Georgia’s colleges and universities are not graduating enough potential math and science teachers to satisfy the state’s growing needs, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. According to a new study, “out of 25,000 public college graduates [in Georgia] in 2006, just three became high school physics teachers and nine became chemistry teachers,” reporter Andrea Jones writes. “By 2010, Georgia will need more than 4,500 middle and high school math and science teachers. In 2006, the most recent statistics available, the University System produced just 678 in those fields.”
On the Journal-Constitution’s Get Schooled blog, Bridget Gutierrez points out that “this is happening at the same time state officials are rolling out what’s supposed to be a tougher new curriculum that expects students to learn advanced math and science concepts at earlier grades.”
The Georgia findings dovetail with a new report from the Business-Higher Education Forum calling for a concerted effort by many parties to combat a national shortage in math and science teachers.