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Enrique (Henry) Suárez, professor in math, science and learning technologies in the College of Education, was invited to offer commentary at a President’s Administrative Session during the 2025 National Association of Research in Science Teaching International Conference (NARST2025) held in National Harbor, Maryland, from March 23-26.

The session, held on the second day of the 98^th annual international conference, was dedicated to the new report on Equity in K-12 STEM Education from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), unpacking the consensus study’s implications for science education, specifically science education research and science teacher education.

The report, which started in 2020, convened an expert committee to examine the range of inequities in pre-K-12 STEM education, identify promising approaches to advancing equity and outline potential steps toward more equitable STEM education. Specifically, the report highlights Suárez’s research and teaching as embodying principles of equity-oriented science education for emergent bilingual students.

Suárez commented on the implications of the consensus report for practice, focusing on what it means to enact equity-oriented science pedagogies, and the role university-based teacher education programs play in this moment.

“No doubt we’re living through an intense attack on public education, especially when it comes to serving minoritized students,” Suárez said. “But now more than ever universities ought to be in solidarity with and serve teachers in our neighboring communities, and make sure that we’re doing everything we can to prepare future teachers who are committed to education for a more democratic and socially just world.”

NARST is a global organization of professionals committed to the improvement of science teaching and learning through research. Since its inception in 1928, NARST has promoted research in science education and the communication of knowledge generated by the research.