Jerome M. Shaw
Candidate for: NARST President-Elect
Institutional Affiliation: University of California, Santa Cruz

Brief Personal Bio: It is a profound honor to be considered for the position of NARST President-Elect. My professional trajectory includes a decade of teaching science in K-12 public schools (mainstream, Spanish-English bilingual and outdoor classrooms), earning a Ph.D. in education at Stanford University with tutelage from Mary Budd Rowe, a decade of providing technical assistance to science education reform efforts across the US, and nearly two decades as a professor of science education at the Santa Cruz campus of the University of California. I have reviewed proposals for the National Science Foundation, served on a committee of the National Board on Science Education, and am part of a team that received a Presidential Award for STEM mentoring. Throughout, I have maintained a focus on improving educational opportunities and outcomes for students less well served by the educational system. Since joining the organization as a doctoral student in 1990, NARST colleagues and activities have helped advance my career with sound guidance and inspiring examples. It would be a privilege to reciprocate this support by serving as President-Elect.

Research Focus: Broadly speaking, my research seeks to enhance science teaching and learning, especially for culturally and linguistically diverse students. More specifically, I approach this issue from the distinct yet interdependent perspectives of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, with a particular focus on students who are non-native speakers of English (Multilingual Learners or MLs). My early studies investigated affordances and challenges associated with the use of performance assessment in science classrooms with MLs. These efforts yielded a framework for identifying the language demands in such assessments. I extended this line of inquiry to examine ways to support teachers in teaching science to MLs, resulting in the creation of a model for building pre-service teachers’ understanding of and capacity to implement effective science instruction for MLs. A subsequent project developed standards-aligned science curriculum with critical supports for MLs. Currently, colleagues and I are developing and testing a model of professional learning to support elementary educators’ teaching of engineering to MLs. A fundamental tenet of my evolving research agenda is its grounding in theory and practice that espouse an asset-based orientation to the experience and expertise that culturally and linguistically diverse students bring to the learning enterprise.

Statement relating past experiences to the nature of the elected position: My service to NARST and the profession at large includes: Secretary-Treasurer (2020 to present) – led the creation of NARST’s first investment policy statement, member of search committees for NARST’s current Executive Director and association management company; Director-at-Large (2013 to 2016)  – chaired the Equity and Ethics Committee, oversaw the annual Equity Dinner and Jhumki Basu Scholars program; reviewing conference proposals and journal manuscripts; organizing and facilitating preconference workshops, symposia, and panel discussions; and active participation in professional organizations such as AERA, NCME, and NSTA. I am acutely aware of the level of effort and dedication needed to fulfill the duties of NARST President-Elect. As an emeritus faculty member, I am confident that I have the bandwidth to further guide NARST towards its ultimate goal of helping all learners achieve science literacy.