Center for K-12 Science

The Lawrence Hall of Science

Center for K-12 Science

Dedicated to disrupting inequities, creating sustainable change in K-12 systems, and fostering inclusive science learning environments with leaders, partnerships and networks, and instructional materials.

Vanessa Lujan, Ph.D.

Director, Center for K-12 Science

k12science@berkeley.edu

Our Work

We are committed to empowering equitable K-12 science education through advancing efforts in three key areas: (1) K-12 leadership and systems change; (2) transformative professional learning; and (3) instructional materials design.

A smiling student holds up the science project he has constructed.

K-12 Leadership and Systems Change

At the Center for K-12 Science, we believe systems-level thinking and organizational change have transformative potential for improving K-12 science. The Center has tested approaches for fostering equitable change that both support leaders in their contexts and help them drive meaningful transformation.

We enhance leaders’ knowledge and skills to become effective organizational change agents.
We support leaders with various roles and responsibilities, proximal and distant to science education, within their systems.
By leveraging systems thinking along with educator-centered communities of practices on both local and national scales, our leaders become better positioned to create systems conditions that support each and every child.

Transformative Professional Learning

At the Center for K-12 Science, we believe that professional learning is instrumental in building educators’ capacity and reinforcing the value of science across schools and districts. We engage educators in transformative experiences to support their facilitation of engaging, relevant, phenomena-based multimodal science instruction based on the three dimensions of science.

We design and facilitate experiential, ongoing, research-based, and collaborative professional learning for instructional leaders and teachers.
We build the capacity of our participants through tested approaches that incorporate participant knowledge building, knowledge sharing, and transfer of learning into purposeful knowledge use.

View Professional Learning

Two students are examining nature in the Outdoor Nature Lab

Instructional Materials Design

The Center for K-12 Science develops high-quality, research-based, K-12 instructional materials designed for the national science standards. We partner with publishers to distribute these materials to districts and schools for use by teachers and students in classrooms, nationally and internationally. Our Center includes the curriculum development teams for Amplify Science (K-8), Full Option Science System (FOSS) (K-8), and Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP) (6-12th grade).

View Instructional Materials

Our Services

We support K-12 leaders, teachers, and partners to advance science education through our customized approaches to any one or more of the following areas:

Two young students participate in a hands-on science activity.

Standards-aligned, Hands-on Science Instruction

Two children wearing safety glasses are conducting a science experiment and looking at red liquid.

Systems Change & Capacity Building

A young child participates in an activity in the Biotech lab.

Computational Thinking & Computational-STEM

Two students use a computer while working together on AI small group work.

Assessment-related Practices

Two students work together on an electrical engineering project.

Interdisciplinary & Content integration Across Subject Areas

Teens investigate a tide pool during the Marine Biology Teen Research Program

Localization of Teaching & Learning Experiences

Scholars in STEM Learning, CCASN UC Berkeley Summer Residency

Language & Literacy for Multilingual Learners’ Success in Science

Two students are investigating nature in the Outdoor Nature Lab

Environmental & Outdoor Learning

What Our Support and Services Look Like

An educator is speaking into a microphone while presenting and pointing to word cards on the classroom wall.

Working and partnering with K-12 systems to examine, identify capacities, and create tools to support setting the conditions for equity-driven systems change for science (including successful implementation of standards-aligned science instructional materials.)
Increasing partnerships with K-12 systems, researchers, external audiences, state and regional education entities, peer academic institutions, leaders, and teachers.
Deepening science pedagogical content knowledge of educators and leaders, increasing their capacity to enact and support effective instructional practices for all students (particularly in elementary school systems).
Supporting educators using and adapting science instructional materials, enacting research-based practices, and serving as models for other educators.
Providing well-designed, research-based, standards-designed professional learning that support asset-based mindsets for educators and leaders to enact change in their contexts.
Providing science lessons that give students equitable access to science content, regardless of their background or learning needs, allowing them to engage in meaningful scientific conversations about real-world issues.

Our Expertise

Our staff at the Center for K-12 Science brings this extensive expertise, along with passion for science education, to all of our programs as we strive to make a meaningful impact in the world.

Three teens participate in a Lawrence Hall of Science Teen Research Program

Working with Learners of Diverse Backgrounds

We work with schools and districts ranging from urban settings to rural areas, large and small systems, and at all grade levels K-12, as well as in pre-K and post-secondary education.

Lawrence On-The-Go Educator showing children Benham's Disk

Working with Schools in a Variety of Settings

We teach and work with schools and districts ranging from urban settings to rural areas, large and small systems, and at all grade levels K-12, as well as in pre-K and post-secondary education.

Working with School System Leaders

We work with and advise school system leaders such as state leaders, district superintendents, and school principals.

Focused Female Group Tackling Nano Coding Challenges.

Conducting Educational & Scientific Research

We conduct both educational and scientific research addressing questions in nearly every discipline within the natural sciences and engineering.

Developing Approaches, Materials & Assessments

We develop pedagogical approaches, instructional materials, and assessments designed to meet the vision of the Framework and NGSS.

National Symposium II: Equity Issues in College and Career Pathway Teaching and Learning Practices

Sharing Expertise at National Science Agendas

Members of the Center for K-12 Science regularly appear on national science education agendas, such as key leadership committees for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA); panel discussions as part of the National Academies for Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Board on Science Education (BOSE); the National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) National Assessment Governing Board; and associate members of the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS).

Our Impact

National Reach

We estimate that 1 in 5 elementary-age public school students in the United States use Center for K-12 Science instructional materials. This translates to 20% of U.S. students engaging in Center for K-12 Science-designed science instruction across all 50 states.

We estimate that over 800,000 educators in the U.S. alone teach with our Center for K-12 Science instructional materials and have their students access and engage in grade-level, standards-designed teaching and learning without having to design their own lessons.

Two students investigate nature in the Outdoor Nature Lab

International Reach

Our instructional materials are used internationally, including in Japan, Saudi Arabia, and by the United States Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). Over 66,000 students are enrolled in DoDEA schools, served by more than 8,000 educators, and in 11 foreign countries and 2 U.S. territories.

Two students light up a light bulb during a science project.

Networks

We develop robust state-wide and regional networks of districts, leaders, and teacher leaders that include:

Working with networks of over 100 leaders and 100 teacher leaders in partnership with the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington state.

Working with over 30 school districts of varying scales and types (urban, suburban, and rural) in California.

Partnering to support equity-driven capacity building for science and math with the nation’s largest charter management organization, KIPP Public Schools.

Ongoing, deep relationships with K-12 systems that adopt and implement our instructional materials programs.

Supporting school district partners in facilitating and engaging local, community-based organization relationships to support district STEM goals.

A woman waves at her colleagues during a video call on her laptop

Past and Present Partners (selected list)

The Center for K-12 Science engages with various partners, and below is a small, representative sample of past and present partners.

What Our Partners Say About Us

“I think it is important to have the expertise of [the Center for K-12 Science]… I also think it is important for practitioners to see that others are doing the same work and to learn from what other districts are doing. . . I think it is really important for superintendents to hear from one another and from teachers at the elementary schools to hear from one another––that really helps with enriching our vision and our human capital development…”
District Superintendent

[The Center] has provided teachers with invaluable training that they can directly infuse into their classroom instruction and planning. Teachers have had opportunities to become teacher leaders. These teachers have taken on leadership roles to provide staff development opportunities in our district and have mentored other teachers with the transition to NGSS. Furthermore, our work with [the Center] has provided us with opportunities to network and learn from best practices from other districts and key people within the science community. It has been an incredible journey, and I hope we can continue it!”
District Leader

“[The Center for K-12 Science] gives voice to science…It has provided our district with a vision of and mission for science. This helps us to have discussions about the coordination of professional development, distribution, and management of science materials, and a shared understanding of best practices for NGSS. In these ways, it is making a difference.”

District Leader

Three educators are collaborating together.

Our Team

The Center for K-12 Science at the Lawrence Hall of Science is home to a team of over 50 experts with a wide range and depth of skills and experience across the science education landscape.

Meet Our Team

Get In Touch

Questions? We’d love to speak to you.

k12science@berkeley.edu

Our Services

We support K-12 leaders, teachers, and partners to advance (increasing the quantity and/or quality of) K-12 science education through our customized approaches to any one or more of the following areas:

The Lawrence Hall of Science