May 04, 2005

(due by 5 p. m. proposer's local time)

June 02, 2005

(due by 5 p. m. proposer's local time)

NSF GRADUATE TEACHING FELLOWS IN K-12 EDUCATION (GK-12)

This program supports fellowships and associated training that enable graduate students in NSF- supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines to acquire additional skills that will broadly prepare them for professional and scientific careers in the 21^st century. Through interactions with teachers in K-12 schools, graduate students can improve communication and teaching skills while enriching STEM instruction in K-12 schools. In addition, the GK-12 program provides institutions of higher education with an opportunity to make a permanent change in their graduate programs by including partnerships with K-12 schools in a manner that is of mutual benefit to their faculties and students. Expected outcomes include improved communication, teaching and team building skills for the Fellows; professional development opportunities for K-12 teachers; enriched learning for K-12 students; and strengthened partnerships between institutions of higher education and local school districts.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recognizes that graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) must be prepared with the necessary skills to face the career challenges of the 21^st century. NSF also recognizes that STEM graduate students can contribute to the national effort to advance science education in K-12 schools through partnerships with K-12 teachers. These partnerships offer graduate students an opportunity to improve their teaching and communication skills while at the same time improving STEM content and teaching at the K-12 level. To support these opportunities, NSF continues to offer the Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program.

Through the GK-12 program, institutions of higher education have an opportunity to make a permanent change in their graduate education programs and to create strong and enduring partnerships with K-12 schools.

The objectives of the GK-12 program are: 1) to support highly qualified graduate students in NSF- supported STEM disciplines through Fellowships to provide them with an opportunity to acquire additional skills that will broadly prepare them for professional and scientific careers in the 21^st century; 2) to improve STEM instruction in K-12 schools; and 3) to provide institutions of higher education with an opportunity to make a permanent change in their graduate programs by including partnerships with K-12 schools in a manner that is of mutual benefit to their faculties and students.

Expected project outcomes include:

• improved communication, teaching and team building skills for Fellows;
• content gain and professional development opportunities for GK-12 Teachers;
• enriched learning by K-12 students;
• incorporation of GK-12 like activities as an integral part of the institution's graduate programs in STEM;
• strengthened partnerships between higher education institutions and local school districts; and
• documentation of project outcomes and activities that can be used to improve graduate education.

GK-12 Fellows, selected by awardee institutions, will work directly with GK-12 Teachers in and out of the classroom to, for example: connect K-12 learning to scientific methods needed for further study in STEM disciplines; provide role models for future STEM professionals; enhance GK-12 teachers' content knowledge and understanding of principles of mathematics and the sciences; and jointly design and deliver K-12 science and mathematics instruction.

The Foundation offers two tracks within the GK-12 program: Track 1 (initial track) designed for new projects, and Track 2 (follow on track) designed for past or current projects to build, expand and improve on the initial experiences, to build sustaining features of their STEM graduate education programs, and to disseminate models for the nation. Awards within each track are not renewable.

Principal Investigators (PIs), school administrators, GK-12 Teachers and STEM faculty must work together in the development of the GK-12 proposal. It is strongly recommended that a partnership among all potential parties involved in the proposed project be developed early. For example, PIs and school administrators are encouraged to discuss such issues as the types of incentives and resources necessary to support participation of teachers in GK-12 projects and the projects that will best serve the needs of the participating schools and teachers.

Although training activities on the campus of an institution of higher education may be part of the project plan, it is expected that the preponderance of Fellows’ activities with teachers and students will occur in K-12 schools. PIs are encouraged to establish collaborative arrangements with other institutions (e.g. industry, non-profit organizations, and museums) to support their activities.

1. Institutions*

Academic institutions in the United States and its territories that grant masters or doctoral degrees in STEM disciplines supported by NSF are eligible to apply. Projects may involve more than one institution, but a single institution must accept overall management responsibility. In any one competition, an institution may submit only one proposal as lead from either a single-institution or from a multi-institutional proposal, and this includes Track 1 or Track 2.

Non-academic institutions, industry, non-profit organizations and museums may serve as collaborating organizations.

*An institution is defined as a separate legal and fiscal entity, whether at the central or system level, or branch campus level, which can receive awards and which is separately and consistently identified at that level for federal research and development reporting purposes through a Federal Entity Number. NSF institution codes ARE NOT entity numbers.

2. Project Focus

Projects involving any of the STEM fields normally supported by NSF are eligible. Projects may draw participants from two or more departments within one institution or from more than one institution.

3. Principal Investigator

The PI must be a faculty member at the lead institution in a STEM discipline supported by NSF and should serve as the director of the GK-12 project. Any appropriate faculty or administrator at universities, K-12 schools or partnership institutions may serve as Co-PI.

4. Graduate Fellows

GK-12 Fellows will be selected by awardee institutions. They must be full time graduate students enrolled in STEM programs during their tenure as Fellows. In addition, they must be citizens, nationals or permanent residents of the United States. Foreign students who hold student visas are not eligible.

5. GK-12 Teachers

GK-12 Teachers should have sufficient experience in pedagogy to help improve the communication and teaching skills of the GK-12 Fellows.

1. Number and Size of Awards

The number and size of awards will vary depending upon the scope of projects and availability of funds. It is anticipated that approximately 28 total institutional awards will be made. Track 1 awards will range from $300,000 to $660,000 per year for up to three years. Track 2 awards will be for a total of up to five years with decreasing amounts each year as the institutional support increases; the amount in any one year not to exceed $500,000 and the total award not to exceed $2 million dollars.

The anticipated funding amount in FY 2006 is $19 million.

2. Stipends and Allowances

The stipend for a graduate student will be $30,000 for a 12-month tenure pending availability of funds. NSF also provides a cost-of-education allowance for tuition, health insurance, and normal fees of $10,500 per year per student (for 12 months). If this allowance is not fully required, then it may be used to support other GK-12 student-related activities.

All Fellows will spend a minimum of ten hours per week providing direct assistance to K-12 Teachers and five hours of preparation outside of the classroom.

The stipends for GK-12 Teachers may be up to 15% of the funds allocated for a Fellow's stipend (i.e. 15% of $30,000 or $4,500 per year). The stipends for GK-12 Teachers may support participation in summer educational institutes, travel support for professional meetings, involvement in weekend and evening workshops, and after-hours mentoring of Fellows through the project.

A Letter of Intent is required for all Track 1 and Track 2 proposals including those who were declined in previous years and are re-applying to the program. The Letter of Intent is not a preliminary proposal. It is a brief narrative that must include: 1) overview of the proposed project (indicate whether the project is Track 1 or Track 2); 2) principal investigator and list of faculty participants including their disciplines/departments and institutional affiliation; 3) K-12 school district participants and their affiliation; 4) disciplines to be covered by GK-12 Teachers and GK-12 Fellows; 5) Grade band: high school, middle school or elementary grades; and 6) Project setting: rural, urban, suburban.

Letters of Intent will be used by the program to guide the selection of reviewers. PIs should not expect feedback on their Letters of Intent beyond acknowledgement of their receipt.

Letters of Intent must be submitted via FastLane (www.fastlane.nsf.gov) and must be received by May 4, 2005.

The following instructions supplement the GPG guidelines:

Proposals must contain the following elements in the order indicated. Proposals that do not strictly adhere to the specified page and font limitations (given below) will be ineligible for consideration and will be returned without review.

1. COVER SHEET FOR PROPOSALS: Proposers must identify the program solicitation number stated at the beginning of this document in the program solicitation block on the proposal Cover Sheet. In the title section of the Cover Sheet, enter either "Track 1, GK-12" or "Track 2, GK-12" at the beginning of the proposal title.

2. PROJECT SUMMARY: This section, limited to one single-spaced page, prepared in a standard font (no smaller than Times New Roman 12), must be suitable for publication and should contain two sections (see below): 1) a List of Project Elements, followed by 2) a Project Summary . In addition, Track 2 proposals should specifically include a short summary of significant outcomes of their Track 1 project.

List of Project Elements

Title of Project:
Institution:
PI/Co-PI:
Number of Graduate Fellows per year:

Number of K-12 classes anticipated to be served/year:
Number of K-12 Teachers working with the Fellows:
School District Partners:
Target audience of the project (K-12 grade-band):
Setting: Urban, suburban or rural
NSF supported disciplines involved:

Project Summary: Include a brief description of the project, objectives, activity theme(s), and innovative aspects of the project. Indicate how Fellow-teacher partnerships will be initiated and enhanced during the lifetime of the project. Describe the nature of activities planned for the K-12 classes participating. Explicitly indicate in clearly labeled sections the intellectual merit and broader impacts of the project proposed. NSF will return without review proposals that fail to address both of these criteria in the summary. Include benefits to be achieved by all participants in the enterprise, the Fellows, teachers, K-12 students, and K-12 and higher education institutions. If the proposal is funded, NSF staff will edit the Project Summary, and will publish it along with abstracts of other awards.

3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This section is limited to 15 single spaced pages including any visual materials. It must be prepared in standard font no smaller than Times New Roman 12. The Project Description should include the following subsections (a-h):

   1. Results from Prior NSF Support: Provide information about relevant funding that the PI or co-PI(s) received during the past five years related to GK-12 activities. For each project cited indicate the NSF award number, amount and period of support and PIs, co-PIs, and/or partner organizations involved. Indicate how the proposed project is different than previously funded NSF proposals.

   2. Goals and Objectives: Provide the conceptual focus, goals, and objectives of the project. Describe the activities that will form the foundation for the project.

   3. Project Plan: It is important to indicate in this section not only what activities will be conducted but also how they will be implemented. Include disciplines addressed and mechanisms of operation. Indicate the number of Fellows that will be available in any given school district and the specific schools involved. Indicate how the Fellows will be recruited, selected and assigned to schools and classes. Outline plans to prepare Fellows to serve as resources to GK-12 Teachers. Incorporate training activities for Fellows from disciplinary or multidisciplinary fields, integrating established mathematics and science standards. Clearly state what the Fellows will be doing and how they will enhance K-12 STEM instruction in the specified school district, including as appropriate, their role in implementing inquiry-based instructional strategies and materials. Describe introductory workshops and professional development activities for GK-12 Teachers.

   Describe the level and type of participation by the institution(s) of higher education, K-12 school district(s), and any collaborating organization(s). Indicate any relevant history of the higher education department(s) in K-12 involvement and how the proposed activities will be aligned with educational needs of K-12 schools. Describe implementation plans involving special populations in K-12 schools (e.g. women, underrepresented minorities, students at risk, with disabilities, with English as second language, etc.).

   Clarify in sufficient detail the benefits to Fellows, GK-12 Teachers, universities and K-12 schools.

   Include plans to incorporate GK-12 like activities as an integral part of STEM graduate programs.

   4. Recruitment and Selection: Describe plans and procedures for the recruitment and selection of Fellows, including specific provisions for success with women, underrepresented minorities and persons with disabilities. Provide reasonable estimates of the number of potential Fellows eligible and likely to be interested in participating. Also describe plans for the recruitment and selection of GK-12 Teachers.

   5. Organization, Management, and Institutional Commitment: The Principal Investigator (PI) will have overall responsibility for the administration of the award, the management of the project, and interactions with the NSF. The PI and the home institution are expected to develop an administrative structure that enables faculty, GK-12 teachers, school administrators, Fellows, and others involved in the group effort to interact productively during the award period. The PI is expected to be an integral participant in the education and training activities of the GK-12 project. Include plans and procedures for the development of a management team for the proposed activity indicating how the responsibilities among team members will be allocated (e.g. who will select the Fellows, who will coordinate activities of Fellows and GK-12 Teachers).

   Include assurances from the institution of higher education that the NSF funds will not supplant extant financial resources assigned to science and mathematics education and provide similar assurances from the school district in the statement from the superintendent of the K-12 district described below.

   Describe how the activities will be sustained after the period of NSF funding. Provide a clear statement elaborating which of the proposed activities are likely to be institutionalized by the end of the grant period, and which of the proposed activities will require further sources of support in order to be continued.

6. Evaluation: Describe an evaluation plan, including the performance indicators and other specific measures that will be used by the project team to assess the project's success in meeting its goals and objectives. Although each project should propose its own measures, some later standardization is anticipated so that NSF can conduct a program-wide evaluation of effectiveness. This section is expected to include:

   • For Fellows: provide basic data related to the operation of the proposed plan including number of Fellows indicating the number of women, underrepresented minorities and students with disabilities participating; indicate how the effectiveness of the training of Fellows will be measured; how the effects of the program on Fellows will be determined;

   • For GK-12 Teachers and Schools: number of teachers involved including the number of women, underrepresented minorities and teachers with disabilities participating; indicate how the effects of the program on GK-12 teachers and schools will be measured; how the impact of the program on the school districts will be evaluated;

   • For Faculty and Universities: indicate how the impact of the program on participating faculty and universities participating will be measured and evaluated;

   • Indicate plans for evaluation of the efficacy of project activities, including the development of a process for collecting and interpreting evaluative data and attributing impacts; and

   • Include timetables and metrics for accomplishments and indicate who will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating the progress of this effort.

Project participants (PIs, Fellows and GK-12 Teachers) should be prepared to submit Annual Reports via FastLane; add information annually to a web based GK-12 specific data collection system ;participate in long-term follow-up activities supported by NSF; and cooperate in an overall program evaluation to be conducted by the NSF.

7. List of Faculty Participants: Include departmental and, if appropriate, institutional affiliation of all faculty participants expected to mentor Fellows or to otherwise play an important role in the project. Indicate how the Fellows’ advisors will be involved and how they will provide feedback to the Fellows.

8. School District Involvement: Include a brief summary of school district participation and a list of participating school districts. A statement from the superintendent(s) of the participating K-12 school district(s) must also be included with the application. The statement(s) with the original signature may be electronically scanned and incorporated as a PDF file into the Supplementary Documentation (see item 7 below).

Additional Elements for Track 2 Proposals:

In the Results from Prior NSF Support (section V. 3. a.) Track 2 proposals should also describe the earlier GK-12 project(s), their outcomes, ongoing progress and lessons learned. If appropriate indicate how these serve as a base for or will be incorporated into the proposed project. Include specific outcomes for Fellows, GK-12 Teachers and students; the nature of current partnerships (especially with schools); the interest and contributions of faculty and administrators including those that are not members of the leadership team; and a summary of the supporting infrastructure.

In the Project Plan (section V. 3. c.) indicate how participating Fellows, GK-12 Teachers and schools will be followed longitudinally to determine indicators of project impact and sustainability such as: length of time that Fellows take to degree completion compared to other graduate students, career choices, outreach efforts and teaching practices adapted; increased teacher expertise in science and mathematics, teaching methods adapted, participation in professional development activities in STEM; number of schools or teachers requesting GK-12 partnerships, changes in student STEM interest and competence level; number of faculty and students participating in GK-12 activities, changes in faculty and/or department support and practices related to GK-12 activities, and overall impact on the institution.

Indicate how you plan to implement GK-12 type activities as an element of the institution's STEM graduate education program(s); how you plan to establish K-12-university partnerships; and how they will serve as a mechanism to advance STEM education.

Indicate the project's potential as a national model and as contributor to research on STEM graduate education. For example, indicate how your project is contributing to building a research community that can address current trends in STEM graduate education and how your project is broadening the diversity of students in STEM graduate education.

In the Organization, Management and Institutional Commitment Section (V. 3. e.), describe the infrastructure already developed to support the GK-12 project, include any plans for changing it, the reasons for the planned changes, and the partnership's plans for maintaining this infrastructure once the partnership has become self-sustaining. Indicate strategies and commitments for sustainability of funding beyond NSF support.

4. REFERENCES CITED (see GPG, Chapter II Section C.4): Any literature cited should be specifically related to the proposed project, and the Project Description should make clear how each reference has played a role in the motivation for or design of the project.

5. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES (see GPG, Chapter II, Section C.5): This section must not exceed 2 pages per individual. For each of the personnel listed by name on the budget page and each person included on the list of faculty participants (Item 3g), provide a Biographical Sketch highlighting information that will help in understanding the qualifications that this individual will bring to the GK-12 project. This Biographical Sketch should include information about recent training activities such as the number and names of graduate students who carried out research under the faculty member's direction in each of the last three years. List the titles of courses taught by the faculty member during the past three years and include other relevant activities, such as organization of workshops or special courses. Include information related to activities conducted in collaboration with K-12 schools or other educational organizations. List current and past collaborators including those with whom the faculty member has co-authored papers within the past four years.

6. CURRENT AND PENDING SUPPORT (see GPG Chapter II Section C.7): For each PI and Co-PI, you must indicate time commitments for all current and pending support from all agencies. This is not limited to NSF or other federal agency support.

7. SUPPLEMENTARY DOCUMENTATION: This section should not exceed 10 pages. It must include a statement from the superintendent(s) of the local K-12 school district(s) involved. The local superintendent(s) or chief school officer(s) who can represent the school district and honor its financial commitments must sign this statement. This statement should include some background about participating schools and demographics of the student population; specific STEM needs of participating schools or of the district in general; specific conditions in the K-12 schools in which Fellows are expected to operate (e.g. availability of technology and/or scientific materials); coordinated plans of the district to receive GK-12 Fellows into its schools; financial commitments or other support to be provided for GK-12 Teachers (e.g. release time, conference attendance, workshop participation, professional development units); and incentives, recognition and awards to be provided to GK-12 Teachers for their participation in the GK-12 project.

Provide a Summary Proposal Budget for each year of support requested. FastLane will create the cumulative budget automatically.

Recognizing the importance of infrastructure support and the significant involvement of faculty and GK-12 Teachers, up to 30% of the budget may be designated for direct costs other than Fellows’ stipends, GK-12 Teacher stipends and cost-of-education allowances. These funds are intended to supplement institutional and school district resources in support of GK-12 activities.

Funds may be requested for personnel to develop and construct special instruments, for the purchase of computer software, or for other special-purpose materials related to the project. Use of inquiry-based educational materials such as those developed under NSF support is encouraged. The total requested for software and special-purpose materials may not exceed $10,000.

Funds may be requested for professional development, training or workshop participation for GK-12 Teachers.

Funds should be included for the PI and up to three participants to attend an annual meeting convened by NSF in the Washington, D.C. area. The participants should include at least one Fellow and one GK-12 Teacher.

Budget Justification: This section must not exceed 3 pages. A brief justification for funds in each budget category should be provided. List next to each item commented upon in the Budget Justification the corresponding letter and number of that item on the Budget Page.

May 04, 2005

(due by 5 p. m. proposer's local time)

June 02, 2005

(due by 5 p. m. proposer's local time)

Research on Learning and Education (ROLE)

The NSF’s Division of Graduate Education (DGE) and the Division of Research, Evaluation and Communication (REC) offer an opportunity to support research projects on graduate education (see https://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf05529 ). This opportunity encourages proposals for research that can serve as a basis for broadening participation and strengthening graduate education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines as well as graduate education in STEM education. Successful proposals will demonstrate expertise in education research and/or social science research methods as well as knowledge about STEM graduate education. The objective is to build a research community that can more effectively address current trends in STEM graduate education such as:

• Emerging STEM research fields, particularly cross-disciplinary ones;
• Changes in skills expected for STEM professionals;
• Efforts to broaden the diversity of students in STEM graduate education;
• The effects on graduate education of growing international cooperation; and
• Uses of new technologies in both education and research.

Proposals may address these topics and others directly related to questions of interest to GK-12 projects. For example: Does the GK-12 program reach and attract students who would otherwise be less likely to start and complete PhD programs in STEM disciplines? What has been the impact of GK-12 on participating graduate student interest, particularly after graduation?

Online Evaluation Resource Library (OERL)

The Online Evaluation Resource Library, funded by NSF, provides guidelines for how to improve evaluation practice using Web site resources. It provides a large collection of sound plans, reports and instruments from past and current project evaluations in several content areas.

OERL resources include instruments, plans, and reports from evaluations that have proven to be sound and representative of current evaluation practices. It also includes alignment tables that contain criteria and a glossary to help with the development of your own plans, reports and instruments.

Principal investigators and GK-12 project evaluators are encouraged to consult OERL at: http://oerl.sri.com.