Overview
Karen Lionberger has been leading national STEM education reform efforts for over 15 years. She works to cultivate a productive pathway between science and mathematics education research, policy, and professional learning for educators and administrators to increase equitable STEM classrooms for all students. As the Associate Director for Making Sense of SCIENCE (MSS), Lionberger focuses on providing effective and equitable professional learning for teachers and administrators.
MSS professional learning opportunities and services have been proven to have profound impacts on teachers and students. MSS has worked with numerous districts and states across the United States and has over 20 years of large-scale studies that offer compelling evidence that its approach strengthens the knowledge and skills of teachers and leaders. In addition to leading and facilitating current professional learning offerings in MSS, Lionberger leads development work in NASA-funded grants that focus on increasing place-based, data-rich teaching and learning (PLACES project) and supporting equitable engagement in science and engineering in informal learning spaces (PLANETS project).
Prior to joining WestEd, Lionberger led national STEM reform efforts that included an equity-focused math and science program that scaled to more than 1,400 schools in 45 states and more than 40 countries. Special areas of expertise include mixed-methods research design, development of equitable professional learning, and educative curriculum designs that infuse more authentic work with data sense-making and modeling into STEM classrooms. She has a passion for creating meaningful and inclusive teaching and learning opportunities. This love is rooted in a decade of teaching high school biology, physics, and environmental science.
Education
- PhD in science education, University of Georgia
- MEd in educational administration and policy, University of Georgia
- BS in marine biology, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Select Publications
Perez, L., & Lionberger, K. (2023). Opening the door to data science in STEM classrooms. NextGenScience. https://ngs.wested.org/doortodatascience/
National Research Council. (2012). Climate change education in formal settings, K–14: A workshop summary. A. Beatty, Rapporteur. Steering Committee on Climate Change Education in Formal Settings, K–14. Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13435 (invited presenter)
Honors, Awards, and Affiliations
Currently serves on the NSELA Professional Development Committee
Invited panel member for symposium: How Does 3-Dimensional Teaching and Learning Prepare Students for College and Career? Association of Presidential Awardees in Science Teaching, July 15, 2021
Participated in Sandra K. Abell Research Institute in Taiwan (2017)
Invited panel member for symposium: Bridging the Policy–Research Divide: Practical Strategies for Science Education Researchers, National Association of Research in Science Teaching, Pittsburgh, PA, March 2014
Invited panel member for Invitational Research Symposium on Science Assessment: What Can Be Learned From Current Large-Scale Assessments and What Are the Implications for Assessing the NGSS? Educational Testing Service K–12 Center and the Council of Chief State School Officers, Washington, DC, September 2013
Served on the National Science Teacher Association’s (NSTA) Urban Education Advisory Board (2011–2014)
