Education Needs of School-Based Agriculture Teachers to Prepare Students for the 21st Century

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.