Elementary

Creating Inclusive PreK–12 STEM Learning Environments

Brief CoverBroadening participation in PreK–12 STEM provides ALL students with STEM learning experiences that can prepare them for civic life and the workforce.

Author/Presenter

Malcom Butler

Cory Buxton

Odis Johnson Jr.

Leanne Ketterlin-Geller

Catherine McCulloch

Natalie Nielsen

Arthur Powell

Year
2018
Short Description

This brief offers insights from National Science Foundation-supported research for education leaders and policymakers who are broadening participation in science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics (STEM). Many of these insights confirm knowledge that has been reported in research literature; however, some offer a different perspective on familiar challenges.

Interrogating Whiteness in Mathematics Education Research: A Discourse Analysis of Storylines About Latiné Communities

Society produces storylines about Latiné communities, including their placement in racial and linguistic hierarchies, that permeate the mathematics classroom and research in mathematics education. We conducted a discourse analysis of the enunciations used in top-tier mathematics education journals about these communities. The majority of articles we examined functioned to maintain white supremacy by centering dominant (white) storylines and values to maintain a racial hierarchy, with whites above Latiné and other marginalized groups.

Author/Presenter

Stacy R. Jones

Carlos Nicolas Gómez Marchant

Year
2025
Short Description

Society produces storylines about Latiné communities, including their placement in racial and linguistic hierarchies, that permeate the mathematics classroom and research in mathematics education. We conducted a discourse analysis of the enunciations used in top-tier mathematics education journals about these communities.

How Educational Leaders Think About Intersections of Identities and Disciplinary Learning in Science

American science education leaders play critical roles in promoting equity in education, but little is known about how they understand everyday classroom interactions where inequities related to intersectionality are evident. This study examines science leaders' sensemaking about a scenario depicting the experiences of a group of American Black girl elementary students in an engineering design lesson, focusing on what leaders notice and how they propose to intervene to address problematic aspects of the students' experience.

Author/Presenter

Riley Ceperich

William R. Penuel

Annie Allen

Trang Tran

Yamileth Salinas Del Val

Sarah Leonhart

Abby Rhinehart

Kristen Davidson

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

American science education leaders play critical roles in promoting equity in education, but little is known about how they understand everyday classroom interactions where inequities related to intersectionality are evident. This study examines science leaders' sensemaking about a scenario depicting the experiences of a group of American Black girl elementary students in an engineering design lesson, focusing on what leaders notice and how they propose to intervene to address problematic aspects of the students' experience.

Exploring the Relationship Between a PST's Written Noticings of Student Mathematical Reasoning and Their Reported and Actual Viewing of a 360 Video

An essential aspect of mathematics teacher education is the development of professional noticing. A 360 video is a new technology that can aid in developing mathematical teacher noticing. This study examines the relationship between preservice teachers' noticing of mathematical student thinking and the variation in their physical focusing behavior of 360 videos. Researchers used a convergent mixed methods design to examine the level of professional noticing with participants' 360 video viewing behavior.

Author/Presenter

Christine K. Austin

Jennifer L. Heisler

Karl W. Kosko

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

An essential aspect of mathematics teacher education is the development of professional noticing. A 360 video is a new technology that can aid in developing mathematical teacher noticing. This study examines the relationship between preservice teachers' noticing of mathematical student thinking and the variation in their physical focusing behavior of 360 videos.

Becoming a Responsive Mathematics Teacher: Centering Student Thinking in K–8 Classrooms

This resource presents and describes a model for teaching and learning mathematics responsively in the elementary and middle grades. Developed through the Responsive Math Teaching (RMT) project—a seven-year collaboration between teachers, teacher leaders, school and district administrators, and researchers from a network of K-8 urban schools—this book equips any mathematics educator with the tools to enhance instruction and increase equitable outcomes for students and communities historically underrepresented in mathematics.

Author/Presenter

Caroline B. Ebby

Brittany Hess

Lindsay Goldsmith-Markey

Lizzy Pecora

Jennifer Valerio

Joy Anderson Davis

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

This resource presents and describes a model for teaching and learning mathematics responsively in the elementary and middle grades. Developed through the Responsive Math Teaching (RMT) project—a seven-year collaboration between teachers, teacher leaders, school and district administrators, and researchers from a network of K-8 urban schools—this book equips any mathematics educator with the tools to enhance instruction and increase equitable outcomes for students and communities historically underrepresented in mathematics.

Attending to Preservice Teachers' Assets: Beliefs and Practices for Supporting Expansive Sensemaking in Elementary Science

Preservice elementary science teachers' beliefs and practices influence the kinds of adaptations they make to curriculum materials and the extent to which they are able to enact justice-oriented science lessons. Through this qualitative study, we explored the beliefs and practices of five focal preservice teachers through an analysis of their lesson plans, recorded enactments, and interviews about their science teaching throughout their student teaching experience.

Author/Presenter

Jessica Bautista

Elizabeth A. Davis

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

Preservice elementary science teachers' beliefs and practices influence the kinds of adaptations they make to curriculum materials and the extent to which they are able to enact justice-oriented science lessons. Through this qualitative study, we explored the beliefs and practices of five focal preservice teachers through an analysis of their lesson plans, recorded enactments, and interviews about their science teaching throughout their student teaching experience.

Transdisciplinary STEM: Converging Around Inquiry

The disciplines provide a wealth of resources to make sense of complex problems; when taking a transdisciplinary approach, students have the opportunity to engage in inquiry with local issues of meaning that can allow for deeper learning and engagement. 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 society.

Author/Presenter

Seth McCall

Karen Kirsch Page

Ellen Meier

Jessica Yusaitis Pike

Caron Mineo

Year
2025
Short Description

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 society.

Inquiry-based Science Instruction for Students with Disabilities: A Systematic and Meta-analytic Review

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 complex communication skills. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate extant literature on inquiry-based science interventions for SWD in service of developing scientific practices. We identified 26 studies in 22 articles and 3 dissertations for inclusion in this review.

Author/Presenter

Sarah Emily Wilson

William J. Therrien

Jenna Gersib

Megan Rojo

Victoria J. VanUitert

Gail Lovette

Maria A. Longhi

Sarah Benson

Sarah R. Powell

Christian T. Doabler

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2025
Short Description

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 complex communication skills. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate extant literature on inquiry-based science interventions for SWD in service of developing scientific practices.

Designing for Systemic Coherence: A Framework for Supporting Instructional Improvement in Mathematics Education

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 persistent challenge. In this paper, we present a design framework developed by a nine-year partnership focused on building a statewide professional learning infrastructure for mathematics education.

Author/Presenter

P. Holt Wilson

Michelle Stephan

Allison W. McCulloch

Catherine Schwartz

Katherine Mawhinney

Year
2025
Short Description

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 persistent challenge. In this paper, we present a design framework developed by a nine-year partnership focused on building a statewide professional learning infrastructure for mathematics education.

Designing for Systemic Coherence: A Framework for Supporting Instructional Improvement in Mathematics Education

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 persistent challenge. In this paper, we present a design framework developed by a nine-year partnership focused on building a statewide professional learning infrastructure for mathematics education.

Author/Presenter

P. Holt Wilson

Michelle Stephan

Allison W. McCulloch

Catherine Schwartz

Katherine Mawhinney

Year
2025
Short Description

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 persistent challenge. In this paper, we present a design framework developed by a nine-year partnership focused on building a statewide professional learning infrastructure for mathematics education.