Federal

Parents, Students Feel Less Urgency for Math, Science Upgrades

By Michelle R. Davis — September 19, 2007 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Though education experts, business leaders, and government officials have largely embraced the drive to raise the level of math and science courses across the country, students and parents are apparently satisfied with a less-rigorous level of instruction in those subjects.

That’s the conclusion of a new study of the views of parents and students in Kansas and Missouri by the New York City-based research organization Public Agenda, which found a degree of contentment with current math and science curricula that contrasts sharply with the dissatisfaction expressed by experts.

“What we found when we looked at the views of parents and students was much, much less urgency,” said Jean Johnson, an executive vice president and the director of education insights at Public Agenda.

In the past few years, business leaders have stepped up their complaints about the state of math and science education, and federal lawmakers have ratcheted up their efforts to use legislation to force improvements. Last month, for example, President Bush signed into a law a bill that pushes for improved teacher recruitment and training to bolster math and science education through the use of federal grants. (“’Competitiveness’ Bill to Aid Math, Science Is Signed by President,” Aug. 15, 2007.)

But that heightened concern has not reached parents and students, according to the new report, “Important, But Not for Me: Parents and Students in Kansas and Missouri Talk About Math, Science and Technology Education.”

‘Fine as They Are’

The survey of about 2,600 students and parents found that, overall, only 25 percent of parents think their children should be studying more math and science, and 70 percent think things “are fine as they are now.”

However, minority parents were less satisfied with the math and science education their children received, with 44 percent of African-American parents and 64 percent of Hispanic parents saying they were satisfied, compared with 73 percent of white parents.

Among students, 72 percent said all students should not be expected to take advanced science courses like physics or advanced chemistry.

“There is room for concern here,” said Jodi Peterson, the assistant executive director of legislative and public affairs for the National Science Teachers Association, based in Arlington, Va.

Ms. Peterson cautioned that the survey was limited to one city and results might differ in other areas. Still, she added: “We have a big challenge ahead to educate parents as to why math and science is important for their kids.”

The survey found that parents believe math and science education is rigorous, Ms. Johnson said, because they see their children doing more challenging lessons than they did in school. Sixty-nine percent of parents said math is harder today, while 51 percent said science is harder than when they were in school.

However, both parents and students do believe that basic math and science is critically important, with nine in 10 people surveyed calling it essential. Parents saw algebra as a priority, with 79 percent of parents and 70 percent of students saying algebra is essential.

Knowledge Opens Doors

Margo Quiriconi, the director of education research and policy at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which cooperated with Public Agenda on the project, said students need to understand that a good grounding in math and science can lead them into high-tech companies in a wide variety of industries, including the animal sciences industry, which has roots in the Kansas City area.

“We need a workforce able to support that generation of new companies,” Ms. Quiriconi said. The Kansas City, Mo.-based Kauffman Foundation runs a program in five counties in the Kansas City region to improve math, science, and technology education, and also provides funding to Education Week for coverage of those topics.

Francis “Skip” Fennell, the president of the Reston, Va.-based National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, said it’s critical that teachers help students understand where intense studying of advanced math and science can lead them, such as to jobs with starting salaries above $75,000, for example, or those in which they crack codes for the U.S. government.

“Students need to know that knowledge of this subject really opens doors,” he said. “A challenge for teachers is always to make this subject interesting and viable to kids.”

A majority of parents surveyed said they believe their children’s teachers make math and science relevant in the real world. Only 20 percent of students blamed poor teaching for students who do not achieve in math and science courses.

One bright spot in the survey: 85 percent of students surveyed said they believe students can learn math and science if they spend the time, instead of seeing that ability as simply a result of innate aptitude.

And students said they were motivated to take advanced math and science courses in high school by several factors, with a majority saying they were spurred on by college requirements, the possibility of scholarships, and the prospect of good jobs and career opportunities.

Related Tags:

Events

Classroom Technology K-12 Essentials Forum How to Teach Digital & Media Literacy in the Age of AI
Join this free event to dig into crucial questions about how to help students build a foundation of digital literacy.
School & District Management K-12 Essentials Forum Principals, Lead Stronger in the New School Year
Join this free virtual event for a deep dive on the skills and motivation you need to put your best foot forward in the new year.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Modern Data Protection & Privacy in Education
Explore the modern landscape of data loss prevention in education and learn actionable strategies to protect sensitive data.
Content provided by  Symantec & Carahsoft

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Trump's VP Pick: What We Know About JD Vance's Record on Education
Two days after a gunman tried to assassinate him, former President Donald Trump announced Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate.
4 min read
Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, right, points toward Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio.
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, right, points toward Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally, March 16, 2024, in Vandalia, Ohio. Trump on July 15 announced the first-term Ohio senator as his running mate.
Jeff Dean/AP
Federal In Wake of Trump Assassination Attempt, Biden Calls for Unity and Investigation Gets Underway
President Biden condemns violence, the FBI searches for a motive, and Trump heads to RNC.
3 min read
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa.
Former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents after being struck by gunfire at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. The day after the attempted assasination of the Republican nominee for president, Trump arrived in Milwaukee ahead of the start of the Republican National Convention and President Joe Biden gave a prime-time address, saying "politics must never be a literal battlefied. God forbid, a killing field."
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Project 2025 and the GOP Platform: What Each Says About K-12 in a 2nd Trump Term
A side-by-side look at what the two policy documents say on key education topics.
1 min read
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
Federal What the 2024 GOP Platform Says About K-12 and What It Would Mean If Trump Wins
We break down what the GOP's 2024 policy platform says about education.
7 min read
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Trump National Doral Miami, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in Doral, Fla.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP