Our Vision and Mission
We imagine a future in which learners from diverse communities engage in creative, rigorous, and reflective inquiry as an integral part of their lives. We see teachers and students alike as members of vibrant communities where questioning, problem solving, and experimentation are commonplace. Such communities focus on actual problems for which there are no simple solutions.
Achieving the Vision
TERC is committed to achieving this vision by improving mathematics and science teaching and learning through:
- sustained collaboration with members of the education community;
- innovation and creativity in the development of educational practices and products;
- cutting-edge research in classrooms and other learning environments;
- support for rich and engaging learning opportunities for all students, including underserved student populations
- invention and application of technology to meet educational needs
- implementation that responds to the complexities of real-world settings
- approaches that draw on perspectives and methods from the natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, arts, and social sciences
- continuous refinement of our practice and understanding
Program Activities
Our work in mathematics and science education includes research, curriculum and technology development, and implementation support in the form of professional development and assistance to districts and schools. Our programs span pre-kindergarten through college, and include adult basic education and informal learning at museums, at home, and in after-school programs. Research drives the development of our activities and products. It also informs our efforts to create new knowledge about science and math teaching and learning.
Partners and Collaborators
We recognize the complexity of important problems in mathematics and science education and the need for multiple perspectives. To advance mutual goals, we collaborate with a variety of partners, including school districts, universities, community-based groups, and other research and development organizations.
Working Together
For example, classroom teachers collaborate with TERC researchers to understand how students with special needs effectively engage with rigorous math and science curricula. We work with school districts to promote long-term teacher professional development. Science centers partner with TERC to help discover and bring to life the mathematics in their exhibits and programs. We value these partnerships, and recognize that all stakeholders must work together to sustain lasting improvements in education.
A Broad Reach
Each year, TERC's programs and products reach more than 3.5 million students in the United States and abroad. We currently have long-term relationships with 249 schools and 47 districts; in one-third of them, the majority of students are eligible for free or reduced-cost lunches.
The TERC Name
Forty years ago TERC began as Technical Education Research Centers, a unique non-profit dedicated to improving the quality and availability of job-relevant technical and occupational education in the United States. TERC’s early programs focused on the education of technicians, specialists, paraprofessionals and related skilled workers. By 1976, the organization’s mission began to broaden, responding to the need to help improve math and science education. By the late 1980s, TERC had truly outgrown the original name and began doing business as TERC. Today we are simply known as TERC, an education research and development organization.
TERC is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 1965.