Teacher Preparation: One Key to Unlocking the Gate to STEM Literacy

The American secondary school system has structural problems that are long-standing and pervasive. Too few students are engaged by their classes. Teachers can spend too little time on engrossing activities that lead to long-term learning, partly because they must spend too much time on classroom management, student preparation for high-stakes tests, and extracurricular responsibilities. The profession of teaching itself is held in low regard. Is it any wonder, then, that few college students aspire to the profession? Yet the attraction to service is strong among the current generation of undergraduates, as shown by their willingness to participate during the period immediately after earning their bachelor’s degrees when offered an opportunity such as Teach for America, Peace Corps, or other structured service (Dote et al., 2006; Johnson, 2011). In the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), the need for skilled teachers is even more pronounced than in general. A large number of public school districts are understaffed in these disciplines and cannot attract highly qualified teachers. As a result, crucial elementary, middle school, and high-school STEM courses are often taught by teachers who are themselves not educated in STEM. Students of such teachers cannot help but absorb attitudes of discomfort and unfamiliarity, no matter how strong the encouragement at home. It is also less likely that parental influence can carry the day, given more than a generation of