Easing the Shortage of Math Teachers in New Jersey 
Felician College Offers New Math P-12 Teacher Education Program 

Lodi and Rutherford, NJ—In the midst of a nation-wide crisis of math teacher shortages and tumbling math test scores among high school students, Felician College has announced the establishment of a new Math P-12 undergraduate degree and certificate program.  Graduates of the program, which is a collaboration between the college’s Divisions of Arts and Sciences and Teacher Education, will receive a B.A. in Mathematics with certification to teach.  “This is a natural progression for our mathematics and teacher education programs,” says Suzanne Reynolds, Coordinator of Mathematics Education and Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Felician College.  “And it comes at a time when the need for qualified math teachers has never been greater,” she says. 

A report released in September 2000 from The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21^st Century reveals that more than one in four high school math teachers lack even a minor in their main field of teaching, and 27% of high school students taking mathematics are taught by out-of-field teachers.  “These are staggering statistics,” says Reynolds.  To compound the problem is the fact that American children scored almost lowest in high school math assessment tests given to the children of 41 nations for the Third International Mathematics and Science Study.

“The demand for certified and qualified mathematics teachers is far outpacing the supply,” says Reynolds.

Dr. Michael  Sanford, Chair of Felician’s Mathematics Department, agrees.  “Over the past year, I have been contacted by several area schools looking for qualified math teachers and have been approached by math majors wishing to earn teaching certification.” 

The potential impact of teacher shortages and falling test rates is profound.  “In short, our children are losing the ability to respond not just to the challenges already presented by the 21^st century but to its potential as well,” writes John Glenn, Chairman of the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching, in the September 2000 report.  “As a nation, we need to attract students into the field of math with qualified teachers who can spark the interest and imagination of children during their formative years of elementary education and with teachers who can nurture and build upon that interest in secondary schools,” stresses Reynolds.  

To ensure Felician College Math P-12 students become effective math teachers, they are taught how to teach a conceptual understanding of math.  “Our methods courses stress conceptual understanding rather than just procedures,” explains Reynolds.  This kind of methodology is a strength of Felician College’s teacher education program says Reynolds.  “Part of what makes the program unique,” says Sanford, “is the collaboration between the Divisions of Arts and Sciences and Teacher Education.  We have created a strong content-based program so that students are both skilled mathematicians and teachers who are able to teach at any level of pre-school through twelfth grade.” 

Felician College has received several national grants in recognition of and support for the highly collaborative relationship that exists between its academic Divisions of Arts and Sciences and Teacher Education.  According to Dr. Gerard O'Sullivan, Director of the Division of Arts and Sciences, “Our core and general education curricula provide excellent training for future teachers, as do our discipline-based Teacher Education programs.  Just look at how well our graduates do on professional certification examinations, and how effective they are in their own classrooms.”

Felician College Math P-12 students will also benefit from a field-placement requirement which places them in schools from freshman year on.  “Students are required to be in the field one full day a week beginning second semester freshman year,” says Dr. Donna Barron, Director of the Division of Teacher Education.  Students in the Math P-12 program begin their field-work in elementary schools during freshman and sophomore year, progress to middle schools during junior year practicum and teach in high schools for senior year student teaching. 

A strong presence in New Jersey Schools, Felician College students can be found in 60 schools each semester offering instruction in public, private, charter and parochial schools in both urban and suburban settings.  By the time a Felician College teacher education student graduates, he or she will have been in seven different schools.  This is good news for a nation where an estimated 240,000 middle and high school mathematics and science teachers will be needed over the next 10 years with nearly 70% of that total to be newcomers to the profession.

“With a program that integrates a strong academic and pedagogical foundation, regular in-the-field placements and assessments, and a state-of-the art Teacher Education Telecommunications Center, Felician College Math P-12 students will graduate with a firm knowledge of content, a deep understanding of teaching methods, and an ability to integrate technology into their teaching,” says Barron.

It is this kind of commitment to mathematical education that America’s future relies on, notes John Glenn in The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21^st Century’s September report:  “From mathematics and sciences will come the products, services, standard of living, and economic and military security that will sustain us at home and around the world.  From them will come the technological creativity American companies need to compete effectively in the global market.”  Mathematics, he writes, will supply “the core forms of knowledge that the next generation of innovators, producers, and workers in every country will need if they are to solve the unforeseen problems and dream the dreams that will define America’s future.”

For more information about Felician College’s Math P-12 degree program or other teacher education degree programs, please call the Division of Teacher Education at (201) 559-3548.