EXPANDING EARTH SCIENCE LITERACY BY UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN U.S. EDUCATION

It is very important that our geosciences community recognizes the opportunity for improved outreach to potential geoscience or teaching majors through our community colleges. We must remember that the majority of U.S. students are not exposed to geological content after 8^th grade. The early "core" college science requirements for post-secondary students should be tapped as a way to provide "triage" exposure to geosciences as a viable vocational track. Since nationally 44% of all undergraduates attend community college, then potentially 6.7 million students will enroll in their introductory science and mathematics courses during that time. The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs reports that those transferring from community colleges to four-year institutions graduate at the same rate and succeed in their jobs on par with students at four-year colleges and universities who did not transfer.

Community college experiences provide a foundation for pre-service teacher upper level instruction, as well as provide pathways for post-baccalaureate workforce to switch careers to become certified teachers. Transcript studies published in 2009 by the National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs indicate that community colleges played a role in more than 50% of the nation's current classroom teachers -- often providing the only technology training and general content courses they received in their undergraduate careers. The simple fact is, train the elementary, middle childhood and secondary level teacher candidates to recognize the far-reaching relevance of earth science literacy, as that expressed through the "Big Ideas" in the Earth Science Literacy Initiative and create a more "topic comfortable", competent cohort of advocates in our pre-college students' experiences. More teachers trained in the geosciences/earth sciences within the pipeline will increase the probability that geosciences will be used as a vehicle for the required teaching of integrated content and technology skills across course disciplines.