Preparing Highly Qualified Physics Teachers

该项目将在五年内培养出30名新的物理教师，正在解决美国高中面临的一个主要问题，即缺乏合格的高中物理教师的危机。对于每三个国家的空缺，每年只有一名合格的教师得到培训。现在60%以上的高中物理课是由没有接受过适当物理内容培训的老师授课的，这个问题在高需求学校更加尖锐。新泽西大学罗伯特·诺伊斯物理学教师奖学金计划(TCNJ)旨在增加被招聘并获得认证成为新的中学物理教师的优秀物理学生的数量。TCNJ教育学院和科学学院正在与已建立的18个区TCNJ专业发展学校网络(PDSN)内的公立中学合作，在五个当地高需求学区内进行集中培训。该项目将为新的物理教师提供出色的培训和支持，同时增加物理教师毕业生的数量和多样性。该项目直接支持的新物理教师的数量将在地区范围内很大，其中包括在高需求学校服务的承诺。此外，该项目将建立一个可在全国其他机构复制的模式。TCNJ项目的动机是新泽西州和全国严重缺乏高素质的物理教师，以及高度需要的学校严重缺乏多样性和缺乏获得物理教师专业知识的机会。针对这些需求，该项目的主要目标是：a)在整个支助期及以后，每年至少吸引、留住和维持6名获得物理认证的毕业生；b)显著改善该地区的科学教育，特别是通过增加教师多样性和向急需的当地学校提供专家物理教师；c)通过教员研究，借助与对学生成绩进行系统评估的新方案，为物理教育研究贡献新的知识。好处包括培养高素质的物理专业学生，他们将成为30名新的物理教师。在广泛宣传成果方面，该项目将：a)提供一个引人注目的增长模式，特别是对于大多数物理专业的本科院校；b)通过出版物和演示文稿传播在物理教师教育研究方面获得的知识；c)大幅增加物理专业知识、多样性和向高需求学校提供的资源。关于物理教师需求和平均物理教师准备的统计数据非常令人担忧。由于许多新的州立标准要求更多的高中生选修物理，这种短缺现象仍在加剧。只有约40%的HS物理教师拥有物理学位(在HS所有科目中最低)。这个项目正在正面应对这一挑战，从高中开始招聘，并沿着学术课程的每一步进行。30名新的物理教师不仅将直接受益，其他机构也可以学习TCNJ正在建立的模式。

This project, which will produce thirty new physics teachers over five years, is addressing a major problem facing high schools in the United States, a crisis of availability of well-qualified high school physics teachers. For every three national openings, only one qualified teacher is trained each year. More than 60% of high school physics classes are now taught by teachers who do not have appropriate training in physics content, and this problem is even more acute at high-need schools. The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program in Physics at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is designed to increase the number of outstanding physics students who are being recruited and certified to become new secondary physics teachers. The TCNJ School of Education and School of Science is collaborating with public secondary schools within the established 18-district TCNJ Professional Development School Network (PDSN), with concentrated training occurring within five local high-need school districts. The project will provide outstanding training and support to new physics teachers, while increasing the number and diversity of physics teacher graduates. The number of new physics teachers directly supported by this project will be regionally significant, and includes a commitment to service in high-need schools. Furthermore, the project will establish a model that is feasible to reproduce at other institutions across the nation. The TCNJ project is motivated by a dire shortage of highly qualified physics teachers in New Jersey and nationally, and by a severe lack of diversity and lack of access to physics teacher expertise in high-need schools. In response to these needs, the major goals of the project are to: a) attract, retain, and sustain a minimum of six physics-certified graduates per year through the period of support and beyond; b) substantially improve science education in the region, especially by increasing teacher diversity and availability of expert physics teachers to high-need local schools; and c) contribute new knowledge to physics education research through faculty research, enabled by novel programming linked to systematic assessment of student outcomes. Benefits include the preparation of highly qualified physics majors that will become the thirty new physics teachers. With respect to propagating the outcomes broadly, this project will: a) provide a compelling model for growth, especially for primarily undergraduate institutions, which is where most physics majors train; b) disseminate gained knowledge in physics teacher education research through publications and presentations; and c) substantially increase physics expertise, diversity, and resources to high-need schools. Statistics on physics teacher demand and average physics teacher preparation are very worrying. This shortage is still growing because many new state standards are requiring greater numbers of high school students to take physics. Only ~40% of HS physics teachers have a physics degree (lowest of any HS subject). This project is tackling this challenge head-on by starting to recruit in high schools and every step along the academic curriculum. There will not only be the immediate benefit of the thirty new physics teachers, but other institutions may learn from the model being established at TCNJ.