Research favors active learning through STEM disciplines to improve understanding; however, opportunities for well-aligned STEM integration presented challenges for Northside Independent School District (NISD). First, state standards did not align across contents and grade levels. Second, the standardized tests created a lack of flexibility to…

Integrated STEM education within North America has become a popular pedagogy; however, teachers identify challenges that arise when planning for and implementing integrated STEM education. These challenges may threaten STEM teachers' capacity to balance disciplinary and integrated learning, a core feature of effective STEM education. The purpose…

This study examines shifts in science teachers' (N = 15) beliefs and practices within the context of a research-practice partnership (RPP) that developed and implemented curriculum modules in middle school science classrooms. Interview, document, and observation data gathered over the course of the project indicate that the vast majority of…

This study is situated within a large-scale national high school level engineering education initiative that aims to "demystify" engineering for high school students, teachers, and counselors through an all-inclusive high school level engineering course. Counselors participated in a series of PD activities centered on the following…

This study examined the alignment of three selected U.S. high school textbooks series with the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) regarding the treatment of statistical association. A framework grounded in the literature for inclusion and exclusion of reasoning about association topics was developed, and textbook entries were…

This study describes how student unit assessment data helped support ongoing curriculum revisions in the Baltimore City School District. This project is situated in the STEM Achievement in Baltimore Elementary Schools (SABES) project, which is a National Science Foundation funded multi-year Math Science Partnership between the Johns Hopkins…

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) science and engineering practices are ways of eliciting the reasoning and applying foundational ideas in science. As research has revealed barriers to states and schools adopting the NGSS, this mixed-methods study attempts to identify characteristics of professional development (PD) that will support NGSS…

The new standards for K-12 science education suggest that student learning should be more integrated and should focus on crosscutting concepts and core ideas from the areas of physical science, life science, Earth/space science, and engineering/technology. This paper describes large-scale, urban elementary-focused science, technology, engineering,…

In this study, the characteristics of teachers that motivate their implementation of reform curriculum, and the factors that influence the teachers' success in implementing the curriculum are investigated. In particular, teachers' internal struggles, frustrations, collegiality, and classroom successes during the implementation of the reform…

Policymakers and industry leaders are calling for a 21st century education that is more interdisciplinary in nature, including the ability to solve problems and think creatively. Traditional teaching practices that present subjects as separate and distinct disciplines do not encourage students to make connections between subjects in school and in…

This article presents a study exploring the beliefs, knowledge, and practices of four middle and secondary science teachers participating in a collaborative curriculum action research project. Using a case study methodology, the views and practices of these teachers were described and analyzed as they investigated novel ideas about scientific…

Reformers seeking to increase student understanding and interest are looking to collaborative partnerships to support improved science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching. At the college level partnerships across colleges are encouraged by reformers in order to provide all students with strong content understanding, model…

School curriculum and its impact on teaching and learning have received more and more research attention both in the United States and in the international context. For example, the Third International Mathematics and Science Studies (TIMSS) took curriculum and its different forms in the process of curriculum transformation as a guideline to…

Discusses some of the benefits of talent searches and how they are helpful when planning curricula for mathematically talented students. Contains 17 references. (Author/ASK)