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THE STATUS OF SPECIAL GRADUATE COURSES FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY TEACHERL
TEEpurpose of this investigation was to determine which institutions offered specially designed courses for the high school science teacher. This Committee felt that such information would be helpful to the high school teacher and might &a stimuLate colleges and univer~itiesto contemplrtte and develop more satisfactory courses for these The 1956-57 Education Directory of the United States Deparh ment of Health Education and Welfare lists 426 colleees and universities which offera Master's or a second professionardegree. However, only 323 of these achools have a Dean of the Grsdnate School or a. special Graduate Division. The Committee sent their inquiry to these schools and obtained 201 answers along with numerous comments. Information ooncerning an additional 59 schwls was obtained from a variety of published material. Twenty-five of the 260 schools surveyed in this fashion did not offer a Master of Arts, a Master of Science, or a. Master of Education degree. Of the 235 schools ( d l of which offer some type of Master's degree program for in-service science and mathematics secondary teachers), there are 28 schools offering a program that is sufficiently different to be classified as "special degree programs for in-service science and mathematics teachers in the secondary sohools." These are: American University (D. C.): no special title; Arkansas: MS. in Natural Science; Antioeh (Ohio): M.S. in Teaching; Brown (R. I.): M.A. in Teaching; Buffalo (N. Y.): MS. in Natural Science; Catholic University (D. C.): M.S. in Teaching; Denver: M.A. in General Science; Drake (Iowa): no speoial title; Duke (N. C.): M.A. in Teaching; Emory (Ga.): M.A. in Teaching; Illinois Wesleyan U.: M.S. in Science Teaching; Indiana: M.A. in Teaching; University of Iowa: M.S. in General Science; Miami (Fla.): M.A. in Teaching; E. Michigan College: M.A. in Teaching General Science; Michigan State: M.A. in Teaching; Mississippi: MS. in Combined Science; New Mexico Highlands: M S . in Science Education; Notre Dame: MS. in Teacher Training Program; Oklahoma: Master of N8tttural Science; Oklahoma State: M.S. in Natural Science; Puerto Rica: M.S. in Science Education; Rcnsselaer Polytechnic Institute: M.S. in Natural Science; St. Louis: MS. in Teaching of Chemistry; University of Texm: no special title; Washington State College: M.A. in Teaching; Wesleyan University
' This is an abridged form of the report by the Division's Committee on the Teaching of Chemistry, Subcommittee on the Preparation of High School Chemistry Teachers. The members are: W. B. Cook, Chairman, Montana State College, Bozeman, Montana L. B. Clapp, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island L. H. Colhurn, Neville High School, Monroe, Louisiana Dorothy W. Gifford, Lincoln School, Providence, Rhode Island W. G. Kessel, Indiana State Teachers College, Terre Haute, Indiana T. C. VanOsdell, Ashland College, Ashland, Ohio These findings were presented in papers read by W. B. Cook and W. G. Kessel a t the 124th Meetine of the American Assocition for the Advancement of Science, Indianapolis, Indians, December, 1957. 'The ('~u, N'. B. C'mk.
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VOLUME 35, NO. 8, AUGUST, 1958
(Conn.): M.A. in Liberal Studies; Wisconsin: M.S. in Science Education. Thirty-five other colleges and universities are utilizing their existing degree programs which include a number of "tailored" courses designed to meet the secondary chemistry teacher's needs. These are: Alahams College, Boston College, Bridgeport (Conn.), Brooklyn College, Bucknell, Canisius College (N. Y.), Chicago, Clark (Mass.), University of Colorado, Colorado State College, Connecticut, Cornell, Delaware, W. Illinois State, U. Kansas, Kansas Stat,eTeachers, Loyola of Los Angeles, Maryland, Marshall College (W. Va.), W. Michigan University, Minnesota, N. E. Missouri State Teacher's, Montana State College, North Carolina, Oregon State, College of the Pacific, College of St. Rose (N. Y.), Stanford, Syracuse, E. Tennessee State, N. Texas State Tech. College, Vanderhilt, Vermont, Central Wmhington College of Education, Wyoming. The above lists are the result of somewhat arbitrary evaluation an the part of the Committee as to what constitutes a specid program for in-service secondary school science teachera. In addition to these 63 schools, 15 colleges and universities are actively working on such programs. Eighteen additional schoola indicated they are "thinking and planning." Eighty-three replies stated that they were interested in such a program but had no plans far implementing one at their school. Only 55 replies evidenced no real interest in changing from conventional existing programs. Very few were overtly antagonistic to the "special programs." In summary this survey indicates that: (1) Many colleges and universities are aware of the difficult problem of developing a more satisfactory training program for the high school chemistry teacher at the graduate level. The techniaues in common uaenow are: (a)A National Science Foundation-sponsored summer and/ or year program tailored especially for the teachers in specific areas of science. (b) The development of their own institutes or workshops to meet their own students' needs. (e) The creation of special courses, as part of their regular program, that recogniae the particular inadequacies and unique problems of the high school science teacher. (2) A continuing conflict, although less bitter than in the psst,, still exists between chemistry and education. Considerable evidence of satitisfactory compromise by those involved is apparent in some of tho present programs. Of those reporting, the majority have their degree based upon one-half of the courses in subject matter and one-half in education. The range, however, is from no subject matter to all subject matter and from no education to all education. Sixty-six and two-thirds per cent subject matter and 33'/5 per cent education is the other most comman ratio. (3) Some institutions are quite concerned with the small enrollment in graduate courses that were created for high school science teachers. They attribute this to (1) the financial advantages of working in industry; (2) the trend to administrative work; and (3) lack of interest and enthusiasm for science. (4) There is a wide divergence of opinion on the question of giving graduate credit for the beginning courses. Nevertheless, many schools are giving credit for upper division work (junior and senior courses) and some even for freshman courses in the field of chemistry if the student has had no undergraduate work .in the field. EDWINM. IARSEN
