August 2021 Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

This month, we’re showcasing resources to support equitable and inclusive instruction and research from NSF resource networks (see article below). We're also featuring new DRK-12 projects on Facebook and Twitter over the next few weeks. Get to know the #NewDRK12Awards. To learn more about previously funded DRK-12 projects, watch this 2021 STEM for All DRK-12 video playlist or visit our virtual poster hall from the 2021 PI meeting. If you’re submitting a proposal in this cycle of DRK-12 funding, we invite you to refer to our proposal timeline and other development resources.
 
This fall, CADRE will begin accepting applications for the CADRE Fellows following a review of our early career programs and identification of potential improvements. Stay tuned for more information!
 
As we enter another school year with COVID-19 restrictions in place, we encourage you to check NSF COVID-19 announcements for updates on policy that may affect your project. If you don’t find the information you’re looking for there, check with your program officer about COVID-19 and project-specific guidance. In other NSF news, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act requires 20% or more of NSF funds to go to EPSCoR jurisdictions. In response, NSF has begun a visioning process for the EPSCoR program and invites your input. You may be interested in reading more about projects that are co-funded by EPSCoR and DRK-12.
 
Best,
The CADRE Team

Conducting Equitable & Inclusive STEM Education & Research

As you prepare to submit proposals to NSF’s programs, begin your new award, or continue to examine how you, your projects, and your institutions can address systemic inequities, we invite you to take advantage of the wealth of resources that have been curated or produced by CADRE, other NSF resource networks, and collaborators. We feature a few here that represent recent efforts or that may specifically relate to project development and implementation, but we encourage you to explore the full collections via the links below.
 
CAISE, the resource network for AISL, recently updated their Anti-Racism Resource Roundup, a collection of publications, social media conversations, teacher resources, and other materials that address racism in STEM education, research, and occupations. CAISE also produced a Broadening Perspectives on Broadening Participation Toolkit, which offers a suite of materials for informal STEM education and science communication groups to expand their perspectives on what it means to broaden participation in STEM and professional development tools to support their efforts to do so. Highlights from the toolkit’s practice briefs include What Counts as STEM?; What Does Asset-Based STEM Learning Look Like?; and What Does Working “With” (not “For”) Our Communities Look Like?.
 
At the 2021 DRK-12 PI Meeting, a number of resources were compiled and shared to accompany conversations at plenary, concurrent, and roundtable sessions. If you were unable to attend, recordings are available for the following sessions: STEM, Civil Discourse, & Reasoning; Equitable STEM Education; Embracing Student Differences in STEM Education; and A Year in Crisis: Impacts and Inequities in American Families, Schools, and Communities. Kari Kokka and ReAnna Roby also compiled an extensive list of resources to support and extend discussion in the Racial Justice in STEM Education roundtable they facilitated. CADRE’s Spotlights on Broadening Participation in STEM, Culturally Responsive STEM Education, English Language Learners, Supporting Students with Disabilities, and Women and Girls in STEM provide examples of DRK-12 projects actively or recently working to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM.
 
The NSF INCLUDES National Network is designed to foster collaboration and share resources to advance efforts to broaden participation in STEM. Recent publications include briefs on Wealth, Equity, and STEM and Gathering Evidence for Success. They also recently launched a podcast series – Collaborative Strategies for Inclusive Change – that highlights how collaboration, partnerships, and strategies can advance inclusivity in STEM. The INCLUDES National Network is open to all who are committed to improving systems and eliminating inequity in STEM education and careers, and by joining, members gain access to the full network of community members and library of resources.
 
STELAR, the resource network for ITEST, has written a series of blog posts highlighting work and sharing resources related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM, including Leveraging Student Strengths in STEM: Tips for ITEST Proposal Writers (includes a list of strengths-based frameworks and concepts). Their themed highlights on Addressing Inequity Through the ITEST Program, Hispanic Heritage Month, Increasing Access & Opportunity, and Broadening the Participation of Women in STEM feature ITEST-funded work that aims to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the STEM workforce. Their instrument library includes a number of tools designed to measure and support equitable teaching and learning. They have also published a report describing Promising Approaches to Broadening Youth Participation in STEM.

New DRK-12 Awardees

Five new awards were funded since our last newsletter and have been added to our website and new award list. Please welcome them to our community!
 
CADRE is individually featuring the new projects through #NewDRK12Award posts on Facebook and Twitter to share the good news with our broader community of STEM educators, policy makers, and researchers. Get to know what's been funded and congratulate your DRK-12 colleagues.
 
View Awards


 

tipsProject Tip: Scaling & Sustainability

Participants who joined a roundtable discussion at the DRK-12 PI Meeting mentioned a few ideas they’re considering to support scale and sustainability of their interventions and products. A key theme was identifying users’ needs and strategically targeting approaches and products to meet those needs—allowing adaptation and customization—while trying to preserve critical design features and promote the intended implementation or use. Examples:
  • Adapting materials to platforms and formats that teachers are already using, such as CANVAS
  • Creating artifacts (e.g., short videos on Twitter or YouTube) to help support the use of their materials
  • Engaging influencers to disseminate information and promote use of interventions and products
  • Partnering with associations and other sites who will post project materials on their own websites after the project ends and funds are no longer available to maintain the project website
Whatever your approach for scaling and sustaining your project, plan early and be sure to include the time and budget in your proposal to allow for these changes, when and if appropriate.

Newsbites

News from NSF

  • Karen Marrongelle was selected to serve as NSF's chief operating officer, beginning August 2.
  • NSF has issued a new Grants.gov Application Guide, which is effective for proposals due on or after October 4, 2021.
  • NSF has posted FAQs for the Research on Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning (RETTL) solicitation (deadline October 18).
  • NSF INCLUDES announces five new Alliances focused on increasing equity and broadening participation in STEM.

News from NSF Networks

  • EvaluATE has developed a toolkit for creating one-page reports.
  • NSF INCLUDES has written a blog and research brief on critical success factors for virtual collaboration 
  • STELAR will be hosting the 2021 ITEST PI Meeting virtually, September 22-24. If you are an active ITEST PI, contact STELAR if you did not receive an invitation.
News from DRK-12 Projects and Awardees
 
Updates
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

For job, funding, and capacity-building opportunities for doctoral students, postdocs, and other early career scholars, visit our Early Career News & Opportunities page.
A complete archive of our newsletters and announcements is available on cadrek12.org.

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