News Release
US Facing "Acute Shortage" of
Mathematics Education PhDs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For further information, contact:
Professor Robert E. Reys
University of Missouri
Email: reysr@missouri.edu
Telephone: 573-882-3740
Fax: 573-882-4481
October 6, 2000
PROVIDENCE, RI---The United States is facing a critical shortage of people
holding PhDs in mathematics education. The number of degrees awarded has
not kept pace with recent expansion in career opportunities for mathematics
education doctorates.
These are the conclusions of the enclosed article, "Doctorates in Mathematics
Education---An Acute Shortage," by Robert E. Reys. The article will appear in
the November 2000 issue of Notices of the AMS.
An increasing number of mathematics departments in colleges and
universities are recruiting mathematics education PhDs. Job opportunities
have also increased in schools and school districts, state departments of
education, the federal government, publishing companies, and testing
services.
According to National Research Council data cited in the article, 115
mathematics education doctorates were awarded during the 1997-1998
academic year. However, the author found in an informal survey that, in each
of the past two years, there were over 300 advertised positions for individuals
holding these degrees. "The number of openings in mathematics education
far exceeded the number of people earning doctorates in mathematics
education," he writes.
Because of an upcoming wave of retirements, the situation is not likely to
improve soon. A survey of faculty in 48 departments that grant mathematics
education doctorates found that almost 80% of the mathematics education faculty
in those departments are eligible for retirement in the next ten years . The
article makes some recommendations for rectifying the shortage, including
expansion of federal support for mathematics education doctoral programs and
publicizing the need for more mathematics education PhDs.
A PDF file containing the article may be
downloaded at
http://www.ams.org/notices/200010/comm-reys.pdf.
Founded in 1888 to further mathematical research and scholarship, the
30,000-member American Mathematical Society fulfills its mission through
programs and services that promote mathematical research and its uses,
strengthen mathematical education, and foster awareness and appreciation of
mathematics and its connections to other disciplines and to everyday life.
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