CU Boulder was recently recognized by the听Physics Teacher Education Coalition听as one of only eight inductees nationwide into 鈥淭he 5+ Club,鈥� honoring听institutions that have听graduated five or more physics teachers in a given year.听听
With six recent graduates, the School of Education joined select听universities nationwide for听the 2015-16 academic year, including:听Rutgers University (10),听The College of New Jersey (9),听Brigham Young University (8),听University of Texas at Austin (7),听Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo (6),听Stony Brook University (6),听Georgia State University (5), and听Rowan University (5).
"There is a severe shortage of physics teachers statewide and nationwide," said听Valerie Otero, professor of science education. "A great majority of universities throughout the United States graduate per year听less than two physics teachers 鈥斕齛 teacher that has a major or minor in physics 鈥斕齛nd the most common number of physics teachers graduating from colleges and universities throughout the U.S. is zero.听Thus, graduating six physics teachers a year is a significant achievement, helping to address the severe national shortage."
With the help of the听Physics Teacher Education Coalition,听Otero has been working to increase the number of physics teachers produced by CU Boulder.听In the early 2000s CU Boulder was graduating less than one physics teacher per year. With the support of campus and the University of Colorado more broadly, Otero continues to work with听the CU Teach program to establish a subject-specific teacher education experiences.听
The United States has had a severe, long-term shortage of qualified physics teachers.听Of the approximately 1,400 new teachers who are hired to teach physics each year, only 35% have a degree in physics or physics education. A听2014 report from the听American Association for Employment in Education,听found that the teacher shortage in physics is number one among 59 education fields
The Physics Teacher Education Coalition, or听, is the听flagship education program of the American Physical Society. It听aims to improve the education of future physics teachers by transforming physics departments, creating successful models for physics teacher education programs, and disseminating best practices.
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