September 2025 Newsletter

​Dear Colleagues,

While the DRK–12 Program is archived and will not accept new proposals, NSF continues to announce new DRK–12 awards from the 2024 solicitation. Meanwhile, those who might ordinarily submit a proposal to DRK–12 are encouraged to consider NSF’s new program, NSF STEM K–12.

NSF hosted a webinar earlier this month to provide an overview of FY2026 funding opportunities available through DRL and introduced the new NSF STEM K–12 Program. View the webinar recording (Passcode: KK..xiT7), slides, and a synthesis of the Q&A remarks. Please note: For proposals submitted on or after October 10, 2025, every individual listed as senior and/or key personnel must certify completion of compliant research security training within the preceding 12 months.

This month, in a Spotlight on Life Sciences Education, we highlight five DRK–12 projects that are reimagining how students and teachers engage with core ideas and practices in the life sciences—through rich data experiences, game-based inquiry, and modeling. Together they foreground evidence-based reasoning (from data analysis to argumentation), elevate crosscutting concepts such as sensemaking, and develop classroom-ready supports for teachers’ formative assessment.

With CADRE sunsetting, we will not offer a CADRE Fellows program this academic year. Thank you to all who have contributed to it since its inception—as nominators, Fellows, and mentors.

Best,
The CADRE Team

Life Sciences Education | Spotlight

A plant growing on a log

In this Spotlight, we highlight innovations and research in life sciences teaching and learning. Five projects describe the specific subdisciplines and practices they focus on, unique challenges and opportunities they have observed in this field, the scientific and technological advances they are leveraging, and how they have incorporated ethical considerations into their work. The Spotlight also includes a list of additional DRK–12 projects, DRK–12 publications, and other resources related to life sciences education.

In this Spotlight:

View Spotlight

New DRK–12 Awards | Project List

New award logo

Since our August newsletter, additional DRK–12 projects have been funded. View the full list of recent awards below.

Congratulations to the newest DRK–12 awardees!

View Awards

NSF FY2026 STEM K–12 Funding Webinar | Resources

NSF logo

On September 4, NSF hosted an informational webinar on the FY2026 funding opportunities available through the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (EDU/DRL).

Program directors introduced the new NSF STEM K–12 Program and provided overviews of the Research on Innovative Technologies for Enhanced Learning (RITEL) and Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) programs, followed by Q&A.

Webinar Resources:

View Resources

172 Fellows, One Network: How CADRE Built Early Career Strength | Retrospective

As CADRE sunsets, we’re looking back at some of our programs and impacts, starting with the CADRE Fellows program.

What it was. From 2009 to 2025, the CADRE Fellows program provided a clear on-ramp for emerging scholars in DRK–12. It demystified NSF practices, connected diverse early career researchers to a national community, and accelerated their growth as collaborative contributors to the STEM education and research field.

Text: Alumni Voice “The mock review made NSF feel navigable. The cohort made the field feel like home.” 2021 FellowHow it worked. Each cohort moved through sequenced experiences—monthly interactive webinars, peer collaboration, a writing project (manuscript, proposal concept, job materials, or business plan), and 1:1 mentoring. Fellows met NSF program officers, learned the review process, and participated in an NSF-style mock panel. The program culminated in an in-person convening with NSF staff and (in meeting years) the DRK–12 PI meeting, followed by reflection and entry into the alumni network.

What it emphasized. Four recurring themes guided activities and resources:

  • Career pathways (within and beyond academia)
  • Dissemination and impact (writing, publishing, speaking)
  • Networking and community (cohort and durable alumni ties)
  • Funding research (from framing ideas to competitive NSF proposals)

CADRE tip sheets synthesized mentoring advice, so Fellows didn’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Adaptive by design. The program evolved in response to feedback and context: a postdoc cohort, a shortened timeline, larger cohorts, eligibility beyond DRK–12 projects, structured writing groups, and 1:1 mentoring. In 2025, CADRE tailored the cohort for scholars from EPSCoR jurisdictions and rural institutions, aligning with NSF’s call to expand opportunity while preserving the proven model.

Text: By the Numbers (2009–2025) 172 Fellows, 97 institutions, 40 states, 183 mentorsReach and impact. By summer 2025, 172 early career researchers from 97 institutions across 40 states had taken part, supported by 183 mentors. Alumni went on to lead across K–12 systems, higher education, government, nonprofits, and industry. Many served as PIs on major grants; developed curricula, assessments, and professional-learning tools; launched district and/or state initiatives; informed policy; and brought learning-science expertise to ed-tech, thereby strengthening the STEM workforce. Participants reported clearer understanding of NSF funding and review, broader awareness of career options (including non-academic roles), greater confidence in professional discourse, and sharper writing/publishing practice. The peer community consistently stood out as a defining strength, with collaborations that extended well beyond the cohort year.

Text: Legacy Resources Explore CADRE’s Fellows tip sheets for advice that has supported early-career success.Bottom line. As CADRE sunsets, the Fellows program leaves a durable legacy: an evidence-informed pathway that built people and ideas, strengthened the DRK–12 pipeline, and helped move rigorous, impactful STEM education research into practice.

We thank the many mentors who supported the Fellows throughout the years, those who nominated early career researchers for the program, and each Fellow who joined their peers in a commitment to improving preK–12 STEM education!

Project Tip: NSF STEM K–12 Solicitation Requirements


Compared with the former DRK–12 solicitation, the new NSF STEM K–12 solicitation adds two submission requirements not included in the current version of the PAPPG): (1) In the Project Summary, “include five keywords that capture your theoretical framework, research methodology, any specific STEM content to be studied (e.g., AI), and relevant stakeholder communities;” (2) In the Supplementary Documents, include a complete list of all project personnel. Read the full requirements and visit CADRE’s proposal toolkit for additional information, including a new agency-wide change requiring security training.

Newsbites

News from NSF

News from DRK-12 Projects and Awardees

Awards & Recognition
 

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

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