Preparation, Endorsement, and Employment of Mathematics Specialists

For over 30 years, educators have recommended that mathematics specialists be placed in schools to provide teachers with the resources they need to assist their students. To assess whether these recommendations have been realized, a survey was used to gather data from large school districts, the 50 states, and District of Columbia. The outcome of the survey, administered in 2007/2008, suggest that few mathematics specialists are currently working at the school level in many of our large school districts and that few states offer certification or endorsement as a mathematics specialist. While the data offer a partial view of a) the numbers of mathematics specialists practicing in large urban cities and b) the numbers of states certificating or endorsing mathematics specialists, it appears that the perceived potential to strengthen the link between research and practice with school-based mathematics specialists remains unmet. Additional research is needed to learn more about the preparation, endorsement, and employment of mathematics specialists and the belief that mathematics specialists are needed to support students' mathematics achievement. (Contains 2 figures.)