**1.2 Action A-2: strengthen the skills of 250,000 teachers through training and education programs at summer institutes, in master's programs, and in advanced placement (AP) and international baccalaureate (IB) training programs**

Since the 1960s, there has been significant investment in teacher professional learning, with a significant focus on mathematics beginning in the 1990s. The U.S. Department of Education provides funds to all states for teacher professional development to support effective instruction under a section of the U.S. education law within the *Every Student Succeeds Act* (ESSA, Title II-A). In addition, teachers are required to engage in professional learning as a requirement of recertification. Many states also reimburse teachers who enroll and complete AP and IB training programs to make advanced coursework available to their students since high school teachers who seek to teach dual credit courses must earn a master's degree with 18 credit hours in the STEM discipline to qualify as a university instructor.

In the 2000s, the emergence of dual credit/dual enrollment opportunities allowed secondary students to enroll in college level courses during their high school years. According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board [6], roughly 12,000 high school students enrolled in dual credit courses in the state of Texas alone in 1999. In 2020, that number exceeded 370,000 high school students, and during the 2021–2022 academic year, over 300,000 Texas students enrolled in AP coursework. Additionally, THECB documented 181 International Baccalaureate (IB) Schools in

Texas. This trend is not unique to Texas. Since the 1990s, there has been an increase in access to advanced coursework in the U.S., although access is not evenly distributed.
