June 2024 Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

As we inch closer to the next DRK-12 proposal submission deadline on November 13, we’ve been featuring resources and events that may inform those who are planning new work. This month we focus on partnerships. We hosted an NSF webinar on the partnership development project type. Watch the recording and view a new guide on submitting a concept paper to receive feedback from NSF on your partnership development project idea. We’ve created an infographic about collaborations from data we collected through our annual survey of projects. We’ve also included a new brief on Strategies for Fostering Authentic Community Partnerships in STEM Education Research, as well as additional resources on co-designing in partnership, rural partnerships, research and practice partnerships, and more in this newsletter. And we’ve corrected a link issue in our May newsletter. Now you can access the blog, Making an Impact on Education: Building Evidence, Working in Partnership, and Mobilizing Knowledge, which discusses how partnerships can better position your project to improve STEM teaching and learning.

We are happy to share the release of a new brief, Toward Ethical and Just AI in Education Research, which offers guidance to education researchers on steps toward inclusive and equitable AIED research and development.

CADRE was excited to meet with the 2024 CADRE Fellows and NSF program directors at NSF headquarters for a mock proposal review and Q&A. Thank you to every one of our community members who supported the Fellows by sharing their expertise and experience!

On the national front, there are new reports and an event of interest. NSF released Evaluation of NSF Grants to Broaden Participation in STEM: American Innovation and Competitiveness Act Section 305, which describes characteristics of the awards, lists lead principal investigators and institutions receiving awards, and reviews program-level evaluations. NSF is hosting informational webinars on the National STEM Teacher Corps on July 10, 2024 at 4–5 PM ET. Read more and view a complete listing of dates. The National Science Board released The STEM Labor Force: Scientists, Engineers, and Skilled Technical Workers and The State of U.S. Science and Engineering reports, which are part of the Science & Engineering Indicators. And the STEMM Opportunity Alliance (SOA) announced STEMM Equity and Excellence 2050: A National Strategy for Progress and Prosperity at the 2024 White House Summit on STEMM Equity and Excellence, co-hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

Best,

The CADRE Team

Toward Ethical and Just AI in Education Research | Brief

cover pageArtificial intelligence in education (AIED) has many potential uses as well as limits, challenges, and risks. This brief explores how to promote equitable and just educational futures with AI. Authors Tiffany Barnes, Sarah Burriss, Joshua Danish, Samantha Finkelstein, Megan Humburg, Ally Limke, Ole Molvig, and Heidi Reichert offer an ethical AIED framework and a set of tools to support continuous reflection, communication, and improvement toward inclusive and equitable AIED research and development.

headshots of panelistsThe authors also discussed many of the ideas and issues raised in the brief, along with questions from the STEM education research community, in a recent CADRE Learning Series webinar. View the recording.
 

DRK-12 Partnership Development Project Type | Webinar Recording

nsf logoThe 2023 DRK-12 solicitation introduced the partnership development project type, and the first round of funding will be awarded this year. Proposals for this project type should articulate how and why they seek to intentionally build new or expand existing collaborations as well as include a clear statement of how the activities will result in or contribute to DRK-12 research and development program goals. Program Directors Joan Walker and Michael Ford discussed this new project type and answered participant questions during a recent webinar.

Slides | Chat Log | Concept Paper Guide

Strategies for Fostering Authentic Community Partnerships in STEM Education Research | Brief

cover pageWhat are the opportunities and considerations for establishing community partnerships among K–12 STEM education researchers and Black and Brown communities? CADRE partners interviewed five community partners from diverse backgrounds in STEM education to understand how STEM education researchers can better engage with communities and share their insights in this brief.

Read the Brief

Guide for Developing Partnerships | Tip Sheet

Researchers attending sessions at DRK-12 PI meetings shared insights from their experiences forming and maintaining partnerships. This guide offers tips based on their ideas.

Read the Tip Sheet

Co-designing in Partnership as a Strategy for Supporting Justice in STEM Education | PI Meeting Presentation

What can solidarity-based co-design in funded projects look like with different kinds of partners? How can you enact principles of solidarity-based co-design? These topics were covered in a session at the 2023 DRK-12 PI Meeting.

View Slides

Rural Partnerships | Learning Series

headshots of panelistsDuring Part 1 of this Learning Series, researchers shared their approaches to working in rural settings and creating mutually beneficial partnerships. They highlighted both affordances and challenges to working with rural schools and offered strategies to keep in mind when building a research plan and budget.

Partnerships in Research | Learning Series

headshots of panelistsResearchers discuss how they are approaching partnerships with teachers, schools, districts, and others.

Research-Practice Partnerships | Project Spotlight

Read about partnerships between researchers and practitioners to innovate and improve STEM teaching and learning, including how they were formed.

Partnerships in Active DRK-12 Awards | Infographic

In our annual survey of active DRK-12 awards, projects provided information on their partnerships: their collaborators (both formal and informal), the nature of their work together, and where they are engaging focus populations in the US. We hope this snapshot provides food for thought as you lay the groundwork for new partnerships and consider how strategic partnerships can strengthen your proposals.


Project Tip: Consider a Range of DRK-12 Project Collaborators

You might say that it takes a village to change education. DRK-12 projects are including various groups in their research and efforts to improve preK-12 education. In a CADRE survey administered to DRK-12 projects, respondents were asked, “Outside of those represented by your project's senior leadership, which organizations, institutions, or groups is your project formally collaborating with to support its goals and research?” The most frequently mentioned collaborations were with universities and colleges, school districts, public schools, charter schools, private schools, and teachers. However, the range of DRK-12 collaborators extends well beyond these groups to include others such as:

  • Professional associations and societies
  • Video production and curriculum development companies
  • Special-services cooperatives and disability centers
  • Institutes and centers
  • Councils of tribal governments
  • Museums and arboretums
  • State departments of education
  • Family-school-community alliances
  • Evaluators and advisory board members
  • Research and development organizations
  • Community members
  • Preschools
  • Consultants
  • Scientists

We share these data to help you brainstorm in your own work, "What groups can you work with to advance collective goals to improve education?"

Newsbites

News from NSF

News from NSF Networks

  • There are two more opportunities (June 26 and July 10) to attend STELAR’s informal 2024 ITEST Program Officer Office Hours to ask questions about the ITEST program and solicitation. Proposal deadline is August 9, 2024.

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

A complete archive of our newsletters and announcements is available on cadrek12.org.

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