The last member of the group, a slight, nervous-seeming man with a grey goatee had retired this past summer after 40 years of teaching math in a Fort Worth high school.

CNN: Why a pundit wrote a novel

To bring more educators into the classroom, the National Math and Science Initiative is working with Texas Instruments and the Dell Foundation to prepare almost 5, 000 new math and science teachers in the next five years -- through a program that allows young people to earn teaching certificates and science degrees at the same time.

WHITEHOUSE: Honoring Educators in Math and Science