership are linked
to mathematics and science teacher
attrition. 2
Our current study focuses on the
effects of a wide variety of types of
teacher preparation. How do the
retention rates of teachers coming from
traditional teacher education programs
compare with those of teachers coming
of mathematics and
science teachers.
from alternative routes? Are new mathematics and science teachers with education degrees more likely or less likely
to stay in the profession than those with
degrees in mathematics or science? Do
the amount of practice teaching and
the extent of preparation in pedagogical
methods have any bearing on retention?
With support from the National
Science Foundation, we set out to
answer these questions. Our data source
was the National Center for Education
Differences in
Teacher Preparation
The data show that the preparation of
new mathematics and science teachers
differs greatly from that of other
teachers in a number of ways.
Education. Beginning mathematics
teachers—and to an even greater extent,
science teachers—are more likely to
have received their bachelor’s degrees
from the most selective colleges and
universities. In 2004, about 10 percent
of all incoming teachers obtained their
bachelor’s degrees from such colleges
and universities; in contrast, this was
true for 14 percent of new mathematics
teachers and 20 percent of new science
teachers. Beginning mathematics and
science teachers were also more likely
than other new teachers to have earned
a master’s degree or a doctorate.
