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September 2025

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EDUCATE
Keeping current with news in science education.

Board Corner

Greetings, NSELA Members!

Welcome back to another exciting year in science education! I hope your academic year is off to a great start. I want to introduce myself to you. My name is Candace Penrod and I am the Science Supervisor for an urban district in the heart of Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2019,

I was introduced to NSELA as a VESELS recipient (Vernier Emerging Science Education Leader Scholar) and am thrilled to serve as the 2025-2026 NSELA president. I look forward to our continued work in leveraging your experience expertise and in promoting and advancing science education leadership.

My vision for NSELA is to strengthen the organization through finalizing the Strategic Plan, so that NSELA will have a blueprint to follow for the next five years. I also aspire to continue growing the organization in membership and partnership through supporting our Regional Directors, Committee Directors, and committee members in their roles, and ensure our partners continue to play an integral part in providing resources and opportunities advancing science education leadership. I am excited to continue NSELA’s work with the Collaborative for Advancing Science Teaching and Learning (CASTL) K-12 initiative. NSELA is grateful to be a core member of this timely collaboration and to serve as part of the Empowering School and Instructional Leaders group.

I truly believe that it is the people who serve that make NSELA a great organization. So, thanks, to each of you who serves in some capacity in advancing science education leadership. Your work matters and you matter, and together we are NSELA!

All the best for a great school year!

Dr. Candace Penrod

NSELA President 2025-2026

Policy Brief

NSELA  is a part of NSTA's Alliance of Affiliates (AoA). They recently produced an advocacy guide titled Science Advocacy Starts Here: Power in the Hands of Educators.

"This guide is crafted by NSTA’s AoA committee for AoA members and those in science education. It is in close alignment with NSTA’s mission and aims to equip you with practical strategies to advocate for science education at various levels—from simple actions like thanking a teacher to leveraging social media and engaging with policymakers. By sharing your stories, highlighting the work of fellow educators, and staying informed about critical issues, you can contribute to a more inclusive and scientifically literate society, all while leveraging the resources and network provided by NSTA."

ADVOCATE
Connecting with NSELA committees, events, and leaders.

Leadership Spotlight

This month we are excited to feature a VESELS mentor and mentee! 

Mentor: John Olson
Treasurer and Exhibits Coordinator - Minnesota Science Teachers Assn.
Secondary Education Coordinator - School of Urban Education, Metro State University

Mentee: Marta Stoeckel
Science Content Specialist - ISD 622, St. Paul Minnesota

Proud Leadership Achievements

John led the development and adoption of Minnesota’s most recent science standards, which actually began with the development of the Next Generation Science Standards. Minnesota was one of the NGSS lead states, represented by John. A few years after the NGSS were published, John led a revision of Minnesota's science standards that was influenced by the NGSS and had a very smooth process.

Marta cites the leadership of high school instructional materials adoption and implementation as a significant success. They successfully adapted the NextGen TIME process to facilitate decision-making and secure teacher buy-in.

Marta’s Hope for the VESELS program

Marta is looking forward to the connections with other participants and the community they develop. She wants to be able to share ideas and strategies with people who have similar roles. She hopes there will be an opportunity to interact in person.

John’s advice to Marta for getting the most out of the VESELS Program

Get to know not only the VESEL scholars, but the leaders in NSELA. The organization is full of people who are strong leaders and science educators who can be great resources to grow in this work. Getting involved in a committee is an especially great way to build connections in the organization.

Do you have someone in mind for the Leadership Spotlight? Self-nominations are welcome! Click the button to access the submission form.

It's Election Time for NSELA!

If you or someone you know is passionate about advancing science education leadership, has innovative ideas, and wants to collaborate with leaders across the U.S., consider nominating yourself or a colleague for the NSELA Board of Directors. Join us in shaping the future of science education leadership!

The NSELA nominations portal is now open on the NSELA web site. This year’s cycle, taking office June 1, 2026, is accepting nominations for

• President-Elect
• Region E Director
• Region F Director

The President-elect must be an NSELA member for 3 years and joins the presidential chain with the President and Retiring President for a 3-year commitment on the board of directors. This chain oversees all operations of NSELA and contributes significantly to the organization’s direction and growth.

An NSELA Regional Director serves a three-year term representing a designated geographic region in which they live or work. Regional Directors are elected by members residing in their region and are responsible for representing the needs of those NSELA members.

Both positions include participating in monthly evening-time virtual meetings and attending a spring face-to-face board meeting (travel/lodging provided), as well as additional tasks assigned by the Board.

Nominations will be accepted through October 31, 2025. Click HERE to submit a nomination.

Please refer to Section 4.00 of the NSELA Operations Manual for more details. If you have further questions, email info@nsela.org.

Write for the Leadership Matters Column - Now in All Three NSTA Publications!

NSELA members now have the opportunity to submit a column for Leadership Matters in Science and Children, NSTA's K-5 science publication, Science Scope, NSTA's 6-8 science publication, and The Science Teacher, NSTA's HS publication. Every NSELA member is a leader and you all have stories to tell about what is happening in K-12 science in your district and how you and others are making science happen.

Reach out to the following individuals for more information and to submit a draft article. The editors will work with you to get your article ready for publication. Any science educator can write for the column. The goal is to share our stories and learn from one another. 

K-5: Kathy Renfrew at krsciencelady@gmail.com

6-8: Lizette Navarrete-Burks at Lizette.Navarrete-Burks@unco.edu

HS: Shannon Wachowski at marketing.communications@nsela.org

Leadership Lounge at NSTA

NSELA is thrilled to introduce a brand-new offering at the upcoming NSTA conference in Minneapolis: the NSELA Leader's Lounge!

We know how valuable it is to connect with your peers, so we've created an exclusive space for science leaders to network, relax, and recharge. Start your day with coffee and conversation before your first session, or unwind with light refreshments after a full day of learning. It’s the perfect, informal setting to share ideas and chat with fellow leaders and the NSELA community.

Make this new event a cornerstone of your conference experience.

Event Details:

When: Friday, November 14

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Where: Minneapolis Convention Center - Room 102 C

We can't wait to welcome you!

COLLABORATE
Highlighting the work of our members, partners, and other organizations.

Partnership Feature

This month we feature a Gold Level Partner, DataClassroom.

What is a specific success story where your organization helped science education leaders overcome a challenge?

One of the most rewarding success stories for us at DataClassroom came from our longstanding partnership with Loudoun County Public Schools, a large suburban school district in Virginia that was working to bring authentic data analysis into their middle and high school science programs. Now, five years later, with incredible support from those district science leaders, students who had previously relied on “eyeballing” results are running t-tests and chi-square analyses with confidence, guided by DataClassroom’s scaffolds. In classrooms that conduct many labs, students are now spending more time than ever discussing the story behind their lab data and much less time simply making graphs.

How does your organization define and measure the success of science education leadership?

We define the success of science education leadership by looking at how effectively leaders create the conditions for both teachers and students to thrive in data-driven science learning. To us, strong leadership is measured not just by technology adoption, but by the ripple effect it has on classroom practice and student outcomes. In short, we define and measure the success of leadership by the growth of teacher confidence, the depth of student engagement, and the sustainability of systemic change that leaders make possible.

What innovative approaches has your organization taken to empower science education leaders in K-12 settings?

We believe that most of our innovation stems from the fact that our company’s DNA is rooted in the experience of teaching science. I was a high school science teacher in the Chicago Public Schools before I started working on the first prototype of DataClassroom. Nearly everything we do is designed to improve that moment when students are fully engaged in a lab activity and then hit a wall when it comes time to graph, analyze, and interpret data. I often referred to that moment as the time when all the fun got sucked out of my classroom. That moment is exactly where we are always trying to make things better for the science classroom.

What advice would you give to district and state science supervisors looking to strengthen science education leadership in their schools?

Invest in your teachers first, and the rest will follow. Science education leadership is not just about adopting new standards or choosing the right tools—it is about creating the conditions where teachers feel confident, supported, and inspired to take risks in their classrooms. If districts and states do more to support their teachers, then science leaders will be able to achieve more with their schools and departments. And, stay connected with your peers. Organizations like NSELA give science leaders the chance to learn from one another, share what is working, and collectively move the field forward. Leadership is not about having all the answers, but about creating networks of support where innovation and good ideas can spread.

Announcements

Lawrence Hall of Science: Localization of Science High-Quality Instructional Materials: A Webinar for Educators - Join The Lawrence Hall of Science Promoting Equity through Localization and High-Quality Instructional Materials Project for a 90-minute interactive virtual session on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 (3:30–5:00 PM PT / 6:30–8:00 PM ET). This session will highlight practical strategies and examples from educators and researchers on how to localize high-quality science instructional materials (HQIM) to better connect with students’ lives and communities. Register here.

NSTA: Call for Reviewers - Help shape and develop the NSTA Anaheim conference program by providing integral feedback on conference proposals. In recognition of your work reviewing conference proposals, you will earn activity points towards an NSTA Advocator badge and a downloadable Certificate of Recognition. Learn more about becoming a reviewer here.

SAFER LABS: Be Protected!
By Dr. Ken Roy, NSELA Safety Compliance Officer

PFAS Hazards and Safety Protocols for Science and STEM Instructional Spaces

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