DRK-12 Research and Products
Publication | The Concord Consortium is proud to announce a new grant from the National Science Foundation for our Intelligent Simulation-based Learning About Natural Disasters (ISLAND) project. ISLAND will harness the power of artificial…
Publication | Curriculum design experts from the Center for Technology and School Change propose a process for teachers to design STEM curriculum that prioritizes inquiry rooted in the community that empowers students to be active participants in a democratic…
Publication | Curriculum materials can play an essential role to help teachers shift their instruction. However, curricular enactment does not look identical in every classroom, because teachers need to be responsive to their students. In this study, we…
Publication | This article explores how unstructured playtime in early childhood settings offers rich opportunities for science learning. Despite play being crucial for children’s development, its potential for science education remains largely untapped.…
Publication | To begin exploring how children’s play can support the development of the foundations of mathematics learning, we outline the landscape of play and mathematics. We introduce two debates concerning play and math, the resolution of which could…
Publication | Developing scientific literacy is necessary for students with disabilities (SWD) as it supports the ability to create solutions to real-world problems and understand current events, and it strengthens critical thinking, problem-solving, and…
Publication | There is a compelling need to strengthen professional learning (PL) regarding systems thinking, since it crosses all disciplinary boundaries and is a crosscutting concept in the Next Generation Science Standards. Yet research has shown that…
Publication | Design research offers an approach for developing innovations in authentic educational settings and generating knowledge about learning and the designs that support it. Yet scaling and sustaining these innovations across contexts remains a…
Presentation | This presentation, Engineering in Action: Hands-On Strategies for Students with MSD, was given at the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) 2025 Diverse Learners Institute in Louisville, KY on July 15, 2025.
Presentation | This presentation, Developing Inclusive Engineering Education Opportunities, was given at the 2025 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference and Exposition in Montreal, Canada on June 23, 2025.
Publication | This study aimed to explore the development of teachers’ knowledge of dialogue and argument through three specific knowledge bases: declarative, procedural, and epistemic. Additionally, the study sought to understand the implications of this…
Publication | Despite significant interest in Career and Technical Education (CTE), little is known about CTE teachers. Using ten years of Maryland administrative data, we find that almost one-fifth of CTE teachers enter the profession with a high school…
Publication | In our elementary science methods courses, we aim to shift our preservice teachers’ view of science instruction beyond teacher-directed, hands-on “touching and telling,” toward a student-centered approach that emphasizes scientific sensemaking.…
Publication | This study applies natural language processing and qualitative classroom video analyses to examine classroom discourse. Guided by hybridity theory, which emphasizes the benefits of blending everyday with academic language practices for expanding…
Publication | This study captures the experiences of rural teachers with a large-scale online professional learning (PL) program for teaching science and engineering in their contexts and suggests guidelines for designing effective online PL in STEM for rural…
Publication | Gutiérrez’s equity framework, derived from mathematics education research, defines equity in terms of four dimensions: access, achievement, identity, and power. Access and achievement yield outcomes that reify the status quo while identity and…
Publication | This study examines an expansive shift in the priorities of professional learning within a collective of high school science teachers, scientists, community organizers, youth, and educational researchers who were working together on classroom…
Publication | Innovative science curricula aim to transform classroom instruction by emphasizing socio-scientific issues (SSI), student-centered inquiry, and culturally relevant pedagogy. Engaging with new and innovative curricula has the potential to stretch…
Publication | Answering questions and solving problems are critical skills that affect the quality of life for all people. The content areas of science and engineering traditionally and most directly address the processes of inquiry and problem-solving. While…
Presentation | Historically, children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities (ID) and extensive support needs (ESN; individuals who require ongoing, intensive assistance in many areas of life) have been largely excluded from meaningful…
Presentation, Product for Educators | Project Bees is a NSF DRK-12 three-year project with the goal of focusing on teachers' development of engineering practices, including how teachers support their students' development of engineering-focused behaviors and…
Publication | Since the release of A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), there has been an urgent need for teacher professional development (PD) programs that support the implementation of NGSS-…
Publication | Engineering design has been widely implemented in K-12 curricula to cultivate future workforce. In this study, seventh-grade students participated in the Solarizing Your School curriculum, an action-oriented program where they engaged…
Publication | Teacher preparation programs need to consider how to support elementary science teachers in developing their knowledge related to environmental and climate justice. Working with children to determine steps they can take together with their…
Publication | Over the last decade, reform in science education has placed an emphasis on the science practices as a way to engage students in the process of science and improve scientific literacy. A critical component of developing scientific literacy is…