Science education in the United States is at a critical point, according to a national group of physicists and educators who attended a June 19 workshop on improving science education in public schools. With fewer secondary schoolteachers qualified to teach core disciplines such as physics and chemistry, chances are greater than ever that students will graduate from high school unprepared to compete as scientists and engineers in the global market.

The workshop, held at Appel Commons on the Cornell University campus and sponsored by Cornell's Laboratory of Elementary-Particle Physics, focused on strategies for attracting the most promising young physics undergraduates into careers in physics education.

Among some of the more startling facts presented: U.S. high school students who sign up for an English class have a 70 percent chance of getting a teacher certified to teach the subject. But for students who sign up for physics, the chance of getting a physics teacher with full certification drops to 33 percent. And as two-thirds of the country's K-12 teachers approach retirement in the next decade, that percentage will shrink even further.

The discussion, including the findings above, centered on "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future" a report published this year by the National Academies Press. Robert Richardson, Cornell's F.R. Newman Professor of Physics and vice provost for research, who contributed to the report, said the message has been well received.

"For the first time in recent years, we have gotten a good response from the federal administration," said Richardson. "I am very optimistic there will be a significant improvement in scientific research funding." The report calls for new scholarships, awards and legislation to encourage students to pursue careers in science and science education, and cites a growing concern for science education in the country's middle and high schools -- and a stark shortage of teachers with the skills to provide it.

Meanwhile, scientists, government officials and educators are emphasizing the importance of science education, citing growing competition from abroad and a dwindling pool of talented scientists in the United States.

It's a problem Cornell physicists feel compelled to address -- as a way of ensuring the health of their field, and also as a way of carrying out Cornell's mission to contribute to the community.

"Cornell, because of its land-grant status, has the responsibility to work with public schools," said Kurt Gottfried, a professor emeritus of physics at Cornell.

Stephen Hamilton, Cornell professor of human development and vice provost for outreach, noted that while Cornell places a strong emphasis on outreach, little of that outreach is directed toward increasing the pool of future secondary schoolteachers. "Cornell is not a massive presence in the field of teacher education, nor do we see ourselves becoming one," he said. "There's no formal connection between teacher education and outreach. That seems like a missed opportunity."

To bridge that gap, participants proposed collaborations between university and high school science teachers, increased dialogue on the subject between universities and community colleges, and incentive packages to encourage undergraduates to consider teaching careers. For research universities like Cornell, they emphasized the importance of hiring physics-education research faculty.

Participants also discussed the prevailing perception among students that teaching secondary school lacks prestige.

"We have to instill in undergrads that the teaching of physics is a worthwhile area," said Richard Galik, also a Cornell professor of physics. "It's a real problem: Society is not putting enough interest in the beauty of learning for learning's sake. We have to help address the problem."

That also means addressing public school teacher salaries. "Parents who spend $40,000 per year for four years to send kids to college are not going to be terribly excited to spend another $40,000 for a fifth-year master's certification so [their son or daughter] can start at $28,000 per year," Hamilton said.