The panel will provide insight into the findings of a report released last year by the National Research Council which has opened up new opportunities for research about and practice of science learning outside the classroom. Informal environments include everyday experiences, such as hunting, walking in the park, and watching a sunrise; designed settings, such as science centers, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and planetariums; and programs, such as afterschool science clubs or environmental monitoring through a local citizens' organization. Cross-cutting features that shape these environments include media as a context and tool for learning and the opportunities these environments provide for inclusion of culturally, socially, and linguistically diverse communities. The report assessed evidence of science learning across settings and age-groups and over varied spans of time, identified qualities of learning experiences special to informal environments and shared with schools, and developed an agenda for research and development of the field.