Summer 2010 Newsletter

Greetings from CADRE

Dear Colleagues,

Summer is coming to an end, and CADRE is planning the 2010 DR K-12 PI meeting. Scheduled for Dec. 1-3 in D.C., we are trying hard to incorporate evaluation findings, advisors’ suggestions, NSF’s ideas, and our own perspectives. One thing we know for sure: there will be time for networking, fewer big plenaries, and more small working sessions for those of you who are participating in special interest groups, or wish to do so.

On Sept. 8th, the Knowledge Use group met to work on a guide that will help grantees to develop partnerships between researchers/developers and schools. On Sept. 22nd the Science Curriculum group will have a second meeting to explore the affordances of digital curriculum. On October 4th, the ELL group will reconvene to touch base about the challenges faced this year, and to look at some ongoing research on ELL in the DR K-12 portfolio in light of research in the larger research community. Finally, plans are underway for two new assessment groups: one focusing on psychometric measures for technology-based assessment to be up and running by early October, and another focusing on assessment and pedagogical practices in diagnostic learning environments.

Other special interest groups are reconvening in preparation for the PI meeting. If you are interested in joining an existing group (algebra, assessment, curriculum design, ELL, engineering, gaming, knowledge use, working in diverse contexts) or even starting your own, just let us know by emailing CADRE@edc.org.

We will try not to flood your inbox, but there are many specifics about the PI meeting and SIGs that will be forthcoming. In the meantime, we want to let you know that the new DR K-12 solicitation has been released and can be found on the NSF website.

Sincerely,

Barbara

Resource: DR K-12 Solicitation for FY 2011 & Proposal Writing Tips

The FY 2011 solicitation for the DR K-12 funding program is now available on the National Science Foundation website and features revisions which clarify the call for proposals. This year's solicitation includes a new challenge for development and testing of cyber-enabled instructional materials, clarifies expectations around evaluation, explains the new requirement for submitting Letters of Intent, and outlines regulations for submitting supplemental documents as part of a proposal. The deadline for Letters of Intent (required!) is November 5, 2010. The deadline for full proposals is January 6, 2011.

Access the full FY 2011 DR K-12 Solicitation. (Note that the solicitation links potential grantees to the project database on the CADRE website. Make sure your project page is up to date!)

CADRE's DR K-12 Proposal Writing Tips are available in our website's resource library to support potential grantees, particularly emerging researchers and developers interested in submitting proposals for FY 2011.

Solicitations for DRL's REESE program (also revised) and the new Transforming STEM Learning (TSL) program are also available on the NSF website.

Projects & People: Scientific Literacy through Science Journalism - An Inside Look at SciJourn

In the current project spotlight, Dr. Joseph Polman (Principal Investigator, Dr. Wendy Saul, Dr. Alan Newman, and Cathy Farrar (Co-Principal Investigators) share their approach to teaching and learning scientific literacy as well as answer a few of our questions about the challenges associated with their work, their approach to the changing nature of journalism and information sharing, the influence of national literacy standards, and finally...what's next!

Read the complete Q&A with SciJourn here. For more information about this grant, including the latest publications and presentations, visit the project page on the CADRE website.

If you're interested in having your project featured on the CADRE website, email CADRE@edc.org.

Event: CADRE Website Orientation 101 & 102

Join us for one or both portions of this two part webinar on Wednesday, September 29th.

Part 1 (12:00pm-12:45pm EDT): During CADRE Website Orientation 101, we'll give you a run-down of the website's features, walk you through editing your project and member profiles, introduce some of the site's collaboration and dissemination tools, and respond to participant questions.

Part 2 (1:00pm-2:00pm EDT): After a short break, we will reconvene for CADRE Website Orientation 102, where we'll guide those of you with a basic knowledge of the website (and/or those proposing sessions for this year's PI meeting!) through identifying potential collaborators, setting up secure virtual spaces to share and archive resources, and managing both group and project membership.

RSVP to one or both portions of this webinar by emailing CADRE@edc.org. Access details will be sent to those who RSVP by September 29th at 10:00am.

Event: Project Design, Management, and Implementation Roundtables at the DR K-12 PI Meeting

Based on input from attendees and our PI meeting advisors, the 2010 DR K-12 PI Meeting will feature roundtable sessions focused on the challenges associated with project design, management, and implementation. Help us maximize the usefulness of these sessions by giving us your input!

Tell us which issues of project design, management, and implementation you would most like to discuss here.

Reminder: 2010 DR K-12 PI Meeting Call for Proposals & CADRE Fellowship Application Deadlines Approaching

Invitations to the 2010 DR K-12 PI Meeting, the Call for Proposals, and information on the CADRE Fellowship program were sent only to invited PIs on Tuesday, August 24th. If your project is included in the current list of invited projects, but you did not receive an invitation, email CADRE@edc.org after checking your spam filter.

DR K-12 PI Meeting proposals are due October 5, 2010. Please review the submission guidelines, available here.

CADRE Fellowship applications are due September 23, 2010. Find a description of program activities, review selection criteria, and download an application form here.

Contact Us

If you want additional information on CADRE or have specific questions, please email CADRE@edc.org.