January 2019 Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

Happy new year. As the government shutdown continues, we want to remind you that NSF announced that it is still accepting project reports. NSF has also recently announced that the next DRK-12 submission deadline is November 13, 2019. It isn't too early to begin your planning! Find the new proposal guide (PAPPG) and other resources in our NSF Proposal Toolkit.

This month is National Mentoring Month (January 31 is #ThankYourMentor Day), so we are highlighting a few mentoring projects, as well as reminding you that we have resources available for those of you who are mentoring or advising college and graduate students, or even postdocs, including sample postdoctoral mentoring plans. For those of you writing DRK-12 proposals, consider including a nomination for your postdoc to attend the 2020 PI Meeting in your mentoring plan! Nominations open next winter. If you're interested in related approaches to developing STEM students and teachers, the DRK-12 portfolio also includes projects that focus on coaching, apprenticeships, and internships.

Sincerely,
The CADRE Team

National Mentoring Month

Since 2002, National Mentoring Month has been held to raise awareness, increase involvement, and promote rapid growth of mentoring relationships that promote positive outcomes for youth. To celebrate, and in honor of International Mentoring Day (January 17), we are featuring our Spotlight on Mentoring, which includes:

In addition, you may also be interested in the CADRE Early Career Guide.

Perspectives from the Field: Report of the 2018 NSSME+   

By Eric Banilower, Horizon Research

The 2018 National Survey is the sixth in a series of surveys dating back to 1977. The study was designed to provide up-to-date information and to identify trends in the areas of teacher background and experience, curriculum and instruction, and the availability and use of instructional resources. The 2018 iteration includes an emphasis on computer science, particularly at the high school level, which is increasingly prominent in discussions about K-12 STEM education. (To reflect this change, the 2018 study is called the NSSME+.) Horizon Research, Inc. has just released the first report from the study. 

The NSSME+ covers more topics than can be described here, but some highlights follow. In elementary schools, mathematics is taught on most or all school days in most classes, but science is taught on most or all school days in only 35 percent of grades 4-6 classes and 17 percent of grades K-3 classes. Further, the typical elementary class spends about 20 minutes per day on science instruction compared with 60 minutes on mathematics and 90 minutes on reading/language arts. At the high school level, almost all schools offer courses in biology and chemistry, and most offer at least one type of physics course; fewer than half offer an engineering course. Although female students are just as likely as male students to take advanced science and mathematics courses, students from race/ethnicity groups historically underrepresented in STEM are more likely to take lower-level courses than advanced courses. Females and students from these race/ethnicity groups are substantively underrepresented in high school computer science courses.

Lecture and whole-class discussion are the most common modes of instruction in science and mathematics classes. In contrast, high school computer science classes tend to involve students in computer-based programming activities most frequently, though lecture is still fairly common. Teachers were also asked how often they engage students in the practices of their discipline. In science, students are most often engaged in science practices related to conducting investigations and analyzing data, and less often engaged in aspects of science related to evaluating the strengths/limitations of evidence and argumentation. In mathematics, students are engaged in many aspects of mathematical practice on a weekly basis, though having students critique different approaches to solving problems occurs less frequently. In high school computer science, students are most often engaged in practices related to testing and refining computational artifacts, and less often engaged in considering end users.

Register for the 2019 STEM for All Video ShowcaseVideo Showcase

Registration for the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase opened January 15. If you plan to participate in the showcase, May 13-20, 2019,  you must register by February 18. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and will close once 250 participants have registered.

Creating Effective Videos About Your Work

   CADRE's Dissemination Toolkit includes Video & Podcast Tips with information about storytelling, low-tech filming options, editing tips, and more. 

Newsbites from NSF, DRK-12, and NSF Networks

News from NSF

  • Government Shutdown Information
    NSF has provided information for NSF proposers, panelists, and grantees regarding policies and procedures in place or on hold during a government shutdown.
News from DRK–12 Projects & Awardees

Email cadre@edc.org to share news from your project.

News from NSF Networks

See our Upcoming CADRE & NSF Network Events page for ATE, CIRCL, CAISE, CS for All Teachers, MSPnet, 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. 

NSF 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.

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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