Dear Colleague Letter: Supporting Knowledge Mobilization for PreK-12 and Informal STEM Learning and Teaching
The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports collaborations and partnerships among education researchers and practitioners to advance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education for all Americans. Such collaborations address pressing needs in the Nation’s diverse preK-12 schools, including students, teachers, and families, as well as informal learning institutions where professional educators, youth, and their families are engaged (e.g., science museums, media, and community organizations). Recent findings and recommendations by National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine have highlighted the benefits of mobilizing relevant knowledge between the education research and practice communities.
This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) encourages submissions to programs within the Directorate for STEM Education’s (EDU) Division of Research on Learning in Informal and Formal Settings (DRL) for new proposals (research and other proposal types described in Chapter II.F of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) such as planning, conference, etc.) addressing grand challenges of knowledge mobilization within and across domains, levels of analyses, and across research and education contexts. This DCL also calls for supplemental funding requests from current awardees to engage practitioners and education leaders as partners in the development and deployment of innovative strategies and approaches for disseminating and applying education research findings, including in under-resourced urban and rural learning spaces and communities. NSF seeks to amplify the impact and usability of STEM education research for all while advancing the integrity of the science that supports it.
This opportunity is open only to proposals in the following programs:
- Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL)
- Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12)
- EDU Core Research (ECR) (projects situated in informal and preK-12 settings)
- Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST)