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Abstract

The ACS Board has recently committed resources to a national organization for high school chemistry teachers that may finally provide a long-awaited professional home for that community. This organization will facilitate collaboration between teachers and also with college professors and chemists working in the field. The success of this initiative will depend upon the support of current ACS members at every level of the organization.

The Role of Elementary and Secondary Schools and Their Teachers of Chemistry

“…This issue begins with a series of commentaries related to the formation of a national organization for teachers of chemistry being organized and underwritten by the American Chemical Society. Your editor supports the general idea and provides this venue for several perspectives on the subject: an essay by George Bodner that includes some historical, philosophical, and organizational perspectives; editorials by JCE ’s own Associate Editors Deanna Cullen and Greg Rushton, whose careers include high school teaching; and an international perspective provided by Peter Mahaffy . In addition, this issue contains a special historical article by former editor Joseph Lagowski about JCE ’s origins and the importance of chemical education at the secondary school level.…”

American Association of Chemistry Teachers: A New Layer of Support for Teachers of Chemistry

“…AACT was created to help meet these challenges. Some initial responses to the creation of AACT have been published in this Journal . − We at AACT believe that by supporting teachers who first spark in students a passion for science, chemistry education is made more innovative, relevant, and effective. As the first national association by and for K–12 teachers of chemistry specifically, AACT will support teachers of all chemistry backgrounds, provide professional development opportunities, and create and disseminate high-quality resources.…”