Study Ranks Future Math Teachers Around the World

A recent study by Michigan State University tested America's future mathematics teachers against their counterparts all over the world. The results are mixed and have caused much discussion among math educators.

The Teacher Education Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M) tested more than 3,300 future math teachers at 81 colleges and universities in the U.S.  The same tests were given to 23,244 students in 15 other countries.

The study focused on students who were nearing the end of their teacher training. A 90-minute exam was administered to determine the student's understanding of mathematical concepts and how to teach the subject. Two tests were prepared for this study, one for those preparing to teach in elementary schools and one for those preparing to teach middle school mathematics.

An article in The New York Times gave a brief review of the study and noted several rankings.

According to The Times, American students outscored students from Botswana, Chile, Georgia, Malaysia, and the Philippines in both tests.  On the elementary test, students from Singapore, Switzerland, and Taiwan scored far above their counterparts in the U.S.

Sam Dillion, reporting for The Times wrote, "On average, 80 percent to 100 percent of the future middle school teachers from the highest-achieving countries took advanced courses like linear algebra and calculus, while only 50 percent to 60 percent of their counterparts in the United States took those courses, the study said."

William Schmidt, MSU professor of education, led the U.S. portion of the project. In an interview with Dillion, Schmidt said the results show that teacher preparation for middle school mathematics is lacking and the nation should recruit stronger candidates and require them to take advanced mathematics courses.

Dillion also interviewed Hank Kepner, professor of mathematics education at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

"There are so many people who bash our teachers’ math knowledge that to be honest these results are better than what a lot of people might expect," Kepner said. "We show up pretty well here, right in the middle of the pack.”

For more information on this study, read the full New York Times article and the MSU official press release. MSU also has an entire webpage dedicated to the study, with a frequently asked questions section and instructional webinar.

Source: The New York Times (April 14, 2010); MSU press release (April 15, 2010).