School change is difficult and is both leveraged and hindered by interactive influences within complex systems of social practice. Whole-school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is a growing trend with unique aspects of change required of educators. A qualitative case study was used to analyze educator perspectives of the…

Science reforms in the United States' education systems have been ongoing for over the last 50 years. These reforms are continually revised in response to the demand to increase employment in STEM careers. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) released in 2013 are the most recent standards-based science reform effort created using years of…

We sought to identify which aspects of our professional development program, the Consortium for the Advancement of Undergraduate STEM Education (CAUSE), were most useful for the participants. CAUSE was designed to support STEM faculty as they implement evidence-based teaching practices. We interviewed six faculty participants (Fellows) to address…

The preparation of future scientists, the technical workforce, and informed citizens will require continued transformation to the ways we approach STEM teaching and learning. Undergraduate STEM education is rapidly emerging as a focus of faculty scholarship, but new models for reform need to be developed and tested to accelerate changes in…

Background: We investigate the factors that shape teachers' implementation of a school STEM reform--the creation of a high-school makerspace. Educational reformers have increasing interest in making and makerspaces in schools. Prior research shows how factors shape reform at the classroom, school (organizational), and institutional levels, as well…

Traditional lecture continues to dominate undergraduate instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) despite the decades-long call to alter teaching to include more student-centered, evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs). While researchers have done some exploration of barriers to change, a need exists for…

This study examines issues encountered during a school's first year implementing science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) curriculum. The school year began with multiple changes in leadership, including the appointment of a School Operations Manager and Teacher on Special Assignment, who took on respective roles of principal and…

Background/Context: Rural districts often struggle to provide organizational structures that support knowledge-building and sharing among educators, contributing to the challenge of change implementation in rural contexts. Although prior scholarship identifies social relationships centered on trust as important for fostering educator learning, we…

Taking a sociocultural approach, the goal of this qualitative study was to examine the "process" of implementing a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) initiative. The study examined how the construct of STEM was individually appropriated and collectively constructed within a rural school district during its launch year.…

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are the foundation for discovery and innovation. STEM skills are increasingly important for all Americans to succeed in the workplace and in their everyday lives. To develop these skills, the Nation must engage in a collaborative effort to ensure that all Americans have access to…

At what point will educational actors recognize the limitations and utilize the possibilities of policy implementation processes to actualize long overdue reform measures for students--particularly those from historically marginalized backgrounds? Previous literature has attended to ways schooling processes replicate persistent historical, social,…

In recent decades, efforts to diversify Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields have relied on a variety of recruitment and retention programs designed to improve access and outcomes of traditionally underrepresented populations. Examining how such programs emerge within institutions of higher education in the United States…

During a 2019 workshop, the American Association of Universities (AAU) convened experts involved in leading, researching, evaluating and funding efforts to transform undergraduate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teaching across all sectors of higher education. The goal was to synthesize essential issues and challenges in…

Like many institutions around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted us to shift our summer 2020 in-person undergraduate experiential learning program to a remote, virtual format. Here, we present our observations, summarized in 10 best practices, for moving a STEM-focused research experience for undergraduates, experiential learning program or…

It is through the collective work of museum educators that an organization grows its social capital in its local community and beyond its physical footprint. Given the significant contributions of museum educators to an institution's outcomes, we argue for a shift in mindset on investing in their growth and development. We share our reasoning for…