title: Setting a Standard for Chemistry Education in the Next Generation: A Retrosynthetic Analysis.
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.
authors.affiliation: Institute for STEM Education, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States; Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States.
authors.forename: Gregory T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Rushton
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics and Analytical Science, Kennesaw State University , Kennesaw, Georgia 30144, United States.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dewar
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics and Analytical Science, Kennesaw State University , Kennesaw, Georgia 30144, United States.
authors.forename: Herman E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: Department of STEM Education, University of Kentucky , Lexington, Kentucky 40506, United States.
authors.forename: Brett A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Criswell
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University , Stony Brook, New York 11794, United States.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shah