Create a "California Campaign for S&T Talent".

Develop, recruit and retain the best and brightest students, teachers, scientists and engineers from within the United States and throughout the world.

• Create a "California Campaign for S&T Talent" to recruit top STEM talent from other states and countries that includes activities such as a state skill-based immigration advisory service, tax incentives, housing assistance, immigration assistance, and pro-active recruiting.
• Reshape the debate from immigration to skill-based recruiting. Highlight our heritage as a country of immigrants and constructively address the obstacles to attracting and retaining the best S&T talent in the world in the face of post-9/11 pressures/concerns.
• Pilot a proactive skill-based immigration program in California for accelerating the process of becoming a permanent resident alien, and that focuses on recruiting and capitalizes on our unique cultural and economic position in the country.

Teacher Recruitment and Retention. Develop a systematic outcomes-based strategy for recruiting and retaining talented and dedicated individuals with strong academic and work experiences in mathematics and science into the teaching profession, especially at, but not limited to, the middle and high school levels.

• Create math/science teaching career ladders including incentives such as teacher fellowships for prospective teachers; paid summer government and private sector internships for math/science teachers; continued and expanded state financial support for National Board Certified teachers; $200,000 state awards each year for top 100 secondary math/science teachers and their schools; substantial state incentives for districts to pursue salary differentials for fully prepared mathematics and science teachers; and participation in the proposed Adjunct Teacher Corps (consistent with President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative).
• Challenge business/industry leaders to provide a substantial portion of the necessary funding for science and mathematics teacher salary ladders.
• Create the Governor's Teach for California program with a special emphasis on recruitment and retention of math and science teachers.
• Create a California Math and Science Teacher Academy for Prospective Teachers (composition roughly half college undergraduates and half re-entry professionals) modeled on the United States military academies.
• Create a partnership between colleges and universities and Teach for America (TFA), and thus expand recruitment of academically talented STEM majors into teaching.

Teacher Preparation and Professional Development. Ensure that teachers at all levels receive the needed training and support to assist students in meeting California's rigorous academic math and science standards.

• Direct the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and California's 94 higher education institutions that prepare teachers to review their course requirements for elementary and middle school teachers and report to the Governor steps that will be taken to insure that all such candidates receive adequate preparation in the teaching of math and science.
• Ensure that experienced math and science teachers have access to high-quality professional development.
• Provide funding for experienced math and science teachers or specialists to act as mentors to novice teachers at all levels.
• Allocate funds for the state's 40+ public and private science centers to become proactive participants in providing regional math and science professional development to K-12 educators.
• Expand AB 466 funding so that faculty in low-performing schools can receive professional development training in science similar to what is currently provided in the curriculum areas of math and English language arts.
• Provide 50% tuition funding (districts would provide the other 50% of funding) for all California teachers who attend high-quality math and science summer institutes.

Lengthen the school day, especially at the elementary and middle school levels, to enable enough time for adequate math and science instruction to meet state standards.

• Work toward lengthening the school day to ensure that all students - especially those in low-performing schools - have access to science instruction at the elementary and middle school levels. This change would put California on par with competitor nations.
• Provide funding for demonstration projects to test this concept, explore various approaches to lengthening the day, develop models and disseminate them.

Increase the number of STEM graduates at all levels, especially among Hispanics who represent the fastest growing and soon to be largest segment of California's population.

• Invite academia, industry and state government to participate in a collaborative program aimed at increasing the number of STEM graduates in California by enhancing the stature of these fields and addressing the pipeline. Establish a proactive consortium with participating firms contributing funds to be matched by the state for STEM competitive scholarships. Also, consider novel approaches to fund STEM education costs and remove disincentives wherever possible.
• Issue challenges, incentives and guidelines to keep programs aimed at increasing STEM graduates on track to achieving the expected progress. For example, challenge universities to produce more scientists and engineers with financial and recognition incentives, such as fellowships and traineeships. Keep track of trends in enrollment and completion rather than absolute numbers.
• Provide incentives to teachers and mentors. Create incentives for teachers to use storytelling and provide them with facilitating tools. Also create incentives for university mentors to engage in high school outreach.
• Focus on recruiting students from underrepresented groups to pursue STEM degrees, with a special emphasis on undergraduates, and the transitions from community colleges to four-year institutions and to graduate schools.

Appoint a permanent independent commission to articulate and sustain a sufficiently funded integrated strategy for improving science and mathematics education, ensuring that science assumes its full and necessary place in the core curriculum.

• Organization: 12 members appointed by the Governor for 6-year staggered terms. All members would be industry leaders or distinguished scientists or engineers, and be advised by a 12-member Advisory Committee of Educators (ACE) that includes classroom teachers appointed by the commission. This commission could be located within a new cabinet-level office focusing on S&T policy (see Recommendation 3).
• Activities:
  • Biennial Report: The commission would issue biennial reports noting progress (or lack thereof) in improving math and science education in California and recommendations for improvement.
  • Assessment: By consulting with ACE and by examining the results of research, the commission would closely monitor the effects of the state's new high-stakes science assessment on science teaching and learning.
  • Focus on critical issues: The commission would focus attention on critical issues in science and math education, such as the preparation of elementary teachers to teach math and science, and the science and math standards and curricula.
  • Advocacy: Members of the commission (and ACE) would be responsible for education and advocacy concerning its report with state government leaders as well as with leading newspapers, education, business and civic organizations.

Details on the other recommendations: