Funding
Most of the funds set aside to recruit scientists into teaching are given to school districts or institutions. Some examples: the
Transition to Teaching Program , part of the Department of Education's No Child Left Behind program, and the
Robert Noyce Scholarship Program , sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
There are, however, a few funding opportunities intended for individuals. Some are state-specific such as the
HOPE Teacher Scholarship Loan for Graduate Study in Critical Shortage Fields Program sponsored by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. Other programs target people with desired backgrounds such as the
Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support , also known as the Troops to Teachers Program, from the Department of Education and Department of Defense. Also notable is the
Teaching Fellowships program from the Janet H. and C. Harry Knowles Foundation. Finally, some states have fast-track programs for entering the profession, and some of these programs subsidize the cost of required education courses. If there are programs like this in your state, your local department of education should be able to lead you to them.
Teacher Certification Requirements
Each state has different teaching requirements, and interested persons should contact the department of education in the state in which they want to teach. Recruiting New Teachers Inc. maintains a list of contact information for departments of education on their
Web site along with some other resources for career changers. For those interested in alternative routes to certification, the
National Center for Alternative Certification is a great place to start. Also, the National Center for Education Information published
"Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification: An Overview" , which includes information on elementary and secondary school structure and teacher supply and demand.
Degree Programs
To look for graduate programs in education, use the search engine at
All Education Schools . If you're drawn to elementary education, try
Elementary Education Graduate Programs at About.com.
Other Web Resources
United States
Education Jobs.com
contains thousands of teaching, administrative, and coaching jobs.
Recruiting New Teachers Inc. (RNT)
National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse
was established in 1986 with three goals: to raise esteem for teaching; expand the pool of qualified teachers; and promote strategies for effective teacher recruitment, development, and retention. RNT offers a variety of resources in addition to those listed above in the "Alternative Certification" section. Their Mid-Career Changer page lists resources to help those ready to switch careers.
TERC
, a nonprofit organization, was founded in 1965 and includes research, curriculum, and technology development, as well as implementation support in the form of professional development and assistance to districts and schools in mathematics and science education.
The
Council for American Private Education
was founded in 1971 to provide a coherent voice for private education. It is dedicated to fostering communication and cooperation within the private school community and with the public sector to improve the quality of education for all of the nation’s children.
The Center for Informal Learning and Schools
supports research and develops leadership in the study of informal science learning and institutions and their relationships to schools.
AAAS
helps advance science education through its
Directorate for Education and Human Resource Programs
.
MarcoPolo:
Internet Content for the Classroom
is one of these projects; it offers seven discipline-specific Web sites, at no cost, that contain Internet content and professional development for American students and teachers.
Science NetLinks
is part of MarcoPolo and contains standards-based resources for elementary and secondary school science educators, including lesson plans, interactive sessions, and reviewed Internet resources.
Canada
Detailed information on becoming a teacher in Canada, including salary expectations and certification requirements for every province, can be found on the
Canadian Teachers Federation
Web site.
Canadian Education on the Web
brings together everything on the Internet relating to Canadian education. Well, maybe not everything.
The
University of Alberta Libraries
provide a list of all K-12 schools in Canada.
Education Canada Network
lists teaching positions available in various school districts across Canada and allows job seekers to post their résumés.
The
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
, sponsored by the government of Ontario, provides updates on the latest elementary and secondary school teaching standards and education requirements in the province, a list of schools, and other information.
Europe
The European Molecular Biology Organization offers annual
training courses for secondary school biology teachers.
Science in School
is a brand-new journal launched to promote inspiring science teaching in Europe.
United Kingdom
The
Training and Development Agency for Schools
aims to improve training and developing for the entire school workforce. It has detailed information on routes into teaching, including
postgraduate routes .
Schoolscience
gives a good flavor of today's U.K. science curriculum.
Association for Science Education
promotes the development of science education.
TeachNet
offers information on teachers' career development.
Eteachcom
is a U.K. education job site.
Teacher Associations
United States
American Association of Physics Teachers
American Educational Research Association
National Association for Research in Science Teaching
National Association of Biology Teachers
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
National Education Association
National Middle Level Science Teachers' Association
National Science Teachers Association
Canada
Provincial Teacher Organizations (full list)
Alberta Teachers’ Association
British Columbia College of Teachers
Canadian Teachers' Federation
Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association
The Ontario College of Teachers
Ontario Teachers' Federation
Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation
Europe
The Association for Science Education
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
European Mathematics Organisations