strategy
DEPT
by Kimberly Hughes
TEACHING
THE TEACHERS
What Starts Here
Can Change Texas
Texas needs many more STEM workers and
teachers.
STEM jobs, those that rely on expertise in science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics, comprise a growing and
increasingly important economic sector in
Texas. There are 2.5 STEM jobs available
for every unemployed person in Texas. In
contrast, there are 3.3 unemployed people
for every non-STEM job available in Texas.
Productivity and further economic growth in
Texas increasingly depends on an educated
STEM workforce. However, Texas is currently not on track to produce the number
of STEM degree holders that the state
desperately needs – and to produce STEM
degree holders, we need STEM teachers to
prepare students for college and to inspire
them to pursue STEM careers.
In 2000, the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board responded to economic
forecasts by establishing new targets for
engineering, mathematics, computer science,
and physical science degrees awarded by
four-year universities, aiming to more than
double the number of degrees awarded
annually, from 12,000 to 29,000 by 2015.
While the number of degrees awarded
increased by nearly six percent (1,011 more
degrees) from fiscal year 2011 to 2012,
the level needs to increase by over 3,600
a year to reach the 2015 target of 29,000.
Math and science teacher production is even
more in jeopardy, with production numbers
dropping since 2010, and the 2015 target
12
of 6,500 new math and science teacher
certificatio