Meet Leadership in Science
We are experts in translating standards and research into practice, building on teacher and administrator expertise to drive district-wide improvement.
Stacey van der Veen, Founder and Lead Consultant
[email protected] Stacey (Gruber) van der Veen has extensive experience supporting administrators and teachers as they deepen their understanding of effective science teaching and learning aligned to the vision underpinning the Next Generation Science Standards. She also has contributed to national conversations on improving science teaching and learning through her involvement in the development of multiple reports and publications for the National Academies’ Board on Science Education. Prior to founding Leadership in Science, Stacey served as the Manager of Education Programs for the Merck Institute for Science Education, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing science teaching and learning in public schools. She started her career teaching science and mathematics at public high schools in Newark and New York City and has over 20 years of K-12 teaching and administrative experience in both public and private schools. She co-founded the Hoboken Charter School, one of the inaugural cohort of schools chartered in New Jersey, where she developed the high school science program and served as Co-Coordinator and Child Study Team Coordinator. Stacey holds an Ed.M. in secondary science education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. When she’s not working, she plays the violin in the New York Repertory Orchestra and goes on hiking and biking adventures with her husband, Wil. |
Our Partner School Districts
Leadership in Science has provided professional development and support to the following districts:
** Prior to 2018, Leadership in Science was known as NGSSPD Consultants |
Teacher and Administrator Leaders
Leadership in Science partners with a Higher-Ed consortium consisting of the Science Education Institute at Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) and the Princeton University Teacher Preparation Program to support the NGSS Teacher Leader Program and the NGSS Administrator Leader Program. The program prepares educators to take a leadership role in New Jersey’s implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Teacher and Administrator Leaders co-facilitate workshops focused on supporting their colleagues as they begin to bring the new national standards into their classrooms. The program provides opportunities for K-12 classroom teachers and administrators to deepen their understanding of all aspects of the NGSS while developing collaborative and leadership skills, with the ultimate goal of sharing their expertise with their district colleagues. The program was developed in response to the adoption of the NGSS as New Jersey’s state science standards and the need to support school districts in preparing for and implementing these new standards. |