Introduction

The United States must mobilize for excellence in mathematics and science education so that all students — not just a select few, or those fortunate enough to attend certain schools — achieve much higher levels of math and science learning. Over the coming decades, today’s young people will depend on the skills and knowledge developed from learning math and science to analyze problems, imagine solutions, and bring productive new ideas into being. The nation’s capacity to innovate for economic growth and the ability of American workers to thrive in the global economy depend on a broad foundation of math and science learning, as do our hopes for preserving a vibrant democracy and the social contract with young people that lies at the heart of the American dream: Invest in yourself, work hard and learn, and you will have opportunities for rewarding work and meaningful choices about your future.

What kind of schools and systems of education does America need to transform mathematics and science education and deliver it equitably and with excellence to all students? The Commission believes that the magnitude of the challenge demands transformative change in classrooms, schools, and education systems. Educators, students, parents, leaders of universities, museums, and the business and professional communities, scientists and mathematicians, and public officials at all levels will need to embrace a new understanding that the world has shifted dramatically—and that an equally dramatic shift is needed in educational expectations and the design of schooling. As a society, we must commit ourselves to the proposition that all students can achieve at high levels in math and science, that we need them to do so for their own futures and for the future of our country, and that we owe it to them to structure and staff our educational system accordingly.

What kind of schools and systems of education does America need to transform mathematics and science education and deliver it equitably and with excellence to all students?

The United States needs an educated young citizenry with the capacity to contribute to and gain from the country’s future productivity, understand policy choices, and participate in building a sustainable future. The Commission’s own survey research suggests that America’s young people care deeply about problems such as global warming, world hunger, and poor health and want to be involved in solving them. We know that math and science are fundamental to sound decision making and to an ever-widening range of careers in nearly every sector, from technology and research to business, teaching, health, community development, and human services. We also know that, in today’s economy, the sharp division between preparing for higher education and preparing for a career has effectively disappeared. Knowledge and skills from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—the so-called STEM fields—are crucial to virtually every endeavor of individual and community life. All young Americans should be educated to be “STEM-capable,” or to possess those skills and knowledge, no matter where they live, what educational path they pursue, or in which field they choose to work.^{Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics have been called the “STEM fields” in many recent reports and discussions. In this report, the Commission primarily uses “mathematics and science,” which should be understood to include knowledge and skills from the fields of engineering and technology.}

To meet the dual demands of equity and excellence in mathematics and science education, the United States will need to pursue a coordinated agenda that includes re-crafting the standards and upgrading the assessments that guide what happens in our classrooms, deploying the talents of our educators more effectively, and aligning our schools and school systems with the task of bringing the diversity of American students to high levels of math and science learning. To make the most of our efforts, we will need to structure all those changes to leverage and reinforce one another for national impact and to learn through ongoing research. The Commission recommends that, as a guiding principle, we take every opportunity to build math and science learning into all school reform initiatives, at every grade level, for every student.

Previous commissions and task forces have called attention to the disappointing performance of American students in mathematics and science and proposed a range of thoughtful, well-reasoned strategies for improvement. The work of the Carnegie-IAS Commission on Mathematics and Science Education confirms many of those earlier findings and seconds a number of recommendations that are already on the table.^{"The Unified Agenda."} Yet the Commission also urges close attention to some key prior questions: What could truly effective math and science education for all young Americans look like today? How can a new approach to math and science learning ignite the curiosity, ambition, innovation, and problem-solving potential of a rising generation of Americans? How can we mobilize people, policy, and resources to achieve real gains?

Having asked those questions as part of its own deliberations, the Commission concludes that reform in mathematics and science will be possible only if we “do school differently” in ways that emphasize the centrality of math and science to educational improvement and innovation. Significant, sustainable improvement will be much more likely if the American people, and especially young people, understand what is possible and demand it. Excellent, relevant math and science learning should be understood as a public good and an entitlement—one that is not being realized for too many of our students. Furthermore, the Commission proposes that, for the nation, holding ourselves accountable for raising math and science achievement for all students will be the means by which we finally achieve transformative change in our educational system.

As a guiding principle, we should take every opportunity to build math and science learning into all school reform initiatives, at every grade level, for every student.

This is a moment of urgency and opportunity, a chance to close the gap between the current state of educational achievement and the educational system we need. Messages for change are coming from employers and philanthropists; teachers and school leaders; education and civil rights advocates; local, state, and national policymakers; and the Obama administration. There’s a great deal of good work happening on the ground, nationally and in many states and localities. To seed a national mobilization, the Commission has combed the field for ideas and practices that are already working, at least on a small scale. Highlighted throughout this report are models that could be expanded, customized, or combined as necessary to meet local needs or conditions and studied as they mature. There is much to be gained by leveraging successful strategies, bringing coherence to endeavors that have often been treated separately, and weaving them into a unified plan for raising math and science achievement for all American students.

The Commission offers first steps toward a long-range vision, one that takes into account the practical challenges of upgrading math and science education, makes sense for the schools we have today and hope to achieve tomorrow, and puts us on a path toward delivering the mathematics and science learning our young people need. Strong math and science education for all American students is our best strategy; as the Commission has learned, the tools for implementing that strategy are within our grasp.