Breakout Sessions

We are excited to offer the following breakout sessions at the Annual Conference in Anaheim. We will update the sessions as more information becomes available, such as the exact time and location in the Anaheim Marriott. 

Integrating Community-based Sustainability Topics into K-12 Science Instruction: What Does the Research Say?

Carol O'Donnell

Discover how forward-thinking science education leaders can integrate sustainability into classroom instruction! Explore standards, hear research on perspectives of U.S. educators and administrators, and learn to adapt high-quality materials for community-based issues like clean water and climate impacts. Leave with free resources and strategies to prepare students for a more sustainable future.

Math in Place: Deepening Community Science With Data Exploration and Visualization

Rosina Garcia and Harshil Parikh

Place-based science connects students to their communities through data collection, but instruction needn’t end once data is submitted. When students analyze and interpret their data, they close the loop— completing the full cycle of science inquiry. Learn to use community-sourced data, Tuva’s free data and graphing tools, and grade-level math skills to deepen place-based science experiences.

Planting the Future, Rooted in Community: The Greenhouse Initiative as a Model for Equity, Student Voice, and Place-Based Learning

Elizabeth Nunez

The Greenhouse Initiative at New Brunswick Public Schools transforms a greenhouse into a living lab for equity, sustainability, and student voice. Through NGSS-aligned, place-based learning, Multilingual and Ability Diverse Learners engage in authentic investigations that connect science, health, and community problem-solving aligned to UN SDG #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Leading with Purpose: Designing Integrated, Place-Based Climate Learning Ecosystems that Transform Instruction and Community Resilience

Sarah Kirby, Tana Shepard, and Jenoge Khatter

Using Oregon’s new Climate Education law as a case study, this session highlights the power of community partnerships in building coherent, place-based climate learning. Participants will explore localized resources, analyze partnership models, and leave with tools to connect climate and community resilience to their own communities.

From PD to Practice: How Teachers Design, Lead, and Refine Their Own Learning

Anna Monteiro and Laura Shafer

This session shares a practical model for teacher-designed, teacher-led professional learning that replaces “event PD” with a fast cycle: design → facilitate → evidence → iterate. Drawing on the Knowles Academy approach, participants will explore how teachers identify problems of practice, test strategies, gather quick evidence, and refine PD within weeks, building teacher leadership capacity.

Empowering Educators: Nurturing Teacher Leaders Through Peer Observation

Stavey van der Veen and Lisa Kiel

We will share lessons learned from a program to support teams of teachers and administrators as they engage in an iterative cycle of professional development, classroom visits, and reflective discourse to learn from implementation. We will share materials and resources as well as provide opportunities for participants to plan for how they could develop something similar in their districts. 

Building Leaders' Capacity for Leading 3D Science Teaching and Learning

Chatoria Franklin and Nancy Hopkins-Evans

Explore how district, school, and teacher leaders can support the shift to next generation science instruction. This session highlights strategies for building collaboration, coherence, and effective change management. Leave with practical tools to strengthen implementation and empower teacher growth.

Providing Leadership for Science Teachers in this Era of Science Denial

Rodger Bybee

This session introduces a response for leader’s understanding of contemporary situation of science denial.  Science teachers K-12 can implement content related to the nature of science as described in the NGSS and many state science standards.  The session will include a rationale for an achievable response and approach for classroom teachers that is based on the 5E instructional model.

Where Vision Becomes Structure: Leading the Future of Science Instruction

Solina Hollis and Amanda Drenth

What does it take for leaders to create the conditions where strong science instruction can thrive? In this session, participants will see how districts can utilize a system-conditions framework to develop a shared vision, clarify roles, and align professional learning and resources to support high-quality, project-based science teaching.

Building Data-Strong Ecosystems: Regional & District PLCs That Transform Instruction

Kristin Hunter-Thomson

Discover how regional and district leaders intentionally design PLCs that strengthen data literacy and develop local science teacher experts. Learn from two models - the Oregon STEM Hubs and Fresno County Office - what worked, what didn’t, and how to architect a sustainable professional learning ecosystem in your setting.

Advocacy and Leadership Resources to Accelerate K–5 Science Education Through Networks and Design (ASCEND K-5)

Rebecca Abbott, Suzy Loper, Daniel Alcazar-Roman, and Shannon Wachowski

Get an exclusive first glimpse into emerging resources from the ASCEND K-5 project, an initiative based out of UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science dedicated to tackling persistent challenges facing elementary science education. Join us to contribute your expertise, provide critical feedback to the project, and become part of a network of passionate educators prioritizing science in K-5 systems.

Leading Through Listening: Designing Responsive Systems of Support

Dora Kastel and Libby Chatham

In this hands-on session, participants will explore how professional learning ecosystems evolve through listening and iteration. After examining the components of their own systems, they will consider how feedback and reflection can enhance coherence, support educator growth, and strengthen leadership across their contexts.

Key Areas for Effective and Sustainable Science Curriculum Implementation

Vanessa Wolbrink and Jenny Sarna

Why do curriculum materials sometimes fail to change practice, even when carefully selected? Learn from district leaders' lessons about monitoring progress and building teacher capacity and buy-in. Analyze authentic artifacts (survey data, teacher reflections, professional learning models) and leave with a framework to inform your own implementation work.

Leading Curriculum Based Professional Learning with BSCS's Anchored Inquiry Learning

Cindy Gay

Explore how leaders can use the new BSCS Anchored Inquiry Learning (AIL) instructional model in Curriculum-Based Professional Learning (CBPL) to support sustained implementation of high quality instructional materials. Learn how AIL cycles of inquiry and sensemaking support teachers in enacting 3D lessons that culminate in student agency!

Building the Blueprint: How Districts Developed an IPG for a Shared Vision on HQIM

Andrea Berry, Trudy Rogers, Megan Burnette, and Brian Caine

Effective instructional improvement happens by design. Tennessee districts, working in partnership with the state department, set out to design a coherent, system for strengthening science instruction.This session shares how that collaboration led to the development of an implementation plan and a statewide Science Instructional Practice Guide (IPG).