“NSTA strongly believes that we must move forward with professional development programs based on the best information currently available. The science education community should continue to encourage and conduct systematic research about effective professional development to add to our knowledge base for particular purposes in various contexts.”—NSTA Position Statement: Professional Development in Science Education (adopted May 2006)
In response to current interest in science education strategies, the National Science Teachers Association developed Research Dissemination Conferences (RDC) to highlight research topics and NSTA’s expanding commitment to bring specific, meaningful, and practical professional development to science educators. RDCs are highly focused and timely, single-topic events offered in conjunction with NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education.
The overall objective of the daylong event is to
- Disseminate current NSF-funded and related research on effective professional development for K–12 teachers of science to practitioners and policy makers;
- Emphasize results that address key issues and concerns: student achievement, teacher retention, scalability and sustainability;
- Provide a forum for discussing issues and fostering ongoing collaboration in support of improving professional development for teachers of science;
- Allow teachers, administrators at school and district levels, as well as professional development providers, to learn about the implications of NSF-funded researchers’ work for classroom practice and professional development.
These conferences emphasize NSF-funded projects whose evaluation results whose evaluation results show positive gains in
- Implementing teaching strategies that increase student understanding of scientific concepts
- Broadening participation in professional development (for example, online learning, school-site professional learning communities, classroom coaching, career-long options)
- Increasing the retention of new science teachers (for example, through mentoring, coaching, innovative scheduling or assignments, innovative recruitment or hiring practices)
- Increasing sustainable local resources for professional development (for example, through development of teacher leaders, partnerships with science-rich institutions, innovative resource allocation/funding)
The Conference Program
The conference format includes plenary sessions that address issues of general interest and multiple concurrent small group sessions that are relevant to the interests and needs of the practitioner audience. When registering for the conference, participants select breakout sessions that best match their needs and interests. Each breakout session targets the interests of specific groups, such as elementary teachers, secondary teachers, principals, curriculum coordinators, and professional development providers.
Participants are encouraged to attend in teams at a reduced registration rate. The diverse breakout session format is designed to accommodate different team members’ interests.
Upcoming conference
Science Assessment, Linking Science and Literacy, and Science and English Language Learners: What Does Current Research Say About Best Practices?
Past conferences
Linking Science and Literacy in the K–8 Classroom:
Science Assessment: Research and Practical Approaches for
Grades 3–12 Teachers and School and District Administrators:
Science and English-Language Learners (ELL):