For years, education researchers have been warning that schools are facing a shortage of science and math teachers. Increasingly, college students trained in STEM disciplines...that is, science, technology, engineering and math...choose not to become teachers. What's more, the few teachers who are carrying the STEM education teaching load are edging closer to retirement. The University of Kansas Center for Science Education conducted a study showing that the situation is reaching a dramatic and disturbing tipping point. KPR's Laura Lorson talked with CSE director Steven Case and study co-author Steven Obenhaus (OH-ben-house) about what they learned.
Dr. Steve Case is the director of the KU Center for Science Education. Steve Obenhaus is a UKanTeach ("you can teach") master teacher. They are the co-authors of two reports on secondary science and math teacher retirements in Kansas. They talked with KPR's Laura Lorson. To see the Center for Science Education reports, along with charts, graphs, and detailed tables, visit kuscied.org.