Smithsonian Science Education Center

The Smithsonian Science Education Center is transforming K-12 Education Through Science™ in collaboration with communities across the globe. ****Message From Our Director**** Welcome to the website of the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC), the only organization at the Smithsonian Institution that is solely dedicated to formal K-12 Education. The SSEC was established in 1985 as the National Science Resources Center (NSRC) under the sponsorship of two prestigious institutions: the Smithsonian Institution and the National Academy of Sciences. In 2012, our name changed to the Smithsonian Science Education Center to reflect our mission: transforming K-12 Education Through Science™ in collaboration with communities across the globe. To achieve our mission, we have three **Programmatic Goals**: - promote authentic, inquiry-based K-12 science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teaching and learning - ensure diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion (DEAI) in K-12 STEM education - advance STEM education for sustainable development (STEM4SD) We also have **Operational Goals** through our clearly defined functions that ensure SSEC can achieve its mission. Our **Pan-institutional Goals** help us translate the research and collections of the Smithsonian into meaningful tools and convenings for K-12 teachers and students. We achieve our goals through our core programs: - building awareness for STEM education among school leaders - supporting the professional growth of K-12 STEM teachers and school leaders - developing exemplary standards-aligned curriculum materials for K-12 classrooms, including our comprehensive K-8, research-based science curriculum program: [*Smithsonian Science for the Classroom*](https://ssec.si.edu/smithsonian-science-for-the-classroom) and *Smithsonian [Science and Technology Concepts for Middle School (STCMS)](https://ssec.si.edu/stcms)* - developing free digital resources for youth - conducting STEM Education for Sustainable Development (STEM4SD) outreach programs throughout the world through our Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project - engaging in research By bringing *Smithsonian Science* into the K-12 classroom, we can help students and teachers unlock the mysteries of the world *through science*. The Smithsonian Science Education Center connects students in urban, rural, and suburban areas to their communities and to a world of discovery around them to work on solving real-world problems that ensure a sustainable planet. **Our educational approach is straightforward, revolutionary, and results-oriented.** The SSEC’s portfolio of training and leadership programs, curricula, digital assets, and resources have captured the attention of national and international experts. As a leader in science education reform for over 35 years, the SSEC has a long-standing history of serving schools, districts, states, and ministries of education throughout the world. At the heart of our work is the idea that all youth—**regardless of gender, sexual orientation, geography, race, native language, ability, or socio-economic status**—should be given the opportunities to learn about the socio-scientific issues that challenge us. The Smithsonian, through the Smithsonian Science Education Center, plays an active role in sparking students' and teachers' interest in STEM to ensure a scientifically literate and **sustainable planet**. This is why our mission at the Smithsonian Science Education Center is so important.