National Science Teaching Association (NSTA)

Beyond the Notes: From Passive Collectors to Active Investigators By Veeraiah Kummari Posted on 2026-08-20 Regardless of how many years they have been teaching, many teachers still feel nervous on the first day of a new school year. One question that remains on their minds is: How do I teach the same ideas and strategies from a fresh perspective?

From a Textbook Prompt to an Authentic Conversation By Alex Luciano Posted on 2026-08-18 One afternoon in my fifth- and sixth-grade bilingual after-school program, my students were reading a short informational passage about astronauts. The reading described how astronauts train, live aboard the International Space Station, and receive supplies from Earth. It was a solid informational text, but by the time we reached the end, the energy in the room had faded.

Every science teacher knows the feeling: Your students walk out of a jam-packed lecture with pages of beautifully written notes. Weeks later, they are staring at an exam question on cellular respiration like it’s written in Latin.

Example of a Laboratory Instructional Space Safety Incident In Denver in 2014, a fired chemistry teacher was criminally charged with four counts of third-degree assault—a class 1 misdemeanor—after four students were burned (one seriously) when a fire erupted in a charter high school chemistry laboratory while the teacher conducted a demonstration with methanol. The teacher did not have a Colorado teacher’s license or special training in the dangers of methanol.

On July 22, NSTA submitted a letter to the chairs of the House and Senate Education Appropriations Committees, asking them to provide robust funding for FY2027 federal investments that strengthen K–12 science education, support the nation's science teaching workforce, and ensure every student has access to a high-quality science education. Read the letter here.

For generations, the traditional science classroom included a process for organizing data. Teachers either had students collect data, which is still an important process to learn, or handed students a carefully curated and potentially sanitized table of numbers. The variables were tidy, anomalies were conveniently scrubbed, and the resulting line graph was likely a predictable straight path that confirmed a law of physics or a known chemical reaction.

When we think about the use of model organisms in classrooms, we tend to think they are reserved for older students. We often envision intricate investigations that take up valuable class time and may feel overwhelming for younger students. Model organisms provide rich opportunities for scientific investigation, ethical discussions, alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards, and connections to human biology.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Laboratory Standard does not require that laboratory training relative to hazardous chemical use be conducted annually as a legal safety standard. OSHA does however require safety training for the following situations: Before working in any school science lab with hazardous chemicals, teachers must receive safety training. This training ensures teachers understand the hazards, protective measures, and emergency procedures.

Science education is rooted in curiosity and doing. Students begin to think scientifically when they notice something, wonder why it happens, ask questions, and look for ways to investigate. Just as students would not learn to swim by only reading about swimming and never getting in the pool, they can’t engage in the work of science without the right opportunities. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes part of students’ everyday learning, AI tools deserve careful attention.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere. From platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, and MagicSchool AI to everyday conveniences like smart appliances and customized entertainment streaming options, AI is clearly here to stay and changing how we live. Educators in particular encounter information about AI from the media, their school districts, and educational vendors, as well as in professional conferences and workshops.