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AAPT
2012 Annual Report
Strategic Plan
The Association Executive Board, Area Committees, Council, and staff continued to implement the 2010-2013 Strategic
Plan. The plan, available in two verisons, with strategies (
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Strategic-Plan-Adopted-July-2010-with-strategies_1.pdf) and without strategies (
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organization/upload/101105-Strategic-Plan-AdoptedJuly-2010-without-strategie.pdf), is available for members, sections,
and committees to review as they align their programs and activities with the goals of AAPT.
The document reaffirms AAPT’s committment to its:
Mission
— To enhance the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching.
Vision
— Aspiring to advance the greater good through physics, AAPT strives to be the leading voice, primary resource,
advocate of choice, and driving force in physics education, serving professionals who teach physics and support physics
teaching at all levels.
Core Values
— As a member-driven volunteer organization, the AAPT is guided by and committed to the following:
• Promoting excellence in physics education by supporting AAPT members and reaching out to all teachers of physics
in their efforts to provide an effective physics learning experience for all students at all levels and in all teaching and
learning environments—in the classroom, in the laboratory, and in public settings.
• Publishing exemplary journals (American Journal of Physics and The Physics Teacher) and providing other physics
teaching resources that adhere to the highest standards in content, pedagogy, and technology.
• Providing and supporting quality professional development for physics teachers at all levels through meetings, topical
conferences, and workshops.
• Supporting and disseminating research into how students learn physics.
• Ensuring excellence in physics instruction by promoting research-based education of future teachers of physics at all
levels, elementary through graduate.
• Advocating for physics education at local, state, and national levels.
• Keeping aware of the main issues facing the physics world and of the overreaching questions to be tackled by the
physics community, and providing a forum for discussion of these issues at National Meetings.
Strategic Goals
The 2010-2013 Strategic Plan includes goals that support the Mission, Vision, and Core Values in key operational areas:
AAPT MEMBERSHIP
— To be a vibrant professional organization for those who teach physics at all levels.
AAPT PORTFOLIO: JOURNALS, MEETINGS, PROGRAMS AND AWARDS
— To ensure that AAPT is providing the
highest quality member services to support excellence in physics education and meeting the needs of its members. The
AAPT will provide regular electronic communications, grants, journals, National Meetings, and awards. In addition to
these primary services, the AAPT, individually and in cooperation with other physics and related professional associations,
will undertake initiatives that advance the mission and vision of AAPT.
AAPT OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL HEALTH
— To achieve and sustain a balanced operating budget by 2011; Build
the Long Term Unrestricted Financial Reserve equal to one year of operating expenses; and Improve the operation and
efficiency of the association.
AAPT SECTIONS AND AFFILIATE GROUPS
—To be a vibrant professional organization dedicated to improving physics
education at all levels by working with sections, affiliates, and other local groups.
AAPT AREA COMMITTEES
—To expand the function that Area Committees serve in the Association to include
advising the Executive Board on policy and on development of quality resources (e.g., Guidelines for …) consistent with
the Committees’ areas of interest, while continuing the traditional Committee role of developing quality programs for the
annual meetings of the Association.
