Agricultural Sciences Teacher Preparation Program


	impact
		The University of Arizona
*College of Agriculture and Life Sciences*
	*Society-Ready Graduates* Agricultural Sciences Teacher Preparation Program *Impact Nugget* The University of Arizona Department of Agricultural Education prepares 12-15 students annually as teachers; there are typically 20 openings every year in the state. Any student who has a desire to teach has a job; 100 percent of the teacher candidates graduate with employment secured. *Issue* Currently there are not enough graduates to meet the demand for agricultural sciences teachers in the state of Arizona. This trend is reflected nationally, where there has been a decades-long shortage of teachers in agricultural sciences. *What has been done?* The Department of Agricultural Education in the University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has built a full teacher preparation program at industry request, based on 85 field-based competencies. Faculty consulted with professional agricultural sciences teachers to develop course work that would directly apply to actual needs on the job in high school classrooms. These are incorporated in a logical, seamless flow across the curriculum without duplication. Experiential learning is the key to the program's format and students are immersed in the activities found in the world of agricultural education teachers. *Impact* The UA Department of Agricultural Education prepares 12-15 students annually as teachers; there are typically 20 openings every year in the state. Any student who has a desire to teach has a job; 100 percent of the teacher candidates graduate with employment secured. "The current process for preparing agricultural science teachers in Arizona is light-years ahead of what I received as a teacher. The day I started with this student teacher, she was two-months ahead of teachers we have had in the past." –supervising master teacher in program. "The University of Arizona Department of Agricultural Education fully prepared my to help a local program achieve complete programmatic success which would involve making a positive difference in the lives of all our students through agricultural education." –program graduate and current high school teacher *Funding* The University of Arizona Department of Education The University of Arizona Department of Agricultural Education *Contact* Jim Knight, department head Department of Agricultural Education The University of Arizona PO Box 210036Tucson, AZ 85721 Tel: (520) 621-9144; FAX (520) 621-9889 Email: jknight@ag.arizona.edu Return to the Title Page Return to the Table of Contents