President Obama recently
announced plans to create an elite master teacher corps program to help improve
student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math. Believing that a master teacher corps would
aid in closing the achievement gap in the US and abroad, President Obama is
encouraging “high-performing” teachers to apply for the corps.
Teachers who are selected to the
corps will be sharing their knowledge and skills with other teachers and
educators over a several year period.
While additional information about the program is forthcoming,
participants in the master teacher corps will receive an additional $20,000 a
year for their service. President Obama
hopes that improving the quality of teachers will improve the quality of
education for all students which will spur future economic growth[i].
The idea of building a master
teacher corps is not a new or innovative concept. The idea was established in response to the
launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 when the US was behind in the “space”
race. The establishment of the National
Science Foundation was founded to address the quality of our country’s space
program and to ensure our educational system is providing the skills and
knowledge for future scientist, mathematicians and engineers. There are also other teacher quality programs
in other divisions of the federal government.
Investing in the overall quality
of science, technology, engineering, and math is area where there is high need
is necessary to the future of innovation and our economy. However, equally important is improving the
foundation of education: reading.
Often overlooked in our zeal to
catch up with our international competitors, reading is underestimated in most
of our educational initiatives/reform efforts.
Although there are benchmarks and standardized tests that track reading
progress, a majority of children in the US read below their grade
level. Before a child can truly develop
an aptitude for science, technology, engineering and math, they first should be
able to read, comprehend, and synthesize information at their grade level.
President Obama should add
reading teachers to the corps to help decrease the reading gap by helping
children, their families and school districts emphasize reading. Going beyond the 100 book reading challenges
and general book reports, there is a need for classes that specifically focus
on the foundational elements of reading, comprehension, and synthesis. In the early grades, there is a focus on the
elements of reading, comprehension and synthesis. Unfortunately, the upper grades emphasize
comprehension and synthesis which is covered under English and Literature.
Our failure to focus on reading
at all levels isolates children from fulfilling their academic potential
because they cannot fully participate in the technical content of science,
technology, engineering, and math. Since
they cannot fully participate, they doubt themselves and mentally check out or
become disruptive.
By getting more children to
master reading, comprehension and synthesis, the achievement gap in the US and abroad
should decrease significantly, increase the number of children interested in
pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math, and spur future
economic growth. Let’s provide our
children with a solid reading foundation.
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