The University of New Mexico is one of 10 universities “doing the right stuff” as cited by the National Council on Teacher Quality as it pertains to teaching future teachers to teach elementary math. The new report, “No Common Denominator: The Preparation of Elementary Teachers in Mathematics by America’s Education Schools,” is the most comprehensive picture to date of how education schools prepare elementary teachers in math.
The conclusion to the NCTQ’s study reports: “We are confident that the education schools that rose to the top in our evaluation process are preparing teachers relatively well compared to the majority of education schools which rated so poorly.”
The NCTQ rated 77 education schools in 49 states in the survey and found only 13 percent of undergraduate schools, including UNM, require sufficient amounts of relevant math coursework for prospective elementary teachers. The survey studied entrance and exit requirements, course syllabi, textbooks, tests and state licensing tests. Schools were rated on three factors: relevance, breadth and depth.
“Once again, we are pleased that the high quality programs in the College of Education have been recognized at a national level,” said Interim Dean Richard Howell. “This information reinforces the recent decision by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education to fully accredit the college with no areas of improvement cited or required remediation.
“However, there is still a great deal of work to be done to improve instruction in the areas of math and science education. We look forward to working in partnership with the College of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Engineering in the future to address the burgeoning needs of students in these areas of critical need for the state and nation.”
The study is the second in NCTQ’s series about the quality of elementary teacher preparation. The impetus for the study was the mediocre performance of American students in mathematics compared to their counterparts around the world. To view the executive summary visit: No Common Denominator: The Preparation of Elementary Teachers in Mathematics by America’s Education Schools.
The NCTQ is a non-profit organization supporting reforms in a broad range of teacher policies and seeks to lend transparency and accountability to the three institutions that have the greatest impact on teach quality: state governments, colleges of education and teachers’ unions.
Media Contact: Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821; e-mail: scarr@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at July 8, 2008 10:11 AM