WASHINGTON -- Your child's teacher may need some time in summer school.

A new study concludes elementary-school teachers are poorly prepared to teach math.

A report released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality looked at the teacher education programs at 77 colleges and universities. It found that only 13 percent require "sufficient amounts" of relevant math coursework.

The consequences are particularly telling for elementary school children since math relies heavily on cumulative knowledge.

Math scores for American fourth-graders haven't improved since 1995 on the world's "report card" in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS, leaving U.S. students 12th out of the 25 countries whose students took the test -- right above Cyprus.

"As a nation, our dislike and discomfort with math is so endemic that we do not even find it troubling when elementary teachers admit to their own weaknesses in basic mathematics," Kate Walsh, president of NCTQ, said in a news release.

"We simply must begin to appreciate the critical importance of elementary teachers gaining the knowledge and skills they need to effectively teach mathematics," Walsh said. "It is what our children need in order to keep up with their peers around the world -- and what our country needs in order to produce a skilled workforce that can compete in today's global economy."

The report also criticizes the tests that education students take when they complete their coursework. In many cases, the prospective teachers are judged on an overall score, meaning they could do badly on the math portion but still pass if they do well in other areas.

The report blamed "haphazard" state regulation and guidance for the problem, and it pointed out that there is no consensus on how institutions should prepare elementary teachers in mathematics.

Additional Resources:

• National Council On Teacher Quality
• Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study