Featured Panel

About the Session

Members of this panel discussion will respond to questions about their experiences as leaders by and for sciences. Perspectives may include goals, plans, mentors, equity relationships, and the courage to lead. Attendees will learn the importance of advocacy, modeling, collaborating, and providing professional learning.

Personal Note from Roger:

While developing this book, I wanted to provide science teachers with positive perceptions of themselves, their potential leadership, and their contributions to society. I also wanted to show support for science teachers as both learners and leaders. To address these goals, the book includes 21 leadership profiles from science educators in various positions and career stages. The stories describe different pathways to leadership, roles one may assume as a leader, and recommendations for effective leadership. They contain a balance of personal stories by leaders, discussions of knowledge about teacher leadership, and insights and recommendations for those embarking on a personal journey of leadership.

Rodger Bybee

Rodger has been active in education for more than sixty years as a teacher, author, and leader in science education. He began his career teaching ninth-grade Earth science and high school biology, in addition to elementary school (K-6) science, both in Greely, Colorado, public schools and at the Laboratory School at the University of Northern Colorado. After completing his doctorate at New York University, he taught in the education department at Carleton College for fifteen years. In 1985, Rodger joined the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) in Colorado Springs as associate director. His work at BSCS included serving as Principal Investigator developing innovative curricular programs in science education for elementary, middle, and high school students and undergraduate nonmajors. In the early 1990s, Rodger worked on national standards and chaired the science content group for this initiative at the National Research Council (NRC) in Washington, D.C. In 1995, he joined the NRC and was executive director of the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education where he worked with federal agencies, congressional committees, and the executive branch on science education issues. Rodger returned to BSCS as executive director in 2000 and remained there until he retired in 2007. He has continued to write books, including the new release Leadership by and for Science Teachers, and worked on A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards.

Maya Garcia

As Beyond100K’s chief program officer, Maya leads the organization’s efforts to grow and nurture a vibrant network of diverse, powerful partners from across sectors to take action as a community and make meaningful progress to address the shortage of STEM teachers. Previously, she served as the Science and STEM education lead for both the Colorado Department of Education as well as the Office of the State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia. Before that, Maya taught 8th-grade science for eight years in the District of Columbia, where she also led professional development and served as a master teacher. Maya holds a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and behavior from Mount Holyoke College, an MAT from American University in D.C., and is currently pursuing her doctorate in education at the University of Colorado, Denver.

Dora Kastel

Dora oversees strategy and management of content areas for Curriculum and Instruction at New Visions for Public Schools. Specializing in developing standards-aligned instructional materials and curriculum-based professional learning, she brings prior experience as a middle school science and math teacher in East Harlem, and as a professional development provider at the American Museum of Natural History. She has collaborated on professional learning and curriculum projects with BSCS, SEPUP, WestEd, Math for America, and the Teaching Channel, and was a CADRE fellow in 2016-17. Dora has served as an invited speaker and panelist at district, state, and national science education conferences and convenings. She holds a B.A. degree in geology from the University of Pennsylvania and M.A. and Ed.M. degrees in science and math education from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Jim Short

Jim is a director in the education program at Carnegie Corporation of New York, where he invests in the development and implementation of high-quality instructional materials, assessments, and curriculum-based professional learning for teachers and instructional leaders. Building on the foundation’s support for new science standards, the Corporation launched OpenSciEd in 2018 partnering with ten states and other foundations to improve the supply of and demand for high-quality science instructional materials and curriculum-based professional learning. In 2020, Short co-authored a Corporation report on The Elements: Transforming Teaching through Curriculum-Based Professional Learning. Prior to Carnegie Corporation, he was the founding director of the Gottesman Center for Science Teaching and Learning at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. His experience also includes teaching high school science and graduate courses in science education, director of the National Academy for Curriculum Leadership at BSCS Science Learning, and district science coordinator for Denver Public Schools. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rhodes College, a master’s in science education from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, and a doctorate in education from Teachers College at Columbia University.