Jenny Sarna

Overview

Jenny Sarna is a nationally recognized leader in science education, with a focus on bridging the gap between research and practice to support educators and leaders with creating the conditions for meaningful and impactful learning. As Project Director of NextGenScience, Sarna works with system leaders to identify and enact policies and practices that have had a lasting impact on the quality of science instruction and the advancement of equitable education for all students.  

Sarna is committed to practical, responsive, and scalable approaches that improve teaching and learning. NextGenScience’s professional learning, curriculum reviews, and leadership tools have supported educators in all 50 states and internationally. Annually, over a million educators visit the project’s website, nextgenscience.org, to access freely available tools and resources for the implementation of today’s science standards. 

Before joining WestEd, Sarna was Achieve’s Director of District Support. As a former science teacher and district science leader, Sarna is committed to ensuring that educators and students have access to supportive systems that enable their success.  

Education

• MEd in curriculum leadership, University of Illinois at Chicago 
• MAT in science education, University of Chicago 
• BSc in life sciences, University of Notre Dame 

Select Publications

Sarna, J. (2023). Piloting toward expertise in science education. WestEd. 

NextGenScience. (2022). Pennsylvania Science Education Leaders Network: Interim growth report and stories from the field. WestEd. 

Sarna, J. (2022). Way more than an answer key. WestEd. 

EdReports.org and NextGenScience. (2021). Critical features of instructional materials design for today’s science standards. 

Sarna, J., & Wolbrink, V. (2020). Key takeaways from the early years of transforming science education for the next generation. WestEd. 

Sarna, J., Wolbrink, V., & Soltanzadeh, N. (2021). Authentic science experiences: Designing high school science learning to reach all students. WestEd. 

Wolbrink, V., & Sarna, J. (2020). Keep teaching science! Successful strategies to adapt K–12 science experiences for distance learning. WestEd. 

Iveland, A., Rego, M., Sarna, J., & Wolbrink, V. (2020). Science learning during COVID-19 and beyond [Webinar]. WestEd. 

Honors, Awards, and Affiliations

National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Panel: Taking Stock of Science Standards Implementation (2022).  

Recent Media Appearances

• When your classroom is a garden, The Hechinger Report, December 14, 2023.