physics teacher preparation: problems, perspectives, and ... · learning disability (spec. ed.)...

AAPT Summer Meeting

21 July 2008Edmonton, Alberta

Physics Teacher Preparation: Problems,Perspectives, and Solutions

Theodore HodappDirector of Education and Diversity

American Physical Society

2PTEC.org ©2008, T. Hodapp PhysTEC.org

Workforce Growth


Physics / STEMBachelor Degrees


Physics PhD Nationality

66 70 74 78 82 86 90 94 98

Class of

Citizenship of Physics PhDs, 1966 - 2005

US citizens

Foreign citizens*

Sources: NSF(1966-1991), AIP (1992-2005)

Percent

05

80

90

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

021966 2005


Calls to Action

• Rising Above the Gathering Storm:

Action A-1: Annually recruit 10,000 science andmathematics teachers by awarding 4-year scholarshipsand thereby educating 10 million minds.

Action C-1: Increase the number and proportion of UScitizens who earn physical-sciences, life-sciences,engineering, and mathematics bachelor’s degrees byproviding 25,000 new 4-year competitive undergraduatescholarships each year to US citizens attending USinstitutions.


Other Statements

America COMPETES Act of 2007• Double funding for the National Science Foundation to $11.2

billion by 2011• Expand the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program• Develop and implement programs for bachelor’s degrees in

math, science, and engineering with concurrent teachingcredentials and part-time master’s in education programs formath, and science teachers to enhance both contentknowledge and teaching skills.

Tapping America’s Potential: The Education forInnovation Initiative, Business Roundtable, July 2005

• Double the number of STEM graduates by the year 2015


APS / AAPTStatement on Doubling

We advocate doubling the number of bachelordegrees in physics to address critical nationalneeds including K-12 education, economiccompetitiveness, energy, security, and aninformed electorate

• An essential area of increase is in the number of highly-qualified high school physics teachers

• An essential area of increase is in the fraction of bothwomen and under-represented minorities who major inphysics


Congress: SupplementalAppropriations (June 2008)

$40 million additional:• $20 million additional for Noyce Scholarships

(current FY08 appropriation is $10.6 million)• $20 million for Noyce: “Sec. 10A: NSF Teaching

Fellowships and Master Teaching Fellowships”• Minimum $10k/year salary supplement during service• 4-5 years of service required


Need for High SchoolPhysics Teachers

Relative Demand by FieldFields with Considerable Shortage (5.00 - 4.21)

Severe/Profound Disabilities (Spec. Ed.) 4.42Multi-categorical (Spec. Ed.) 4.36Emotional/Behavioral Disorders (Spec. Ed.) 4.32Mild/Moderate Disabilities 4.32Physics 4.31Mental Retardation (Spec. Ed.) 4.23Learning Disability (Spec. Ed.) 4.22Mathematics Education 4.21

Fields with Some Shortage (4.20 - 3.41)Visually Impaired 4.20Chemistry 4.16

2004 AAEE (American Association of Employment in Education)Educator Supply and Demand in the United States Report


Preparation of High SchoolPhysics Teachers

One third of all STEM teachers have no STEM degree


Demographics of HighSchool Physics Teachers

• 23,000 Physics Teachers Nationwide• 1,200 new physics teachers each year• ~400 of these have physics major or minor

• Number takingphysics growing by1% per year


Teacher Retention


Why Teachers LeaveWhy they leave:• Many teachers leave schools because of inadequate system supports, e.g. too little time for

planning, too few textbooks, and unreliable assistance from the district office.• Bureaucratic impediments (e.g., excessive paperwork, unnecessary meetings) were cited

frequently by leavers. The data also showed that teachers were not asking to be left alonebut instead wanted efficient and responsive bureaucracy that supported their teaching.

• Better compensation matters to teachers, but unless their classroom and school environmentis conducive to good teaching, better compensation is not likely to improve teacher retention.

Why they teach:• 81% of teachers who participated in our survey said they entered the profession because they

wanted to make a difference for children and society. This overwhelming numberindicates that teachers want above all to be effective teachers.

• Teachers willingly stay because of strong collegial supports and because they have animportant say in the operation of the school; they also seek strong input in what and howthey are allowed to teach.

K. Futernick, “Retaining California Teachers,”www.calstate.edu/teacherquality/documents/possible_dream.pdf


Teacher Impacton Student Learning

Empirical studies employing different units ofanalysis that have examined the influence of teachereducation and certification on student achievementhave often found significant relationships betweenthese measures of teacher expertise and studentachievement.

L. Darling-Hammond and P. Youngs, Defining “Highly Qualified Teachers”: What Does“Scientifically-Based Research” Actually Tell Us?, Educational Researcher 31, 13-25 (2002)


PhysTEC Project ParticipantsProject sites:

Ball State UniversityCal Poly San Luis Obispo

Cornell University Florida International

UniversityOregon State University

Seattle Pacific UniversityTowson University

University of ArkansasUniversity of Arizona

University of ColoradoUniversity of Minnesota

University of North Carolina -Chapel Hill

Western Michigan UniversityXavier University of Louisiana

Anderson UniversityAndrews UniversityAngelo State UniversityArizona State UniversityBall State UniversityBemidji State UniversityBoise State UniversityBoston UniversityBridgewater State CollegeBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University IdahoBuffalo StateCalifornia Polytechnic State University, PomonaCalifornia Polytechnic State University, San LuisObispoCalifornia State University, ChicoCalifornia State University, SacramentoCalifornia University of PennsylvaniaCasper CollegeColgate UniversityCornell UniversityDePaul UniversityEast Central UniversityEastern Illinois UniversityElon UniversityEmporia State UniversityFairmont State UniversityFlorida International UniversityFort Hays State UniversityFrancis Marion UniversityGeorge Washington UniversityHillsdale CollegeHiram CollegeHofstra UniversityHope CollegeIllinois State UniversityIndiana University of PennsylvaniaJacksonville State UniversityJames Madison UniversityKansas State UniversityKennesaw StateKing CollegeLone Star College-North HarrisLoyola College in MarylandMcNeese State UniversityMiddle Tennessee State UniversityMillersville UniversityMisericordia UniversityMorningside CollegeNational Superconducting Cyclotron LaboratoryNorth Carolina State UnivNorthwestern Oklahoma State UniversityOklahoma State UniversityOranim Academic CollegeOregon State University

Pacific UniversityRadford UniversityRensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRutgers, the State University of New JerseySaint Joseph's UniversitySaint Mary's CollegeSan Jacinto College CentralSeattle Pacific UniversitySlippery Rock UniversitySouthern Oregon UniversitySpelman CollegeTennessee Technological UniversityTexas A&M University-CommerceTexas Southern UniversityTexas State University-San MarcosTowson UniversityTufts UniversityUniversity of AlabamaUniversity of Alabama BirminghamUniversity of ArizonaUniversity of ArkansasUniversity of California, DavisUniversity of Colorado at BoulderUniversity of ConnecticutUniversity of HoustonUniversity of KentuckyUniversity of LouisvilleUniversity of MaineUniversity of Maryland Baltimore CountyUniversity of Michigan- DearbornUniversity of MinnesotaUniversity of Missouri-ColumbiaUniversity of Missouri-RollaUniversity of Nevada Las VegasUniversity of Nevada RenoUniversity of North Carolina-AshevilleUniversity of North Carolina-Chapel HillUniversity of Northern ColoradoUniversity of Northern IowaUniversity of Notre DameUniversity of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh at GreensburgUniversity of San DiegoUniversity of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at El PasoUniversity of WashingtonUniversity of Wisconsin-MadisonUniversity of Wisconsin-Stevens PointUniversity of Wisconsin-WhitewaterWeizmann Institute of ScienceWestern Kentucky UniversityWestern Michigan UniversityWinona State UniversityWinston-Salem State UniversityWright State UniversityXavier University of Louisiana

PTEC Members:


Solving the Problem:High School Teacher Education

ComplexCollaborationCulture Shift

• Recruitment• Early field experience• Interactive engagement in intro

course• Mentoring (at all stages)

• Bridges between key groups (physics department,education school, school districts)

• Master Teachers / Staff support• Physics Education Research (PER) faculty• Financial support for prospective teachers


Comprehensive Program:Examples

Learning Assistants:• Undergraduate teaching assistants• Express an interest in teaching• Concurrent 1-credit, free, pedagogy course

• Recruitment• Early field experience• LA’s match grad student

performance• Class perf. goes up too


Connecting to Teachers

• Teacher Advisory Groups• Provide mentoring role to new teachers• Help teachers understand assessment tools• Provide linkage to university• Get “street” advice on teacher’s needs• Help tailor university’s preparation program• Enlist local teachers to help with “field” experiences• Provide resources for local teachers


Faculty Engagement

• Introductory course reform• Teacher recruitment• Physics education major track• Connection with education• Departmental priorities / initiatives


Increase in Physics TeachersEducated at PhysTEC Institutions


Arkansas Success Story


PTEC Member Institutions…committed to improving the education of physics and physical science teachers


Coalition Activities• National Conference on Physics and Physical Science Teacher

Education:Mar 2008 Theme: Master Teachers (Austin)Mar 2009 Theme: Institutional Transformation (Pittsburgh)

• Physics Teacher Education Digital Library www.PTEC.org• National workshops of exemplar programs (LAs, RTOP)• Regional workshops (PTEC-NC, August 07)• Best-practice book to bring together information on Physics

Teacher Education (2009 expected publication)• Sponsoring a national taskforce on teacher education• Building coalitions with other professional societies (ACS,

NASULGC)


UTeach Curriculum / Entry Points


UTeach Enrollment


UTeach Replication (2007)


Why do MinoritiesStart/Stay in Physics


...inaction has downsides too

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