USING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF HIGHLY QUALIFIED EARTH SCIENCE TEACHERS

In-service teachers who are in need of professional development opportunities represent a large group of potential customers for geoscience departments nationwide. Most states require that teachers complete specific amounts of professional development during the different stages of their careers. The federal ‘No Child Left Behind' legislation has resulted in a substantial increase in teachers' need for professional development because many states are currently requiring teachers to obtain the training that will allow them to be designated as ‘highly qualified.'

In addition to offering professional development for teachers who already possess an Earth science subject-area endorsement, geoscience departments can contribute to an increase in the size of the Earth science teacher workforce by developing professional development programs for teachers who are certified in another science or math discipline. If such a program is designed in accordance with a state's regulations, participating teachers may attain ‘highly qualified' status in Earth science and be eligible for Earth science subject-area endorsement upon completion of the program.

Although careful planning and monitoring are required to ensure that any professional development program meets its intended goals, the potential benefits of programs that focus on the geosciences are great. Currently secondary-level classes in Earth science are more likely to be taught by out-of-field teachers than are classes in any other science discipline. The lack of sufficient numbers of Earth science teachers has contributed to the discontinuation of Earth science instruction in many districts, and secondary-level students' lack of awareness of the geosciences has had a negative impact on enrollments in university-level geoscience programs. Any increase in quality and/or number of Earth science teachers would contribute to an increase in students' scientific literacy and awareness of the geosciences as a possible career path. Well planned and rigorous programs that integrate topics from across the sciences and math also have the potential to provide teachers from any science or math discipline with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively inform their students about the relevance and applications of many fundamental concepts.