The NSELA Pathway for Leaders is a coherent four-part series designed to build the capacity of science education leaders to facilitate inclusive, participant-focused improvement initiatives that are rooted in systems thinking, guided by the principles of improvement science, and tailored to the unique landscape of science education. Join us at each of the sessions separately, or join them all! The focus of this first session in the Pathway centers on the architecture of improvement and the application of systems thinking. You will explore three transformative leadership practices that can help you take tangible steps towards increasing phenomena-based, 3D science learning in your school or district. We will use a systems lens to analyze a case study and have you apply ideas to your own context.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will take away concrete next steps that can be used by teachers and leaders to build capacity and increase high quality science in classrooms. They will also gain understanding and use of a systems-based framework they can share with their teams.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott, Leslie Stenger, Shannon Wachowski

The NSELA Pathway for Leaders is a coherent four-part series designed to build the capacity of science education leaders to facilitate inclusive, participant-focused improvement initiatives that are rooted in systems thinking, guided by the principles of improvement science, and tailored to the unique landscape of science education. Join us at each of the sessions separately, or join them all! The second session in the Pathway examines how leaders intentionally use facilitation structures and collaborative protocols to move groups through differing perspectives toward coherent action. Grounded in participant-centered systems improvement, participants engage in a realistic science education leadership scenario connected to curriculum, instruction, assessment, or implementation challenges. Through team interaction, participants use consensus-building, prioritization, and dialogue strategies to develop a shared decision or action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants engage in structured, team-based decision-making processes. This module emphasizes the intentional selection of facilitation strategies that shape group thinking, surface tensions, and produce coherent outcomes.

SPEAKERS:
Joshua Smith

The NSELA Pathway for Leaders is a coherent four-part series designed to build the capacity of science education leaders to facilitate inclusive, participant-focused improvement initiatives that are rooted in systems thinking, guided by the principles of improvement science, and tailored to the unique landscape of science education. rooted in systems thinking, guided by the principles of improvement science, and tailored to the unique landscape of science education. Join us at each of the sessions separately, or join them all! The focus of this third session in the Pathway centers on implementation, resource alignment, and strategic action. By applying essential principles of advocacy, you can communicate your messages, align with colleagues’ values, and move your system from awareness of the issues to taking action and making change.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will take away an advocacy and communication model they can use as they work towards enacting science education reform in their own systems, including a what-why-how communication strategy to deliver messages to colleagues.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott, Leslie Stenger, Shannon Wachowski

The NSELA Pathway for Leaders is a coherent four-part series designed to build the capacity of science education leaders to facilitate inclusive, participant-focused improvement initiatives that are rooted in systems thinking, guided by the principles of improvement science, and tailored to the unique landscape of science education. Join us at each of the sessions separately, or join them all! The fourth session engages participants in the strategic use of facilitation structures and evidence-informed reflection processes that support continuous improvement within science education systems. Grounded in leadership and systems improvement, the session examines how leaders engage with structured protocols and facilitation strategies that support meaningful use of data in collaborative settings. Participants examine how leaders present data, frame conversations, and support groups in interpreting evidence to surface insights, develop shared understanding, and inform adaptive decisions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will strategically select and use facilitation structures and evidence-informed reflection processes to support continuous improvement, strengthen shared understanding, and guide collaborative decision-making within leadership teams.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Mulkerrin, Joshua Smith