Despite ongoing initiatives and research efforts, the persistent underrepresentation of marginalized groups in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines in the U.S. has seen little improvement. This study posits that a fundamental change in teacher preparation can lead to more inclusive STEM learning environments. It centers on the development...
K-12 teacher retention is an enduring concern in the United States as teachers are vital for educational achievement and change. National trends demonstrate how widespread an issue teacher retention is, yet teacher labor markets remain highly localized and highlight the complexity of teacher retention decisions. We need an improved understanding...
Research has confirmed a lack of diversity and persistence of underrepresented populations in the STEM fields. Recruiting and retaining more women and people of color into STEM fields has long been a goal of higher education, per a notable lack of women and people of color who enter and complete...
Contextualization is a curricular approach and a learning process in which science content knowledge is intentionally situated within a context where that knowledge can be authentically applied or observed. Many recent science education reforms include contextualization as a central tenet. Our goal in this review was to examine commonalities across...
Over the last several decades, there has been a marked increase in the amount of science outreach to the public with little attention paid to how scientists who conduct outreach perceive learning and how that applies to their outreach activities. This increase in outreach efforts is linked to the National...
The purpose of this report is to provide a mid-way evaluation document. This report serves as a record of project status and a set of recommendations for consideration. It is intended to facilitate reflective and adaptive process so that the BID collaborative can renew the project plan and optimize project...
This final evaluation report shares findings from the summative evaluation study of the Connected Science Learning: Linking In-School and Out-ofSchool STEM Learning (CSL) journal as well as themes that emerged across the broader three-year evaluation study. The ongoing study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Research on Lifelong...
Recent state and national standards have increased the interest in engineering at the K-12 level. Science standards, in particular, have begun to make the case for including engineering throughout the K-12 scope of study. Despite the increased attention to engineering, the characteristics and uniqueness of the field of engineering are...
This dissertation consists of a set of three manuscripts exploring features of effective professional development (PD) for science teacher educators. Literature about context-specific PD for science teacher educators is sparse. The first manuscript, a literature review, outlines theoretical lenses through which PD can be understood, the features of effective PD,...