Career Opportunities

This MSED in Mathematics degree will prepare you for a career as a mathematics teacher in a secondary school. Recent studies and articles confirm the fact that "qualified mathematics teachers are in great demand. Consider the following:

According to an article titled "Core Problems: Out-of-Field Teaching Persists in Key Academic Courses and High-Poverty Schools," in the November 2008 Education Trust (with analysis by Richard Ingersoll), many teachers are just a chapter ahead of their students in the courses they are asked to teach. Every few years the U.S. Department of education conducts a national survey, the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS), where the date comes from teachers themselves.

The most recent SASS data analysis is from 2003-2004. It shows that in secondary schools across the country, all too many teachers have neither an academic major or minor, nor state certification in the subjects that they teach. This is called "out-of-field teaching."

Twenty-two per cent of all mathematics courses in secondary schools are taught by out-of-field teachers. Furthermore, low-income students are assigned out-of-field teachers in mathematics at twice the rate of their more affluent peers. This helps to explain why Latino and African-American twelfth-graders have the same skills in mathematics as white eighth-graders.

Finally, research suggests a strong link between teachers' knowledge of mathematics and student achievement. Secondary school mathematics teachers who hold a bachelor's or master’s degree in mathematics are more likely to produce higher student achievement. than their colleagues who lack such degrees.

Today, over one-third of all secondary school teachers of mathematics did not major, or even minor in math. They are unqualified to teach this subject. As a result, high school students receive low grades in mathematics, both in the classroom and on standardized tests.

Even though the New York State Board of Regents is intent on closing the student achievement gap in secondary schools, despite this improvement, New York City remains one of five large U.S. urban cities where there are still relatively high percentage of teachers in certain subjects like mathematics and science who do not meet definition of highly qualified in the No Child Left Behind Act.

This is certainly the time to pursue an advanced degree in teaching mathematics at the secondary school level. Not only is it highly likely that you will find employment upon graduation, but you will also have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students who are dramatically in need for competent instruction in mathematics. This is a sure career path and a unique opportunity for professional advancement.

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