Technical Education Research Centers (TERC)

History In 1965, Arthur Nelson and a small group of co-founders established the Technical Education Research Centers. During its early years, TERC focused on various aspects of technical and occupational education, primarily at the postsecondary level. In the early 1970s, TERC successfully initiated a series of projects that marked a transition from postsecondary technical education to K-12 science. Today we are known as TERC. This change embraces the development of our education initiatives through the years and the learners we serve, including those in K-12 classrooms, museums, afterschool programs, community colleges, adult education centers, universities, and other research institutions. Organizational Structure Currently, TERC’s staff of 118—including nationally recognized leaders in educational research and curriculum development—are actively engaged in over 60 projects. Sixty-four percent of staff have advanced degrees in science, mathematics, engineering, education, psychology, and technology. Each year, TERC’s products and services reach more than 3.5 million students throughout the United States. TERC’s research, evaluation, and development projects are housed within three centers—the Center for School Reform, STEM Education and Evaluation Center, and the Center for Science Teaching and Learning—and the Education Research Collaborative division.