Introduction

Education Mission of the National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has a mandate to ensure the vitality of science and technology in the United States. Recognizing the important link between research and education in these fields, the NSF enabling legislation explicitly gives it responsibility for the quality and effectiveness of the Nation’s underlying human resource base. Stimulating quality education in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology is vitally important to ensure economic success in a global economy that is characterized by increasing technological sophistication. The Foundation has a cohesive and comprehensive set of education and human resources activities addressing every level of education, including early career development.

Directorate for Education and Human Resources

Programs within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR) promote student, teacher, and faculty development, as well as improved public science literacy through the support of projects which operate on national, regional, and local levels. The Directorate’s five major long-term goals center on the delivery of quality science, mathematics, and technology (SMT) education to all students. These goals are to ensure that:

high-quality SMT education is available to every child in the United States, enabling all who have interest and talent to pursue scientific and technical careers at any level and supporting scientific literacy of all citizens;
educational pipelines carrying students to careers in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology yield sufficient numbers of individuals to meet the demands of the technical workplace;
those who select careers in science or engineering disciplines have high-quality educational opportunities available to them;
interested non-specialists have opportunities to broaden their scientific and technical knowledge; and,
the larger public has opportunities to develop an understanding of scientific and technological developments and processes.

While all NSF research Directorates support SMT education activities, EHR assumes primary responsibility for the Foundation’s education mission, especially in elementary, secondary, and lower-division undergraduate levels, as well as public science literacy. The above-mentioned goals provide the focus for the activities of EHR organizational units:

Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (ESIE)	(703) 306-1620
Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE)	(703) 306-1670
Division of Graduate Education (DGE)	(703) 306-1630
Division of Educational System Reform (ESR)	(703) 306-1690
Division of Human Resource Development (HRD)	(703) 306-1640
Division of Research, Evaluation, and Communications (REC)	(703) 306-1650
Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)	(703) 306-1683

This Program Announcement covers all programs within the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (ESIE) and replaces the previous Program Announcement and Guidelines (NSF 97-20). Brief supplements may be issued to announce relevant changes or additions, and special solicitations may be issued for new, developing initiatives. With the exception of the Division of Graduate Education and the Office of EPSCoR, each organizational unit in EHR supports preK-12 projects. Refer to the NSF Guide to Programs: Fiscal Year 1997 (NSF 97-30) and the program announcements of other EHR organizational units for further information.

Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education

Goals. Programs of the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education (ESIE) support projects that enable all students, pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 (pre K-12), to succeed in science, mathematics, and technology (SMT) and to increase the scientific and technological literacy of students and adults of all ages. Its programs provide the educational foundation for future generations of scientists, engineers, and technologists; for those pursuing post-secondary education in other disciplines; and for those who enter the workforce directly from secondary school. ESIE programs promote the achievement, competency, and literacy essential to inform citizens about the SMT issues that impact their lives, as well as promote effective advocacy for high-quality education in these fields.

Objectives. To provide leadership and to promote development of the infrastructure and resources needed to improve SMT education throughout the United States, ESIE programs:

Strengthen skills of the teacher workforce by:

—expanding and deepening the understanding of content, pedagogy, and educational technologies,

—heightening awareness and deepening understanding of the diverse experiences and needs of students,

—grounding continued professional development in the context of the school structure and organization, and,

—developing a cadre of teachers and administrators who can effectively lead reform in these fields.

Develop alternative models of instructional materials aligned with standards for content, teaching, and assessment that:

—enhance the knowledge, thinking skills, and problemsolving abilities of all students;

—incorporate the recent advances in disciplinary content, research on teaching and learning, and educational technologies; and,

—can be implemented broadly and in diverse settings.

Promote transitions between secondary school and the workplace, as well as transitions within the workplace through the development of exemplary curricula, varied instructional environments, and other activities.
Provide stimulating opportunities outside school that:

—increase understanding of, and participation in, SMT disciplines by individuals of all ages, interests, and backgrounds, informing them of its impact in their daily lives and aiding them in making responsible decisions about science policy issues;

—establish linkages with formal education to improve education in all learning environments; and,

—stimulate parents and others to become informed proponents for quality and universally-available education in these fields and enable them to support their children’s science and mathematics endeavors.

—Capitalize on educational technologies and electronic networking in the development of all materials and instructional strategies in a manner that ensures that quality education is accessible to all students.

To achieve these objectives, ESIE supports the development of high-quality course and curriculum materials for all students through its Instructional Materials Development (IMD) Program; strengthens teachers’ content and pedagogical skills and creates an infrastructure of professional educators, educational researchers, and administrators to support SMT education reform through its Teacher Enhancement (TE) Program; provides research experiences for students and their teachers under a special component of the TE Program; creates a nationwide network of teacher leaders recognized for career achievement under the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) Program; provides stimulating opportunities outside of school to promote appreciation, interest, and understanding of science, mathematics, and technology for youth and adults through its Informal Science Education (ISE) Program; provides strategies, materials, and resources for parents and stimulates parents/caregivers to become active proponents for their children’s SMT education through its Parent Involvement Initiative that crosses the Division’s Programs; strengthens the SMT preparation of students who will enter the advanced technological workforce through its Advanced Technological Education (ATE) ¹ Program.

¹The ATE Program is co-managed by the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education and the Division of Undergraduate Education.

¹The last two-year awards under the Young Scholars (YS) Program were made in FY 1996. FY 97 funds are for second year increments for these awards. See TE Program for funding opportunities for teacher and student research projects.