Fall 2014 Newsletter

Dear Colleagues:

At the recent PI meeting, I mentioned that we were hopeful, but had not received official notification of funding. (You know this feeling!) We are pleased to announce that CADRE is alive and well for the next two years.

Last week, CADRE started off the year with webinars on the upcoming DR K-12 solicitation.  If you did not participate or missed the notice, the slides and recordings of both presentations are available.  We are planning a Nuts & Bolts session in January for new PIs and Co-PIs, or for those of you who need a refresher on the logistics of managing your DR K-12 grant. You will hear from us again as we finalize plans for this session.

We also want to respond to the substantial interest at the PI meeting on the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development. Because there was not enough space to accommodate all who wished to attend the session, you can review the slides or sign up for a webinar scheduled for September 29th. The webinar agenda includes a presentation on the evidence standards for STEM education research, followed by a question and answer period as time allows.

If you are a PI, you should have received information about the 2014-15 cohort of CADRE Fellows. The submission deadline is September 29th. In the past years, we have had an increasingly rich and diverse applicant pools and we expect no less this year. If you wish to recommend an early career researcher or developer, and need additional information, visit the CADRE Fellowship page on the CADRE website.  

Our partner, Policy Studies Associates, has prepared a brief which we hope will promote deliberation and action on improving support and guidance for early career professionals (beyond the Fellows).  It focuses on the need for professional development capacities across disciplines, area of expertise, and institutions. Recommendations target NSF and NSF-supported research networks; PIs, supervisors and mentors; and early career researchers and developers. CADRE will respond to some of the recommendations geared to networks, and will share this information with other networks as well. Thank you to all who contributed to the brief by advising the study team or responding to surveys.

Please know that we are continually looking for ways to support your efforts, and connect you with others in the field. If you are interested but have not volunteered via the PI Meeting evaluation survey to provide support to Fellows or other early career DR K-12ers, just let us know. If you wish to connect with another PI and want an introduction, we’re happy to do that as well.

Best wishes for a productive year,

Barbara Brauner Berns
CADRE, PI

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Projects & People


2014-15 CADRE Fellowship - Applications Due 9/29

This is a reminder that CADRE is now accepting applications for the 2014-15 cohort of Fellows, and that the deadline is rapidly approaching!

The CADRE Fellowship is a competitive program that provides a significant professional development experience for early career researchers and developers currently working on a DR K-12 project. Through program activities, Fellows gain exposure to research and development from related to STEM education, gain insights into the NSF and what it takes to be successful and effective researchers and developers, and network with DR K-12 PIs and Fellows from across the country. 

Comments from previous Fellows on the experience include:  

"Being a CADRE Fellow has bolstered my confidence in general and in my ability to be a funded STEM Ed researcher. I met so many helpful PIs who pointed me toward colleagues of theirs at the university where I accepted a faculty position."

"I think that I feel more confident to approach other researchers and faculty members who have similar interests across different domains (science, math, and technology) and engage in dialogue with them. I think this will help my confidence in the long run." 

"I think the networking and 'inside look' at grant writing for NSF provides me with great advantages for my future career."  

"The whole experience definitely has helped and will continue to help me in building my career as a researcher and educator. I am very impressed by the experiences we were given and the connections with professionals in the field that were made available to us." 

Each applicant must be nominated by a PI or Co-PI on a current DR K-12 project. Preference will be given to applicants who have worked on their project for at least a year.

Learn more and download the application from the CADRE Fellows webpage. The application deadline is September 29, 2014.

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2014 DR K-12 Awardees

 

CADRE would like to congratulate and welcome all recently announced DR K-12 awardees. New PIs, keep an eye on your inbox for more information about CADRE and available resources for your project.

Download a list of recent DR K-12 awards here.

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Spotlight on Early Childhood Education

 

New evidence continues to emerge on the formative potential of the early years in a person's life. NSF is investing in programs to transform STEM teaching and learning in pre-K and the early grades. The latest CADRE spotlight features NSF-funded projects and resources that seek to leverage these early learning opportunities.

Spotlight Features:

  • Posters and slides from the 2014 DR K-12 PI Meeting
  • Video interviews focused on DR K-12 early childhood education projects
  • Plenary session recordings and featured programs from the December 2013 STEM Smart workshop on early childhood STEM education

Explore early childhood education in NSF and DR K-12 here.

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EVENTS


DR K-12 Solicitation - Submission Deadline & Webinars

The October 16th deadline for the 2014 DR K-12 solicitation is rapidly approaching! We hope you will find the following events and resources helpful as you finalize your proposals.

Webinar: DR K-12 Program & Solicitation
Recently, NSF's David Campbell led two lively and informative webinar sessions on the DR K-12 program and solicitation. Following the presentation, participants were able to ask questions such as: Can an external evaluator come from the same institution? Can you give examples of what is meant by 'resources, models, and tools'? 

Download the slides or watch a recording of hte presentation here.

Webinar: Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development
On September 29th at 3:00pm ET, Edith Gummer will lead a webinar on the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development. This session will focus on the evidence standards for STEM education research and development proposals and projects. These standards are intended to establish benchmarks across the research and development continuum that set expectations for research design, rationale, outcomes, and evaluation. This information should be useful for proposal preparation and for reflecting on your current research.

Register now for the September 29th session. Space is limited and participation is on a first come, first served basis.
Download the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development.

Other Resources
A number of resources are available on the CADRE website that may be helpful in the proposal development process.

Visit cadrek12.org to access:

  • NSF Proposal Writing Resources: a curated collection of resources and tools related to the DR K-12 program, previously funded work in the portfolio, and other topics that could helpinform your program design.
  • CADRE Library: resources produced by CADRE partners and/or DR K-12 PIs with support from CADRE. They provide information on the research that is currently funded, the variety of instruments and methodologies in use, and strategies for effective partnering, dissemination, and knowledge use.
  • Database of previously funded projects: use a site search or Project Smart Search to browse boht active and historic grants in the DR K-12 program.

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2014 DR K-12 PI Meeting Recap

At the PI meeting held on August 5-6 in Washington DC, ~250 participants gathered to share and learn about each other's work, strengthen and broaden their collegial networks, and connect with NSF program officers. Thank you to the advisors, presenters, attendees, and NSF program officers who made this year's conference a success! While our external evaluation is not complete, selected open-ended remarks by participants are illustrative. For example:

"Very helpful and I have shared agenda with links to other's presentations with my entire team. Really helped frame our project in the broader research milieu." 

"I learned a great deal about NSF funding areas/programs and the distinctions among them. This will be incredibly helpful as I apply for my next grant. While I am the PI of my current grant, I am still early in my career." 

"I had a very positive experience participating in a collaborative session...It was a great opportunity to meet colleagues, who I now consider to also be potential collaborators, and to think about way to learn from and support each other's work."

The evaluation data also highlight areas where the meeting format presented challenges. For example, we recognize that having a single poster session meant that not everyone had an opportunity to present or visit their colleagues' posters. We will use this feedback as we begin planning for the 2016 PI meeting. In the meantime, we are pleased to announce that many of the posters and concurrent session materials are available on the CADRE website.

Visit the virtual poster hall. (Want your project's poster to be included? Email cadre@edc.org.)
Review the meeting agenda and download session materials.
Browse the PI meeting photo gallery.

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RESOURCES


Early Career Researchers and Developers in the DR K-12 Program: Needs, Supports, and Recommendations

CADRE developed a new brief to promote deliberation on how to improve support and guidance for early career researchers and developers in the DR K-12 program, as well as in the broader field of STEM education R&D. The brief targets a range of audiences, including the NSF, its resource networks (particularly CADRE), R&D project leaders and mentors, academic advisors, and early career researchers and developers themselves.

Download the full brief here.

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Updated List of STEM Education Conferences and Publications

CADRE recently updated our lists of education conferences and publications, which feature up-to-date instructions (where currently available) for presentation and manuscript proposals. Event information is also available on the CADRE website calendar.

View an updated list of future conferences here.
View an updated list of publication opportunities here.

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Contact Us

If you want additional information on CADRE or have specific questions, please email cadre@edc.org. Join us on Facebook or Twitter to receive the latest news and information from CADRE.

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