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Reflections and Possible Next Steps

Each workshop day ended with a final session in which planning committee members offered their reflections, discussed main takeaways, and identified themes that cropped up repeatedly during the day. Below is a synopsis of these sessions. On the final day, Garcia discussed the next steps for both the field generally, as well as the workshop series specifically.

REFLECTIONS

One common theme throughout the Summit, said Duncan, was that there is a lack of time for teachers to engage in this work. Professional development, learning, and planning are things that often have to be done “on the side.” It is critical, she said, that we center these needs of teachers, and that professional development is driven by the needs and the assets of students and communities. Shaw added that time is limited, yet professional learning in a variety of topics and skills is essential. He suggested that there be efforts to integrate professional learning across disciplines and areas to maximize the time that is available. Badrinarayan echoed this, noting that there is a tendency for experts to “burrow” into their field rather than look for opportunities to collaborate and share. She observed that discussions that were focused on one implementation lever (e.g., assessment) often diverged into discussions of other implementation levers because of the interconnected nature. Badrinarayan wondered aloud how the field could leverage common resources and approaches to advance practice across sectors rather than focusing on any one area. Olivares summed up the need

for collaboration and integration by saying, “If this is worth doing, then we should do it together.”

Committee members also noted the importance of keeping diversity and equity at the forefront of the work. Shelton emphasized the need to include more diverse voices, including student voices, when working to implement the vision, and Duncan added that curriculum and assessment be centered on students and their local contexts, without “closing doors to other contexts and situations” that may be interesting to them. Furthermore, said Duncan, although there are many available examples for curriculum and assessment, there are fewer examples of teaching with a focus on pushing the envelope on equity and justice. There is a need, she said, to give practitioners, administrators, and other stakeholders concrete examples of what equitable science education looks like. Suárez called for intentional diversification of the teacher workforce and said that if classrooms continue to lack diverse perspectives and voices, the implementation of equitable science education will be a challenge.

Several committee members noted that there are gaps in communication that are preventing existing resources and tools from reaching their intended audience. For example, said Duncan, there are great examples of curriculum materials and professional development that are available, but we have not done “a very good job marketing” because many people don’t know about them. Sampson agreed, saying that even as somebody who is well-versed in the field, it is challenging to disseminate ideas and resources. Research papers are generally published a year or two after the work has been done, he said, so how do we “learn from each other in ways that are more timely?” In particular, how can ideas and resources be shared with people who are working in schools or systems that serve different communities? Shelton added that the intersection among policy, research, and practice can be “beautiful” and “powerful” in advancing change, but that it is critical to ensure that diverse voices are captured in this work.

POSSIBLE NEXT STEPS

Garcia thanked all the panelists, moderators, planning committee members, and workshop participants for a robust and fascinating conversation over the three days. One thing that particularly stood out, said Garcia, is the value of working in community and across sectors. Part of working in community, she said, is ensuring that the voices around the table are diverse and reflective of the community; this means including voices such as those from research, practice, parents, family members, students, community members, and state leaders. Garcia observed that there were many voices present at this workshop, but that there was likely a deficit of people such as administrators and school board members. She asked, “How do we

invite folks who typically do not see this as their space into our space and into community with us?”

Garcia urged workshop participants to continue the conversations from the workshop and to advocate for science education not only in the systems in which they work but also in the policy sphere and their local communities. Garcia described the future activities of the Taking Stock of Science Standards Implementation Summit. A series of coffee talks will be held in the spring of 2022; each talk will cover a specific topic such as rural implementation or teacher preparation pathways. A final workshop will be held in April 2022 to reflect on the previous discussions and consider next steps, she said. Garcia thanked everyone for participating in the Summit and adjourned the meeting.

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