The goal of the OpenSciEd Equitable Instruction (OEI) Initiative is to help disrupt inequalities in science education by supporting schools and teachers in instruction that begins with the interests and curiosities of students and empowers student voice to support more equitable learning opportunities for all students. Our PL focuses on supporting teachers in noticing and leveraging the resources (ways of speaking, knowing, acting and valuing) that students use to make sense of the world. We focus on the routines and tools built into the OpenSciEd materials that support equitable sensemaking for all students. We support teachers in identifying potential barriers to learning and support them in customizing the materials for the state and local context. This includes adaptations that range from alignment with the MA standards to developing customization tools and video case studies to illustrate how teachers can tailor the materials to their local context and leverage the experiences of students to support equitable science sensemaking. The OEI Initiative is engaged in design based research to design and develop these resources. We also develop tools and resources to support emergent multilingual (EML) students in meaningful sensemaking.

The OEI Initiative works closely with cohort schools in developing a comprehensive implementation plan needed to support adoption of OpenSciEd. This includes helping schools identify connections between OpenSciEd and the vision and goals of the school and district, developing a plan for distributed leadership through district, school, and teacher leaders, and a thoughtful plan for unit roll-outs and ongoing professional learning. OEI supports the development of teacher leaders and provides on the ground support for teachers through our School Support Specialists. Additionally, OEI develops tools and resources for leaders including Leader Learning Communities, observation tools, and PL sessions.