Pre-K

Swimming Upstream in a Torrent of Assessment

Growing attention to preK mathematics and increased focus on standards in the US may be leading policy makers, administrators, and practitioners down the wrong path when it comes to assessing young children. The temptation to rely on standardised assessment practices may result in misguided understandings about what children actually know about mathematics.

Author/Presenter

Anita A. Wager

M. Elizabeth Graue

Kelly Harrigan

Year
2015

Webinar on the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development

Author/Presenter

Edith Gummer

Year
2014
Short Description

This webinar, led by Edith Gummer (formerly of NSF), discusses the guidelines outlined in the report co-authored by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation.

2014 DR K-12 Program Webinar Resources

Recordings:

Author/Presenter

David Campbell

Barbara Berns

Year
2014
Short Description

In this 2-webinar series hosted by CADRE, NSF provides an overview of the DR K-12 funding program and reviews this year's DR K-12 solicitation.

STEM Smart Brief: Nurturing STEM Skills in Young Learners, PreK–3

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2013
Short Description

Current data on school readiness and early math and science achievement indicate we are not giving young children the support they need to be “STEM Smart”. Read this brief on nurturing STEM skills in young learners.

STEM Smart Brief: CTE Pathways to STEM Occupations

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2014
Short Description

“Workers in STEM fields play a direct role in driving economic growth. Yet, because of how the STEM economy has been defined, policymakers have mainly focused on supporting workers with at least a bachelor’s degree, overlooking a strong potential workforce of those with less than a BA.” Read this brief to explore CTE pathways to STEM occupations.

A Targeted Study of Gaming and Simulation Projects in DR K-12

The NSF’s Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12) program is one potential source of funding for the needed research on the educational effectiveness of gaming and simulations. The DR K-12 program seeks to enhance the teaching and learning of STEM in K-12 education by funding the “development, testing, deployment, effectiveness, and/or scale-up of innovative resources, models, and tools”4 in STEM areas. This work takes on many forms within the funding portfolio, including computer games and simulations.

Author/Presenter

Barbara Brauner Berns

Amy Busey

Alina Martinez

Uma Natarajan

Sarah Sahni

Sally Wu

Year
2014
Short Description

The NSF’s Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12) program is one potential source of funding for the needed research on the educational effectiveness of gaming and simulations. The DR K-12 program seeks to enhance the teaching and learning of STEM in K-12 education by funding the “development, testing, deployment, effectiveness, and/or scale-up of innovative resources, models, and tools”4 in STEM areas. This work takes on many forms within the funding portfolio, including computer games and simulations. With the growing attention to these types of educational technologies, the Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE) conducted a brief targeted study to better understand the gaming and simulation research and development work being funded within the NSF’s DR K-12 program and to highlight work that may help fill the gaps identified by the NRC.

Conferences for STEM Educators, Policymakers, and Researchers

This file contains a listing of STEM education-related conferences that may be of interest to DRK-12 grantees, such as for the purposes of (1) disseminating knowledge and products and (2) developing partnerships with stakeholders and end-users. These conferences were chosen because they provide researchers and developers with an opportunity to present their work to individuals that could use, promote, or improve the work. We include conferences that target practitioners and policymakers, as well as research and academic communities.

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2023
Short Description

This list includes STEM education-related conferences that may be of interest to DRK-12 grantees.

Resource(s)

Descriptive Portfolio Overview of Discovery Research K-12 (DR K-12) Projects Funded from 2007 to 2012

The Community for Advancing Discovery Research in Education (CADRE) was funded by a cooperative agreement, beginning in 2008, as the resource network that supports the DR K-12 community in advancing the state of research and evaluation in STEM education, and furthering the goals of the DR K-12 program. As part of its work, CADRE annually conducts a review of the DRK-12 portfolio.

Author/Presenter

Alina Martinez

Brian Freeman

Daphne Minner

Laurie Bozzi

Carolyn Callahan

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2013
Short Description

This overview is intended to describe the scope and depth of research and development DR K-12 has funded and to identify areas that could be advanced by further investigations by CADRE. The overview summarizes the 351 projects that met the criteria for inclusion and analysis.

STEM Smart Brief: Engineering: Emphasizing the “E” in STEM Education

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2013
Short Description

“Engineering is taught only sporadically in K-12 schools, despite growing evidence that engaging in engineering education leads to improved student learning and achievement in mathematics and science, in part by connecting these subjects to real-world problems.” Read this brief to learn more about the increasing efforts to integrate engineering into the K-12 curriculum.

STEM Smart Brief: Connecting Informal and Formal STEM Education

Author/Presenter

CADRE

Year
2012
Short Description

“Providing a richness of resources unavailable in any classroom, informal science institutions across the country have developed exemplary partnerships with public schools—and have room for more.” Read this brief to explore how out-of-school learning can complement and enhance what is being taught in the classroom.