Va. Does the Math, Boosts Efforts

Focus on Technical Education Aims at Careers, Economy

Virginia officials have launched several efforts to improve math and science education across the commonwealth, amid a nationwide push to better prepare students for careers in engineering and science.

The Virginia Department of Education has posted online tutorials aimed at helping middle school math teachers learn new techniques for teaching fractions, statistics and measurement. Virginia officials have been working with area universities to train math specialists. And Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) recently announced a $500,000 grant from the National Governors Association, funded through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Intel, to start six career and technical academies, including one in Arlington County.

Del. John A. Cosgrove (R-Chesapeake), an engineer who supports a study of math and science curriculum in public schools, said such efforts will help students prepare for college and careers and will benefit Virginia's economy. Other efforts have stalled in the General Assembly because of the tight budget, but lawmakers said they hope to garner support and revive them in future sessions.

"We're trying to bring these high-tech companies into Virginia, and they are dying for the workforce," Cosgrove said. "They could hire 10,000 engineers tomorrow in Virginia, if they were available, mostly in Northern Virginia."

Test scores released late last year reignited concerns about math education in the United States and the ability of students to compete for jobs in a global economy. The Program for International Student Assessment found that 15-year-olds in the United States trailed peers from 23 industrialized countries in math.

In coming weeks, a panel of experts appointed by President Bush is slated to recommend ways to improve math instruction in public schools, with a focus on algebra.

Cosgrove is sponsoring a General Assembly resolution that would extend a study of math and science curricula in classrooms, including at specialized schools such as Fairfax County's Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The study would recommend ways to boost lessons and attract students.

Cosgrove said the effort would build on work done by a committee, including visits to schools. "We've got a lot of good information over the last few years, but we need at least one more year to come up with recommendations to the commonwealth," he said.

Other measures in the General Assembly have stalled for lack of revenue.

Del. Brian J. Moran (D-Alexandria), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, sponsored a bill that would have established a grant program to help teachers attain master's degrees in math, science or technical fields. Moran, who is exploring a 2009 run for governor, said the initiative is "not an option in the current fiscal climate."

"If we can't get it this year, I hope to at least gain support," he said, adding that the program would encourage talented teachers to stay in classrooms. "Many of our teachers have more lucrative opportunities in the private sector, so we are experiencing a shortage."

Charles Pyle, a spokesman for the Virginia Department of Education, said educators will continue to build on a series of videos posted on the department's Web site that demonstrate strategies for teaching middle school math. He said the segments target topics in which students have struggled on state math exams.

Pyle said that the videos give teachers quick and convenient access to materials that help with lessons and that "they are also there and accessible to parents as something they can watch that will help them with their children at homework time."