Volume 5, Issue 4

April 2026

What's New in STEM Education Research

Helping Young Children Make Sense of Data

Discover the Early Childhood Data Science Learning Framework, a new free resource designed to help educators introduce children ages 4–7 to the powerful role data plays in their everyday lives. This framework outlines key learning goals and classroom-ready activity examples that build young learners’ curiosity, critical thinking, and foundational skills for school and the data-driven world they’re growing up in.

Explore practical vignettes and insights that can inspire meaningful data investigations in early learning settings.

Team: Andee Rubin (TERC) , Marisa Wolsky (GBH), Kristen Reed (EDC)

Download the Framework ➡️

Early Childhood Data Science Learning White Paper

This document describes the process by which the NSF-funded Advancing the Field of Data Science in the Early Childhood Years project developed its Learning Goals Framework.
Team: Andee Rubin (TERC), Marisa Wolsky (GBH), Kristen Reed (EDC)

Explore the white paper ➡️

Excursions: Activities that Foster Mathematical Belonging

Learn how math "Excursions" help students connect math to their lives and build belonging.

Authors: Annie Sussman and Megan Murray

Explore more ➡️

Validating Game-based Learning Assessment of Students' Computational Thinking Practices using Bayesian Networks and Machine-learning Based Detectors

Discover how Zoombinis uses game-based learning and AI-driven insights to uncover the many sides of students’ computational thinking and what that means for improving assessment and instruction.

Authors: Elizabeth Rowe, Russell G. Almond, and Ma Victoria Almeda

Discover the research ➡️

Upcoming Conferences

TERC Researchers Spotlight New Insights at AERA

TERC researchers are sharing their latest insights at this year’s AERA Annual Meeting. Explore our featured presentations to see how our work is shaping STEM education and find sessions to attend or follow.

Browse our Work ➡️

TERC at NSTA: Bringing Real-World Data into the Classroom

Join TERC at the NSTA 2026 Conference in Anaheim for two engaging sessions on Saturday, April 18. Making Heat Visible (8:00 AM) explores how students use mobile sensors to investigate urban heat, while Making Sense of Data in Healthcare (1:00 PM) features a hands-on lesson using pulse oximeters to analyze real-world health data and examine bias in medical devices.

Stop by the TERC booth to learn more about our STEM education work and connect with our team!

Learn more ➡️