Crafting Museum Experiences in Light of Research on Learning: Implications of the National Research Council’s Report on Informal Science Education • • • • • Andrew Shouse, Bruce V. Lewenstein, Michael Feder, and Philip Bell Abstract In this article, the editors of the recent National Research Council report Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits discuss the report’s implications for museum professionals. The report is a synthesis of some 2,000 studies and evaluations of learning in non-school settings such as museums. Here we focus on three specific topics discussed in the full report, which we see as particularly important for museum professionals. These are: a framework for devel- oping and studying science learning experiences; cultural diversity as an integral resource for learning; and assessment of learning. Many museums include ‘‘learning’’ among their goals and many researchers concern themselves with how museums and other settings can be organized to support learning. Yet this wealth of research is rarely brought into focus and offered as guidance to the museum community. • • • • • Andrew Shouse (awshouse@uw.edu) is associate director of the Institute for Science and Mathematics Education and visiting assistant professor of Educational Psychology, Uni- versity of Washington. Bruce V. Lewenstein (b.lewenstein@cornell.edu) is professor of science communication, Cornell University. Michael Feder (mfeder@nas.edu) is a senior program officer with the Board on Science Education, National Research Council. Philip Bell (pbell@uw.edu) is director of the Institute for Science and Mathematics Education and associate professor of the Learning Sciences, University of Washington, 1100 NE 45th Street, Suite 200, Seattle, WA, 98105. 137 Curator