A prominent federal board is recommending the establishment of national teacher-certification standards to increase the mobility of qualified teachers between districts and states, and the establishment of national content “guidelines” in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, according to a draft report released last week.
The National Science Board, the policymaking body of the National Science Foundation, also is proposing the creation of a new assistant secretary’s position in the U.S. Department of Education to coordinate efforts in those fields, known as the STEM subjects. And it advocates the development of strategies to pay STEM teachers more and prepare them more effectively, among many other recommendations.
The proposals are included in a 103-page draft report that the board released for public comment on Aug. 9. The 24-member, White House-appointed board, which is charged with providing advice to Congress, will vote in October on whether to give the document final approval, said Elizabeth Strickland, a fellow who works with the board at the NSF.
