The four approaches of engaging in formative assessment, deeper learning, culturally responsive and sustaining education, and personalized learning share a common aspirational commitment--to provide student learning experiences rooted in: (1) developing identity; (2) prioritizing learner agency; (3) educating for equity; and (4) honoring and…

As student populations become increasingly diverse, more schools are recognizing the importance of providing safe, engaging, and supportive school environments. As a part of these efforts, national attention has focused on promoting instructional equity and respect for diversity. Although some research has examined students' perceptions of equity…

From 2014 to 2020, the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Early Implementers Initiative supported several K-8 school districts in implementing the NGSS, which call for substantial changes in science teaching and learning. This brief describes some key results and takeaways from WestEd's evaluation of the initiative, which found that NGSS…

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on education. Science teaching, in particular, has faced specific challenges given the field's emphasis on high-quality instruction that has students "do" science collaboratively rather than just read about it or hear about it in a lecture. This brief provides: (1) a summary of data collected…

Over the course of six years, a diverse group of school districts and charter management organizations in California ran a substantial experiment in implementing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in elementary and middle grades. WestEd led an extensive evaluation of that effort, the California K-8 NGSS Early Implementers Initiative,…

This 13th report in WestEd's evaluation of the K-8 Early Implementers Initiative for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) provides an extensive response to the following question: What does NGSS science teaching look like in the classroom? The report first discusses Initiative teachers' experiences with four instructional practices that…

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing inequitable access to quality science education as teachers taught dramatically less science after school closures, particularly science that strongly fulfills the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). In particular, teachers struggled to implement key features of the NGSS related to investigations…