Every summer, Issues and Science educators from across the country pack their bags, leave their classrooms behind for a few days, and gather for the Summer Academy. They come to learn a curriculum. They leave with something more: a network of fellow educators, a renewed sense of confidence, and a week they describe, again and again, as unlike any other professional development they have attended.
This year was no exception. When the final surveys came in, they told a clear story about what makes the Summer Academy work, and what makes Lab-Aids different.
Ask anyone on the Lab-Aids team what the Academy is really about, and they will tell you it is not a one way exchange. Teachers are one of the most valuable sources of knowledge in the room, and the Academy is designed to give them just as much space to learn from each other as they have to learn from Lab-Aids staff.
That spirit came through clearly in this year's responses. Teachers talked about the relationships they built with educators from different states, different grade levels, and different backgrounds, all brought together by a shared commitment to their students. One teacher summed up the feeling of the week in a single line: "You made me feel valuable and capable and empowered."
Lab-Aids does not just tell teachers how to teach. The Academy is built so that every session models the very strategies teachers are asked to bring back to their own classrooms, from managing group work and facilitating discourse, to structuring a science notebook or running a Driving Question Board. Sessions on the Driving Question Board, science notebooks, and student sensemaking strategies were named again and again as the most useful part of the week, alongside sessions on assessment and scoring guides that helped teachers feel ready to calibrate scores with confidence rather than guesswork.
Our survey results reflected what teachers were already saying throughout the week. 96% percent of attendees rated the overall event program as Excellent or Very Good.
Those results reinforce findings from a 2025 study conducted by researchers at the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley. Teachers who attended the Summer Academy reported significant gains in their confidence in teaching Issues and Science, their ability to support student sensemaking, and their understanding of the curriculum's assessment system. The research points to what many teachers described throughout the week: they left feeling more prepared for the school year ahead.
Teachers who attend the Summer Academy often come in expecting training. They leave describing something closer to a reset. One teacher, reflecting on 22 years in the classroom, called it "THE most beneficial curriculum conference" they had ever attended.
That balance, walking away with more knowledge and more confidence at the same time, is not an accident. It comes from a week designed around teachers as professionals: giving them room to learn from one another, modeling the strategies they are asked to use, and creating a culture where educators feel seen, supported, and capable of bringing something new back to their classrooms.
As the Academy continues to grow each year, one thing has stayed consistent. Teachers do not just come away with a curriculum. They come away with a community.
What is the Summer Academy?
The Summer Academy is a multi-day professional learning event for educators who teach Issues and Science. It combines hands-on workshops, breakout sessions, and time to connect with fellow teachers from across the country, all designed to build confidence and practical skills for the year ahead.
Who is the Academy for?
The Academy welcomes teachers at any stage of their journey with the curriculum, from those piloting it for the first time to veterans looking for a refresher or new ideas to bring back to their team. Administrators and instructional coaches attend as well.
How can I learn more or sign up for a future Academy?
Visit the Lab-Aids website or reach out to your Lab-Aids representative for details on upcoming dates, locations, and registration. Space is limited each year, so early interest is encouraged.