ABSTRACT
As we move forward with the new agendas emphasized in many major national reports (e.g., National Research Council [NRC], 2012a, 2012b), including the Framework for K-12 Science Education (henceforth referred to as the Framework) (NRC, 2012a) and the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010), we find ourselves entering new waters for what the agendas mean for PreK-16 STEM education. The Framework and CCSS-M call for the integration of content with practices. “The important shift is away from an emphasis on merely knowing to an emphasis on using knowledge” (Duschl, Bismack, Greeno, & Gitomer, this volume, p. 7). The science-as-practice shift represents a large change that is occurring in pedagogical, psychological, and philosophical characterizations of STEM disciplines. The contributions and deliberations from the Waterbury Summit and the ideas presented in this volume suggest that this shift will impact many stakeholders, in particular teachers, affect all education levels, and spawn new conceptualizations of research.
