Chemistry Teacher Education Coalition (CTEC) Planning Workshop

American Chemical Society (Acs), Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is a significant economic engine in the United States but the percentage of students entering college interested in chemistry as a career has been declining in recent decades. High school chemistry students are more likely to see chemistry as a viable career option if their teachers have deep content knowledge with expertise in effective pedagogies so that teachers are able to show the excitement of becoming a professional chemist or biochemist. This project is bringing together professionals committed to improving the preparation of highly-qualified second school chemistry teachers. The workshop is organized by the American Chemistry Society (ACS) and is developing a strategic plan for an ACS led initiative to improve the preparation of chemistry teachers. This initiative is called the Chemistry Teacher Education Coalition (CTEC) and it is patterned on the highly successful Physics Teacher Education Coalition.