TERC

Sometimes the most valuable evaluation findings are not the ones you expected.

SEEC at TERC evaluated the NetApp Data Explorers Clubs and found meaningful gains in students’ confidence using data to make a difference in the world, while also identifying where some learners needed greater challenge and support.

That kind of insight helps programs improve in meaningful ways.

Looking for evaluation that supports continuous improvement, not just reporting? Let’s talk.

https://hubs.la/Q04hSXxV0

Professional learning can be transformational when teachers help shape it.

TERC’s Climate and Equity Institute centers teacher expertise, collaboration, and inquiry — creating a growing community of educators leading change in climate and equity education.

Learn the 5 principles behind this work: https://hubs.la/Q04j4TmJ0

What if professional development treated teachers not just as learners — but as leaders, experts, and change agents?

That’s the foundation of TERC’s Climate and Equity Institute.

This blog post explores how an innovative PD model is helping educators:
✨ Build national networks
✨ Co-create new teaching practices
✨ Address climate change through an equity lens
✨ Develop lasting communities of practice

Readers will walk away with insights into what transformative teacher learning can look like in emerging fields.

Read more: https://hubs.la/Q04j4JHB0

📢 TERC researchers are presenting at the END 2026 Conference!

Nuria Jaumot-Pascual, Teresa Lara-Meloy, Ken Rafanan, and Elise Levin-Güracar will present two virtual sessions exploring learning in makerspaces:

🔸 “Life is your block of clay.” Applying a typology for learning in makerspaces (VP_237) Nuria Jaumot-Pascual, Teresa Lara-Meloy, Ken Rafanan, & Elise Levin-Güracar
🔸 Intensive participatory action loop with youth (VP_589) Elise Levin-Güracar & Ken Rafanan

Both presentations will be recorded and available on demand throughout the conference (June 20-22) and after its conclusion.

Learn more about their presentations:
https://hubs.la/Q04lg9Wf0

What can digging animals teach us about robotics?

This study follows middle school students as they explore how animals like moles dig—and then use those ideas to design their own search-and-rescue robots.

💡 You’ll learn how computational thinking helps students turn science ideas into real engineering solutions, and why combining subjects leads to deeper understanding.

https://hubs.la/Q04jLc2Y0

What does it feel like to pursue a career in physics when the path wasn't designed with you in mind?

A new comic zine by artist, educator, and researcher Sophie Wang, developed in collaboration with TERC, transforms findings from Dr. Maria Ong’s 25-year study into powerful visual metaphors that illuminate the experiences of women of color in STEM.

Through steep cliffs, blinding dust, heavy burdens, and helping hands, A Perilous Path Through Physics brings research to life in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and deeply human.

Read the story and download the free zine: https://hubs.la/Q04jmskp0

At SEEC at TERC, we help organizations understand how people experience learning opportunities.

Our evaluation work with the Adler Planetarium explored how visitors engaged with a Galaxy Zoo citizen science activity and how interactive exhibit design supported collaboration and scientific thinking.

We turn observations and data into insights that improve impact.

We’d love to hear about your work. Reach out here.

https://hubs.la/Q04hWkFB0

Don’t miss TERC’s two engaging sessions at the ISLS 2026 Annual Meeting in Irvine (June 15–19):

💠 Work in Progress: Training STEM Graduate Students to Collaborate with Stakeholders to Address Socio-scientific Issues (Jessica Karch, June 17th at 4:15 PM PDT)
💠 Teacher as Designers: Using Robotics to Integrate Computational Thinking and Science (Michael Cassidy, June 18th at 2:30 PM PDT)

Join conversations on how stakeholder collaboration is strengthening STEM graduate education—and how teacher-designed robotics units are sparking computational thinking in middle school science.

See you there!
https://hubs.la/Q04lgqFd0

AI tools are everywhere. Time to evaluate them isn't.

That's why TERC created TERC Tech Talks — a video podcast where STEM education researchers and guest experts test AI tools live, unscripted, and in real learning contexts.

After nine episodes, we've learned some important lessons:
☀️ Educators need support, not more tools
☀️ Relationships matter more than technology
☀️ Student perspectives are essential
☀️ Unscripted testing reveals what demos don't
☀️ AI works best as a starting point, not a final answer

Read what we've learned — and what it means for educators navigating AI today: https://hubs.la/Q04jlzk60

What’s the difference between subitizing and counting?

In Brighterly's latest guide, TERC’s own Megan Murray breaks down how educators and parents can spot the difference when helping kids build early math skills:

"If students are pointing to each dot or in the air, they are likely counting by 1s... Kids who are subitizing successfully often respond very quickly, and say things like 'I just know it’s 6!'"

Check out the full article to learn how instant quantity recognition shapes strong number sense: https://hubs.la/Q04kkJ_Q0