This report presents findings from teacher focus groups conducted following the 2024–25 implementation of the Luquillo Data Jam, an educational initiative of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Schoolyard program. The Data Jam engages more than 600 middle and high school students across Puerto Rico in authentic data science practices using real ecological datasets. Focus groups addressed two core research questions: what professional development support teachers need to guide students through scientific question formulation and data analysis, and what scaffolding strategies help students develop data-driven research questions and data science skills.

Findings are organized across five program components: the summer professional development workshop, Virtual Lab Meetings (VLMs), classroom implementation, the Data Jam website, and the final project and symposium. Teachers consistently valued the workshop’s active learning approach, the benefits of interdisciplinary science–math collaboration, scientific mentor support, and the bilingual datajam.cloud website. Mentor feedback on student poster drafts was identified as a particularly high-impact program element.

Teacher recommendations prioritize better curriculum alignment, more flexible challenge scheduling, earlier delivery of instructional materials, and expanded feedback mechanisms. These findings offer a practical roadmap for strengthening the Data Jam model as a leading example of authentic STEM education in Puerto Rico.