January 27-28, 2026: Regional Convening, Chicago Area

This convening brought together educators, education leaders and researchers with the primary goal of informing the development of an ASCEND K-5 Advocacy and Implementation Toolkit. This toolkit builds on our working Action Model, and brings additional critical friends into the national ASCEND K-5 network.

Spring 2025: NSTA, NSELA, and CSSS Conferences, Philadelphia, PA

The ASCEND K-5 project team facilitated three sessions at the national science conferences in Philadelphia. Science educators and education leaders collaborated with colleagues to identify and analyze key challenges and potential solutions that helped to shape the strategic direction of this initiative.

October 28-29, 2024: Advisory Board Meeting, Berkeley, CA

Experts from the nationwide elementary science community convened for a two-day summit aimed at providing a broad range of insights and constructive feedback at the early stage of the ASCEND K–5 project launch. The primary goal was to pinpoint and articulate the most critical challenges in elementary science education, prioritize them based on their potential impact, and identify and prioritize key stakeholder groups. Through collaborative discussions, participants envisioned actionable strategies for ASCEND K–5 to build and sustain a dedicated network to address these challenges effectively.