On Aug. 9, President George W. Bush signed into law the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (America COMPETES) Act.
The act authorized over $151 million in funding for programs at colleges and universities that will allow undergraduates to complete a baccalaureate degree in science, technology, engineering or math and simultaneously earn a teaching certification.
The act is meant to encourage students who study science and technology to become teachers and share their expertise, which some education majors on a teaching track may not have, with younger generations.
While Tufts boasts some of the better science and engineering programs in the country, no such program exists here as of now. But according to administrators, the development of one is a possibility if students show interest.
"If there were interested students, we wouldn't be averse to that," said Linda Abriola, the dean of the School of Engineering.
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Curriculum Development Lewis Edgers agreed. "If the demand were there for undergraduates, we could have [such a program]," he said.
Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser declined to comment on whether a similar program could be implemented for the School of Arts and Sciences, which includes the math department and several natural science departments.
As of now, Abriola said, few students in the School of Engineering plan to pursue education as a career for several reasons. For one, she said, the School of Engineering educates students to be professional engineers upon graduation.
"We are not an education school; we're educating students to be engineers," she said.
But according to Edgers, students who are interested in education may be able to delve further than they have in the past.
"In the last year, we've made the engineering requirement for humanities and social science[s] broader and more flexible, so engineering students have more opportunities to take courses in education," he said.
Edgers believes that the students who do go into teaching usually feel a calling to do so, rather than reacting to specific encouragement from Tufts.
"I don't think anyone here can take credit [for students who go into teaching]," Edgers said. "A number of students will always find that they gravitate to teaching."
William Oliver, chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, said that everything depends on money.
"If the funding [from the America COMPETES act] translates into additional faculty, then you can do [the program]. If you give education courses in addition to science courses, you need the resources," he said.
Oliver also explained that pushing students toward education may not be successful.
"Teaching requires an individual feeling that they want to teach- if you don't have that, it's very hard to find an external motivation," he said.
Senior mathematics major Sarah Blick is one student planning to become a high school teacher. Her choice to major in math instead of education was purposeful.
"I wanted to do math, not education, because I wanted a really solid background in the subject instead of just teaching," she said.
Having to earn her baccalaureate degree and teaching certification separately is frustrating, according to Blick.
"I can get my degree in math, but it's going to be a really long process after graduation in order to start teaching. I'd get out of school and have to start all over again with getting my licensure," she said.
If Tufts initiated a combined degree and certification program, she said, it would definitely catch her attention.
"I'd be the first one to sign up," Blick said.
Senior and mechanical engineering major Chris Severino thinks engineering students would be attracted as well.
"If there was a program like that, I think it would get the attention of a lot of people. I've talked to a lot of [engineering students] who have no intention of being an engineer after college, and that might really be interesting to them," he said.
One initiative at Tufts is already helping engineering students explore education while helping out local teachers. The Center for Engineering Educational Outreach (CEEO) works to bring engineering programs to elementary, middle and secondary schools by developing tools for education, doing research and sending Tufts students into the classrooms.
The program helps Tufts engineers explore different options, but not all of the students involved want to become teachers.
"Some are [interested in pursuing teaching as a career] - others are just looking for ways of helping out their local schools," Director of CEEO Chris Rogers told the Daily in an e-mail.
Some undergraduates discover an interest in teaching after participating.
"There are a number that have thought seriously about that direction after having helped out in the classroom," Rogers said.
Rogers also helped found a joint Ph.D. program between the School of Education and the School of Engineering.
As with any career, however, interest alone is not enough to attract students. Money is a factor too, and many teaching jobs have lower salaries when compared with engineering jobs.
According to CNN, mechanical, civil, chemical and electrical engineering degrees are all among the top 10 "highest paying" college degrees. In contrast, a survey by the American Federation of Teachers found that the average teacher salary for 2004-2005 was $47,602, which is less than the cost of a full year at Tufts, according to the Tufts Admissions Web site.
Blick said money is a major deterrent for potential teachers like herself.
"I think because it's in the public sector and teaching doesn't pay that well, if Tufts could subsidize student loans or do other incentives, more people might consider it," Blick said.
But according to Edgers, it is not the role of colleges and universities to provide students with incentives to go into teaching rather than more lucrative fields.
"Giving incentives to people so that they go into education is much broader than we can deal with - it's a matter of the public putting its finances where it says its priorities are," Edgers said.
