While student demographics continue to change nationwide, science achievement gaps persist, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NCES 2012). As traditional racial and ethnic minority students have become the numeric majority (NCES 2013), teaching science for all increasingly means addressing diverse student populations.…

To teachers of diverse classrooms, more rigorous standards in science may seem intimidating, as the past years of rigid accountability have failed to close the achievement gap. However, the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") were written with all students in mind, with input and full review by a diversity and equity…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offer a vision of science teaching and learning that presents both learning opportunities and demands for all students, particularly student groups that have traditionally been underserved in science classrooms. The NGSS have addressed issues of diversity and equity from their inception, and the NGSS…