Money follows math, the saying goes. Yet, African American college students are over-represented in majors that lead to low-paying jobs. That is according to new research from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, which finds that black students represent just 7% of STEM majors, although they lead to the highest paying positions. [Related: New Study Shows African Americans Are Highly Concentrated in Low-Paying Majors] Unfortunately, as a nation, the U.S. is not known for clear, logical math instruction. And in schools in low-income communities and communities of color, there are fewer expert, experienced, innovative teachers, which may account for some of the lower test scores some of those schools produce. Poor preparation is no doubt one reason many black students avoid STEM majors. But in 1999, a quiet revolution in math and science education was started by an MIT grad who just happened to love physics. His approach is on the ground in 150 schools in New Jersey and is making waves in the Gambia in West Africa, where there's been a 600% increase in students getting top scores on international physics tests. Bob Goodman has also met with ministers of education in the Caribbean and been approached by Phillips Academy Andover, an elite private school. If Goodman had his way, majoring in STEM subjects would be within reach for all students, for at the core of his approach is the simple but powerful conviction that all children can learn. Teaching 17 years ago at a new vocational high school in northern New Jersey after a successful business career, Goodman learned that most of his students hadn't taken algebra in eighth grade. So he began teaching it to them. As a way of preparing them for science learning, he decided to teach them physics as well. "Physics is the most fundamental science,†Goodman says. "Any subject related to STEM needs physics.†His class had no tables–so he "borrowed†round tables from the teacher's lounge and chairs from the cafeteria. He hadn't planned it, but serendipitously created a socially constructivist learning environment. Social constructivism is an educational theory that emphasizes the collaborative nature of learning. It rejects the assumption that learning can be separated from its social context. Goodman would later do his dissertation on the theory. "Having them work in groups helps students to persevere,†Goodman says. "They're sitting at round tables so they're looking at each other and naturally talking to each other.†Goodman's style of teaching allowed for a lot of collaboration–there was little lecturing, if any. He taught concepts, asked questions, and had students defend their answers orally. Within a few years more students were taking his classes. Then the school's standardized math scores went through the roof. "For the first time, 95% to 98% were passing state math tests.†He was the 2006 New Jersey Teacher of the Year, "the first one from a vocational school, I believe,†he says. The state teachers union founded a nonprofit, the Center for Teaching and Learning, to help prepare teachers who were now being held accountable for student outcomes. Goodman is one of CTL's six founding board members. (Continued on next page) Teaching the Teachers But coming from the business world, Goodman felt that a good idea that can't scale isn't a good idea, because it will have limited impact. "So we decided to teach the teachers. Teachers already know how to teach–they just didn't know physics.†Just as he believes all students can learn, he believed that the teachers could learn as well. So using the same coursework he used with his students, Goodman, CTL, and other physics teachers taught New Jersey teachers how to teach physics. The neophyte physics teachers were also given a year of support by meeting with them one night a week and every third Saturday. Thirty-nine of the original 42 teachers stuck with the program and, Goodman says, "They find it's more fun than what they were teaching before.†Eight of the state's top 20 schools were taught by these teachers. One-third of the teachers are black or Hispanic; 48% are women. The student bodies are also diverse–some are 71% black and Hispanic and low income. Goodman has refined the program over the years. "The students take the first half of Advanced Placement physics in the first year,†he says. "Many go on to take AP physics and chemistry in the second year.†There's no silver bullet, but clearly this program is working. "People think that challenging students makes them unhappy,†says Goodman, "when it's really just the opposite.†For more information about the Center for Teaching and Learning and its Progressive Science Initiative and Progressive Math Initiative coursework, go to https://njctl.org/.