Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12)

Overview

Situated at the intersection of fundamental and applied research and development, the DRK-12 program supports research projects that seek to transform and strengthen formal preK-12 STEM education through innovative approaches, tools, and practices. Studies at the intersection of fundamental and applied research will address both generalizable scientific knowledge and applied classroom strategies (Stokes, 1997). As a research program, DRK-12 aims to support continuous accumulation of knowledge about STEM teaching and learning, in particular knowledge that is relevant to, or is instrumental for, practical innovations. 

Innovations can include but are not limited to teacher preparation and professional development programs, potentially transformative teaching practices, curriculum development, development and testing of formative or summative assessment systems, instructional technologies, models of collaborative partnerships between teachers and researchers, and combinations of approaches that improve STEM learning and learning environments for students and their teachers, and provide the foundation to generalize to other contexts. Proposals are encouraged to adapt ideas, concepts, theories, practices and test them across contexts and populations. Proposals can address any STEM subject matter; interdisciplinary proposals that focus on two or more STEM domains are welcomed. The DRK-12 program invests in projects with potential to immediately address longstanding challenges, inequities, and opportunities in formal education. It also invests in proposals that anticipate and provide the foundation for preK-12 STEM education as it could be in future decades. 

Given the importance of early learning in students' STEM trajectories, the program is particularly interested in supporting research and innovations that promote high-quality and innovative STEM education in the preschool years and early elementary grades. Proposals that focus on this developmental span are encouraged to draw from knowledge and practice of teaching and learning in out-of-school and informal settings, such as families and community organizations, to enhance preK-12 formal education. DRK-12 proposals must have clear implications for and ties to learning in formal K-12 settings. Proposals situated solely in informal contexts will be returned without review. Proposals situated in informal contexts should be submitted to the Advancing Informal STEM Learning program. 

Finally, the program welcomes proposals that connect prekindergarten (PreK) through grade 12 formal education to STEM workforce development. Proposers choosing to focus on workforce development should note the following differences between the Teaching and Learning strands. Proposals submitted to the Teaching Strand that choose to focus on workforce development aspects such as teacher preparation, learning, and continuing education should align their aims and content to professional teaching and curricular standards. Proposals submitted to the Learning Strand that focus on workforce development should demonstrate

DRK-12 Program Strands 

DRK-12 proposals must be submitted to one of the program's two strands: Learning or Teaching. The program recognizes that there is overlap and interdependence among the two strands; however, each proposal should have a clear, foregrounded focus on only one strand. 

1. Teaching Strand
   Effective STEM learning requires a well-prepared, skilled, and knowledgeable STEM teacher workforce. As advances in STEM continue to unfold, teachers need support to learn about new discoveries in the STEM disciplines and how to integrate contemporary and dynamic content from STEM fields into their classroom practice. The DRK-12 program invites proposals that advance current understanding of pre- and in-service teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and practices related to STEM content and that demonstrably enhance teaching practice. The overarching goal of the Teaching Strand is to contribute to the development of a science of teaching that addresses the complexity of how people facilitate other people's STEM learning. Submissions to the Teaching Strand should describe how the proposed innovation or approach aligns with current STEM education frameworks (e.g., curriculum, pedagogies, standards). In doing so, proposals should also provide a compelling argument for how the innovation or approach would be an improvement relative to current practice, and why and how it would lead to improved teacher practices and related outcomes for teachers and students. Teaching Strand proposals should focus primarily on teacher knowledge, beliefs, and practices as the unit of analysis. Student learning outcomes can be assessed and framed as evidence of the effectiveness of innovative approaches to supporting teacher practice.
    
2. Learning Strand
   Like their teachers, students need support to learn about new discoveries in the STEM disciplines and how to integrate contemporary and dynamic STEM content into their developing understandings of the world and their place in it. The program invites proposals that seek to understand how and why novel and potentially transformative STEM education innovations or approaches may improve student learning and interest in STEM. Further, the program invites proposals that aim to provide all students with STEM learning experiences that prepare them to understand and use scientific information, to serve their communities, and prepare students for potential post-secondary education opportunities and workforce participation. Proposals submitted to the Learning Strand should describe how the proposed STEM education innovation or approach aligns with current curricular frameworks, understandings of child and youth development, and evidence of how students engage with and learn STEM content. Moreover, proposals should demonstrate how a proposed innovation would be an improvement relative to students' current opportunities to learn. Learning Strand proposals should focus primarily on student learning and other characteristics as the unit of analysis. Teacher professional development and related outcomes can also be assessed and framed as part of the innovation's efforts to support student outcomes.

DRK-12 Research Project Types (See full funding announcement for details.)

1. Exploratory
2. Design and Development
3. Impact Studies
4. Implementation and Improvement Studies
5. Measurement and Assessment
6. Syntheses

Other DRK-12 Project Types (See full funding announcement for details.)

1. NEW: Partnership Development
2. Workshops & Conferences

Funding level ranges for research projects are as follows:
Level I = requests up to $450,000 with a duration of up to three years; 
Level II = up to $3,000,000 with a duration of up to four years; 
Level III = up to $5,000,000 with a duration of up to five years. 

Funding levels for other project types are as follows: 
Partnership Development proposals are up to $100,000 for one year; 
Synthesis proposals are up to $600,000 and three-years duration;
Workshop /Conference proposals are up to $200,000 and one-year duration.

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