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New elementary teachers who promote equity in science are proving highly effective at engaging students, no matter their background, a new University of Michigan study shows.

U-M researchers found that new educators are pioneering paths in science education by offering opportunities for scientific conversations, innovative learning strategies and encouraging children to become active participants in scientific exploration. The findings are in the Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of the Learning Sciences—ICLS 2025.

"When teachers are equipped to foster a more equitable and just learning environment in science, it not only enhances children's understanding of scientific concepts but also empowers them to see themselves as scientists and to use science to address real-world issues that matter in their communities," said Elizabeth Davis, a professor at U-M's Marsal Family School of Education.

"Beginning teachers use a range of effective strategies to work toward more equitable science teaching. They vary in their emphasis on opportunity and access, representation and identification, expanding what counts as science and engaging children as changemakers using science to support a better world. This variation highlights the multiplicity of entry points into this challenging work and shows these teachers' many strengths."

The study also identified areas for growth: that these teachers were less consistently likely to work to broaden what counts as science and to link science to social justice.

Davis and co-authors Jessica Bautista and Victoria Pérez Nifoussi said the study helps understand how different approaches to equity in science education can work together, potentially influencing future teacher training for improved K–12 science learning.

They emphasized the clear need for teacher educators and curriculum developers to provide more concrete examples and resources to help future teachers navigate complex, justice-oriented approaches to science.

"All children deserve to experience the joy and wonder of the natural world, yet science is taught far less often than language arts or math in elementary schools," Davis said. "Furthermore, many students are marginalized in science, including girls, students of color, children with learning differences and queer or gender-nonconforming children."

Funding challenges impact long-term research

The study is part of the U-M ASSETS research, a four-year longitudinal project that began in September 2023. Although it was intended to run for four years, the project was terminated in its 20th month, just shy of two years from its start.

"The termination of these NSF projects—focused on STEM education, and in particular equity in STEM education—is going to adversely affect science education and science for generations to come," Davis said.

"We are seeking additional funds for this work. Regardless, we will continue to support the teachers who participate in this project and we'll continue to collect and analyze data to the extent we're able to do so."

The team is now working on characterizing the participants' first year of teaching to assess how their approaches to equitable and just elementary science teaching align with and differ from their approaches during teacher education.