FLSELA (Florida Science Education Leadership Association—previously branded as FASS) is a statewide professional association focused on supporting science education leadership across Florida. Our members are science education leaders who coordinate, supervise, and support science teaching and learning—most commonly at the district and/or system level—who value collaboration, shared problem-solving, and the continuous improvement of science programs. We support statewide connection through an internal contact list designed to strengthen collaboration among leaders across Florida’s 67 school districts, helping ensure leaders can connect quickly to share resources, strategies, and solutions.

What is your organization working on to support science education leaders?

Our work centers on leadership capacity-building and practical support for science programs. In alignment with our stated purpose, we focus on: (1) promoting effective leadership and coordination of science programs and policies; (2) disseminating timely materials and information to the science education community; and (3) advancing research-based science education practices across districts. We do this through statewide convenings (for example, our recurring state meetings that invite proposals and participation), curated resources for leaders (including safety guidance and statewide science/engineering resource connections), and member-only resources that support leaders’ operational and instructional needs.

How can NSELA members in your area get involved?

NSELA members located in Florida can connect with FLSELA by joining our statewide network and participating in our convenings and collaboration structures. Practically, that can include: reaching out via our general contact email, engaging through our statewide collaboration list (especially when leadership transitions occur), and attending/presenting at FLSELA state meetings by responding to our calls for proposals and registrations. Because Florida participates in NSELA’s dual-membership affiliate structure through the Florida affiliate listing, Florida-based leaders can also align their engagement so membership structures support both state and national involvement.

What are some of the opportunities related to science education in your area? What role is your organization playing in those opportunities?

A major opportunity in Florida is the ability to build consistent, coherent science program leadership across a large and diverse set of districts—while still leveraging shared tools and state/national supports. FLSELA supports this opportunity by maintaining structures for statewide leader-to-leader collaboration (including an internal contact list intended to enable cross-district collaboration) and by curating and sharing leadership-relevant resources (including connections to statewide standards-aligned tools and safety guidance that help leaders support safe, high-quality science learning).

Why did your organization decide to become an affiliate with NSELA? What has being an affiliate looked like for your organization?

We affiliate with NSELA because the dual-membership model increases value for members and expands our collective leadership reach—connecting Florida science education leaders to national networking, professional learning, and shared resources while strengthening state-level community and collaboration. In practice, being an affiliate looks like maintaining two-way connections between state and national work (including a designated NSELA Liaison role in our leadership structure) and aligning membership structures so Florida leaders can benefit from both state association supports and NSELA’s broader leadership ecosystem.

The NSELA theme for 2026 is Leadership by Design: Architect the Future of Science Education. What has your organization been working on that connects to this theme?

“Leadership by Design” centers on moving from reactive problem-solving to intentionally constructing coherent systems that support science learning at scale—an emphasis NSELA highlights in its 2026 conference framing of the theme. FLSELA’s mission-aligned work connects directly: we focus on coordinated leadership for science programs and policies, research-based practice, and dissemination of practical resources that help leaders design and sustain strong science programs. We also create regular convening spaces (with intentional agendas built from member proposals and participation) that support leaders in sharing design approaches—whether for instructional quality, safety infrastructure, or systems-level coherence across districts.