Pathways

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Pathways feature hand-selected programming tracks to maximize your conference experience through a curated grouping of sessions centered around a specific topic of interest.

Advocacy in Action: Leading for Change

Presented by NSTA

Join us to explore key science and STEM policy issues impacting the teaching profession in 2026. Gain practical knowledge on the basics of grassroots advocacy and learn how to effectively engage with local, state, and national elected officials. Leverage your leadership to amplify your voice and transform your commitment to inclusive, high-quality science and STEM education into bold, systemic action!

AI

This pathway features sessions on using AI to enhance science teaching in your classroom.

Achieving the Power and Promise of HQIM

Presented by BSCS Science Learning

Join us for a deep dive into the BSCS Curriculum Implementation Model and consider the critical actions of leaders (e.g., planning, advocacy) throughout the process–from selection of materials through sustained and effective use of HQIM.

California Science: Equity in Action

Presented by the California Association of Science Educators (CASE)

Join CASE members to learn about what CA is doing with the Next Generation Science Standards. From Elementary Instruction to Assessment Tasks, CA teachers are deeply committed to equity in the science classroom and implementing best research practices in the classroom. We will share tools, examples of lessons, and resources to support ALL students having access to high quality science instruction and assessment.

Collaborating for the Future: Lifelong Learning in Action with Department of Defense STEM (DoD STEM)

Step into the DoD STEM pathway and discover how the Department of Defense is preparing the next generation of scientists, engineers, and innovators. In these sessions, you’ll connect with DoD partners to discover strategies for creating unique, hands-on learning experiences for students of all ages. Explore hands-on programs, internships, scholarships, and career resources for students, as well as professional development and instructional tools designed to empower educators. Join us to see how DoD STEM fosters lifelong learning, sparks curiosity, and connects students of all ages to meaningful, career-building STEM experiences.

Connecting with Water: exploring the ocean and waterways through place-based, data-driven science

Presented by the National Marine Educators Association

From the deepest parts of the ocean to the waterways that shape our communities, the National Marine Educators Association pathway invites teachers to dive into ocean phenomena. Through data-rich, hands-on investigations, and real stories from ocean researchers, participants will explore how authentic science experiences and data can ignite student curiosity and reveal the interconnectedness of Earth’s systems. Discover how mapping the ocean floor, tracking biogeochemical changes, and visualizing “underwater waterfalls” can transform learning and help students think and work like scientists while connecting to the wonder, relevance, and power of water in our world.

Earth Systems in Action: Connecting Physical Science to Our Changing Planet

Presented by the National Earth Science Teachers Association

Discover meaningful ways to bring Earth science to life in middle and high school physical science classrooms! Learn practical strategies to spark curiosity and deepen understanding of NGSS Physical Science standards through authentic data, real-world phenomena, and hands-on investigations. From exploring the connections between soil chemistry, fires and floods, to using NASA satellite data to model heat transfer and linking classroom learning with community-based stewardship, each session demonstrates how physics and chemistry principles play out across Earth’s interconnected systems. Participants will engage with NGSS-aligned strategies, classroom-ready tools, and phenomena that make concepts like energy transfer, material interactions, and crosscutting concepts such as cause and effect or stability and change tangible and relevant. Leave inspired and equipped to engage students in making sense of real-world phenomena through the lens of physical science.

Finding Phenomena Nearby: How To Use Local Data to Drive Student Learning

Presented by NSTA and TUVA

Are you interested in helping students make sense of local phenomena? Are you looking for ways to incorporate more data in your instruction? Join the NSTA Professional Learning Team and Tuva for a series of sessions around using local data as evidence in making sense of complex phenomena. Whether you’re new to using local data with students or looking for new tools and strategies, these sessions will provide you with resources and ideas to bring home to your classrooms.

Focus on EC and Elementary Science!

Participate in a variety of sessions specifically for Early Childhood and Elementary Teachers, including literacy connections, physical science in action, and supporting STEM.

inquiryHub

Sessions presented by inquiryHub include a focus on educator wellness in science classrooms and school systems, using AI to enhance science teaching in your classroom, and supporting district implementation of High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM).

Leading the Way for Curious Classrooms, Authentic Assessment, and Innovative Instruction

Presented by the Council of State Science Supervisors

This pathway features sessions supporting critical aspects of science education leadership, inspiring student curiosity, assessing learning with fidelity, and implementing innovative instruction.

Making Sense of the World: Teaching for Curious, Capable Elementary Sensemakers

Focus on OpenSciEd Elementary

What does it take to build elementary science experiences that are coherent, equitable, and driven by students’ own questions? This session series explores powerful, research-supported practices—including storyline teaching, multilingual learner supports, productive discussions, three-dimensional assessment, and integrating math and literacy as tools for figuring out phenomena. With models drawn from the OpenSciEd Elementary curriculum but designed for universal use, these sessions offer concrete approaches teachers can use tomorrow to spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and expand access to high-quality science learning for every student.

Meaningful STEM: Presented by NSTA STEM Fellows

Join the 2026 NSTA STEM Fellows (former DoD STEM Ambassadors) as they share their experiences and collective expertise in creating and improving opportunities for all students to engage in meaningful STEM learning.

NSTA Preservice Teacher Education

Inviting all preservice teachers and higher education instructors attending the conference to network and learn about ways to engage with NSTA resources and events.

NSTA Press

Come learn from our esteemed NSTA Press authors, sharing their love of learning with research-backed expertise on a wide array of topics. Hear how our NSTA Kids books make science fun and fill the needs of teachers and parents by providing lively children’s picture books that also impart sound science. You'll head back to the classroom with realistic, ready-to-use teaching strategies you can implement on Monday.

NSTA Professional Learning

Join the NSTA Professional Learning team to enhance your phenomenon-driven, three-dimensional teaching! Whether you’re new to three-dimensional standards or stepping into a teacher leadership role(s), you’ll gain actionable ideas, implementable strategies, a wealth of resources, and opportunities to engage in national conversations about the vision for science education for all students.

OpenSciEd: Real Problems. Real Science. Real Solutions.

In this pathway, OpenSciEd showcases what happens when students dig into real problems with authentic science. Explore how content comes alive through sensemaking, how teachers can maintain rigor while centering student ideas, and how computer science integration strengthens problem-solving. Walk away with tools, strategies, and examples that lead students toward explanations and solutions that actually make sense.

STAC Framework: Purposeful AI for Science Sensemaking

Presented by the Science & Technology Advancement Center (STAC) 

This learning pathway introduces educators and leaders to the STAC Framework for using artificial intelligence as a catalyst for deeper, NGSS-aligned science sensemaking. Across interactive sessions, participants explore how AI can support, rather than replace, student reasoning through questioning, modeling, investigation planning, data analysis, and scientific argumentation. The pathway emphasizes purposeful, equitable, and non-policing uses of AI that elevate critical thinking, empower diverse learners, and help teachers design richer sensemaking experiences. Educators and leaders walk away with adaptable tools, routines, and strategies that position AI as a partner in creating more inclusive, inquiry-driven science classrooms.

Supporting Science Leadership with NSELA: Cultivating Teacher Expertise for All Learners in 3D Science

This pathway provides Science Education Leaders with practical, actionable strategies to improve K-12 science instruction across their entire system. The sessions will focus on building teacher expertise, specifically how to turn students' current ideas and misconceptions" into valuable starting points for deeper learning and conceptual growth. Participants will also learn proven methods for expanding instructional support for all students, especially multilingual learners, using smart, coordinated professional development that strengthens teaching and learning connections across all K-12 grade bands.