CADRE is the resource network for NSF's DR K-12 program. 

The NSF DR K-12 program consists of projects covering a diverse range of topics and products. To view a snapshot of all 4 cohorts of the DR K-12 portfolio, visit: http://cadrek12.org/dr-k-12-portfolio-snapshot

Read more about NSF and the DR K-12 program below.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense...." With an annual budget of about $6.06 billion, the NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America's colleges and universities. In many fields, such as mathematics, computer science, and the social sciences, the NSF is the major source of federal backing.

The NSF's goals—discovery, learning, research infrastructure, and stewardship--provide an integrated strategy to advance the frontiers of knowledge; cultivate a world-class, broadly inclusive science and engineering workforce; expand the scientific literacy of all citizens; build the nation's research capability through investments in advanced instrumentation and facilities; and support excellence in science and engineering research and education through a capable and responsive organization.

DRL (Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings)
Realignment in the NSF's Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) has merged the Division of Research, Evaluation, and Communication (REC) and the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (ESIE) into a new division, the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL).This revision reflects efforts to increase coordination and coherence across the DRL programs.

DRL invests in projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM learning for people of all ages. Its mission includes promoting innovative research, development, and evaluation of learning and teaching across all STEM disciplines by advancing cutting-edge knowledge and practices in both formal and informal learning settings. DRL also promotes the broadening and deepening of capacity and impact in the educational sciences by encouraging the participation of scientists, engineers, and educators from the range of disciplines represented at the NSF. Therefore, DRL's role in the larger context of Federal support for education research and evaluation is to be a catalyst for change—advancing theory, method, measurement, development, and application in STEM education.

The Division’s programs include:

• Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12)  
• Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering (REESE)  
• Informal Science Education (ISE) 
• Information Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)  

DR K-12

The Discovery Research K-12 program is administered within the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings of the NSF. The program seeks to enable significant advances in preK-12 student and teacher learning of the STEM disciplines through development, study, and implementation of resources, models, and technologies for use by students, teachers, and policy makers. Projects funded under this solicitation begin with a research question or a hypothesis about how to improve preK-12 STEM learning and teaching. Projects create or adapt and study innovative resources, models, or technologies and determine how and why implementation affects STEM learning.

The DR K-12 program invites proposals that meet a variety of educational needs, from those that address immediate and pressing challenges facing preK-12 STEM education to those that anticipate opportunities for the future. DR K-12 especially encourages proposals that challenge existing assumptions about learning and teaching within or across STEM fields, envision needs of learners in 10-15 years, and consider new and innovative ways to educate students and teachers. Project goals, designs, and working strategies should be informed by prior research and practical experience drawn from all relevant disciplines, while focusing on concepts and skills that are central to STEM education.

The DR K-12 program is primarily concerned with improving education of students and teachers in formal settings. As appropriate, the program encourages projects also to draw from knowledge and practice of learning in informal settings. While many projects supported under this solicitation will focus on exploratory development and testing of innovative ideas for some specific facet of STEM education, all proposals must explain how the work can lead ultimately to successful adoption of findings or products in the K-12 enterprise on a national scale.

The DR K-12 program accepts proposals for exploratory projects, full research and development projects, and synthesis projects, as well as for conferences and workshops related to the mission of the program.
View the current DR K-12 solicitation.

DR K-12 Program Officers