New York State Physics Teachers Alliance

BACKGROUND

Statewide organizations devoted to professional development have existed in New York for a considerable period of time. While such organizations have had similar purposes, the organization of each was unique.

The professional development arm of the Science Teacher Association of New York State (STANYS) is identified as a Subject Area Representative (SAR) network. The Director at Large (DAL) oversees the content area experts. Training occurs during two sessions held in the fall -- one occurring in September, the other occurring at the STANYS conference in early November. The networks are ultimately accountable to the STANYS; they were initially charged with representing the New York State Education Department (NYSED) on issues of immediate concern. They still do so, although this function has become a secondary portion of many programs. The SAR network was formed in the late 1970's or early 1980's.

The mentor networks were formed in the mid to late 1980's. Sue Agruso, the physics content specialist at NYSED, was instrumental in forming a physics group that was housed at SUNY Oneonta. Reuben James, a physics professor at the college, led the program until recent budget cots severly restricted the available resources. SUNY Oneonta housed the associated physics. Earth science, mathematics and technology mentor networks under the umbrella of the Oneonta Mentor Network Initiative (OMNI). A similar program for biology mentors was housed at the Finger Lakes Community College (Lee Drake and Linda Hobart). The FLCC program incorporated the chemistry when the support mechanisms at Cortland College College folded. The FLCC program has funding for the next year or so.

The OMNI mentors met twice a year. The main meeting was a one to two week summer session that was held at SUNY Oneonta. An additional meeting occurred during the STANYS fall conference in November.

During the summer of 2002, when Eisenhower funding had failed and the OMNI group lacked any_ financial support, Cornell University supported a five day program. Both Earth science and physics mentors were involved. Content programs (resources at Cornell and in the surrounding area) were provided for half of each day. The physics mentors focused on the startling results of the June 2002 physics for the remainder of the time.

Additional professional development groups exist within NYS. The following groups are fairly strong; this list is not comprehensive.

1. The Buffalo area has the Western New York Physics Teacher Alliance, a Saturday morning program that has seen remarkable growth over the past few years. Attendance at monthly meetings has been high, typically reaching 25-40 participants. Participants travel from as far away as Jamestown and Rochester on a regular basis. The group has a membership list of over 157 people.
2. Syracuse University has hosted a Saturday morning physics program that is also well attended. Participants are drawn from the center of the state and from as far away as Buffalo and the Potsdam area.
3. Kevin McFarland, at the University of Rochester, has an outreach program entitled "Qurarknet." The group has built particle detectors and maintains that as a primary focus.
4. There is a group of physics teachers that meet on Long Island. Anecdotal reports suggest that while the group was well supported at one point, recent attendance has relatively poor.

THE ALLIANCE MODEL

Each of the successful programs has a common theme: teacher directed programs with university support. The monthly meetings of the WNYPTA, for example, are lead by a combination of college professors and high school teachers. The teachers set the agenda in the fall; presentations are solicited at that time. The college personnel provide the meeting space, coffee and donuts, campus and departmental resources, and limited materials for constructing "make-and-take" apparatus.

Nationally, such support groups have had great success. Rurtgers has tracked physics alliances for several years and currently lists approximately 200 active groups across the country. Jane Jackson, at Arizona State University, has facilitated such alliances across Arizona under the AZ-STEP program. <http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~lindenf/aps/links.html>

TEACHER CAREER LADDERS

The teaching profession as a whole clearly lacks a coherent career ladder. Many teachers look for challenges beyond the classroom and end op pursuing administrative or university positions. There should be a mechanism for recognizing the contributions of teachers in the field; there should be additional roles that would advance the careers of such teachers and bring them the recognition and support that they deserve. National Board Certification may be one such mechanism. Serving as a master teacher in such alliances is another possibility.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The need for developing teacher alliances is clear. We should build on successful programs and foster the development of additional alliances.

To this end, Cornell University, in conjunction with faculty from Buffalo State College and key physics leaders from the field, is sponsoring a three day workshop, The program will include a review of active alliances and will bring together high school teachers and university faculty. (Recent NSF and NASA grant requirements necessitate public outreach; these alliances can benefit from such funding.) The program will occur during August 8-10, 2003.

BSC should consider obtaining grant moneys and additional funding to support future workshops. Dave Henry instituted the WNYPTA, Dan MacIsaac and Kathleen Falconer have extensive experience with the Arizona alliance system, and Joe Zawicki is a physics DAL and an OMNI mentor. We have the expertise to pursue the resources that we need to make an alliance support program viable within NYS.