08-21-08

SC3 Pre-Service Teacher Training Script

{We will start by introducing ourselves and state briefly the purpose of
the focus group}

As you all know, the goals of the Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign
(SC3) program are to:

Remove accumulations of potentially dangerous chemicals from K-12
schools;

Prevent future accumulations through improved chemical management; and,

Raise national awareness of the issue.

To help us reach these goals, the EPA SC3 team is calling on your
expertise as we embark on our outreach to pre-service and student
teachers.

Your passion for and knowledge of the importance of training pre-service
 teachers before they enter the classroom about responsible chemical
management will lend great credibly in reaching this audience.

Background/Context

{We will ask a background/contextual question to gauge the level of
familiarity each person has with the issue of pre-service teacher
training}

Briefly describe your background and why you are interested in
pre-service teacher training in responsible chemical management.

 In your experience, how do pre-service teachers generally learn about
responsible chemical management?

Are you aware of existing pre-service teacher trainings in responsible
chemical management?

Curriculum-Specific Questions

Have we identified the all the various elements included in existing
responsible chemical management training with which you are familiar?
[Existing training will be identified ahead of time]

Briefly discuss additional elements that should be added or deleted.

Briefly discuss whether existing elements should be modified.

What do you think would be the best way to present pre-service teacher
training [Existing ways to present training (e.g., classroom course;
part of an existing classroom course; on the Internet.) will be
identified ahead of time]   

What, if any, modifications to existing pre-service training should be
based on the  type of school that the student will eventually teach in [
identified ahead of time, e.g.,  public, private, charter, magnet,
vocational] or subject that the pre-service student will eventually
teach [identified ahead of time, e.g., science, art, vocational, etc.)? 
 What about for programs such as "Teach for America?" 

Have we identified typical state policies [identified ahead of time]
that would support pre-service teacher training in responsible chemical
management?  Do you think we should add or delete any of the identified
policies?

Barriers to Developing, Improving, and/or Instituting Pre-service
Teacher Training

How would you rank barriers to adding responsible chemical management
training to pre-service teacher course work?

Cost?

Lack of knowledgeable personnel?

University procedures?

Lack of accreditation?

Other?

Are you aware of strategies that have been tried to overcome barriers to
instituting pre-service teacher training in responsible chemical
management?

Were they successful?

How could they have been improved? 

Where have these strategies been implemented?

Promotion of Curriculum

Do you know of approaches that have successfully resulted in responsible
chemical management training being added to teacher course work?

Do you know of policies that would help create a mandate for colleges
and universities to provide pre-service teacher training on responsible
chemical management?

Who do you think would best promote pre-service teacher training within
a state?

What agencies or persons might serve as champions for instituting
pre-service teacher training in colleges and universities? 

To you knowledge, what are the critical factors and steps to
successfully incorporating a new concept into teacher
certification/licensure?

Do you know of any training or licensure programs for teachers of which
we should be aware?

What do you think is the role of the SC3 partners in promoting
pre-service teacher training?

Can you suggest an approach to pilot any curriculum we may develop or
modify?  

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