Join WestEd science education researchers as they present at the 2026 National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) International Conference in Seattle, Washington, April 19–22, 2026.
WestEd and copresenters from organizations and universities across the country will present papers and serve as panelists and chairs that focus on key topics such as the following:
- Instructional relevance in assessment design
- Impacts of professional learning
- Ways that science teachers use generative artificial intelligence
- Effective STEM instruction
- Multilingual Learners
- Ways of connecting science learning to local contexts
- Environmental science
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WestEd Presentations
Sunday, April 19
Related Paper Set: Exploring Instructional Relevance Across the Assessment System: From Classroom to State Assessments
Time & Location: 2:45–4:15 p.m. / Ravenna C (L3)
Strand 10: Curriculum and Assessment
Chair: Jill Wertheim (WestEd)
Paper: Designing 3D Performance Assessments for Instructional Relevance
Authors: Jill Wertheim (WestEd), Lauren Stoll (WestEd), and Catherine Zozakiewicz (WestEd)
Monday, April 20
Administrative Session: Identifying Mechanisms and Networks for Senior Scholar Support of Early-Career NARST Researchers
Time & Location: 2:45–4:15 p.m. / Jefferson A (L4)
Chairs: Gail Richmond (Michigan State University), Troy Sadler (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill), Greg Kelly, University of Massachusetts Amherst), Stefanie Marshall (Michigan State University), Sharon Nelson-Barber (WestEd), Travis York (AAAS), and Patrick Enderle (Georgia State University)
The goal of this session is to share resources for senior NARST members to support early-career scholars.
Organized Paper Set: Elementary Teacher Development in Science and Engineering
Time & Location: 2:45–4:15 p.m. / Juniper (L2)
Strand 8: In-Service Science Teacher Education
Paper: Impacts of Professional Learning on Elementary Teachers’ Engineering Teaching Self‑Efficacy to Support Multilingual Learners
Authors: Meghan Macias (WestEd) and Ashley Iveland (WestEd)
Administrative Session: Fireside Chat: Networking, Socializing, and Connecting Among the ISK RIG Membership
Time & Location: 7:30–9 p.m. / Ravenna AB (L3)
Discussants: Sharon Nelson-Barber (WestEd), Pauline Chinn (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa), and Bhaskar Upadhyay (University of Minnesota)
The purpose of the ISK RIG Fireside Chat Social Event is to provide a comfortable, informal, and casual setting for the ISK members to connect, meet each other, and exchange ideas.
Tuesday, April 21
Organized Paper Set: Teacher AI Use, AI Literacy
Time & Location: 8:15–9:45 a.m. / Jefferson B (L4)
Strand 12: Technology for Teaching, Learning, and Research
Paper: How Science Teachers Use AI: A Descriptive Portrait From a National Survey
Authors: Joshua Rosenberg (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), Shawon Sarkar (University of Washington), Lief Esbenshade (University of Washington), Drew Nucci (WestEd), Sarah Rainier (WestEd), Ann Edwards (WestEd), Alex Liu (University of Washington), Zewei (Victor) Tian (University of Washington), Zachory Zhang (Colleague.AI), and Min Sun (University of Washington)
Paper: K–12 Science Teachers’ GenAI Use as Situated in their School Contexts and Pedagogical Orientations
Authors: Drew Nucci (WestEd), Sarah Rainier (WestEd), and Joshua Rosenberg (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
Organized Paper Set: Supporting Effective STEM and Engineering Instruction in Elementary Classrooms
Time & Location: 8:15–9:45 a.m. / Juniper (L2)
Strand 3: Science Teaching—Primary School (Grades preK–6): Characteristics and Strategies
Paper: Impacts of Professional Learning on Rural Elementary School Teachers’ Enactment of Student Agency
Authors: Meghan Macias (WestEd), Rasha Elsayed (WestEd), Min Jung Lee (University of North Dakota), Ashley Iveland (WestEd), and Ryan Summers (University of North Dakota)
Symposium: Transgressing Boundaries Between Engineering Education, Multilingual Learners, and Community: Lessons From a Project’s Creative Solutions
Time & Location: 10–11:30 a.m. / Willow A (L2)
Strand 8: In-Service Science Teacher Education
Authors: Okhee Lee (New York University), Jerome M. Shaw (University of California, Santa Cruz and WestEd), Kirsten Daehler (WestEd), Ashley Iveland (WestEd), Nico Janik (WestEd), Meghan Macias (WestEd), Tanya Warren (WestEd), Diana Aquilizan (San Diego Unified School District), Paola Paz Soldan (Capistrano Unified School District)
Symposium: Culturally Sustaining Approaches to Classroom Assessment in Science and Engineering: Findings, Tensions, and Open Questions
Time & Location: 2:30–4 p.m. / Capitol Hill (L3)
Strand 10: Curriculum and Assessment
Authors: Erin Marie Furtak (University of Colorado Boulder), Hosun Kang (University of California, Irvine), Christopher Wright (Drexel University), Clarissa Deverel-Rico (BSCS Science Learning), Shakhnoza Kayumova (University of Massachusetts Dartmouth), Veronica Cassone McGowan (University of Washington Bothell), Lauren Stoll (WestEd), Nelly Tsai (Northwood High School and University of California, Irvine), Django Paris (University of Washington Seattle), and Dionne Champion (University of Florida)
Wednesday, April 22
Organized Paper Set: Engineering Design and Co-Design to Transform STEM Classrooms
Time & Location: 9–10:30 a.m. / Ballard (L3)
Strand 4: Science Teaching—Middle and High School (Grades 5–12): Characteristics and Strategies
Paper: Cycles of Co-Design: Linking Instructional Materials Revisions to Shifts in Engineering Teaching Practices
Authors: Katy Nilsen (WestEd), Ashley Iveland (WestEd), Aaron Soo Ping Chow (WestEd), and Sara Salisbury (WestEd)
Related Paper Set: Inspiring Science Participation Among All Ages and Backgrounds: Evaluations From NASA’s Science Activation Program
Time & Location: 9–10:30 a.m. / Capitol Hill (L3)
Strand 15: Policy, Reform, and Program Evaluation
Paper: Research and Evaluation Practices to Engage With Neurodivergent Teens in STEM Programs
Authors: Andrew Grillo-Hill (WestEd), Rasha Elsayed (WestEd), Kimberly Nguyen (WestEd), Karen Melchior (WestEd), and Joshua Valcarcel (WestEd)
Organized Paper Set: Place, Culture, and Community in Environmental Science Learning
Time & Location: 10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. / Jefferson B (L4)
Strand 14: Environmental Education and Sustainability
Paper: Connecting Science Learning to Local Contexts: Outcomes From a Multi-Phase, Teacher–Scientist Curriculum Project
Authors: Susan Gomez Zwiep (BSCS Science Learning), Jill Grace (WestEd), Katy Nilsen (WestEd), Aaron Soo Ping Chow (WestEd), and Ashley Iveland (WestEd)