By Sam Baker, KERA Morning Edition Host
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-859537.mp3
Dallas, TX –
The Dallas-based chip maker today said it will use three million dollars in grant money to improve and retain existing math and science teachers and to develop new instructors.
Half the money would provide advanced training for 180 middle and junior high school teachers in the Dallas, Garland and Richardson school districts.
The rest of the grant money will help pay for seven master teachers at the University of North Texas and the U-T campuses at Dallas and Arlington. The master teachers will work with senior faculty to turn out 300-new math and science teachers from those schools by 2013.
Illustrating the need for all this, the T-I Foundation estimates Texas needs an additional 16,000 teachers to fill vacancies and to replace teachers who aren't fully certified to teach math and science.
The state now has about 6,500 in the teacher preparation pipeline and another 2,500 with appropriate certification who are projected to return to the classroom.
However, only half of new mathematics and science teachers remain in classrooms five years after starting their careers.
Sam Baker, KERA News.