The United States is experiencing a teacher shortage, and school systems from New York to California are feeling the pinch. Many children in kindergarten through grade 12 returned to school this fall to find overcrowded classrooms, substitute teachers, or in some cases, no teachers at all. Qualified science and math teachers are especially scarce. What's more, as the school-age population grows and a significant number of baby boomers who teach prepare for retirement, the U.S. Department of Education has projected that the nation's schools will need to hire 2 million new teachers in the next decade.

To meet this need, schools are trying all kinds of innovative approaches to recruit teachers - everything from holding out-of-state job fairs to offering hiring bonuses. But a highly qualified pool of potential teachers is being overlooked. Ph.D.s in science and math know their fields well and could greatly improve the way these subjects are taught in K-12 classrooms. And the time is ripe for recruiting Ph.D.s to teaching: An oversupply of doctorate recipients is restricting opportunities for many - especially those in the life sciences - to advance in university settings. But several obstacles are preventing people with Ph.D.s from putting their skills to work as teachers. States and school systems need to start making teaching at the K-12 level an attractive career choice for these talented professionals.

One of the biggest roadblocks is the very assumption that Ph.D.s simply wouldn't be interested. As a result, schools aren't making much of an effort to recruit them. After all, less than 1 percent of all people with doctorate degrees hold K-12 teaching positions. But that number doesn't tell the whole story. I recently chaired a committee of the National Research Council that conducted a national survey of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. We found that more than 30 percent of the respondents had considered pursuing careers in teaching. So why aren't more of them applying for teaching jobs?

For many Ph.D.s, the desire to teach is outweighed by the practicalities and perceived limitations of the job. For example, new Ph.D. recipients have just completed several years of graduate school. Many need to find good jobs as soon as possible to pay hefty student loans and bills that they've incurred along the way. Because teaching is a historically low-paying profession, Ph.D.s assume that teacher salaries will be too low. In addition, new Ph.D.s aren't able or willing to spend many more months or years taking education classes to become certified teachers. Others perceive a loss of prestige and respect if they become teachers. And some are concerned about the conditions they might face on the job, such as overcrowded classrooms and rigid curricula that offer little opportunity for creativity.

What many Ph.D.s fail to recognize are the very tangible benefits that a teaching career offers. Of course, teaching provides an opportunity to inspire students to develop a lifelong interest in science and mathematics. But Ph.D.s may be surprised to learn that their colleagues who become K-12 teachers earn salaries that are significantly better than they would earn as postdoctoral fellows, the traditional next step in academic careers. And teachers generally enjoy much more reasonable working hours, earlier tenure, better benefits, and summers off.

Still, it's going to take some extra effort for states and school districts to remove the barriers that keep Ph.D.s from considering teaching. For example, offering education courses and teacher certification on a compressed schedule could go a long way in attracting more Ph.D.s to teaching. A significant portion of our survey respondents said they would be more likely to consider a teaching career if they could get most of their training from an intensive summer course in education. And more than 90 percent of the respondents who had previously considered teaching said that a fellowship providing job placement, training, and special networking opportunities for fellows while covering their living expenses would encourage them to consider this career path again. Summer research fellowships at laboratories, with school systems picking up the travel expenses, could be another incentive to lure Ph.D.s into teaching.

Of course, not all Ph.D.s will consider a career in teaching even if all of these incentives were available. But there is every indication that a significant proportion of doctorates just might give it a try. With qualified teachers in such short supply, it may be well worth the investment to get Ph.D.s into the nation's classrooms.