ADAPTING WASHINGTON STATE’S TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (Invited Presentation)

A consortium of 2- and 4-year Washington State Colleges and Universities in partnership with Washington’s Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Western Governor’s University, and other key stakeholders, is currently working to improve science and mathematics learning for all Washington State students by creating and implementing an innovative approach to improving STEM teacher preparation in Washington State aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in Mathematics and Language Arts. Our consortium is focusing on improving STEM teacher preparation programs in six key areas: (1) Clinical Practice-Induction, (2) Pedagogical Content Knowledge, (3) Education for Sustainability, (4) Computer Science Education (5) Engineering Education, and (6) Diversity. Rather than each institution in the state trying to figure out how to improve in all of these areas independently, we are working collaboratively to share our knowledge and expertise. Our model is informed by Kania and Kramer’s (2011) work on Collective Impact, by Senge, et. al’s (2012, 2015) work on Systems Thinking and Leadership, and by Page’s (2007, 2010) work on Diversity and Complexity. Earth and Space Science education in Washington State stands to benefit significantly through this large-scale collaboration, particularly if Education for Sustainability is adopted as a foundational component for STEM teacher preparation and as a model for P-12 schools to implement the NGSS. Working closely with P-12 schools, the state department of education, and Computer Science and Engineering educators will be critical to the success of our efforts. This talk will focus on both the benefits and challenges of multi-institutional collaboration, and how this work is envisioned to unfold over the next four years.