Standard P.5. Recruitment and Retention of Teacher Candidates

Although the upper elementary grades may not appear to have the teacher shortage that middle and high schools experience, mathematics is the favorite subject for too few teachers at this level and too few feel confident in teaching the mathematics content at this level. Each and every student deserves teachers who are passionate about teaching mathematics. Given the increased rigor of mathematics in the upper grades (e.g., developing fluency with rational number concepts and operations), teacher preparation programs must recruit well-prepared beginners who have a passion for and deep understanding of mathematics.