247-8 Preparing the Next Generation of STEM and Geoscience Educators

Session: Balancing Tradition and Innovation: Evolving Geoscience Curricula for a Changing World, Part I

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There is a nationwide shortage of qualified K–12 STEM educators, particularly in Earth and Physical Sciences, posing major challenges for schools and the future scientific workforce. The UC Davis CalTeach/MAST program, part of the UC systemwide CalTeach initiative, addresses this need by preparing STEM undergraduates—including those in Geology, Earth System Science, and Environmental Science—for careers in education.

A recent UC admissions policy shift now allows high school Earth and Space Science courses to count toward the lab science requirement when paired with Biology, Chemistry, or Physics. This change is expected to increase demand for Earth Science teachers across California.

CalTeach/MAST students complete a sequence of education courses and K-12 teaching internships. Three core courses address STEM teaching at elementary, middle, and high school levels, focusing on NGSS-aligned instructional strategies, lesson planning, and classroom management. Students are placed with mentor teachers in partner districts and assist in classroom instruction. CalTeach also provides a Learning Assistant program, placing STEM majors as tutors in lower-division university STEM courses to build both content knowledge and teaching skills.

A recent initiative is AguaEd, a binational partnership placing Spanish-speaking UC Davis STEM majors in Loreto, Mexico for two weeks to co-develop and deliver bilingual, water-focused science lessons. This program promotes cross-cultural teaching and environmental engagement.

Since the UC CalTeach launch in 2005, over 25,000 students have participated systemwide, including 7,761 from UC Davis. As of 2024, one in three current STEM teachers in California is a CalTeach alum. In 2022-23 alone, CalTeach alumni earned over 33% of all single-subject math/science credentials in CA and about 4% of multiple-subject credentials (1,948 total). Since 2005, over 3,100 CalTeach students have earned single-subject STEM credentials, including 389 from UC Davis. Through strong school district partnerships, CalTeach/MAST is addressing STEM teacher shortages and promoting K-12 teaching as a rewarding path for STEM majors.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-11187

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