STEM Teachers: How to Find the Good Ones and Keep Them
September 9, 2024
The number of new teachers completing science education certification programs fell by half from 2011 to 2021. Nearly every state has reported shortages of math, science, and computer science educators. To make matters worse, budget cuts make it harder to offer signing bonuses or create grow-your-own-certification programs for STEM educators. And the yawning gap between teacher pay and what STEM graduates can earn in other industries such as health care and computer science continues to widen. It's a perfect storm of challenges. In this special report, see how schools are trying to address these challenges, where they are making progress, and where they are falling short.
- Recruitment & Retention Schools Have Their Work Cut Out to Get STEM Teachers. Here's How to Do ItSchools can be creative about using current staff and partnerships with businesses to provide STEM learning.Teaching Profession What Happened When These STEM Professionals Switched to TeachingThree STEM teachers talk about why they stayed in the classroom and how to get others to do the same.Curriculum Holy Excrement! How Poop and Other Kid Fascinations Can Ignite a Passion for STEMHere's how teachers can incorporate students' existing interests into the curriculum.Teaching Profession Q&A A Job in the White House Didn't Prepare This Teacher for Returning to the ClassroomFormer science teacher and Obama adviser Steve Robinson says STEM teachers need more support after they enter the classroom.