Classroom Observations, Mentoring, and Co-Teaching Among Strategies to Train New Teachers
5 August 2009

Steve Robinson has been a biologist, a university professor, and a high school science teacher. And now he’s helping to shape education policy as a special adviser to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Arne Duncan. During a AAAS-organized conference for science and mathematics educators, Robinson emphasized the importance of teachers receiving feedback early in their careers.

“As much as possible, you want to ask to be observed and take the time to observe others,” Robinson said.

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Scholarship Program Helps STEM Students and Professionals Become K-12 Teachers
4 February 2009

The new presidential administration has identified improved teacher quality in science and mathematics as critical for education, and educators are responding to that challenge. A workshop organized and hosted by AAAS and run by National Science Foundation (NSF) program directors instructed nearly 50 participants on how to tap funds in a federal scholarship program intended to encourage undergraduates studying science and math to consider careers in teaching in grade schools.

“The goal is to get larger numbers of teachers in STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] that are high-quality,” said Shirley Malcom, head of Education and Human Resources at AAAS. Malcom participated in discussions with members of President Barack Obama’s transition team and says that they “made it clear that the administration feels that high-quality science and mathematic teachers are critical for education.”

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