The STEM Education Institute and the School of Education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst would host a conference in the Washington, DC area in the late spring of 2006 to explore issues related to the alternate certification of STEM teachers. Conference participants would include STEM faculty, science teacher educators, administrators, policy makers and practitioners. The goals of this proposed gathering are: (1) to explore current knowledge about alternate certification programs and how they might incorporate current research on teaching and learning; and (2) to develop an agenda for future research in this area. The conference deliverables will include (1) an executive summary for decision makers; (2) a document reviewing best practices; and (3) a proposed research agenda for education researchers and funding agencies.
