April 2025 Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

We’ve rewritten this letter several times to provide you with a current update on the changes at NSF and their impacts on the DRK-12 community. As of this moment—and the situation does shift moment by moment—more than 1,000 NSF grants (unofficial list in development), including many of our colleagues’ DRK-12 awards, have been terminated and told there is not an opportunity to appeal in response to NSF’s changing priorities. In addition, supplements have been paused, award processing has been impacted, NSF’s director has resigned, most advisory committees (include the Advisory Committee for STEM Education) have been cancelled, and more changes (restructuring, staffing reductions, and budget decreases) are expected in the future. A recent White House executive order on advancing AI education calls on NSF to support the creation, identification, and promotion of high-quality AI skills education coursework and certifications across the country. And all of this is taking place during NSF’s efforts to commemorate its 75th anniversary.

Meanwhile, CADRE is still planning the DRK-12 PI Meeting. We hope the meeting will be a time for awardees to come together to discuss the current environment for STEM education research as well as new research and innovations. We look forward to seeing many of you there.

We also continue to recognize research and innovation in the DRK-12 portfolio. Be sure to read this month’s Spotlight on Spatial Reasoning to learn how DRK-12 projects are researching innovations in this field. Spatial reasoning is crucial in K-12 education as it supports understanding of STEM concepts, enhances problem-solving, and fosters cognitive development. It also boosts creativity and prepares students for future careers in fields like technology, engineering, and design by improving their ability to visualize and manipulate objects and concepts.

During this time of uncertainty within the scientific community, we send our support to our DRK-12 colleagues.

The CADRE Team

Spatial Reasoning | Spotlight

Closeup of a building with geometric construction.

Spatial reasoning—the ability to visualize, manipulate, and understand relationships between objects in space—is a critical cognitive skill. In this Spotlight, the first featured project enhances spatial visualization through dynamic digital representations of 3D geometry; the second develops early assessments to identify and support students’ spatial and numerical reasoning; and the third focuses on helping students navigate coordinate systems to improve graphing skills (which rely on spatial reasoning). Together, these efforts advance our understanding of how to support spatial reasoning development, which is essential for success in STEM education, careers such as engineering and healthcare, and everyday problem-solving. Read more about the featured projects and explore additional resources.

In This Spotlight:

2025 DRK-12 PI Meeting | Updates

PI Meeting logoAs we get closer to the date of the PI meeting and awardees are making their travel arrangements, CADRE, NSF, and the planning committee are finalizing the agenda. It is packed with engaging sessions and opportunities for networking. A few highlights include:

  • A mock panel review for the 2025 CADRE Fellows
  • Concurrent sessions focused on a wide range of STEM education topics, including data-driven innovations in K-12 STEM education
  • Networking sessions for various groups, such as Partnership Development Project Type and CAREER awardees, offering valuable opportunities to discuss best practices
  • A fireside chat with private foundation representatives
  • A panel on AI's impact on STEM education
  • Hands-on methods workshops
  • Structured poster sessions discussing current research on diverse topics such as computer science and engineering
  • An NSF Town Hall

We look forward to seeing many DRK-12 awardees at the meeting.

Learn More

Project Tip: CAREER Awards

CAREER award proposals responsive to the CAREER solicitation are due this year on July 23. Here are a few resources that can help you if you’re considering submitting this year:

Newsbites

News from NSF

  • Did you know that NSF has a podcast? Tune in to hear about breakthroughs in STEM.
  • Explore NSF’s impacts over the past 75 years in this spotlight and video. The official 75th anniversary is May 10, 2025.
  • NSF is collecting your NSF research impact stories in this survey. 

News from NSF Networks

  • The ECR Hub has created a survey to collect your DRK-12 research impact stories for NSF EDU.

News from DRK-12 Projects and Awardees

Publications

Do you have news to share? Email cadre@edc.org.

Upcoming Opportunities

The following funding and publication opportunities, listed by deadline, may be of interest to you and your DRK-12 project members.

Funding

For more NSF funding opportunities, see CADRE's list of Upcoming NSF DRL EHR Solicitation Deadlines.
 

Publications

For other publication opportunities, including those with ongoing submissions, see CADRE's list of Publications for STEM Educators, Policymakers, and Researchers.
 
Conferences
For more conference information, see CADRE's list of Conferences for STEM Educators, Policymakers, and Researchers.
 

Career & Professional Development