by Kristi Leff, 2025 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year
Every child is born with the heart of a scientist. From the toddler who drops a spoon from the high chair again and again, to the curious fourth grader who cannot stop asking “why,” the instinct to wonder, test, and discover is universal, but whether or not that spark grows often depends on something outside of a child’s control: how their school chooses to value science.
Across Texas and across the nation, elementary science is too often treated as an afterthought. In many schools, science is reduced to 30 minutes a day, squeezed in after math and reading instruction or pushed aside entirely during testing season. When science curricula are provided, they are too often chosen for cost rather than quality, leaving teachers without the robust, engaging materials their students deserve. Yet, science is the very subject that has the power to transform students’ lives, not only as learners, but as future leaders.
Giving every child access to high-quality science instruction is not just about fairness. It’s about equity.
Science as the Great Equalizer
When we engage students in hands-on, inquiry-driven science, we unlock pathways that no worksheet or test-prep packet can provide. Students who may struggle with decoding a passage can still design an investigation, measure data, and communicate their findings with pride.
Research shows that inquiry-based science instruction significantly improves outcomes for emergent bilingual students, helping them acquire academic vocabulary and practice meaningful communication in real contexts. Similarly, studies printed in the Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities have highlighted that inquiry-based instruction improves content knowledge, confidence, and engagement for students receiving special education services.
For many students, science becomes the place where labels fade and strengths shine.
Science Strengthens Literacy and Math
Strong science instruction isn’t a rival to literacy and math, it is their greatest ally. Every time a student calculates averages from experimental data, they are practicing math. Every time they read informational texts about ecosystems or write a conclusion based on evidence, they are strengthening literacy.
Science is the bridge that makes learning authentic. It is the great integrator, and districts that elevate it are not pulling away from tested subjects. They are investing in their success.
The Moment that Changed Everything
I will never forget a quiet girl in my class who was reading below grade level and rarely participated without prompting. One day, we were investigating force and motion using ramps and toy cars. She measured, graphed, and analyzed her results with precision. When it came time to share findings, she confidently explained the relationship between the ramp height and the car’s distance to her classmates.In that moment, she was not behind. She was not struggling. She was a scientist. That single moment changed how she saw herself, and how her peers saw her too.
A Call to Action for Superintendents
Superintendents, your leadership lays the foundation for your district. You set the priorities, allocate the resources, and cultivate a culture where curiosity, creativity and innovation can flourish. The decisions you make about schedules, curriculum, and funding send a powerful message about what your district values. When science is consistently marginalized, students learn that curiosity and creativity matter less than test performance.
However, when you protect instructional time for science, invest in high-quality materials, and empower teachers with meaningful professional learning, you are telling every child: Your questions matter, your thinking matters, your future matters.
Bring STEAM Back to the Forefront
STEAM education must return to the forefront. Our workforce depends on it. Our democracy depends on it. Our students depend on it. The jobs they will hold, many of which do not yet exist, will most likely demand critical thinking, collaboration, and innovation. These are the very skills nurtured in science classrooms when we allow students to experiment, design, and create.
Equity through engagement is not about offering every student the same worksheet. It is about ensuring that every child, regardless of zip code, language, learning profile or cognitive ability has the chance to see themselves as a scientist, an engineer, a problem-solver. When we do, we are not just preparing children for the next test. We are empowering innovators with the tools to explore, discover, and shape a future beyond what we can imagine.
“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” — Carl Sagan
Our students are ready. They are curious. They are capable. It is time we give them the access, the experiences, and the encouragement to discover the scientist within.
Kristi Leff is the 2025 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year. She was a fifth-grade science and English/language arts teacher at Humphrey’s Highland Elementary in Amarillo, but is now the K-12 Science Specialist for the Region 16 ESC.
