About the Author
JENNIFER CHILDRESS SELF is a STEM education consultant and advisor focusing on supporting the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and similar Framework-based standards as well as identifying the essential components of high-quality STEM instructional materials. Additionally, she has been involved in many projects internationally, recently working with a partnership between UNESCO and school systems in Turkey to develop and implement new STEM curriculum standards and working in India and Malaysia to help establish professional learning communities for teachers, including those in refugee communities. Previously, she was the Director of Instructional Support for Science at Achieve, where she coordinated the development and implementation of the NGSS. Prior to joining Achieve in 2011, she was the Director of the Center for Building Awareness of Science Education (BASE) at the National Science Resources Center, now the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC). She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Global STEM Alliance and was previously a board member for the New York Academy of Sciences and an Advisor for the development of the Framework for K–12 Computer Science Education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from the University of Texas-Houston.