Look across three elements, Learning Designs, Beliefs, and Models, to figure out how leaders use them together to support teachers in making the shifts called for in NRC’s Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
concrete ideas about how you, as a leader, can plan for effective curriculum-based professional learning. excerpted chapter(s) of the new book by Jim Short and Stephanie Hirsh, Transforming Teaching through Curriculum-Based Professional Learning.

Use your position to impact more teachers and students and actualize the NGSS vision. Success stories include: launching an NGSS-aligned curriculum, forming collegial circles, hosting administrator-focused workshops, and providing assessment resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be inspired to form partnerships with formal and informal organizations supporting science education. Participants will hear success stories and receive electronic links to relevant resources.

SPEAKERS:
Harry Rosvally (Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES: Yorktown Heights, NY), David Jacob (Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES: Yorktown Hghts, NY)

For anyone that has excitedly explained the power of phenomenon-based instruction or 3-dimensional learning and been met with a blank stare – this session is for you! Led by communication experts, this session is designed to help you create K-12 Science messages in succinct, compelling ways.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn new ways to describe and explain the importance of 3-dimensional instruction and phenomenon based learning to key audiences, including parents and communities, lawmakers, and non-science educators.

SPEAKERS:
Adam Ezring (Collaborative for Student Success: No City, No State), Josh Parrish (Collaborative for Student Success: No City, No State), Michelle Austin (Managing Director, SVP: Washington, DC)

Have you wondered how to develop capacity and support teachers around the shifts in the Framework and the NGSS? This session will dive into how one teacher discovered the NGSS, moved from novice to apologist and works with teachers to continue to realize the vision of the Framework for Science Ed.

TAKEAWAYS:
This will largely focus on how to support teachers from a leadership perspective to help students engage in all three dimensions of the NGSS. How can we talk with and work with teachers to help them make shifts while developing the needed capacity and not devalue their expertise.

SPEAKERS:
Spencer Martin (Kansas City Kansas Public Schools: Kansas City, KS)

Sponsoring Company: Nourish the Future

Become a leader in exploring solutions with students on issues affecting sustainability, climate, environment, and food production. Test solutions to real-world problems facing food production today with 4 inquiry-based lessons in biotechnology, water/soil quality, renewable fuels and biodiversity.

This session will share professional learning designs, systems, and structures that cultivate teacher leadership and ground the work in teachers’ day-to-day instructional practice. Come alongside us as we share the work of two collaborative districts focused on building teacher capacity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore structures to support teacher growth to improve student outcomes. Participants will leave with examples of structures that can be used in their own districts and have the opportunity to network with other leaders.

SPEAKERS:
Jamie Parris (Hamilton County Schools: Chattanooga, TN), Andrea Berry (Knox County Schools: Knoxville, TN)

This session is designed to support instructional leaders and teachers in considering what the key shifts called for in the NGSS and Framework look like in classrooms. Our team developed an observation tool through our work observing and coaching 76 schools adopting OpenSciEd. The observation tool identifies what to look for in classrooms around rigor, teacher’s responses to student ideas, students’ responses to each other’s ideas, vocabulary, key instructional moves, and student sensemaking. Attendees will unpack the tool and then use it with classroom videos to understand the focal areas. Next, we will examine examples of how schools have used the tool, including classroom observations, to guide PLC discussions, and to facilitate individual teacher reflections. Finally, participants will have an opportunity to plan how they might adapt and use the tool in their own contexts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will take away an observation tool that is designed to focus observers on the actions of teachers and students that indicate rigorous student sensemaking. Attendees will practice using the tool and consider how to use the tool in their context.

SPEAKERS:
Renee Affolter (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA), Benjamin Lowell (New York University: New York, NY), Hillary Paul Metcalf (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA)

Dig into the Change Management element from the Functional Design Features to figure out how lessons about change can help leaders lead change in their systems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain concrete ideas about how you, as a leader, can plan for effective curriculum-based professional learning. excerpted chapter(s) of the new book by Jim Short and Stephanie Hirsh, Transforming Teaching through Curriculum-Based Professional Learning.

School leaders play a large role in the adoption of high quality instructional materials and can impact change in this space. Participants will learn about how to utilize EdReports reviews of instructional materials and how to get started with the adoption process by setting an instructional vision.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage with EdReports reviews of instructional materials and how to use the evidence from the reports to make informed decisions based on local context. They will explore how to utilize EdReports resources to set an instructional vision as part of the materials adoption process.

SPEAKERS:
John-Carlos Marino (Science Lead), Shannon Wachowski (EdReports.org: Fort Collins, CO)

District leaders play a critical role in ensuring all students in their district have access to meaningful science experiences. The NextGenScience team shares lessons learned from work with state- and district-level leadership networks across the nation to plan for equitable science programs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants examine their definition of equitable science education and consider key strategies for school and district leaders to evaluate and design systems in ways that eliminate inequitable practices, engage stakeholders, and create a supportive context for learning.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Childress Self (NextGenScience: San Francisco, CA), Neelo Soltanzadeh (WestEd: San Francisco, CA)

Science teacher leadership roles and responsibilities vary according to context. This session will present an activity designed to support science teacher leaders to identify their leadership roles and professional learning needs as it relates to their organizational context.

TAKEAWAYS:
Science teacher leader participants will have an opportunity to identify their roles and professional learning needs. Science teacher educators will leave with an activity that they can use in their context to develop professional learning supports for the science teacher leaders they work with.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Stallings (Graduate Student: No City, No State)

When teachers take risks, students are motivated to follow. Learn about research opportunities in the U.S. and abroad to lead as a citizen scientist teacher.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Opportunities will be shared to see how educators in other parts of the world teach STEAM topics; 2. Participants will learn about opportunities to partner with scientists in field work; and 3. Participants will be encouraged to apply for national and international citizen science projects.

SPEAKERS:
Candice Autry (Sheridan School: Washington, DC)

Based on the statistics that show that less than 30% of research scientists in the US are female, we need to have strong role models for girls at a young age. In this session, I will show you how to get started in planning the Science Event for Girls, which is a program developed for grades 6-8.

TAKEAWAYS:
Making sure that young women have the same opportunities as young men in the science field will help to ignite curiosity and interest in our natural world. Starting this interest at a young age is important for gaining traction in shifting the statistics of women in the science field.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Pagnotta (Science Teacher)

Leaders of elementary and secondary education will learn how they can build capacity and promote teacher efficacy by creating a system for in-house professional learning. Come see how we have capitalized on our greatest assets, our teachers, to build a climate which supports continuous learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Effective, sustainable, professional learning comes from within your district by utilizing in-house teacher leaders.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Lewis (Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy: North Windham, CT), Stephanie Sawyer (Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy: North Windham, CT), Nicole Bay (Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy: North Windham, CT)

Sponsoring Company: National Science Foundation

Join the National Science Foundation as we share professional development opportunities for teachers within the federal government and hear from Presidential Awardees about their experiences and benefits received from the PAEMST program.

SPEAKERS:
Gianluca Grignoli (NSF Event Lead: Philadelphia, PA)

A Scientist Just Like Me is designed to raise awareness of diversity in science -related jobs and to provide illustrated examples of a wide range of science-based careers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will have a free resource that they can share with any age group, to improve pupil confidence and awareness of their own skills and abilities. Pupils will be able to see themselves in these resources, and feel they can achieve, know about inspirational adults just like them.

SPEAKERS:
Kulvinder Johal (Primary Science Teaching Trust: Bristol, England)

Concerned about the achievement gap? Learn about the latest achievement gap data, experience a strategy for facilitating equity conversations with students, colleagues, and/or PD participants, which will enhance students’ STEM achievement and foster educators’ leadership skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience a unique equity-enhancing strategy and discuss how it might be used by teachers to create positive classroom cultures that nurture the STEM achievement of all their students, or with colleagues or PD participants as an asset to developing their leadership skills

SPEAKERS:
Jerry Valadez (Fresno State and SAM Academy CSW)

Look across the Essential Elements, Leadership, Resources, and Coherence, to identify enabling conditions for curriculum-based professional learning to ensure that all teachers are prepared to leverage high-quality materials as they provide meaningful learning experiences for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain concrete ideas about how you, as a leader, can plan for effective curriculum-based professional learning.

Celebrate Earth Day Every Day in and out of the classroom. Learn how to incorporate fun hands-on projects at your school to promote awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Start a program at your school that celebrates the notion of Earth Day Every Day 2. Gain resources to start engaging in hands-on projects for your students that promote conservation. 3. Learn how to partner with local and national agencies to create projects for your students.

SPEAKERS:
Kristi Gnage (Science Teacher: St. Petersburg, FL)

Applying design thinking, students, educators, and community members collaborate to solve issues facing our community.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Encourage your students to engage in community partnerships to promote student learning; 2. Provide strategies to increase scientific literacy through socio-scientific issues; and 3. Facilitate an inclusive culture through student agency.

SPEAKERS:
Pamela Joslyn (Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

As a NOAA Planet Steward Educator you can become a STEM agent of change in your school and community. Learn how to access professional development opportunities, education resources, and funding, to increase students’ science literacy, and have them respond to real world environmental threats.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD), Symone Barkley (Education Specialist: Silver Spring, MD)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

As a NOAA Planet Steward Educator you can become a STEM agent of change in your school and community. Learn how to access professional development opportunities, education resources, and funding, to increase students’ science literacy, and have them respond to real world environmental threats.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD), Symone Barkley (Education Specialist: Silver Spring, MD)