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Joseph A. Heppert |
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Department of Chemistry, KU |
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KU Center for Science Education |
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Set a priority: K-12 or 13-16? |
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Get to know your target agency |
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Bring together a collaborative |
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Construct a competitive proposal |
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Think outside of the box |
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Undergraduate curriculum change: |
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Advantages |
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Science content focused |
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Obvious value to the institution |
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Less extensive network building |
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Disadvantages |
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Fewer sources of funding available than K-12 |
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Still have to build consensus and develop a plan to generate scholarship |
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K-12 curriculum change: |
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Advantages |
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Magnified impact |
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Many potential sources of funding |
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Significant visibility for projects |
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Disadvantages |
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Extensive inter- and intra-institutional network building (SOE, K-12, and state) |
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Focus on both science and pedagogical issues |
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Need to build in a mechanism for reward |
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Identify a target agency |
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Look for an agency that funds programs like the one you have conceived |
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Keep an eye out for programs for which your idea could be adapted |
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Contact a program officer |
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Make direct phone contact or schedule a visit |
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Send a one- or two-page synopsis including a brief outline of funding requirements |
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Do not write a proposal then look for an agency to submit it to |
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Obtain samples of successful proposals |
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NSF (www.nsf.gov) |
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Elementary Secondary and Informal Education (EISE) |
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Instructional Materials Development |
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Teacher Enhancement |
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Division of Undergraduate Education |
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Course Curriculum and Laboratory Improvement |
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Research Experiences for Undergraduates |
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Many programs in research Directorates |
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NSF (www.nsf.gov) |
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Graduate Teaching Assistants in K-12 Classrooms |
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Mathematics and Science Partnerships |
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A major K-12 initiative |
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Centers for Learning and Teaching |
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Research centers examining issues in teaching and learning K-12 and higher eduction |
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Teaching for the 21st Century (new) |
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New NSF-sponsored content institutes |
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Department of Education |
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Fund for the Improvement of Post-secondary Education (FIPSE) |
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Undergraduate curriculum |
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Many programs under Title 1 and 2, educational research and special education |
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K-12 funding |
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Collaborate with a School of Education or a School District |
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NASA |
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Many smaller educational programs |
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School Districts and State Departments of Education |
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These agencies have Title 2 funds for teacher professional development |
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Private Foundations |
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Initiatives focused around concerns of the foundation |
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Often require one- to two-page letters prior to proposal submission |
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Visit potential partners |
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Listen to their ideas and needs before you present your own |
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Don’t waste people’s time |
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Be willing to use your time as a “loss leader” |
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Attract participants with appropriate and diverse knowledge and abilities |
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Follow through on your commitments |
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Competitive education proposals demonstrate abilities, knowledge and planning in six critical areas |
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The literature |
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Content, pedagogical, technological and systemic challenges (objectives of your project) |
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Assessment: up to 10% of the budget |
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Capabilities of participants |
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Timetable for implementation |
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Dissemination plan: Goes beyond publication |
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Literature |
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You must convince program officers and reviewers that you know what has been done |
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Objectives of your project |
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Your project must address an important local challenge, but one that obviously addresses a need on the national level |
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Your project can and, if you have little prior experience, probably should start small |
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Assessment |
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Large projects require an external evaluator and an extensive and detailed evaluation plan |
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Even smaller projects may require that you team with an evaluator at your institution |
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Total evaluation budgets for large projects can comprise 10% of the project budget |
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It is important that you get data that you need out of the evaluation |
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Capabilities of Participants |
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You must convince reviewers that you have the knowledge and experience to carry out the plan |
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Timetable |
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Your timetable for implementation must be reasonable |
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Dissemination Plan |
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This must go beyond publications and presentations |
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Do you have a publisher in tow? |
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Are you working with other school districts? |
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Have faculty at other institutions agreed to pilot test your materials? |
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Do you involve minority students and institutions? |
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This issue matter more as the size of the project increases |
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Do not expect to be funded the first time |
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After you calm down, do read and respond to the broad themes in the reviews |
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Submit your proposal or a variation of your idea to more that one agency |
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Be willing to adapt your ideas to fit the needs of others |
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Be willing to become a secondary partner if it serves the broader goals of the collaborative |
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