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Currents
March 2016
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food industry. So the forces will oppose one another
and the tax payers will be forced to scramble to find
a way forward.
Corporate Efforts
Some major corporations are stepping up to provide resources for education.
The National Math Science Initiative sites the following statistics to move their cohorts to action to
reform the American educational system.
44 percent of 2013 U.S. high school graduates
are ready for college-level math.
36 percent of 2013 U.S. high
school students are ready for college-level science. In 2013, 42
percent of American fourth grade
students and 35 percent of eighth
grade students performed at or
above the proficient level in
mathematics. In 2011, 32 percent of eighth grade students
performed at or above the proficient level in science - losing 2
percent in two years. In 2009, 34
percent of American fourth grade
students and 21 percent of
twelfth grade students performed
at or above the proficient level in
science. 9 percent of Hispanic
and 10 percent of black U.S. students took advanced Algebra or
calculus in 2008, compared with
22 percent of white students and
43 percent of Asian students.
Teachers
In 2007, about one third of
public middle school science
teachers either did not major in
the subject in college and/or are
not certified to teach it. 36 percent of public middle school
math teachers in 2007 either did
not major in the subject in college and/or are not certified to
teach it. Teacher turnover is costing America $7.3 billion annually.
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