Eric.ed.gov – Hispanics in Math and Science: Attracting Student Teachers and Retraining Experienced Teachers.

This digest reviews a variety of strategies that might be employed by school districts, teacher education institutions, and state educational agencies to attract, train, and retrain Hispanic teachers in math and science. The need for long-term solutions is discussed. Five action-oriented steps to attract Hispanic high school graduates into the teaching profession include identifying talented Hispanic high school students, developing their interest in teaching, locating and engaging “master” teachers, arranging significant student-teacher contact, and providing incentives for students to participate in special programs. Adaptations of recommendations by Franz, Aldridge, and Clark are also listed. Short-term solutions are listed, e.g., providing readily available opportunities for recertification, offering improved working conditions, offering teachers financial assistance during additional years of college preparation, providing summer jobs in industry, recruiting part-time instructors from other segments of society, and borrowing skilled professionals from industry. Options for financing programs for youths in teacher education programs and for Hispanic teachers currently employed or underemployed are presented. (PM)