Teacher Prep Review: Solving for Math Success
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| Title: | Teacher Prep Review: Solving for Math Success |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Graham Drake, Ron Noble, Heather Peske, National Council on Teacher Quality |
| Source: | National Council on Teacher Quality. 2025. |
| Availability: | National Council on Teacher Quality. 1420 New York Avenue NW Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005. Tel: 202-393-0020; Fax: 202-393-0095; Web site: http://www.nctq.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 52 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Walton Family Foundation Phil Hardin Foundation |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research Tests/Questionnaires |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education Elementary Education |
| Descriptors: | Mathematics Achievement, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematics Skills, Teacher Education, Mathematics Teachers, Undergraduate Study, Graduate Study, Teaching Methods, Preservice Teacher Education, Preservice Teachers, Time Factors (Learning), Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Elementary School Mathematics |
| Abstract: | Math skills are critical for students' success in other subjects and later in life, yet far too many teacher prep programs fail to give aspiring teachers the essential knowledge they need to be effective math teachers--undermining student learning before the first lesson even begins. To develop great math teachers, teacher prep programs must increase the time they spend on fundamental math concepts. Teachers need to know how to do more than just follow the steps in math to get the right answer. They need to know why those steps work. Setting program requirements is a difficult task, a balancing act of competing priorities vying for limited time. Program leaders have to consider state and university policy, as well as the full range of knowledge elementary teachers need. Even when focusing just on mathematics, programs must overcome two distinct challenges: (1) first, prep programs must carve out a sufficient number of credit hours to address the full range of content and pedagogical knowledge elementary teachers need to provide effective math instruction; and (2) once the necessary courses are in place, programs must then ensure that adequate time is allocated to cover each of the four key content topics: numbers & operations, algebraic thinking, geometry & measurement, and data analysis & probability; as well as mathematics-specific pedagogy. This analysis provides insight into where programs succeed and struggle on these two fronts. National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) instructional hour targets under the Elementary Mathematics standard provide a benchmark for how much coursework programs should provide and how programs should distribute that course time. These targets are widely agreed upon by practitioners in the field. NCTQ derived these targets from feedback obtained during an open comment period in 2021 and recommendations from NCTQ's Expert Advisory Panel, a group of mathematicians, math educators, and representatives from teacher preparation programs. [Additional funding for this report was received from: Anschutz Foundation, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock, Cedar Street Foundation, Finnegan Family Foundation, and Sidney A. Swensrud Foundation.] |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED671943 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Math skills are critical for students' success in other subjects and later in life, yet far too many teacher prep programs fail to give aspiring teachers the essential knowledge they need to be effective math teachers--undermining student learning before the first lesson even begins. To develop great math teachers, teacher prep programs must increase the time they spend on fundamental math concepts. Teachers need to know how to do more than just follow the steps in math to get the right answer. They need to know why those steps work. Setting program requirements is a difficult task, a balancing act of competing priorities vying for limited time. Program leaders have to consider state and university policy, as well as the full range of knowledge elementary teachers need. Even when focusing just on mathematics, programs must overcome two distinct challenges: (1) first, prep programs must carve out a sufficient number of credit hours to address the full range of content and pedagogical knowledge elementary teachers need to provide effective math instruction; and (2) once the necessary courses are in place, programs must then ensure that adequate time is allocated to cover each of the four key content topics: numbers & operations, algebraic thinking, geometry & measurement, and data analysis & probability; as well as mathematics-specific pedagogy. This analysis provides insight into where programs succeed and struggle on these two fronts. National Council on Teacher Quality's (NCTQ's) instructional hour targets under the Elementary Mathematics standard provide a benchmark for how much coursework programs should provide and how programs should distribute that course time. These targets are widely agreed upon by practitioners in the field. NCTQ derived these targets from feedback obtained during an open comment period in 2021 and recommendations from NCTQ's Expert Advisory Panel, a group of mathematicians, math educators, and representatives from teacher preparation programs. [Additional funding for this report was received from: Anschutz Foundation, Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock, Cedar Street Foundation, Finnegan Family Foundation, and Sidney A. Swensrud Foundation.] |
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