100Kin10

AAPT Joins "100Kin10"

Initiative to Recruit, Develop, and Retain Excellent STEM Teachers for Public Schools Secures Nearly $20 Million in Funding; President Obama Says “Nothing is More Important”; Secretary Duncan Lauds Initiative’s “All-Hands-on-Deck Strategy”

College Park, MD, September 28, 2011 – AAPT has joined a growing multi-sector movement currently composed of more than 80 partners committed to working to recruit, develop, and retain 100,000 excellent STEM teachers over the coming 10 years. The movement is being led by Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Opportunity Equation.

100Kin10 is a multi-sector mobilization that invites any organization, including but not limited to corporations, school districts, museums, institutions of higher education, foundations, federal agencies, professional associations, states, and nonprofit organizations, to apply their particular assets to creatively and strategically address the challenges of increasing the supply of and retaining excellent STEM educators.

AAPT  has committed to increase the current 50-60% five-year retention rate of new physics teachers to 80% by providing professional development and online eMentoring to 2,000 additional teachers over 10 years, enhanced by the online resources of AAPT’s digital library.

AAPT is also committed to improving retention of experienced in-service physics teachers by providing comprehensive professional development to 5,000 additional teachers in need of content, pedagogical, and leadership training over 10 years.

Through our partnership in PhysTEC, AAPT is committed to implementing the PhysTEC model of excellence in physics teacher education to an additional 50 institutions; and will promote, support, and document the preparation of at least 4,000 highly qualified physics teachers over the next 10 years.  Additionally PhysTEC will increase the number of Member Institutions committed to preparing highly qualified physics teachers over the next 10 years to half of all universities with physics departments.

“The mission and goals of 100Kin10 are a perfect fit with the mission of The American Association of Physics Teachers to enhance the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching," said Beth A. Cunningham, Executive Officer.  “It is an honor to combine the full impact of our programs with those of the other partners in this initiative.”

The initiative was originally announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) America Meeting in Chicago in June 2011, where President Clinton urged corporations, foundations, and other interested organizations to take part. At the seventh Annual Meeting of CGI in New York City last week, President Obama reiterated the imperative: “[Our future] demands that we give every child the skills and education they need to succeed. And I thank you for the commitment that you made to recruit and train tens of thousands of new science, technology, engineering, and math teachers. Nothing could be more important.”

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan yesterday lauded the 100Kin10 initiative, saying: "President Obama and I believe that recruiting and preparing 100,000 excellent new teachers in the STEM fields is essential for our students' success in the 21st century knowledge economy. We need an all-hands-on-deck strategy to make this happen. I applaud the work of Carnegie Corporation and the Opportunity Equation and the 80 organizations including corporations, universities, non-profits, states, and districts that are coming together under the banner of ‘100Kin10’ to provide our students with a world-class education in the STEM subjects."

About AAPT
AAPT is the leading organization for physics educators—with more than 10,000 members worldwide. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics teaching. We provide our members with many opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment. We serve the larger community through a variety of programs and publications. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.

For more information: Contact Marilyn Gardner, Director of Communications, mgardner@aapt.org, (301) 209-3306, (301) 209-0845 (Fax), www.aapt.org.