The US faces a critical shortage of qualified physics and physical science teachers. Two-thirds of new physics teachers lack a physics degree and the necessary content knowledge to be highly effective in the classroom. In order to address the crisis in physics and physical science education, APS, AAPT, and AIP have developed the Physics Teacher Education Coalition, also known as PhysTEC.
The mission of PhysTEC is to improve and promote the education of future physics and physical science teachers. Specifically, the project aims to
The PhysTEC project completed its sixth year at the end of July 2007. Our funded institutions have achieved a number of significant successes, including:
The project has two main efforts: the PhysTEC Institutions and the national Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PTEC). PhysTEC Institutions are selected colleges and universities actively engaged in science preparation of future teachers with substantial project support. Six institutions have completed their main period of project activities, and are working on disseminating the successes of their projects through presentations, workshops, and journal publications. Six others are currently engaged in developing their teacher preparation programs into national models. The project hopes to support additional PhysTEC institutions in future years.
PTEC is a national network of nearly one hundred institutions committed to developing and promoting excellence in physics and physical science teacher preparation. PTEC organizes an annual national conference, as well as smaller regional and topical workshops. In addition, PTEC has teamed up with ComPADRE, the NSF-funded digital library, to produce the PTEC website, which houses a collection of electronic resources in teacher preparation. Please see www.ptec.org for more information and to learn how your institution can join this growing movement.
PhysTEC recognizes areas of especially high need for physics and physical science teachers. These include nationwide shortages of women and minority teachers, as well as severe shortages of teachers in certain geographic areas. The project hopes to address these needs through targeted outreach, financial support, and program development.
PhysTEC is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), individual and corporate contributions to the American Physical Society (APS), and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) of the U.S. Department of Education.
For more information on the crisis in physics education and the PhysTEC efforts, please see the presentation The Role of Colleges and Universities in the Preparation of Future Teachers (pdf).
