Kirsten Daehler

Overview

Kirsten Daehler leads the Science and Engineering Content Area Team, which tackles enduring challenges and addresses significant needs faced by children and youth; educators; and leaders in the fields of science, data science, and engineering education. Daehler provides technical assistance to states, districts, and informal STEM learning environments (such as out-of-school-time programs) around teacher professional learning, equitable educational practices, data fluency, integration of science and literacy, standards implementation, administrator and leadership development, formative assessment, and program evaluation. 

As Founder and Director of Making Sense of SCIENCE (MSS), Daehler developed an approach to teacher professional learning which has been shown in multiple rigorous, large-scale studies to strengthen teachers’ knowledge and skills, transform classroom practices, and measurably increase students’ science achievement and literacy skills. The MSS team has worked with thousands of teachers, science educators, and leaders from more than 20 states, providing tens of thousands of hours of training and impacting hundreds of thousands of students. As Senior Research Associate III, Daehler also serves as the Principal Investigator (PI) on multiple innovative research and development projects. She leads strategic efforts to develop and test novel materials, tools, and educational supports; conduct research and evaluation projects; and provide professional learning and technical assistance to advance science and engineering teaching, learning, and achievement. 

As a former chemistry and physics teacher, Daehler is always a teacher at heart, with a driving passion to transform the way educators learn the complex art of science teaching. In 1994, she served as the lead teacher on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) project, contributing to the development of a national assessment for accomplished high school science teachers. Her research interests and publications are internationally known and focus on expert teacher knowledge, children’s science thinking, and teacher pedagogical content knowledge. Her work helps build leadership capacity in districts and regions across the United States to support next generation science learning and engaging STEM education.

Education

• MA in secondary science education, San Francisco State University 
• California Teaching Credential in physical science, San Francisco State University 
• BA in chemistry, Wellesley College 

Select Publications

Wong, N., Elsayed, R., Nilsen, K., Perez, L. R., & Daehler, K. R. (2024). Centering educators’ voices in the development of professional learning for data-rich, place-based science instruction. Education Sciences, 14(4), Article 356. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14040356  

Elsayed, R., Clark, J. G., Daehler, K. R., & Bloom, N. E. (2022). A practical guide for out-of-school-time professionals to promote inclusion and engagement in STEM learning. PLANETS; Northern Arizona University; WestEd. https://planets-stem.org/report-2022/  

Daehler, K. R., & Finzer, W. (2021). Indicators of data fluency: What am I looking for? @Concord, 25(2), 4–6. https://concord.org/newsletter/2021-fall/indicators-of-data-fluency/  

Carlson, J., & Daehler, K. R. (2019). Chapter 2: Repositioning of PCK in teachers’ professional knowledge: The Refined Consensus Model of PCK. In A. Hume, R. Cooper, & A. Borowski (Eds.). Repositioning pedagogical content knowledge in teachers’ professional knowledge. Springer.  

Daehler, K. R., & Folsom, J. (2017). Making sense of SCIENCE: Matter for teachers of grades 5–12 (2nd ed.). WestEd. 

Heller, J. I., Daehler, K. R., Wong, N., Shinohara, M., & Miratrix, L. (2012). Differential effects of three professional development models on teacher knowledge and student achievement in elementary science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 49(3), 333–362. 

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

Paul D. Hood Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Field—Issued by WestEd, January 2012. 

International Journal of Science Education, Reviewer  

Recent Media Appearances

• The Key to Good Science Teaching, Education Week, October 25, 2016.