As an independent nonprofit based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, we rely on individual gifts to sustain our innovation and broaden access to our programs. Will you make an investment to provide students and educators with the science education they need today?
"I first encountered BSCS as a preservice teacher. I was looking for strong curriculum examples of the inquiry-based science learning that I kept hearing about in my graduate classes. Finally, someone handed me a copy of a BSCS biology textbook. BSCS has since been synonymous in my mind with striving towards innovative and research-based approaches in science education."
"I have been lucky to get to contribute to curriculum projects at BSCS, and it strikes me that BSCS fosters a professional community that mirrors the learning environments we might wish for our students: purposeful, creative, reflective, deliberative, collaborative, caring, and joyful. BSCS creates the conditions where powerful growth can happen."
"It's no wonder that BSCS has been at the vanguard of supporting science education for years - and for years to come." -- Monica Sircar, BSCS Major Donor
"While an active teacher, I taught BSCS Biology: An Ecological Approach (Green Version) until BSCS Biology: A Human Approach (AHA) came on the scene. The training session with Janet Carlson in Colorado Springs the summer after AHA was first published was wonderful and led me to become a consultant for Kendall Hunt for several years, going to Boston, Baltimore, Seattle, San Diego, Castle Rock, Singapore, and here in Winston-Salem. I still miss playing with termites!"
"I donate to BSCS to further quality science education for all kids. The last four years politically surely showed us that everyone needs more science knowledge if we are to not only survive but to thrive." -- Tom Seaver, BSCS Supporter since 2001
"What first comes to mind when I think of BSCS is integrity. It's the organization that returned evolution to high school textbooks in the 1960s, and never knuckled under to the pressures exerted by 'adoption states' to water down the subject, or qualify it in some way - as routinely was done by some publishers. It's the organization that stayed true to its core to not just publish scientifically accurate instructional materials, but to challenge teachers and their students with innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and do it over and over, for more than 60 years, now."
"And what comes to mind for me personally is how much I cherish having been able to learn from the smart and creative administration and staff of BSCS, including (but not limited to) the late Bill Mayer, Joe McInerney, Rodger Bybee, Janet Carlson - too many to list!"
"Biology education is greatly enriched due to BSCS innovations. And they're just getting started!" -- Genie Scott, BSCS Board Member (1993-1999)
"To me, BSCS is both a product-high quality instructional materials-and people. BSCS works thoughtfully to bring together recent science understanding, current ideas on learning and teaching, and the latest issues on school policy. BSCS is always just a little bit ahead of the times." -- Angelo Collins, former Executive Director, Knowles Science Teaching Foundation
"The BSCS instructional materials are rich with a clean story line that my students find engaging. The professional development opportunities have moved the teachers in my department to a new level of understanding inquiry." -- John Henry, Science Teacher and Department Chair
"BSCS has helped us to develop a close-knit community of educators and leaders that are dedicated to updating and transforming our classrooms to be student centered and inquiry based." -- Elizabeth Hickey, Science Teacher
"BSCS is genuine and passionate in their quest to develop and help implement effective, inquiry-based materials. Additionally, BSCS provides authentic and continuous professional development that helps develop teachers as learners and facilitators in order to increase student learning in the science classroom." -- Kristen Harris, Science Educator
"BSCS uses the most recent studies by eminent researchers to provide pertinent/relative professional development for teachers who wish to have their student learn science." -- Jay L. Meyers, Secondary Science Coordinator
To transform science teaching and learning through research-driven innovation.
At BSCS Science Learning, we are working toward a world where everyone is inspired and prepared to use science to build a better future. In this world, each individual will have an understanding of science they can use to thrive in their personal life, care for their communities, and contribute to efforts to protect our shared planet.
To get there, all young people need opportunities to experience science learning that engages their curiosities and builds a foundational understanding of how our interconnected world works. That’s where we come in. BSCS is on a mission to transform science teaching and learning.
The transformation we seek will have two important outcomes for learners...
Science for Life
Since our founding in 1958, BSCS has been driven by the recognition that understanding science and how to “do science” is critically important for members of our society. Over the years our views on what it means to understand science and do science have changed, as have our views about why it is important. Today, we seek to provide all young people with science learning opportunities that prepare them to use science across their personal, professional, and civic lives.
Social & Environmental Justice
Historically, science educators have shied away from placing different values on different uses of science. However, we are concerned that by doing so, we can miss the opportunity to use science to address injustice. We are committed to the goal of inspiring and preparing students to use science as a force for good in the world. Therefore, we are conducting research and development explicitly targeting social and environmental justice outcomes—so that all learners receive the tools to figure out, explain, and act in service of the ecological, physical, and social world, using science.
As we pursue these outcomes, we are focused on how and where we innovate for impact...
Equitable Impact
We’ve been producing effective science education programs for 65 years. But our programs have not always reached the educators and learners who need them most. We must think about how we approach our work, who we are working alongside, and where the impact is needed most. So that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’ve made a commitment to historically marginalized, underserved communities—so that all educators and learners have access to high quality science education programs.
Research-Driven Innovation
We have big aspirations for the future of science teaching and learning. How do we know what to do and determine that we’re making an impact along the way? All of our work is grounded in research. We understand that to create the most effective programs for a variety of contexts, we need to bring diverse teams together to continuously develop, test, learn, and refine. So we are committed to an ongoing process of research and innovation—which happens in close collaboration with the very educators and learners we most wish to support.
Our research-driven work is focused on two areas that are critical to transforming science teaching and learning...
Resources for Science Teaching and Learning
High quality resources are the foundation for transformative science teaching and learning experiences. But what do high quality resources really look like in practice? In schools, they can be instructional materials that enable teachers to engage students’ curiosities and lift up their ideas. In other settings, they can be resources that encourage learners to design their own investigations around interesting phenomena, make connections, and figure things out. A defining characteristic of high quality materials is that they can help create environments where learners are motivated to understand and use science throughout their lives and careers. We are committed to translating our research into high quality resources for science teaching and learning—because these resources are among the most powerful tools for change in both formal and informal settings.
Organization name
BSCS Science Learning
other names
Biological Sciences Curriculum Study, BSCS Science Learning, BSCS
1972
Tax id (EIN)
84-0622557
Category
Education
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
5415 Mark Dabling Blvd.El Paso County, CO, US