Spencer is from Lubbock, TX and went to Texas Tech University (He continues to maintain that Patrick Mahomes and he are basically the same person ;). He began his career in science education in 2004 as a Science Education Fellow with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Center for the Integration of STEM Education & Research at TTU.
After college Spencer went to Malawi, Africa with the Peace Corps to teach science and work on community development projects in a small rural village near Kasungu, Malawi.
After the Peace Corps, Spencer moved to Austin where he taught HS Science and Engineering in public and charter schools in diverse communities while attaining a Master's in STEM Education: Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. While in Austin he also worked for a stint at a startup downtown as an Instructional designer, and Sales & Eser Enablement.
Spencer moved to Kansas City in 2017 for his role as the Lead Secondary Science Curriculum Instructional Coach and STEM Coordinator where he supported over 100 teachers each year with curriculum development and curation, professional development, coaching instructional practices, and capacity around the Next Generation Science Standards. In Kansas City, Spencer also attained his Education Specialist (Ed. S) in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Missouri Kansas City. If you have no idea what an Ed. S degree is (just like Spencer before he moved to the Midwest) it is a terminal degree with Doctoral coursework but a thesis at the end instead of a dissertation. It is basically designed to be an ABD degree. Regardless, it was a great experience!
Spencer has extensive experience around the Next Generation Science Standards, and works to help educators realize the vision of science education outlined in the Framework of Science Education. Spencer works as a consultant in the areas of:
