December 2019 Newsletter

Looking Back ...

There were some exciting STEM achievements in 2019, such as the imaging of a black hole and the first all-female spacewalk. NSF managed to make a lot of awards, despite a government shutdown. One of the CAREER grants was awarded to former CADRE Fellow Carlos (Nick) Gomez! This interactive NSF awards summary shows the number of awards and amount of funding by state, type of institution, and/or institution name, going back 10 years. And the DRK-12 community developed products, published, and presented, as highlighted in our monthly newsletter "Newsbites." Our most viewed Newsbites (and other DRK-12 highlights) from 2019 are listed below.   

There were also challenges. PISA and NAEP scores were released, leading to questions about the implications of the steady or declining scores of US students in reading and mathematics. At the same time, although there is increased enrollment in non-IHE alternative certificate programs, there are reports of declining enrollment in and completion of teacher prep programs, especially for those specializing in STEM. And within the larger context of concern about the research enterprise (including data security, IP, and sexual harassment), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has requested comments on steps that federal agencies can take to ensure effective, efficient, safe, and inclusive research environments.

Looking Ahead ...

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology is developing a 5-year plan around four industries of the future named by the White House as a focus for federal funding: AI, advanced manufacturing, quantum information science, and 5G. Meanwhile, the Building Blocks of STEM Act—which directs NSF to support STEM education research focused on early childhood, female students, and female students in computing—has been progressing through Congress. The 2020 NSF EHR budget request indicates a continued commitment to broadening STEM participation, and education and workforce connections.

In January, NSF is expected to release the revised 2020 Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). See highlighted text on the for-comment PAPPG draft indicating proposed changes, including an expanded section on responsible and ethical conduct of research. In the next year, we also expect to see a revised DRK-12 solicitation.

The 2020 DRK-12 PI Meeting planning committee is busy working on the design for the June 3-5 meeting. Awardees who will have active DRK-12 grants in June 2020 can expect an invitation this winter to register for the PI meeting. If you have suggestions for the planning committee to consider, please send them to cadre@edc.org.

CADRE will invite applications in January for the biennial CADRE Postdoc Opportunity, through which five early career scholars participate in capacity-building activities, including attending the DRK-12 PI Meeting along with the CADRE Fellows.

We look forward to seeing you next year, perhaps at the PI meeting, at the DRK-12 middle grades engineering education session at NSTA, or during an online conversation with the 2020 CADRE Fellows. 

Wishing you a happy new year!

The CADRE Team

Most Popular DRK-12 News and Resources in 2019

We're looking back on DRK-12 work in 2019 and sharing some of the most popular content.

Most Visited Spotlights


Modeling in Science
(2017
)

Culturally Responsive STEM Education
(2019)

Engineering Education
(2019)

Citizen Science in K-12 STEM Education
(2019)

Technology-Enhanced Assessment
(2019)

Most Clicked Newsbites

  1. Teachers' Orientations Toward Using Student Mathematical Thinking as a Resource During Whole-Class Discussion
  2. Developing a Three-Dimensional View of Science Teaching: A Tool to Support Preservice Teacher Discourse 
  3. How Do Middle School Girls of Color Develop STEM Identities? Middle School Girls' Participation in Science Activities and Identification with STEM Careers
  4. A Framework for Characterizing Students' Cognitive Processes Related to Informal Best Fit Lines
  5. Mixed Methods for Studies That Address Broad and Enduring Issues in Education Research

Popular Social Media Posts

  1. Our November newsletter features a Spotlight on Curriculum: Practitioner Selection, Adaptation, & Design, as well as tools for dissemination! cadrek12.org/newsletters/november-2019-newsletter #dissemination #curriculum #edresearch
  2. A Web-based digital STEMfolio for youth (ages 16-24) who are neither in school nor working, which provides scaffolds & supports to build STEM competencies and explore STEM careers. Learn more in this video: videohall.com/p/1598 #STEMvideohall @CAST_UDL #STEMEd #NSFSTEM #DRK12
  3. If you're interested in learning more about current research, there's a Spotlight on this topic, which offers info and resources from NSF-funded tech-enhanced assessment work in science and math ed #NSTAChat cadrek12.org/technology-enhanced-assessment
  4. Integrating Earth science into high school chemistry can help engage students with compelling local phenomena, especially in districts that are short on #EarthScience teachers: videohall.com/p/1543 #STEMvideohall #NSFSTEM #DRK12 #STEMEd #EE #NGSSchat @caryinstitute #edchat
  5. Today's featured #2019funded project: Teaching Students to Reason about Variation and Covariation in Data: What Do We Know and What Do We Need to Find Out? ow.ly/bSqG50wIBaB @BSCSScienceLearning

Most Viewed DRK-12 Videos in the 2019 STEM For All Video Showcase


Transforming Math Classrooms with PhET Simulations

Broadening Participation in PreK-12 STEM Education

Math Understanding in a Digital Collaborative Environment

Immersed in Phenomena: Helping Teachers Transition to NGSS

Integrating Chemistry and Earth Science (ICE)

Most Viewed DRK-12 Project Resources

  1. Thinking with Data: A Cross-Curricular Approach to Data Literacy | PPT Presentation 
  2. Disruptions in Ecosystems | Publication 
  3. Supporting Sense-making with Mathematical Bet Lines | Publication 
  4. Productive Struggle for All: Differentiated Instruction | Publication 
  5. Goals for Productive Discussions and Nine Talk Moves | Tool

Most Viewed DRK-12 Community Voices Blogs

What Black Women Are Trying to Teach Us:
T
ransforming Diversity, Equityand Inclusion
Work in K-12 STEM Education Research, Practice, and Policy

3 Ways Intersectionality Can Help You Predict  the Future (Or, at Least  Provide You Job Security)


Critically Examining Whiteness in Culturally Responsive Education

Citizen Science Opportunities, Partnerships, and Challenges

New Directions for Engineering Education Research--Building the K-12 Agenda

                                                                                                                                                                                           

tips

Project Tip: Career-Life Balance

Many professionals struggle with career-life balance. For those times when personal life events impact your project work, read FAQs about NSF's family-friendly policies and procedures for awardees. 


Newsbites from NSF, DRK-12, and NSF Networks

News from NSF


News from DRK–12 Projects & Awardees
Email cadre@edc.org to share news from your project.

News from NSF Networks

See our CADRE & NSF Network Events page for ATECentral, CIRCL, CAISE, CS for All Teachers, EvaluATE, NSF INCLUDES National Network or STELAR events that may be of interest to you.


Upcoming Opportunities

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

 
Publications

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

Conference Proposals

For more conference information, see CADRE's list of Conferences for STEM Educators, Policymakers, and Researchers.

Job Openings


In Case You Missed It

Highlights from recent newsletters and announcements:

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

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