Preparing Highly Qualified Physics Teachers

该项目将在五年内培养30名新的物理教师，旨在解决美国高中面临的一个主要问题，即高素质高中物理教师的短缺。每三个国家职位空缺，每年只有一个合格的教师得到培训。现在，超过60%的高中物理课程是由没有接受过适当物理内容培训的教师讲授的，而这个问题在高需求学校更为严重。新泽西学院（TCNJ）的Robert Noyce物理教师奖学金计划旨在增加优秀物理学生的数量，这些学生正在被招募和认证成为新的中学物理教师。TCNJ教育学院和科学学院与已建立的18个学区TCNJ专业发展学校网络（PDSN）中的公立中学合作，在五个当地高需求学区进行集中培训。该项目将为新的物理教师提供优秀的培训和支持，同时增加物理教师毕业生的数量和多样性。由该项目直接支持的新物理教师的数量将在区域内显著增加，并包括在高需求学校服务的承诺。此外，该项目将建立一个可行的模式，在全国其他机构复制。TCNJ项目的动机是新泽西州和全国范围内高素质物理教师的严重短缺，以及在高需求学校中严重缺乏多样性和缺乏获得物理教师专业知识的机会。为了满足这些需求，该项目的主要目标是：a)在支持期间及以后，每年吸引、留住和维持至少6名物理认证毕业生；B)大幅改善该地区的科学教育，特别是通过增加教师多样性和向当地急需的学校提供专业物理教师；c)通过教师研究为物理教育研究贡献新知识，通过与学生成果系统评估相关的新程序实现。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。在广泛传播成果方面，该项目将：a)提供一个令人信服的增长模式，特别是对于主要的本科院校，这是大多数物理学专业的培训场所；B)通过出版物和演讲传播在物理教师教育研究中获得的知识；c)大幅增加高需求学校的物理专业知识、多样性和资源。物理教师需求统计和平均物理教师准备情况令人担忧。由于许多新的州标准要求更多的高中生学习物理，这种短缺仍在加剧。只有约40%的高中物理教师拥有物理学位（是高中所有学科中最低的）。该项目正通过在高中和学术课程的每一步开始招聘，正面应对这一挑战。这30位新的物理教师不仅会立即受益，而且其他机构也可以从TCNJ建立的模式中学习。

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.