Preparing Future Math Teachers

Poor precollege math abilities, and too little emphasis on college-level math, can reduce the number of highly capable math teachers. The U.S. President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recommends that the federal government provide support over the next decade to recruit and train at least 100,000 new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers of middle school (ages 11 to 13) and high school. Their strong academic backgrounds should include both “deep content knowledge in STEM subjects and mastery of the pedagogical skills required to teach these subjects well” ( 1 ).