Breakout Sessions
We are excited to offer the following breakout sessions at the Annual Conference in Philadelphia. We will update the sessions as more information becomes available.
The following strands are available throughout the conference. Please use the icons below to help guide your selection of your breakout sessions.
Climate Science
Data Science
Emerging Technologies
Transformative Leadership
How Should Climate Science and Climate Justice Be Embedded in Instructional Materials?
Presenters: Jennifer Childress Self & Shannon Wachowski
Description: EdReports and NextGenScience are partnering with organizations across the country to determine how the five equity frames from the Equity in K-12 STEM Education report could influence reviews and selection of instructional materials. Participants will discuss their perspectives on this issue and the implications of the five equity frames for their work selecting instructional materials.
Key Takeaway: The 2024 NAS Report Equity in K-12 STEM Education raises important issues, including the five equity frames for STEM education with emphasis on environmental sustainability and climate change. Attendees will learn about, discuss the implications of, and share ideas about how these frames could and should show up in review and selection of instructional materials.
Place-based Teaching: Expeditions in the Schoolyard
Presenters: Whitney Aragaki & Kirstin Milks
Description: Place-based science teaching positions aspects of place–geographic location, geologic time, identity, and community–at the forefront of science practices. This session will focus on the opportunities for place-based learning and teaching to explore our own locations: schoolyards and communities.
Key Takeaway: Place-based learning honors the lived experiences of students and the living beings that form a community. Attendees will learn how to implement an NGSS-aligned, place-based science lesson in their own space: schoolyard or community.
From Past Milestones to Future Frontiers: Transforming Science Education with Innovations from Climate-Focused Data Science
Presenters: Karen Lionberger & Nico Janik
Description: Participants will engage in hands-on activities with climate data that allow them to experience effective strategies for data-rich teaching. They will use this experience to reflect on and discuss research-based, yet achievable, strategies for supporting science teachers in developing classroom practices for all learners as they engage in data-centric, action-oriented climate change learning.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will develop a deeper understanding, through hands-on activities and collaboration and reflection with peers, of effective strategies for supporting students' rich data sense-making and the related instructional “look fors" to support their science teachers in effective climate-focused data science teaching and learning.
Teaching Smarter, Leading Stronger: AI for the Modern Educator
Presenter: Kelly Garrett
Description: Explore how AI-driven tools can help teachers work smarter, not harder, by automating tasks like lesson planning, grading, and content creation. Learn how AI can foster innovation and personalization in the classroom, helping teachers increase efficiency, tailor lessons to individual needs, and inspire students in today’s evolving educational landscape.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will learn how to use AI-driven tools to increase efficiency, personalize instruction, and foster innovation in the classroom. By the end of the session, educators will be equipped with practical strategies to integrate technology into their teaching, empowering them to lead and inspire in today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape.
Navigating Safety and Risk Management in School Districts: A Strategic Roadmap Leveraging AI to meet Compliance Requirements
Presenters: Laurie Maier, Lisa Kiel, & James Palcik
Description: School districts face challenges in ensuring safety and compliance in Science, STEM, and CTE programs amid evolving regulations, limited resources, and emerging technologies like AI. This session equips science leaders with strategies to identify hazards, address deficiencies, and leverage AI tools to improve district safety and operational efficiency.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will learn to conduct hazard analyses and risk assessments tailored to STEM spaces, identify deficiencies like outdated safety plans or improper chemical storage, and leverage AI to streamline safety documentation, manage inventories, and predict risks. They will also develop a proactive safety roadmap aligning with regulations and district goals for safer, more efficient STEM programs.
Lessons Learned While Developing and Using Climate Education and Climate Justice Resources for Teachers
Presenters: David Randle, Robert Steiner, Karen Kutish & Andrea Rodriguez
Description: The American Museum of Natural History has developed online and in-person programs to help teachers teach about climate change. We will share activities and perspectives for teaching climate science in a way that empowers students to deal with skepticism and take action within a social justice framework. Attention will be given to preserving student and teacher emotional wellness.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will learn about resources and strategies we have used in teacher professional learning sessions, middle and high school classes, and development of an online graduate level course on teaching climate change by Mark Windschitl (University of Washington).
Accelerating K-5 Science Education Through Collaboration and Design (ASCEND K–5)
Presenters: Rebecca Abbott, Daniel Alcazar-Roman, Suzy Loper, & Leslie Stenger
Description: Discover and contribute to ASCEND K-5, an initiative based out of UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, that is dedicated to tackling ongoing challenges in achieving equitable elementary science education. Collaborate with other district leaders to identify and analyze key challenges and potential solutions that will help shape the strategic direction of this initiative
Key Takeaway: Attendees will collaborate and network with colleagues in a space dedicated to prioritizing K-5 science teaching and learning. They will also learn about and gain experience with a root cause analysis technique they can use to break down complex problems of practice in various settings.
Using Data Science to Generate Evidence to Support Explanations
Presenters: Kate Henson
Description: Learn about a Data Routine that can be integrated into investigations to support students in analyzing and interpreting data. Engage with CODAP, a free digital resource, to analyze data to generate evidence that supports explanations by helping students use mathematics and statistical reasoning (i.e. correlation and causation) at the middle and high school grade bands.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will learn about a data routine that teachers can use to support student use of the web-based program CODAP to analyze large data sets using mathematics and statistics.
Promoting Equity of Participation in a School Network Using the Student Experience Improvement Cycle
Presenters: William Penuel & Tom Long
Description: This workshop presents an approach developed by inquiryHub and adapted to instructional coaching within a charter school network for improving equity of participation in science classrooms. Participants will learn about and experience part of the Student Experience Improvement Cycle (SEIC), a four-step process that can be used to organize coaching or group learning in a PLC, district, or network.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of how a routine for making formative use of student experience data can be used to facilitate the transformation of science education at the school, district, or network level and how to engage educators productively with research on equitable teaching and learning practices.
Bridging Yesterday and Tomorrow: Leadership Strategies for AI-Enhanced Science Education
Presenters: Andrew Kuhn & Patrice Semicek
Description: This interactive workshop explores how educational leaders can harness artificial intelligence to create more equitable science learning experiences. Participants will examine historical barriers to science education access, evaluate current AI tools, and develop strategic plans for implementing AI-enhanced science instruction in their districts.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will leave with a framework for evaluating and implementing AI tools in science education, ensuring these innovations advance equity goals rather than perpetuate systemic barriers. Participants will understand how to lead AI integration while prioritizing accessibility, cultural responsiveness, and educational justice.
Empowering Teachers and Elevating Student Learning with High-Quality Instructional Materials
Presenter: Rocco Williams
Description: Discover how High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) can transform your school/district. Learn practical strategies to support your teachers, reduce burnout, and boost student engagement—all while aligning with state standards. Walk away with actionable steps to successfully implement HQIM.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will explore research-backed strategies for supporting teachers in implementing HQIM and can significantly improve the adoption and effective use of these materials in the classroom.
Enhancing Pedagogical Practices Through Data-Driven Instruction
Presenters: Eric Rhoades & Padmanabhan Seshaiyer
Description: This session explores how data literacy and data science practices can be infused into science education. In particular, participants will learn to enhance their lesson plans to integrate data-driven instruction that will help transform the science and engineering practices, fostering inclusive teaching and increasing student engagement for diverse learners through a data cycle.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will learn how to integrate innovative instructional practices by enhancing their lesson plans to equip students with essential skills to analyze, interpret, and make decisions based on data through real-world scientific problems and innovations.
Building a Vision for Equitable and Sustained Interactions for Multilingual Learners
Presenters: Neelo Soltanzadeh & Tanya Warren
Description: How can we create science classrooms where multilingual learners thrive? Educators and leaders will analyze research-based features of quality interactions to support sensemaking, authentic dialogue, deeper learning, and student autonomy, with a focus on multilingual learners.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will leave with a common understanding of features of quality interactions in science classrooms that amplify opportunities for sensemaking and language learning.
Revolutionizing 3D Science Performance Tasks and Assessments with AI
Presenters: Brittney Denier Cantrell & Stacie Jassen
Description: AI is transforming how educators create 3D science learning experiences, integrating practices, concepts, and core ideas. This session explores using artificial intelligence to design innovative, standards-aligned assessments that engage students, simplify task creation, provide real-time feedback, and address equity. Participants will gain practical strategies and tools for immediate application.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will leave the session with practical strategies and tools to use AI in designing innovative, standards-aligned 3D science performance tasks and assessments that engage students, provide real-time feedback, and streamline the development process, all while fostering deeper understanding and equity in science education.
Using Data Science to Support Climate Change Placed-Based Learning
Presenters: Brielle Kociolek & Eddie Cohen
Description: This session empowers science leaders to integrate data science, climate change, and place-based learning into PD and classrooms. Explore real-time tools and lessons on redlining, superfund sites, heat islands, and flooding, uncovering historical and predicted trends. Gain resources to deliver actionable PD, fostering STEM equity and climate resilience through interdisciplinary innovation.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will leave equipped with real-time data tools and resources to create impactful, interdisciplinary PD and lessons that connect historical environmental inequities to current and future climate challenges, fostering STEM equity and resilience in their communities.
Supporting Teachers to Improve Science Teaching and Learning Through Curriculum-Based Professional Learning
Presenters: Vanessa Wolbrink & Jenny Sarna
Description: In this session, participants will consider why a new approach to teacher learning is needed and how a curriculum-based professional learning program can improve teaching practices and student learning. Through real-world examples, participants will deepen their understanding of key shifts in a curriculum-based professional learning program.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will examine the outline of a traditional professional learning plan to kick off a school year and analyze the extent to which a science teacher will be supported and ready to teach in the new year. This will lead attendees to reflect on possible shifts to curriculum-based professional learning.
Bridging Grade Bands to Build Skills: Transforming Data Literacy/Science Teaching & Learning K-12
Presenters: Kristin Hunter-Thomson & Annette Brickley
Description: Discover how to strategically build teacher confidence in and integrate data literacy into K-12 classrooms using your current tools/platforms and curriculum. We will explore the power of cross-grade collaboration, distributed professional learning grounded in teacher-identified needs, and curriculum implementation that empowers teachers to build all students' data skills.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will learn how to strategically support teachers in building confidence and competence in integrating data literacy into science instruction. By leveraging cross-grade collaboration to strategically and sustainably pursue a data initiative, schools/districts can implement an innovative professional learning model of practical strategies that result in student success across grade levels.
Empowering Science Leaders through Computer Science Integration with OpenSciEd
Presenter: Tiffany Neil
Description: We’ll explore the innovative approach OpenSciEd used to redesign five middle school science units that now integrate computer science and elevate climate change issues without sacrificing time or science learning. See how the integration deepens student learning in context-rich ways and discover how the unit design supports embedding them in existing science, computer science, and STEM classes.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will learn how to effectively integrate computer science into middle school science units, empowering educators to use emerging technologies and data science to deepen student learning and support equitable STEM education.
Sustaining Teacher Leadership: Practical Strategies for School Leaders
Presenters: Anna Karina Monteiro & Laura Shafer
Description: Explore practical strategies for building sustainable teacher leadership inspired by a STEM Teacher Leadership Fellowship. Learn how fostering collaboration, practitioner inquiry, and teacher agency can combat burnout, improve retention, and empower educators to thrive in their roles. Leave with actionable steps to create structures that support teacher leaders in your school.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will leave with a framework for implementing sustainable teacher leadership practices, emphasizing collaboration, inquiry, and agency to build supportive, resilient school communities that retain and empower educators.
How to Design a Collaborative PD and Implement Equity-Focused Strategies from NGSS For All Students
Presenter: Eddie Cohen
Description: Leaders will learn how to use NGSS for ALL to create a PD that equips educators with actionable strategies to implement the NGSS in ways that ensure equitable access for all students. Participants will explore case studies, research-based strategies, and do their own action research in their classrooms to design inclusive, standards-aligned units that support the needs of diverse learners.
Key Takeaway: Attendees will learn how to create PD for staff K-12 to learn and then implement research-based practices that best align with individual subgroups of underrepresented students. These targeted interventions can be learned from NGSS for ALL and personal research. Breaking teachers into groups by interest, they can tackle a chapter from NGSS for ALL to become experts and turn key to their colleagues.
CSSS Sustainability Learning Intensive
Presenters: CSSS Climate Change and Sustainability Education Ad hoc Committee
Description: Participants will engage in individual, small, and whole group discussion to share and determine possible solutions around topics related to sustainability and climate literacy. Session topics include:
Reflecting (reflect on and share local challenges)
Learning (learn about current studies and reports related to climate literacy and sustainability)
Practicing (consider how to navigate and instigate difficult conversations with stakeholders)
Applying (identify actors in your network and develop an action plan for addressing challenges)
Key Takeaway: The CSSS Sustainability Learning Intensive is intended to support attendees in sharing, discussing, identifying, and developing an action plan for challenges associated with sustainability and climate literacy.