Setting a Standard for Chemistry Education in the Next Generation: A Retrosynthetic Analysis
Department
Statistics and Analytical Sciences
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-17-2016
Abstract
A diverse and highly qualified chemistry teaching workforce is critical for preparing equally diverse, qualified STEM professionals. Here, we analyze National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data to provide a demographic comparison of the U.S. secondary chemistry teaching population in high-needs and non-high-needs public schools as well as private schools during the 2011–2012 academic year. Our analysis reveals that the chemistry teaching workforce is predominantly white and significantly lacks in-field degrees or certification across school types, though high-needs and private schools are most affected by this lack of teacher qualification. Given these results, we attempt to retrosynthetically identify the pathway yielding a qualified chemistry teaching workforce to draw attention to the various steps in this scheme where reform efforts on the part of individual faculty, academic institutions, and organizations can be concentrated.
Journal Title
ACS Central Science
Journal ISSN
2374-7951
Volume
11
Issue
2
First Page
825
Last Page
833
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1021/acscentsci.6b00216