Our STeLLA Story

Nearly two decades ago, BSCS researchers and educators observed a persistent issue in science education. Students were not developing the scientific understanding they needed to make sense of our complex world. This was true even when teachers engaged students in the kinds of experiments and hands-on activities that experts recommended.

Where was the disconnect? And what needed to change?

Inspired by this challenge, we set out to create a new approach for educating teachers. We believed that learning to use effective teaching strategies through video-based lesson analysis could transform science teaching and student achievement in science. 

The resulting STeLLA approach was promising from the start and is nationally-recognized today.

Over the last 20 years, STeLLA has demonstrated impacts on both teacher and student learning above and beyond any impacts from a traditional science teacher professional learning program.

STeLLA produces impressive outcomes and works across contexts. It has proven effective in both preservice and inservice programs; in district-wide programs and in programs enrolling individual teachers; in programs for elementary, middle, and high school teachers; and in programs facilitated in person and online.

Today, we are doing everything we can to bring STeLLA to K-12 science educators across the country.