SBU’s Physics Teacher Education Program Receives Top Recognition
The Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences was once again entered into the The 5+ Club — the highest award available for teacher preparation from the Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC). The Department received this impressive recognition for graduating five qualified physics teachers during the academic year 2019-2020, putting Stony Brook in the 99th percentile of all US colleges and universities with physics teacher preparation programs.
This exciting news arrived in the midst of a severe nationwide shortage of physics teachers. In its 2014 report, the American Association for Employment in Education found that the teacher shortage in physics is number one among 59 education fields. As PhysTEC reports, of the approximately 3,100 teachers who are new to teaching physics each year, only about 1,100 (35 percent) have a degree in physics or physics education.
PhysTEC is a partnership between the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers. Since 2001, PhysTEC has helped universities transform their physics teacher education programs into national models.
