A highly focused licensing program for science teachers developed by the Center for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Education is giving a hand to Iowa schools in their fight against teacher shortages.

The program was designed by Michael Clough and Joanne Olson, assistant professors of curriculum and instruction, to be both a concentrated master of arts and teaching degree and a state teacher licensing program for post-graduate students looking to become science teachers.

The program was developed in response to growing concerns from many Iowa educators about serious instructor shortages, especially in fields such as physics, Clough said.

“The shortage of teachers is something that is only going to get worse,” he said.

With the baby boomer generation about to retire, there is going to be more strain on an already critical issue, he said.

Olson said many schools now resort to calling teachers who have already retired and asking them to teach classes, or the schools have faculty, such as math or English teachers, instruct classes outside of their fields.

“Out-of-field teaching is a huge problem in this country,” Olson said.

Teacher licensing programs are a state matter, Clough said, so many of the students enrolled in this program will stay in Iowa rather than going to other states where they would have to get new licenses.

He said many of the students who have responded have been from central Iowa.

The program was originally conceived in 1999 as a response to the teacher shortage and to help teachers become more effective educators, Olson said.

She said a number of things are in place to help teachers be prepared for anything before teaching their first classes.

“Trial and error is not appropriate for the kids,” Olson said.

Too many teachers only teach on gut instinct and not on techniques based on research, she said. Also, many teachers leave the field because they are not prepared well enough for the job.

She said education majors are normally required to take one course that helps them understand how to understand and teach science; however, in this new master’s program, they are required to take three courses.

Education students will also be in long-term contact with Iowa State so their progress can be observed, Clough said. He said the college is interested in keeping in touch with students to see how long they teach and to find out what techniques teachers implement.

The program takes about 15 months, a change from the current two-year program to complete a master’s degree in teaching, Clough said.

He said the goal of the program is to create a coherent, seamless program that will allow students to get through the program quickly and have a thorough understanding of effective teaching.

Clough said there are currently eight students enrolled, and another 15 will begin in May. He said two former ISU students are returning from California to pursue master’s degrees.

After this year, the requirements for the program will have to be tightened, due to a large response from people interested in the program, he said.

“We’ve been bombarded with phone calls,” Clough said.