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After extensively reviewing the condition of science and
mathematics teaching in America, the National Commission on Mathematics
and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, chaired by Senator John
Glenn, found the quality of math and science education in America to be
"unacceptable." In what is known as the Glenn Report, the commission
concluded that "the most powerful instrument for change, and therefore
the place to begin, lies at the very core of education-with teaching
itself." It adds "that the way to interest children in mathematics and
science is through teachers who are not only enthusiastic about their
subjects, but who are also steeped in their disciplines and who have the
professional training-as teachers-to teach those subjects well. Nor is
this teacher training simply a matter of preparation; it depends just as
much-or even more-on sustained, high-quality professional development."
Improvement of Earth and space science education depends equally on the
improvement of teaching through high-quality professional development.
The Glenn Report defines professional development as sustained
educational processes that enable teachers to "(1) deepen their
knowledge of the subject(s) they are teaching; (2) sharpen their
teaching skills in the classroom; (3) keep up with developments in their
fields, and in education generally; (4) generate and contribute new
knowledge to the profession; and (5) increase their ability to monitor
students' work so they can provide constructive feedback and
appropriately redirect their own teaching."
Of all the K-12 science disciplines, Earth and space science
is in greatest need of new professional development strategies. There is
inadequate success in recruiting and retaining teachers and many who
teach Earth and space science are unqualified or under-qualified. Many
lack sufficient familiarity with the concepts and content, and are
untrained in pedagogical strategies such as inquiry-based learning. Most
cannot adequately apply textbook concepts to the real-world community
and region in which they live. They often lack experience with new and
evolving technology learning resources, such as Web-based data and
imagery.
To improve Earth and space science education in K-12
classrooms, there is an urgent need to enhance the preparation and
professional growth of the discipline's teachers. Beginning with their
pre-service training and extending throughout their careers, teachers
require systemic, comprehensive and ongoing professional development
programs and opportunities.
The following goals should guide the development of
next-generation professional development programs for Earth and space
science education:
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Teachers gain an extensive knowledge of Earth and space
science, including such key concepts in Earth and space science as
understanding Earth as a system of interlinked processes, and the
application of concepts to geographic regions familiar and relevant to
their students' lives.
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Teachers understand through both training and experience the
most effective pedagogical strategies. These include inquiry-driven
learning, field-based studies and collaborative tasks. Teachers should
be able to motivate and empower students to design and conduct their own
investigations.
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Teachers understand and can deploy in classroom settings the
tools and resources that increase student learning in Earth and space
science education. These include visualization applications and a wealth
of Earth and space science data and imagery available on the Web.
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Teachers become lifelong learners, continually enhancing
their knowledge and skill sets through professional development. They
stay abreast of new tools, technologies and pedagogical strategies as
they become available.
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The teaching of Earth and space science is aligned with state standards.
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All stakeholders in the educational system, from teachers,
school administrators and institutions of higher education to
professional associations, parents and lawmakers, support teacher
professional development and understand that it is critical to the
effective teaching of Earth and space science, as well as other
disciplines, in our nation's classrooms.
Professional Development Recommendations
Many of our recommendations build upon those offered by the Glenn Commission.
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All states should evaluate the state of Earth and space
science education in their K-12 classrooms to determine if teachers'
professional development needs are being met.
States should comprehensively assess professional
development support for Earth and space science teachers on a district
level. The initiative should examine the scope and quality of Earth and
space science education that is offered to students and the resources
that are available to teachers. These include curricular materials,
texts, assessment strategies, Internet access and other tools. The
assessment also should consider the abilities of teachers to deploy new
learning technologies such as data visualizations. By determining the
state of Earth and space science education and the needs of teachers,
stakeholders can develop action plans to provide adequate professional
development to ensure routinely high-quality teaching and learning.
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State departments of education should collaborate with
their school districts to develop summer professional development
programs for Earth and space science teachers, and federal and state
funding agencies should support the establishment of professional
development summer institutes for them.
For many teachers, participating in concerted professional development
during the school year is not practical due to scheduling constraints.
Therefore, funding should be made available to compensate teachers who
invest one month each summer in professional development activities.
Such a strategy will provide teachers with the time necessary to enhance
their knowledge of content, gain training with pedagogical strategies,
bolster their skills with technologies and tools, and learn the latest
advances in the discipline. By institutionalizing professional
development in their lives, teachers greatly refine their skills and
serve as role models for lifelong learning.
Professional development summer institutes will provide
teachers with annual opportunities to enhance their knowledge of Earth
and space science content, learn new teaching skills, and gain
experience in deploying technologies in their classrooms. Their
faculties should consist of teachers who are experienced with the best
practices in Earth and space science education. The institutes can
provide both onsite training at school facilities as well as online
mentoring, guidance and resources.
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Federal and state departments of education, as well as
the NSF, NASA, and other Earth and space science organizations and
funders, should support and expand collaborative efforts for teacher
professional development.
At local, state and national levels, collaborations of
scientists, educators, businesses and government agencies should work
together to support teacher professional development. Such
collaborations enhance the teaching of Earth and space science education
by facilitating communication and coordination among Earth and space
science organizations.
As an example, the Coalition for Earth Science Education
(CESE) is an informal union of science, education and government
organizations involved in Earth and space science education. CESE can
help as a coordinating body for Earth and space science education
reform.
Collaborative efforts at local, state and national levels
can help ensure the deployment of systemic professional development
initiatives for states and school districts, monitor their progress and
enable school districts to align their professional development
initiatives with state curricula, teaching guidelines, performance
standards and assessment frameworks.
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State and federal funders of Earth and space science
education should support the creation of communities of practice for
Earth and space science teachers on school and district levels.
Local and regional communities of practice provide venues for
teachers to improve their subject knowledge and teaching skills. By
engaging in ongoing professional development dialogues and activities,
they can mentor and learn from each other, effectively disseminating
best practices and curricula materials to classrooms. For teacher
convenience, these communities can be both district based and virtual,
relying on Web resources and listservs for communicating and sharing
resources.
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Federal agencies, in concert with state and local
resources, should implement a national campaign to recruit Earth and
space science teachers.
To address the shortage of high-quality Earth and space
science teachers, an aggressive multi-faceted campaign needs to be
implemented to recruit sufficient numbers of trained and qualified
teachers. Such a campaign can include the following initiatives:
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an outreach program to undergraduate departments of Earth
and space science, geology, meteorology, environmental science,
chemistry, physics and biology, encouraging their graduates to consider
teaching as Earth scientists;
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an outreach program to Earth and space science
professional societies, encouraging members who are interested in
transitioning to teaching. Members also can participate in mentoring
programs for pre-service and in-service teachers and support an outreach
program at colleges and universities to encourage teacher recruitment;
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a national outreach media campaign, supported by the
federal government, to attract young people to teaching careers in Earth
and space science;
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funding for loans and scholarship programs through
appropriate federal agencies to support the induction of teachers into
Earth and space science education, particularly teachers from
underrepresented groups;
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the development and dissemination of materials and
information as a nationally coordinated effort to stimulate recruitment
for both mid-career and recent college graduates.
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The federal government should fund the development of Earth and space science teaching academies.
These academies will provide one-year, research- and
school-based preparation programs for recent college graduates and
persons seeking rewarding mid-life career changes, as well as in-service
Earth and space science teachers who seek to enhance their skills and
professional status. Students will receive in-depth training in Earth
and space science and advanced classroom teaching strategies and
methods. Additionally, federal funds should be made available to enable
school districts to hire available graduates as Earth and space science
teachers. Rather than invest in new brick-and-mortar facilities, each
academy will be operated under the auspices of existing educational
institutions and have a strong distance-learning component so that
professional development can occur throughout the year.
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Local, state and federal organizations should work with businesses to form business/school district partnerships.
Businesses, particularly those that rely on Earth and space
science, can play vital roles in teacher professional development,
providing expertise, funding, materials and equipment to enhance
teaching and encourage students to pursue Earth and space science as a
career path. Business partnerships can provide laboratory and
data-gathering tools and train teachers on classroom technologies. They
can support teacher communities of practice by hosting professional
development Web sites for local teachers. They can provide employees
with "release time" to mentor Earth and space science teachers and
support classroom learning. They can offer paid summer internships
within their organizations for teachers to enhance their skills.
The Coalition for Earth Science Education (CESE) and others
involved in this field should work with businesses and their
professional organizations, such as the National Alliance of Business
and the Business Coalition for Education Reform, to offer models of
existing partnerships and encourage new ones. Special attention must be
paid to the fact that not all districts have a significant business
base. As a result, mechanisms must be developed to ensure professional
development support for these localities as well.
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Federal agencies should further fund the Digital Library
for Earth System Education (DLESE) to support additional professional
development resources.
DLESE provides a central clearinghouse for digital
information, curricula, data and visualization tools for Earth and space
science education. This important initiative also establishes ongoing
forums for scientists and educators to collaborate on designing and
developing online resources. The expansion of DLESE should include a Web
portal dedicated to the professional development of Earth and space
science teachers. This portal will link teachers to Earth and space
science content and resources, lesson plans, and video examples of the
best teaching practices. It also will feature an online professional
journal for Earth and space science teachers, enabling them to publish
research and share teaching strategies, as well as online resources for
synchronous and asynchronous conversations, meetings and idea sharing.
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