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 [1], part of the Department of Education's No Child Left Behind program, and the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program [2], 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 [3] 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 [4], also known as the Troops to Teachers Program, from the Department of Education and Department of Defense. Also notable is the Teaching Fellowships program [5] 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 [6] along with some other resources for career changers. For those interested in alternative routes to certification, the National Center for Alternative Certification [7] is a great place to start. Also, the National Center for Education Information published "Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification: An Overview" [8], 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 [9]. If you're drawn to elementary education, try Elementary Education Graduate Programs [10] at About.com.

Other Web Resources

United States

Education Jobs.com [11] contains thousands of teaching, administrative, and coaching jobs.

Recruiting New Teachers Inc. (RNT) National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse [12] 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 [13] , 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 [14] 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 [15] supports research and develops leadership in the study of informal science learning and institutions and their relationships to schools.

AAAS [16] helps advance science education through its Directorate for Education and Human Resource Programs [17] . MarcoPolo: Internet Content for the Classroom [18] 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 [19] 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 [20] Web site.

Canadian Education on the Web [21] brings together everything on the Internet relating to Canadian education. Well, maybe not everything.

The University of Alberta Libraries [22] provide a list of all K-12 schools in Canada.

Education Canada Network [23] 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 [24] , 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 [25] for secondary school biology teachers.

Science in School [26] is a brand-new journal launched to promote inspiring science teaching in Europe.

United Kingdom

The Training and Development Agency for Schools [27] aims to improve training and developing for the entire school workforce. It has detailed information on routes into teaching, including postgraduate routes [28].

Schoolscience [29] gives a good flavor of today's U.K. science curriculum.

Association for Science Education [30] promotes the development of science education.

TeachNet [31] offers information on teachers' career development.

Eteachcom [32] is a U.K. education job site.

Teacher Associations

United States

American Association of Physics Teachers [33]

American Educational Research Association [34]

National Association for Research in Science Teaching [35]

National Association of Biology Teachers [36]

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [37]

National Education Association [38]

National Middle Level Science Teachers' Association [39]

National Science Teachers Association [40]

Canada

Provincial Teacher Organizations [41] (full list)

Alberta Teachers’ Association [42]

British Columbia College of Teachers [43]

Canadian Teachers' Federation [44]

Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association [45]

The Ontario College of Teachers [46]

Ontario Teachers' Federation [47]

Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation [48]

Europe

The Association for Science Education [49]

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [50] (OECD)

European Mathematics Organisations [51]

Comments, suggestions? Please send your feedback to our editor [52] .