About CRS

Opening Doors to Inspiration, Exploration & Discovery

Kids have questions; we help teachers show them how to find answers through science.

For more than two decades, CRS has been working to strengthen science teaching and learning for elementary and middle school children, particularly in schools serving underrepresented minority and low-income communities. The tremendous progress that has been made in recent years in many East Bay schools is in jeopardy due to impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Challenges:

Our society is missing out on potential innovations, discoveries, and solutions because too few children are prepared and inspired to pursue STEM degrees and jobs

Low-income children, underrepresented minorities, and girls are missing critical early learning experiences that can put them on pathways to high-earning STEM jobs

Teachers need more training, support, and resources to teach science & engineering well

Scientists and engineers need training to become powerful partners for teachers

Current practices lead to lack of diversity in STEM fields and too many unfilled jobs

Our Solutions:

Empower teachers to gain skill, knowledge, confidence, and access to resources by providing long-term partnership, support, information, and professional development

Engage scientists and engineers to effectively lead inquiry-learning experiences for children and teachers, and serve as diverse, enthusiastic STEM role models

Facilitate collaboration among a vast network of STEM education organizations to support excellent science teaching

Ensure children have opportunities to wonder, explore, and discover, and to meet inspirational role models

The CRS Story

CRS has grown exponentially since its inception in 1997. What began in one Berkeley elementary school in 1997 has grown into hundreds of volunteers and teachers working together to bring quality STEM experiences to thousands of students year after year throughout the Bay Area. We have an expansive network with many moving parts.

One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to science support. An experienced Kindergarten teacher may seek different kinds of resources and information than a brand new 4th grade teacher.

That’s why CRS has developed a unique, research-based, mutually-reinforcing system to provide individual support and customized responses to teachers, in addition to the comprehensive resource information we send out to all teachers on a regular basis.

Discover more about CRS

CRS's Mission & History

Our dedicated Staff and Board

The impressive thought leaders serving on the CRS Advisory Council

CRS News & Events, including our announcements, stories, newsletters, photos, and more!

Ourgenerous funders, business donors, and valued partner organizations.

Learn about the impact of our work & check out our annual reports to see our accomplishments and developments over the years.

Let us hear from you! Contact us and follow us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up to date and participate in the conversation around science education!

The mission of CRS is to empower teachers and STEM professionals serving schools in historically marginalized communities to activate TK-8 students’ curiosity about the world, foster critical thinking, and inspire children to imagine future career pathways. We envision a community of educators, scientists, families and partners working together to build school cultures that equip all children to explore the world around them and build the skills needed to become innovators, problem solvers, environmental stewards, life-long learners and leaders. CRS leads a dynamic network, fostering relationships and collaborations that leverage expertise and resources to transform science teaching and learning toward greater equity, opportunity, and success for all students.

Our goal is simple: help teachers give students more opportunities to “do science” – to ask questions, test ideas, get their hands on real science activities. We need to inspire the next generation of thinkers, makers, problem solvers, and leaders!