Chemical Education Today
Report
New Guidelines for Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education by Donald J. Wink
Last January I discussed programs that support K–12 teaching in both the preparation of teachers and in the design of new materials and learning environments for K–12 classrooms. Teacher preparation is the purview of the Division of Undergraduate Education, and I will discuss their programs in an upcoming column. Here, I review the way that NSF supports K–12 teaching environments (and beyond) in the new guidelines for Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education. These are run by the Division of the same name, with a home page at http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/esie. The new guidelines are contained in publication NSF No. 99-92, which is a significant revision of the earlier guidelines. The guidelines are present at the URL http://www.nsf. gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/nsf9992.htm and include a cogent summary of the programs at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/ nsf9992/executive.htm. Five programs are described in these guidelines; I will discuss those directly related to K–12 teaching first. One program, Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, has a deadline very soon: February 14. The awards are designed to recognize teachers throughout the K– 12 system. The program has its own page at http://www.ehr. nsf.gov/EHR/ESIE/awards/default.htm, which includes information—and sample lessons—from past awardees. This is an award program, not a grant program. It is handled in a very different manner from normal NSF grant programs. The full instructions are at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/ 1999package.htm. The process begins with a submission at the state level through state coordinators. The NSF gives information about who these are. The application has a character that is more like a portfolio than a grant and, I think, it may be a good template for anyone looking to support portfolio documentation of teaching at any level!
Two grant programs relate to the K–12 environment in complementary ways. Instructional Materials Development (preliminary deadline is May 1; Web page is at http://www. nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/instructional.htm) this year emphasizes comprehensive middle and high school science curricula, programs for children ages 3–5, “extended student inquiry” projects that could involve leading scientists and research projects on an ongoing basis, programs in the history and nature of science, and technology education. One goal of this program is the production, implementation, and dissemination of products; so product development and testing plans are important. Another goal is the assessment of student-learning in science and mathematics, including the development of new tools and methods to carry this out. The guidelines indicate that projects supported in the IMD program should include a plan for the professional development of teachers. But if one has a program that only aims at professional development, then the Teacher Enhancement Program of ESIE (preliminary deadline is April 1; Web page is at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/teacher.htm) is appropriate. It has a major focus on K–12 mathematics and on secondary science. A few high-risk projects will also be supported, with technology mentioned as a key component for the delivery of the professional development experience. The ESIE Division guidelines also include the Informal Science Education Program, with preliminary applications due March 1 (there is also a cycle with a preliminary deadline in August). The guidelines, at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/ 1999/nsf9992/informal.htm, describe four areas of new interest, covering ways to improve attitudes towards informal education, informal education linked to particular research endeavors, informal projects linked to emerging math stan-
Table 1. Informational Web Sites
150
Web Page Title
URL
Elementary, Secondary, & Informal Education Home Page
http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/ehr/esie
Program Announcement and Guidelines
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/nsf9992.htm
Executive Summary of Programs
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/executive.htm
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching
http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/ESIE/awards/default.htm
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching1999 Application Packet
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/1999package.htm
Instructional Materials Development Program
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/instructional.htm
Teacher Enhancement Program
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/teacher.htm
Informal Science Education Program
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/informal.htm
Advanced Technological Education
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/1999/nsf9992/advanced.htm
Research on Learning and Education (ROLE)
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf0017/nsf0017.txt
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 77 No. 2 February 2000 • JChemEd.chem.wisc.edu
Chemical Education Today
dards, and “high risk” projects to bring science education to new areas. As in earlier cycles, supplements to awards for NSF science researchers are also available. Finally, this year the guidelines include a program that ESIE will direct in conjunction with the Division of Undergraduate Education. This is the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program, with a preliminary deadline of April 14. The program has its information at http://www.nsf.gov/ pubs/1999/nsf9992/advanced.htm. ATE focuses on two-year colleges and requires that the projects have leadership from these schools. Consortia of two-year schools with each other, with four-year schools and universities, and with secondary schools are mentioned. The kind of work supported is different this year. The “projects” track includes Adaptation and Implementation for the first time, along with support for the development of new labs and curricula, new technical experiences, and proposals explicitly aimed at teacher preparation and teacher enhancement. The second track covers much
larger centers of excellence, the original core of the ATE program when it was started years ago. Just before this column went to press, the NSF Division of Research, Education, and Communication issued guidelines for a new program, “Research on Learning and Education (ROLE)”. The ROLE program replaces the REPP program as the Division’s primary program to support education research. There is a mandatory March 1, 2000 deadline for preliminary proposals. Further information is at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf0017/nsf0017.txt. Literature Cited 1. Wink, D. J. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 21.
Donald J. Wink teaches in the Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60607;
[email protected].
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