The mission of the Missouri Center for Mathematics and Science Teacher Education is to increase the quantity and quality of middle level and secondary mathematics and science teachers in the state of Missouri. The demand for secondary teachers, especially in math and science, is expected to increase by 22% between 1996 and 2006. Rural school districts have been hardest hit, forcing districts to employ teachers outside of their certification areas. Nationwide, fewer than half of all mathematics teachers have a major or minor in mathematics, and 28% of mathematics teachers and 18% of science teachers lack state certification in their field. However, the strongest predictor of how well a state's students performed on a recent national assessment was the percentage of well-qualified teachers-those who were fully certified and had majored in the subjects they taught. Teacher burnout is common among relatively new teachers. Almost 20% of the 1992-93 college graduates who began teaching in 1993-94 had left after three years. References