The project report is presented here as six interrelated online components or "units," in addition to About this Report. Four units can be considered the core of the project:
The Research Analysis and the Selected Resources are intended to supplement the other units by providing the interested reader with opportunities for further exploration and deeper understanding.
We summarize the scope and focus of each of the seven report units below, providing direct links to each unit from the text for the convenience of the reader:
About This ReportThis is the unit in which the reader is currently situated. It notes the origin and purpose of the report and briefly describes its contents.
Establishing a State's Current Need for Science and Mathematics TeachersFocuses on the analysis of a state's present need for teachers. It provides guidelines for undertaking such an analysis and discusses the data and complexities involved. Because many of the considerations discussed in this unit also apply to the others, it is the logical starting point for the reader after finishing About This Report.
Projecting a State's Future Need for Science and Mathematics TeachersFocuses on the analysis of a state's projected need for teachers, both short-term and long-term. It provides guidelines for carrying out analyses of varying degrees of precision and complexity, and it summarizes the related data and methodological requirements. This unit takes up the methodological issues involved in statistical prediction in greater depth than any of the other core units.
Teacher Quality and LicensureDiscusses the importance of considering teacher quality in assessments of the need for science and mathematics teachers. Emphasizes the role and potential of teacher licensure and certification in facilitating such assessments and explains the particular opportunities and challenges involved in credentialing science and mathematics teachers.
A Guide to Teacher DataIdentifies in detail the kinds of data on teachers that states need to generate and collect in order to analyze teacher supply, demand, and quality more effectively. The unit also discusses some of the practical challenges involved in improving a state's teacher data. The recommendations are drawn from a 2003 SHEEO report on the subject written by Richard Voorhees and Gary Barnes.
Research Analysis (PDF)A research synthesis written by Steven Raphael, this unit discusses, with much greater sophistication and detail than can be found in the project's core units, the methodological issues and other challenges related to efforts to estimate teacher supply and demand. In addition, the analysis identifies the kinds of research studies that would provide new insights and information that would be helpful to the field. This unit is in a downloadable .pdf format.
Selected ResourcesThis is a limited compendium of resources, classified by subject, which should be helpful to readers seeking further information. It includes examples of national and state teacher need analyses, as well as examples of related analyses, state and national data, and other useful reports. The list also includes reports and websites that contain information and in-depth discussions about teacher quality, teacher licensure, and a number of methodological issues. All of the entries included have live links to the appropriate website where they can be viewed or downloaded over the Internet.
Site MapIn addition to these seven units, there is a Site Map of the entire project. It is an outline of each of the core units plus About This Report, and it includes the main headings and sub-headings in the text. The purpose of the Site Map is both to help the reader understand the logical structure of the report and to provide an additional means of access to the report content. The Site Map is live, and a click on any of the headings in the map will take the reader to that same heading in the text of the report.