Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a summary of and recommendations for pre-service and in-service education needs of secondary school-based agriculture teachers to prepare students for post-secondary education and the AG STEM careers prevailing in the 21st century. Focus will be placed on research conducted and theory related to professional development programs, needs assessments, and 21st century employability skills. The objectives of this chapter are to 1) describe the diverse roles and responsibilities of agricultural education teachers, 2) identify current challenges facing agricultural education programs to prepare effective teachers, 3) summarize high-quality professional development models aligned with 21st century employability skills for agriculture teachers, and 4) present recommendations for future research needed to address pre-service and in-service education needs of secondary school-based agriculture teachers to prepare students for the opportunities, demands, and challenges of the 21st century workforce.
TopIntroduction
The role of the agricultural education teacher in a school-based agricultural education (SBAE) program is even more diverse than a traditional teacher. There are three distinct roles that align with the three-circle model of SBAE programs: instructor, FFA advisor, and supervisor of students’ Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) programs. In addition, the role of an agricultural education teacher can include career counseling, adult education, community involvement and numerous other non-teaching duties. Agricultural education teachers are challenged to highlight the science and mathematics and other core content principles embedded in the SBAE curriculum (Myers & Dyer, 2004). “Agriscience courses provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for students to learn and apply the knowledge, skills and dispositions that are embodied in the curricula and needed for students to be ready for college and careers” (DiBenedetto & Somers, 2023).
The central challenge facing agricultural education in the United States is the preparation of qualified teachers (Eck & Edwards, 2019). “Unfortunately, we are facing a massive teacher shortage across all disciplines, including agricultural education” (Hock, 2023). The demand for high quality agriculture teachers is not a new phenomenon but one the profession has continually worked to improve and enrich (Hock, 2023). Since 1917 when the Smith-Hughes Act was enacted to promote vocational education in agriculture, trades and industry, and homemaking, and provided federal funds to do so, there has been a historical concern for preparing qualified teachers to meet the demands of agricultural education programs (Hillison, 1987). In 1964, Juergenson imparted “new avenues of supply and new methods of promotion are needed as never before if the trend is to be reversed so that properly qualified teachers exist for every school that needs them (p. 10).” Woodin (1967) purported “the continuing shortage of vocational agriculture teachers may develop into a major crisis in the United States unless prompt, concentrated action is taken in each state” (p. 10). Nationwide from 2006 through 2017 an upward trend peaked in 2017 as reported by a consistent increase in teaching positions (Eck & Edwards, 2019).
The National FFA Organization (2017) reported the shortage of agricultural education teachers as the number one challenge to meet the growing demand for SBAE programs. According to the 2022 National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) annual report,
the demand for agriculture teachers continues due to program growth, expansion, retirements, and openings, while the retention rate of agriculture teachers remains historically high at 96%. However, individuals majoring in agricultural education decreased for the first time in six years. The decrease was expected due to COVID impacts and an overall decrease in college enrollment across the nation.
SBAE programs are vital in the public school system to educate the students who will become the future workforce of the agriculture, food, forestry, natural resource, environmental and life sciences industries throughout the nation. Agriculture teachers require a vast knowledge of content related to all areas of the industry to meet the curricular focus of multiple career pathways that include agribusiness systems, animal systems, biotechnology systems, environmental service systems, food products and processing, natural resource systems, plant systems, and power structural and technical systems. Additionally, middle school curricula consisting of Introduction to Agriculture and Exploratory Agriculture for sixth, seventh and eighth grades, and in some states elementary curricula focused on agriculture is taught throughout the nation. The number of existing, and demand for more SBAE programs is creating an even greater need for middle and elementary school teachers that are proficient in not only pedagogy, but a vast array of content knowledge (Lawver, 2022).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Active Learning: Professional development programs that provide opportunities for participants to actively participate in the process.
AG STEM: The integration and illumination of agriculture content and concepts with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
School-Based Agricultural Education (SBAE) Program: Prepares students for successful careers and a lifetime of informed choices in the global agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resources systems.
Experiential Learning: Purposeful engagement in direct experience and focused reflection to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values.
Career and Technical Education (CTE): Preparation of the workforce for industry in careers with high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand.
Duration: Sustained and intensive professional development over a span of time or hours
Follow-Up Support: Interaction and communication with participants after a professional development program has been completed.
Coherence: Professional development program that are aligned with and directly related to state academic content standards student academic achievement standards, and assessments.
Connectedness: A feeling of belonging to or having affinity with a particular person or group.
Content-Focus: Improve and increase teachers’ knowledge of the academic subjects the teachers teach.
Pre-Service Teacher: The student enrolled in a teacher preparation program who is working toward teacher certification and must successfully complete degree requirements.
Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Program: Experiential, service, and/or work-based learning.
Collective Participation: Interaction and discourse among participants in a professional development program
Change: Improving teacher effectiveness through a willingness from the participant/teacher to alter their practice, modify their content knowledge and adjust their attitude.
In-Service Teacher: Teachers who have completed their basic training and are now teachers.