Eric.ed.gov – Boosting the Supply and Effectiveness of Washington’s STEM Teachers. Executive Summary

In the spring of 2009, the Partnership for Learning (PFL) asked The New Teacher Project (TNTP) to analyze challenges Washington faces in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) instruction and to make recommendations to overcome these challenges as part of a new STEM initiative. This initiative aims to dramatically raise student achievement in STEM subjects and close the achievement gap in math and science–ensuring that all Washington students graduate from high school college- and career-ready. Research has shown that teachers have a greater impact on student success than any other school factor, which means that teachers are a critical part of any solution to Washington’s STEM challenges. With this in mind, TNTP drew on its experience studying human capital challenges in education to identify the policies and practices that prevent Washington’s STEP teachers from performing at the highest possible level. (Contains 10 endnotes.)