In 1988, AB 1725 (Vasconcellos) required that minimum qualifications be established for faculty at California’s community colleges.  The process for establishing the minimum qualifications must be jointly agreed upon by the academic senate and the governing board.  As early as the second edition of the Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administrators in California Community Colleges handbook (Jan. 1994), and perhaps earlier (I was unable to locate a copy of the first edition), the minimum qualifications for mathematics have included the option of a bachelor’s degree in mathematics or applied mathematics and a master’s degree in math education.  This year, faculty from Bakersfield and Saddleback Colleges requested a revision to the minimum qualifications for mathematics that would require those meeting these qualifications to also complete an additional 18 units of graduate-level mathematics.

Given that the master’s in mathematics education has long been included in the minimum qualifications handbook, and that the discipline itself has not changed significantly at the community college level, it is worth considering what professional organizations have to say on the matter and whether this proposed change is in the best interests of the discipline and our students. 

The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) has a position statement on the Academic Preparation of Faculty Teaching Mathematics in the First Two Years of College.  It takes an inclusive approach to teaching that values diversity in background and experience.  It reads, in part:

Many college students experience mathematics anxiety and core mathematical misconceptions, which can be reinforced or exacerbated through poor mathematics instruction. Properly prepared faculty can positively impact students’ knowledge of, beliefs about, and attitudes toward mathematics. Appropriate preparation for teaching college-level mathematics can be broader and more inclusive than what have been the traditional requirements for teaching in the first two years of college. Today’s students benefit when faculty can support their cognitive and affective needs. 

AMATYC recommends the following:

Minimal Preparation
It is recommended that preparation include at least 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) of graduate-level mathematics, mathematics education, applied mathematics, and/or statistics, and/or a related field. Coursework in pedagogy/andragogy, and/or teaching experience in mathematics is desirable.

Standard Preparation
It is recommended that all full-time mathematics faculty meet the minimum preparation (see above) and possess at least a master's degree in mathematics, mathematics education, applied mathematics, statistics, and/or a related field. Coursework and/or training in mathematics pedagogy/andragogy is recommended. In addition, departments should consider mathematics teaching experience at the secondary and/or post-secondary level. Prior teaching experience may include supervised teaching, such as that obtained as a graduate student.

Those requesting the change to the minimum qualifications note that the passage of AB705/1705 (Irwin) means that students are placed directly into transfer-level math and that these students, along with dual enrollment students, should have a university experience.  This justification seems to assume that, since minimum qualifications were first established, those possessing a master’s in math education have been relegated to below-transfer-level courses and are not capable of providing the knowledge and experience students need to succeed in their mathematics education.  Is it possible that the andragogical training these faculty have had may, in fact, provide the creative learning environments that best serve exactly these students?  

As a faculty member at a rural college, I can say that being able to hire faculty who meet the current and longstanding minimum qualifications is essential to our ability to offer and staff all levels of the mathematics course sequence. These educators bring college-level rigor to our classes and provide strong disciplinary knowledge for our students.  We have not experienced an applicant pool “dense with stronger degrees accompanied by excellent teaching records” as the faculty requesting the change suggests.  In fact, we have tenured faculty with master’s in math education who teach the full range of classes and have excellent teaching records.  We consider them valued faculty.

The California Mathematics Council, Community Colleges (CMC3), a professional organization representing the math faculty of Northern California’s 59 community colleges, has passed a resolution opposing the proposed change to the minimum qualifications. The resolution notes that current highly effective faculty hold degrees in math education without the requirement of additional units, that new requirements place an undue burden on faculty and colleges, and that individual colleges already have the ability to impose stricter requirements if they choose to do so.

The proposed change to minimum qualifications would likely impact the representation of women and other minoritized groups in mathematics teaching at our community colleges.  For example, most master’s degrees in mathematics go to men (up to 64%, depending on the source), and most master’s degrees in math education go to women (60%).  We see a similar imbalance at the bachelor’s level, where 59% of mathematics and statistics faculty identified as men, with only 41% identifying as women (Rankin, 2020).  Furthermore, the percentage of mathematics degrees awarded to women and other minoritized populations declines at each successive degree level. The proposed change would add unnecessary time and financial burden to those who would need additional units beyond their master’s degree, essentially equivalent to a second master’s degree. These units are also difficult to access for those in rural areas, who are often region-bound due to family responsibilities or other factors.  We must consider the importance of diversity and inclusion in the discipline and should not underestimate the power of representation at the community college level.

Furthermore, the changes would create an inequitable two-tiered system for current faculty, limiting a faculty member’s ability to teach beyond their current college or to move and be employed at a different college.  For example, a part-time/contingent mathematics faculty member possessing a bachelor’s in mathematics and a master’s in math education (who is more likely to be a woman or person of color) could continue teaching at their current college, but would not be able to take on a new assignment at a different college or be eligible for a tenure-track position.  Similarly, a tenured faculty member with these qualifications could not move to a different area of the state and be re-employed within the system.  The impact would, once again, fall mainly on women and people of color, who are already underrepresented in our mathematics faculty.

We should not assume that those with qualifications different from those typically expected at the CSU and UC levels cannot provide a solid foundation for community college students, nor that the knowledge and experience they bring to the classroom hold less value for our students. As our system strives to create more inclusive environments, diversify our faculty, and attract traditionally underrepresented students to STEM majors, we must thoughtfully consider the impact the proposed change would have on these efforts.

Those who would like to comment on the proposed changes may do so by attending the ASCCC Spring Plenary on Friday, April 10, 2:30-3:30 PM at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Rosa, or join via Zoom.

 FACCC blog posts are written independently by FACCC members and reflect their experiences and recommendations. FACCC neither condemns nor endorses the recommendations herein and has not taken a position on the proposed revision discussed in this post.