TERC Blog

For 60 years, TERC has worked alongside educators, researchers, families, and communities to better understand how people learn STEM. During that time, we've developed curricula, studied learning environments, piloted new approaches, and partnered with organizations across the country to explore a fundamental question: What does it take to engage students in meaningful and inspiring STEM learning…

It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of our dear colleague and friend, Sally Crissman . For 25 years at TERC, Sally brought extraordinary wisdom, curiosity, and generosity to her work, helping shape innovative science curricula and learning experiences that influenced countless teachers and students across the country. Her contributions to projects including The Inquiry Project , Tal…

The idea of working at a research institution initially gave me the thrill of independently looking for patterns, uncovering astonishing insights, and making discoveries. But in the end, what I found most exciting and fulfilling was working, collaborating, and making decisions as a team.

Exploring Brain-Computer Interfaces to Bring Diverse Brains to STEM The demand for STEM-literate workers is growing rapidly as fields like artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and robotics become central to the economy and society. With these shifts comes a pressing question: Who will step into these roles and shape the future of technology? Neurodivergent students are underrepresented in STEM,…

Educators are surrounded by bold promises about AI and learning technologies, but no one could realistically test them all. That’s why we created TERC Tech Talks , a video podcast where STEM education researchers and guest experts test-drive emerging tools unscripted and with real learning contexts. After nine episodes exploring tools from ChatGPT Study Mode to AI simulations that model student t…

Visualizing the Experiences  of Women of Color in STEM In a new comic zine developed in collaboration with TERC, researcher, educator, and artist Sophie Wang illustrates what it feels like to pursue education and careers in physics within a landscape that does not fully support one’s identity. A Perilous Path Through Physics: Obstacles, Supports, and Strategies of Women of Color in Physics transf…

In the summer of 2025, TERC piloted Doing the Math with Families , an adaptation of the U.S. National Science Foundation–funded Doing the Math with Paraeducators project. This version extended the original professional development—designed to strengthen paraeducators’ math confidence, knowledge, and teaching strategies—to bilingual parents through playful, engaging math games. The following refle…

Supporting teacher leadership in an emerging field. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation invited the authors of this article to develop a summer institute for high school teachers who are teaching climate science with an equity lens.

Dear TERC Community, Each day at TERC, I see our mission in action: continuous efforts to advance STEM learning for all. That has been my key takeaway during my first months as TERC’s President. After more than 30 years in STEM education, I can say without hesitation that the passion, creativity, and commitment of this team are extraordinary. TERC’s team recognizes that if innovation is at the he…

Wanting to support marginalized scientists, particularly disabled scientists of color, in 2024, TERC researchers Lisette Torres-Gerald and Christina Silva conducted a pilot study to develop and refine a new data collection methodology called Contemplative CRiT Collage (CCC). Its intention is to aid in the mending of scientists of color with disabilities who encounter negative experiences in STEM.…