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Session 2550

Technology Teacher Education Programs in Colleges of Engineering and Technology: A Strategic Link with K-12 Education

Thomas Erekson, Steven Shumway

School of Technology Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering & Technology Brigham Young University

Introduction

The National Science Board’s (NSB) Task Force on National Workforce Policies for Science and Engineering has raised concerns about declining numbers of students pursuing engineering and scientific careers in the US in their August, 2003, report The Science and Engineering Workforce: Realizing America’s Potential 1. A national policy imperative was recommended by the NSB in this report:

The Federal Government and its agencies must step forward to ensure the adequacy of the US science and engineering workforce. All stakeholders must mobilize and initiate efforts that increase the number of US citizens pursuing science and engineering studies and careers. (p. 10)

Science and technology have been and will continue to be engines of US economic growth and national security. Excellence in discovery and innovation in science and engineering (S&E) derive from an ample and well-educated workforce – skilled practitioners with two- and four-year degrees and beyond, researchers and educators with advanced degrees, and precollege teachers of mathematics and science. Current trends of supply and demand for S&E skills in the workforce indicate problems that may seriously threaten our long-term prosperity, national security, and quality of life (p. 6).1

The Task Force also concluded that the number of native born science and engineering graduates entering the workforce will likely decline in the next decade, unless strategic interventions are implemented to improve programs that educate science and engineering students (p.6).1 This conclusion is also supported in a policy report from ACT entitled Maintaining a Strong Engineering Workforce2. An analysis of ACT data found that the percentage of high school seniors who took the ACT test and reported plans to major in Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Erekson, T. (2004, June), Technology Teacher Education Programs In Colleges Of Engineering And Technology: A Strategic Link With K 12 Education Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--13578