Katherine L. McNeill

Katherine L. McNeill is a professor of science education and Bryk Faculty Fellow at the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development, where her work focuses on supporting equitable scientific sensemaking for K–12 students, teachers, and instructional leaders. A former middle school science teacher, she earned her Ph.D. in science education from the University of Michigan, and has been a faculty member at Boston College since the mid-2000s. Her research includes the development of the widely used Claim–Evidence–Reasoning (CER) framework for science instruction and the design of curriculum, assessments, and professional learning aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

McNeill is a coauthor of The Instructional Leader’s Guide to Implementing K–8 Science Practices (ASCD, 2022), which supports school and district leaders in helping teachers implement K–8 science practices. She has led and contributed to numerous projects funded by organizations such as the National Science Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and has published extensively in books, book chapters, and journal articles for both researchers and practitioners in science education.