On October 19, 1982, more than 300 persons from throughout Indiana met on the Bloomington campus of Indiana University to discuss a crisis facing the state: the decline of mathematics and science education in the elementary and secondary schools. Participants at this conference came from a variety of occupations. Business, industry and labor leaders were there. Representatives from Indiana's legislative and executive branches participated. Scientists from Indiana's industries and research institutions were there, as were science, mathematics and education professors from more than 23 colleges and universities. Teachers and administrators from many of the state's school systems also participated. All of the participants agreed that the decline of mathematics and science education is a crisis affecting everyone in the state, but this was not just a convention to recognize that a problem exists. It was a working conference to determine possible solutions to this problem, solutions that would work for Indiana. Because the problem affects all sectors of society, a concerted effort by all sectors is needed for a solution. Business and industry must combine with government and education to combat the deterioration of science and mathematics education in Indiana. The participants at this conference stressed this need for cooperation and discussed a number of ways in which the separate sectors could work together. The conference was organized into four panels to ensure generating specific inputs from each sector. Leaders from business, industry and labor comprised the first panel and reported on the specific effects this crisis has on the state's economy and how they are dealing with the problem. The second panel included leaders from Indiana's government who discussed the initiatives that could come from that sector and the problems they face in taking action against the crisis. The third panel included teachers and school administrators from the state. Because any action taken to improve the quality of mathematics and science education will necessarily involve the state's educators, these panelists emphasized ways in which Indiana's educators could be helped in their efforts to teach the state's youth, as well as ways in which more qualified teachers could be attracted into the profession. The fourth and last panel included representatives from the state's universities and technical colleges. It is these institutions that supply many of the skilled workers for the state and almost all of the state's teachers. If Indiana is to ensure enough skilled workers and qualified mathematics and science teachers to meet its needs, then these institutions must be helped in their work. This conference was only the first step in dealing with the crisis. Awareness of the problem was increased and possible actions were proposed. But any real solutions to the crisis will require the continued efforts of all involved. It is hoped that strong and effective actions be taken soon, and that all sectors of indiana will work together until the problem is solved. Impetus for this conference came from a committee of educators at Indiana University who are greatly concerned about the decline of mathematics and science education in Indiana. The conference was organized by this committee and sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Education at Indiana University and was funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc., and the Indiana Universtiy Foundation. Publication of this report was made possible through the generous support of the Delco Electronics Division of General Motors Corporation. Facing the Crisis of Mathematics and Science Education in Indiana Elementary and Secondary Schools Business, Industry and Labor Perspectives on the Crisis Bert Curry, Executive Director of Personnel, Eli Lilly and Company ⚫ John Walls, President, Indiana State Chamber of Commerce • Max Wright, Secretary Treasurer, Indiana State AFL/CIO • Frank Jaumot, Director of Advanced Engineering, Delco Electronics Division, GMC • Carole Garstang, Vice President, Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce Government Perspectives on the Crisis • John M. Mutz, Lieutenant Governor, State of Indiana • Marilyn Schultz, Member, House of Representatives, Indiana General Assembly ⚫ Harold Negley, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Public Schools Perspectives on the Crisis ⚫ Cordell Affeldt, President, Indiana State Teachers Association ⚫ Alfred L. Bias, Principal, Elkhart Central High School • William Lumbley, Chemistry Teacher, Bloomington High School South Higher Education Perspectives on the Crisis Allan H. Clark, Dean, School of Science, Purdue University ⚫ H. Victor Baldi, Vice President, Indiana Vocational and Technical College • F. Keith Ault, Professor of Chemistry. Ball State University Summary and Recommendations Introductory Remarks George Springer, professor of mathematics, Indiana University Because Indiana's economy has been closely linked to the production of automobiles and steel, this state has been one of the hardest hit by the current economic malaise. There has been a general recognition in the state of the need to compete with the other 49 states for new industries to shore up our economy and provide new employment opportunities. But the same needs have been recognized in every other state, and the competition will be fierce. In selecting sites for locating business or industry, the available work force is an essential factor, and the new high-technology industries require both better trained and better educated personnel. Richard Stoner, vice chairman of the Board of Directors of Cummins Engine Company, has written that "Educational climate is the number one factor Cummins considers in locating new plants. This has been confirmed repeatedly by people seeking new industries for Indiana." What is Indiana doing to prepare its children for the new work force that requires some level of scientific literacy and mathematical skill for almost all of its employees? While Indiana had 2.38% of the total U.S. population in 1979, it had only 1.68% of the U.S. citizens who had completed four years of college-the lowest percentage of the 15 largest states in the nation and well below the national average. Indiana has three persons with less than four years of high school for every person with four or more years of college. Compare our statistics with those for states such as Illinois or Missouri which have two people with less than four years of high school for every person with four or more years of college, or to those for states such as California and Massachusetts which have one person with less than four years of high school for every person with four or more years of college. In the past, students easily succumbed to the temptation to drop out of high school and take jobs as unskilled laborers. We must now convince students to stay in school and train for the more demanding jobs that may be the only ones available for them when they enter the job market. Are students responding to the demands of the job market? Data indicate that fewer Indiana students are now studying mathematics and science beyond ninth grade than a decade ago. There has even been an 18% decline since 1972 in the number of students taking algebra (compared to an 11% decline in total enrollment in Indiana public secondary schools during the same period), and we must remember that algebra is the key subject for further study in mathematics or science. And how are we showing our determination to improve our educational programs? We allow ourselves to rank 34th in the nation and last among Midwestern states in terms of per pupil expenditures for education! At the same time that the state is facing a need for a population that is better educated in science and mathematics, it is facing a critical shortage of secondary school mathematIcs and physics teachers and a shortage of chemistry, earth science and general science teachers. In 1982, Indiana's four major state universities graduated only enough mathematics teachers to fill 58% of the teaching vacancies. Even more shocking are statistics indicating that in 1982 these same four universities graduated a total of 3 chemistry students, 4 earth science students, 4 general science students, and 2 physics students with qualifications to teach in these areas. Moreover, several (if not all) of these graduates probably chose not to take teaching positions because of the inability of school systems to offer salaries anywhere nearly competitive with those that business and industry can offer to people with their training in science or mathematics. The states and the private sector must now assume a greater role in seeking ways of improving education. We have convened this conference to provide a forum for the three major constituencies-the private sector, state government, and the educational sector-to give their perspectives of the problem and propose ways that each can act, individually or cooperatively, to provide the improved educational climate indiana needs so badly. Too much is at stake in this effort to even contemplate failure. Business, Industry, and Labor Perspectives on the Crisis Education has become an economic necessity, and many recent reports have emphasized that the economic structure of a community depends on its investment in education. As states increasingly compete for new businesses, especially high-technology industries, the availability of a well-educated work force has become a crucial factor for economic survival. Bert Curry, the executive director of personnel operations for Eli Lilly and Company. explained that his company relies heavily on Indiana's schools to provide the workers Lilly needs. Out of about 3,300 persons working for Lilly in research and development activities, two-thirds are technicians who do not hold degrees, Curry said. Therefore, Lilly encourages prospective employees to take as much high school mathematics and science as possible. John Walls, president of the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce, suggested that there are three options available for alleviating the shortage of qualified mathematics and science teachers. These include doing nothing, which Indiana simply can not afford; paying all teachers more, which is economically impossible; and finding a way to pay teachers in heavy demand areas more than those in areas of oversupply. The third option, Walls argued, is the only one feasible. Indiana's unions are also greatly concerned about the quality of mathematics and science education because there is no longer a need for workers who do not understand mathematics and science, Max Wright, secretary treasurer of the Indiana AFL/ CIO, explained. He added that in union apprenticeship programs for construction workers, machinists and other occupations, a good understanding of mathematics and science is essential. The AFLCIO therefore has a number of recommendations for improving mathematics and science education, Wright said. These include (1) encouraging students with talent in mathematics and science to continue studying these subjects beyond high school, (2) making school counselors more aware of job opportunities and their mathematics and science requirements, (3) setting up scholarship funds to encourage students talented in mathematics and science, (4) bringing teacher salaries more into line with salaries for other professions, and (5) making funds available for continuing education for teachers to help keep them up-to-date. "The current and growing shortage of math and science teachers, and particularly good ones, is occurring for the same reasons that students are not taking math or science: lack of incentives," Dr. Frank Jaumot, the director of advanced engineering for the Delco Electronics Division of GMC, argued. "In industry we know that both the price and volume of a product are determined by the marketplace if one wants to compete," Jaumot said. "If it means paying science and math teachers more, whether directly or indirectly, so be it. If it means providing them with better equipment than the home economics teacher, so be it." Jaumot argued that Indiana should concentrate the training of mathematics and science teachers in a very limited number of institutions and also require that teachers take a reasonable amount of continuing education. He also said that more units of mathematics and science should be required for students, even at the expense of units on sex education, drugs and alcohol, nutrition and energy conservation. Carole Garstang, vice president for the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, emphasized that partnerships linking business, industry and the schools are necessary both for raising students' aspirations and interest levels in mathematics and science, and for raising teachers' awareness of the use of mathematics and science in the real world. All the panelists agreed that the economic well-being of the state depends on the well-being of our schools. Several of the panelists suggested that differential pay for mathematics and science teachers may be desirable but, by itself, will not solve the problem. Other incentives are needed as well. All the panelists agreed that a closer alliance between business, industry and the schools is necessary. If we could get our superintendents and principals to put as much effort into finding qualified math and science teachers as they put into finding coaches, I think we would have part of our problem solved.-Marilyn Schultz Government Perspectives on the Crisis The need for the state government to be involved in any effort to improve mathematics and science education in Indiana's elementary and secondary schools should be obvious. The state is responsible for providing funds to operate the schools, for licensing the teachers and for establishing the minimum requirements for graduation. Indiana Lt. Gov. John Mutz said that the state needs to spend more money for education, although the governor's policy for the past two years has been not to raise taxes despite increasing requests for money from the state's school corporations. "The kind of commitment government needs to make is the one that reflects the importance of education in the future," he said. "Additional investments in the future of this state are essential." Mutz, who is also director of the State Department of Commerce, explained that available jobs, and the kind of training that will be required for these jobs, are likely to change dramatically in the next 10 to 15 years. "The economic analysis section of our department is determining what we call the targeted industries for the future in Indiana. They are significant in terms of why mathematics and science, foreign language, and computer literacy and those related subjects are important areas for concern in terms of our educational system," Mutz said. He explained that these targeted industries are the communications/electronics industry; the diesel engine industry; the materials industry, including the production of steel and aluminum; and the energy industry, all of which will require a work force knowledgeable in mathematics and science. He added that even the agricultural industry, with the use of the new recombinant DNA technology, will require a highly skilled work force. Marilyn Schultz, the state representative from Bloomington, agreed that Indiana needs more money for basic education programs in the elementary and secondary schools, as well as a substantial investment in equipment, including computers, for the schools. But money is just the starting point, she said. Some of the options Schultz suggested for recruiting more mathematics and science teachers were forgiving student loans for those entering teaching in critical shortage areas, state-funded retraining of teachers, putting emphasis on part-time teaching to allow graduate students and retired scientists to teach, state-supported summer programs for students and teachers, offering teachers summer jobs with business and industry, and giving teachers more career opportunities by offering them 12-month contracts. Schultz, who is a member of the Governor's Select Commission on Primary and Secondary Education, also said that stress and criticism should be applied to school administrators who allow and foster unqualified personnel in the classrooms. "I have heard case after case of qualified science and math teachers waiting to fill a vacancy until after the coaching position was filled, because the highest priority in that high school or middle school was getting a football coach who could if necessary teach math, whether or not qualified, rather than getting that math teacher in," Schultz said. But as bad as the teacher shortage is, the shortage should be even greater, Harold "The real shortage is that there wasn't a group of youngsters out there who were pressing, and whose counselors were pressing them, to cause a shortage of teachers," Negley said. He added that if students were taking as much mathematics and science as they need, the teacher shortage would be much greater than it currently is. Negley pointed out that a grassroots movement for more science and math education has begun, but that more leadership from school administrators is necessary. He added that the Commission onGeneral Education, which he chairs, will be pushing to raise the minimum requirements for mathematics and science in the schools |