Digital Promise Global

EDUCATION INNOVATION AND RESEARCH - EXPANSION

THE USING GENERATIVE AI FOR READING R&D CENTER

INSTRUCTIONAL COACHING FOR TECH-ENHANCED APPROACHES IN MATHEMATICS (ICOACHTEAM)

THE SEER RESEARCH NETWORK FOR DIGITAL LEARNING PLATFORMS

CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE RESEARCH IN COMPUTING AND LEARNING SCIENCES (CIRCLS)

INTEGRATING SCIENCE WITH MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING: LINKING HOME AND SCHOOL LEARNING FOR ALL YOUNG LEARNERS

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING HUB FOR EARLY SCIENCE (HUBES): LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO DEVELOP SUPPORTS FOR EDUCATORS TO PROMOTE MEANINGFUL SCIENCE LEARNING IN PRESCHOOL -SCIENCE ACTIVITIES PROVIDE MEANINGFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT ALIGN WELL WITH EARLY CHILDHOOD APPROACHES THAT EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY AND COLLABORATIVE LEARNING, AND HAVE BEEN FOUND TO NOT ONLY SUPPORT CHILDREN?S LATER SCIENCE LEARNING, BUT ALSO STRENGTHEN LEARNING IN OTHER KEY AREAS SUCH AS LITERACY, MATHEMATICS AND APPROACHES TO LEARNING. TO BECOME ROBUST SCIENTIFIC THINKERS, HOWEVER, YOUNG CHILDREN NEED OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN HIGH QUALITY SCIENCE ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THEIR DAY. ALTHOUGH SCIENCE IS INCREASINGLY RECOGNIZED AS A KEY DIMENSION OF EARLY LEARNING, FINDINGS TO DATE INDICATE THAT YOUNG CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY THOSE ENROLLED IN PUBLIC PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS SERVING HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED COMMUNITIES, HAVE LIMITED OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE IN HIGH QUALITY SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS. THE LACK OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO TEACHERS MAKES IT CHALLENGING FOR THEM TO FEASIBLY AND EFFECTIVELY PROMOTE SCIENCE IN THEIR CLASSROOMS. WHILE RECENT STUDIES HAVE HIGHLIGHTED COMPONENTS OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS THAT MAY BE HELPFUL, MORE WORK IS NEEDED TO UNDERSTAND HOW THESE COMPONENTS SUPPORT TEACHERS? SCIENCE DISPOSITIONS AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE AND DETERMINE WHETHER IMPROVEMENTS IN TEACHER OUTCOMES TRANSLATE INTO IMPROVEMENTS IN CHILDREN?S LEARNING. THE ADOPTION OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS OFTEN REQUIRES SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENTS IN TIME AND RESOURCES, WHICH CAN POSE CHALLENGES FOR ADOPTION AND BROAD IMPACT. EFFORTS THAT CONSIDER THESE CHALLENGES AND INTENTIONALLY DESIGN PROFESSIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES THAT CAN BE WIDELY AVAILABLE TO AND FEASIBLY ADOPTED BY PRESCHOOL TEACHERS ARE NEEDED. TO ADDRESS THIS NEED, THIS FOUR-YEAR DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT BRINGS TOGETHER PUBLIC PRESCHOOL TEACHERS, FAMILIES FROM CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, EARLY LEARNING AND STEM RESEARCHERS AND DESIGNERS OF MEDIA TO CO-DESIGN A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING HUB FOR EARLY SCIENCE. THIS HUB INCLUDES (1) A VIDEO LIBRARY TO SHOWCASE SCIENCE PRACTICES IN ACTION, (2) EDUCATIVE SIMULATIONS OF CORE IDEAS TO HELP EDUCATORS TO FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH SCIENCE CONTENT, (3) A TOOLKIT TO SUPPORT BIDIRECTIONAL HOME-SCHOOL CONNECTIONS AND HELP TEACHERS LEVERAGE FAMILIES FUNDS OF KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURAL ASSETS AS THEY INTEGRATE SCIENCE IN THEIR CLASSROOM, AND (4) AN INTERACTIVE MAP HIGHLIGHTING CROSS DISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS TO ARTICULATE HOW SCIENCE AND OTHER LEARNING DOMAINS CAN BE MUTUALLY SUPPORTIVE. THE PROJECT?S RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES WILL OCCUR IN THREE PHASES ACROSS 4 YEARS. THE INITIAL PHASES OF THE PROJECT (PHASES 1 AND 2) INCLUDE RELATIONSHIP BUILDING ACTIVITIES, AN INCLUSIVE CO-DESIGN PROCESS THAT CENTERS EDUCATORS AND FAMILIES, AND DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TO INFORM REFINEMENT OF EMERGING RESOURCES. PHASE 3 WILL INVOLVE TWO FIELD STUDIES. THE GOAL OF THE FIRST FIELD STUDY IS TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE USABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF THE PROFESSIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES WITH A NEW SAMPLE OF TEACHERS AND PRELIMINARILY EXAMINE THE PROMISE OF THE RESOURCES IN SUPPORTING TEACHER?S ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS AND INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE. THE GOAL OF THE SECOND FIELD STUDY IS TO EXAMINE LONGER TERM IMPACTS ON TEACHERS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED EFFECTS ON CHILD OUTCOMES. HIERARCHICAL LINEAR MODELING WILL BE CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE EFFECTS ON CHILDREN?S LEARNING AND STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING WILL BE CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL MEDIATING EFFECT OF TEACHER OUTCOMES. BY LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY AND COMBINING A FAMILY- AND EDUCATOR-CENTRIC CO-DESIGN PROCESSES, WE AIM TO DESIGN EARLY SCIENCE RESOURCES THAT CAN HAVE BROADER AND SUSTAINED IMPACTS FOR PUBLIC PRESCHOOL EDUCATORS AND YOUNG LEARNERS. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE DISCOVERY RESEARCH PREK-12 PROGRAM (DRK-12) THAT SEEKS TO SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) BY PREK-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, THROUGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE RESOURCES, MODELS, AND TOOLS. PROJECTS IN THE DRK-12 PROGRAM BUILD ON FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH IN STEM EDUCATION AND PRIOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS THAT PROVIDE THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR PROPOSED PROJECTS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

DESIGNING OPEN-ACCESS CURRICULAR SUPPORTS TO DEEPEN DISCUSSIONS IN WORLD HISTORY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DISTRICTS HELPING DISTRICTS: SCALING INCLUSIVE CT PATHWAYS -WHILE ALL 50 U.S. STATES HAVE ADOPTED COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION POLICIES AND STANDARDS, EQUITY REMAINS A PERSISTENTLY COMMON CHALLENGE, WITH RECENT STATE-BASED STUDIES REPORTING THAT MANY HIGH SCHOOL CS COURSES HAVE ENROLLMENTS NO MORE DIVERSE THAN THEY WERE 20 YEARS AGO. THIS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DIGITAL PROMISE GLOBAL AND THE BROWARD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD WILL ADDRESS ONGOING EQUITY DILEMMAS BY CREATING A PROFESSIONAL LEARNINIG COMMUNITY OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS WORKING TO EXPAND CS EDUCATION FOR THEIR STUDENTS. THIS APPROACH RECOGNIZES THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF DISTRICTS IN DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING INCLUSIVE COMPUTING PATHWAYS THAT COHERENTLY CONNECT CORE COMPUTING COMPETENCIES TO THE DISTRICT?S ADOPTION OF STATE STANDARDS, AVAILABLE RESOURCES, AND TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. THE PARTNERSHIP BUILDS ON PRIOR WORK AND WILL ENGAGE EIGHT SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT SERVE A VARIETY OF GEOGRAPHIES, DISTRICT SIZES AND STUDENT POPULATIONS. THIS RESEARCH-PRACTITIONER PARTNERSHIP (RPP) BETWEEN DIGITAL PROMISE GLOBAL AND THE BROWARD COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD BUILDS UPON PRIOR WORK THAT DESIGNED INCLUSIVE K-12 COMPUTING PATHWAYS. KEY TO THIS SCALE-UP IS THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN ADDRESSING ONGOING EQUITY DILEMMAS AND STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT GAPS IN K-12 COMPUTING. THE PROJECT TEAM INCLUDES EIGHT DIVERSE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, WHO COLLECTIVELY EXPLORE PRACTICES FOR SUSTAINABLY SCALING THE INCLUSIVE CT PATHWAYS MODEL THAT PARTNERING DISTRICTS HAVE INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS. THE RPP WILL LEVERAGE THE CT PATHWAYS TOOLKIT DESIGNED FROM PRIOR WORK AND IMPLEMENT A TEACHER-LED MODEL OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AT SCALE FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATORS AND INSTRUCTORS. THE GOAL IS FOR DISTRICT LEADERS AND TEACHERS TO DEVELOP SKILLS AND SUPPORT SYSTEMS TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT CUMULATIVE, CONSISTENT, AND COMPETENCY-BASED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN EACH GRADE, K-12. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

CRC: CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE RESEARCH ON CYBERLEARNING (CIRCL)

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: HEARING EACH OTHER'S VOICES: COMMUNITY MODELS FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING FOR TEACHERS, STEM COACHES, AND RESEARCHERS -A LONG-STANDING CHALLENGE FOR EDUCATION AND LEARNING SCIENCES IS SHARING THE DISTINCT KNOWLEDGE BASES OF RESEARCHERS AND TEACHERS WITH EACH OTHER. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO SUPPORT TEACHERS, STEM COACHES, AND RESEARCHERS IN SHARING THAT KNOWLEDGE SO THAT THEY CAN LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER. THE STEM COACHES WORK WITH TEACHERS AND ARE FOCUSED ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS. THEY WILL ALSO SERVE TO CONNECT K-12 SCHOOLS AND RESEARCHERS, AND WILL PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN BRIDGING BETWEEN THE TEACHERS AND RESEARCHERS. ULTIMATELY, A PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY WILL BE CREATED TO BRING THE THREE GROUPS TOGETHER. ONE PURPOSE OF THE LEARNING COMMUNITY WILL BE TO SELECT AND ADAPT RESEARCH-BASED PRACTICES THAT ADDRESS LOCAL CHANGES. THE LEARNING COMMUNITY WILL ALSO WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE RESEARCH-PRACTICE BRIEFS THAT ARE SHORT WRITTEN SUMMARIES OF RESEARCH THAT PROVIDES USEABLE KNOWLEDGE AND GUIDANCE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING. AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION IS CREATING RESEARCH-PRACTICE BRIEFS THAT SUMMARIZE RESEARCH WITH INPUT FROM BOTH RESEARCHERS AND PRACTITIONERS SO THAT PRINCIPLED ADAPTATIONS CAN BE APPLIED MORE EASILY IN PRACTICE. THE PROJECT TAKES A SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE USING CULTURAL HISTORICAL ACTIVITY THEORY TO ANALYZE THE INTERACTIONS THAT WILL OCCUR BETWEEN RESEARCHERS, TEACHERS, AND STEM COACHES. THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS. FIRST, HOW CAN RESEARCHERS AND STEM COACHES JOINTLY CONSTRUCT PRODUCTS THAT SUPPORT THEIR LEARNING AND KNOWLEDGE DIFFUSION? SECOND, HOW DO STEM COACHES HELP TEACHERS ADAPT PRACTICES TO THEIR CLASSROOMS? THIRD, WHAT CONTEXTUAL FACTORS SUPPORT OR IMPEDE THE ADOPTION OF RESEARCH-BASED PRACTICES? WHILE ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS, THE PROJECT WILL INCORPORATE THE PERSPECTIVES OF STEM COACHES, TEACHERS, AND RESEARCHERS AND WORK TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS NEW PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY MODEL CAN WORK WITHIN SCHOOL AND DISTRICT CONTEXTS. THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN WILL USE A MIXED METHODS APPROACH USING OBSERVATIONAL DATA (E.G., FIELD NOTES, VIDEO), WRITTEN ARTIFACTS, AND INTERVIEWS TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT INTERACTING SYSTEMS WITHIN THE NEW EXPANSIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY. THE DISCOVERY RESEARCH PREK-12 PROGRAM (DRK-12) SEEKS TO SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) BY PREK-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, THROUGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE RESOURCES, MODELS, AND TOOLS. PROJECTS IN THE DRK-12 PROGRAM BUILD ON FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH IN STEM EDUCATION AND PRIOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS THAT PROVIDE THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR PROPOSED PROJECTS.? THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COMMUNITY HUB OF ACCELERATE, TRANSFORM, SCALE (ATS) TEAMS

DEVELOPING INCLUSIVE K-12 COMPUTING PATHWAYS FOR THE LEAGUE OF INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS

TOUGH AS NAILS, NIMBLE FINGERS: DEVELOPING A K-8 CODING PATHWAY FOR KENTUCKY APPALACHIA

DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROBLEM SOLVERS: INVESTIGATING THE INTEGRATION OF COMPUTATIONAL THINKING INTO PRESCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE

DRAWING ON KINSHIP: RURALLY SUSTAINING COMPUTATIONAL THINKING PATHWAYS -COMMUNITIES IN RURAL APPALACHIA HAVE A RICH CULTURAL HISTORY OF INNOVATING SOLUTIONS TO A MYRIAD OF LOCAL CHALLENGES. THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS INHERENT TO THIS ?APPALACHIAN INGENUITY? ARE CONCEPTUALLY SIMILAR TO THOSE USED IN COMPUTATIONAL THINKING. THIS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DIGITAL PROMISE GLOBAL, FLOYD COUNTY SCHOOLS, AND PIKEVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT IN EASTERN KENTUCKY WILL LEVERAGE THESE SIMILARITIES TO HELP EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS UNDERSTAND COMPUTER SCIENCE IN A MORE INTUITIVE WAY, INCREASING THE AGENCY AND PARTICIPATION OF APPALACHIAN YOUTH IN COMPUTING. BY SUPPORTING K-8 STUDENTS TO CONNECT COMPUTING WITH THEIR HERITAGE AS PROBLEM-SOLVERS, THIS PROJECT WILL HELP ADDRESS THE PRESSING PRIORITY OF MANY RURAL COMMUNITIES TO CULTIVATE RURAL STEM TALENT FOR EXPLICIT USE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES. THIS RESEARCH PRACTITIONER PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DIGITAL PROMISE GLOBAL, FLOYD COUNTY SCHOOLS, AND PIKEVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BUILDS ON PRIOR WORK TO CREATE A RURALLY SUSTAINING COMPUTATIONAL THINKING (CT) PATHWAY THAT BENEFITS STUDENTS AND THE BROADER COMMUNITY. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL USE A DESIGN-BASED RESEARCH APPROACH TO SUPPORT SMALL TEAMS OF TEACHER-LEADERS IN TWO EASTERN KY DISTRICTS OF FLOYD AND PIKEVILLE TO CREATE, IMPLEMENT, STUDY AND REFINE CT LESSONS THAT ARE CONNECTED TO THEIR LOCAL CULTURAL HERITAGE OF PROBLEM SOLVING. THE TEAM WILL CONDUCT EXPLANATORY CASE STUDY RESEARCH WITH AN EVALUATION ORIENTATION TO EXAMINE HOW, WHY AND WHICH ELEMENTS OF A RURALLY SUSTAINING CT PATHWAY APPEAR TO INFLUENCE STUDENTS? PERCEIVED IMPORTANCE AND USEFULNESS OF CT, AND THEIR EXPECTATIONS OF SUCCESS TO LEARN AND USE THESE SKILLS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FROM PATHWAYS TO PROGRESSIONS: EMPOWERING DISTRICTS TO EQUIP K-12 COMPUTATIONAL THINKERS WITH DATA SCIENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING FOUNDATIONS -DATA SCIENCE IS A VITAL LINK IN BRIDGING COMPUTATIONAL THINKING WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING. THEREFORE, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT ALL STUDENTS HAVE AN ENTRY LEVEL COMPREHENSION OF DATA SCIENCE FOR THEIR FUTURE CAREERS AND CIVIC LIFE. THIS CSFORALL PATHWAYS PROJECT IS A RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN DIGITAL PROMISE, IN COLLABORATION WITH LOOKING GLASS VENTURES, DATA SCIENCE 4 EVERYONE, AND FOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS ACROSS FOUR DIFFERENT STATES: BROWARD COUNTY (FL), INDIAN PRAIRIE (IL), IOWA CITY (IA), AND TALLADEGA COUNTY (AL) THAT AIMS TO SUPPORT SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN DEVELOPING PRACTICAL AND SCALABLE PATHWAYS FOR TEACHING DATA SCIENCE FROM EARLY ELEMENTARY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL. THE PROJECT HELPS DISTRICTS DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRESSIONS THAT INTEGRATE DATA SCIENCE WITH COMPUTATIONAL THINKING AND CORE ACADEMIC SUBJECTS. KEY TO THE WORK IS ADAPTING EACH DISTRICT?S SPECIFIC EXISTING COMPUTATIONAL PATHWAYS AND CONSIDERING SPECIFIC CONTEXT NEEDS, WHILE ALSO HOLDING TO A COMMON TRAJECTORY AND KEY DATA SCIENCE CONCEPTS. THE PROJECT CONTRIBUTES TO NEW KNOWLEDGE ABOUT HOW DISTRICTS CAN DESIGN AND SCALE DATA SCIENCE PATHWAYS. GROUNDED IN A RESEARCH PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP MODEL, THE PROJECT EXAMINES HOW DISTRICT LEADERS ADAPT AND EXTEND EXISTING COMPUTATIONAL THINKING PATHWAYS TO INCORPORATE DATA SCIENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING. THE RESEARCH FOCUSES ON UNDERSTANDING THE CONDITIONS THAT SUPPORT INTEGRATION, INCLUDING DISTRICT-LEVEL PLANNING STRUCTURES, INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS, AND CROSS-DISTRICT COLLABORATION. USING A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH, THE STUDY ANALYZES IMPLEMENTATION ARTIFACTS, DISTRICT LEADER AND TEACHER FEEDBACK, AND COURSE DATA TO IDENTIFY SCALABLE PRACTICES AND ASSESS THEIR IMPACT ON INSTRUCTIONAL COHERENCE AND DISTRICT-LEVEL CAPACITY. BY COMPARING IMPLEMENTATION APPROACHES ACROSS FOUR DISTRICTS, THE PROJECT ADVANCES MODELS FOR SUSTAINABLE, PEER-DRIVEN EXPANSION OF INTEGRATED COMPUTING AND DATA SCIENCE EDUCATION, CONTRIBUTING TO THE GROWING EVIDENCE BASE ON HOW TO SUPPORT INNOVATION AT THE SYSTEMS LEVEL. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

ISTEM: A MULTI-STATE LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INCLUSIVE STEM HIGH SCHOOLS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: MODELING INCLUSIVE COMPUTATIONAL THINKING INSTRUCTION: VIDEO CASES FOR DEVELOPING TEACHER KNOWLEDGE -AS COMPUTATIONAL THINKING (CT) HAS BECOME A PREVALENT STRATEGY TO INTRODUCE COMPUTATIONAL TOOLS AND PRACTICES TO LEARNERS ELEMENTARY CLASSROOMS, THERE ARE CALLS TO SUPPORT TEACHERS TO EMBED IT IN THEIR CORE INSTRUCTION (I.E., MATH, SCIENCE, AND LANGUAGE ARTS). TO DO THIS REQUIRES HIGH QUALITY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THAT INTRODUCES CT TO TEACHERS AND DEMONSTRATES HOW THEY CAN USE IT TO SUPPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING WITHIN THEIR CURRICULAR AND PEDAGOGICAL CONTEXTS. THIS PROJECT USES AN INNOVATIVE VIDEO-BASED PROFESSIONAL LEARNING MODEL TO BUILD ELEMENTARY TEACHERS' CAPACITY FOR INCLUSIVE CT INTEGRATION. CENTRAL TO THIS MODEL OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (PD) IS A LIBRARY OF VETTED CASES THAT COMBINE EXEMPLARY VIDEOS OF CT INTEGRATED LESSONS WITH GUIDED OBSERVATIONS AND REFLECTIONS TO PREPARE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS TO INTEGRATE CT WITHIN THEIR OWN INSTRUCTION. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY AND NATIONAL NON-PROFIT DIGITAL PROMISE ARE PARTNERING WITH URBAN AND RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN BOTH MICHIGAN AND MARYLAND TO BRING THIS PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO TEACHERS AND SUPPORT THEM TO DEVELOP AND TEACH CT-INTEGRATED LESSONS. THIS PROJECT HAS THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES: (1) DEVELOP A PD APPROACH USING A LIBRARY OF VETTED VIDEO CASES TO DEVELOP ELEMENTARY TEACHER COMPETENCIES IN CT INTEGRATION; (2) EXAMINE THE INFLUENCE OF PD WITH VIDEO-CASES ON ELEMENTARY TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE; AND (3) INVESTIGATE THE EXPANSION OF CT INTEGRATION IN CORE SUBJECT LESSONS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON STUDENTS' COMPUTING IDENTITY AND LEARNING WITHIN CORE SUBJECTS. WORKING IN A RESEARCH PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP (RPP), RESEARCHERS COLLABORATE WITH EDUCATORS FROM ACROSS FOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO CO-DESIGN BOTH THE VIDEO CASE LIBRARY AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THE DISTRICTS INCLUDE 86 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN AND 13 ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS IN MARYLAND, WITH VARYING DEMOGRAPHICS. INITIALLY THE PROJECT ENLISTS BETWEEN 5 AND 10 EXEMPLARY TEACHERS FOR VIDEO RECORDING AND PD DEVELOPMENT, AND EXPANDS TO ABOUT TWICE THAT NUMBER IN YEAR 2 FOR A USER STUDY. SUBSEQUENTLY, A LARGER NUMBER OF TEACHERS ACROSS THE DISTRICTS WILL BE INVOLVED. THE PROJECT IS FRAMED THROUGH DESIGN-BASED IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH TO GUIDE THE RESEARCH. USING QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE METHODS, THE PROJECT EXAMINES THE INFLUENCE OF THIS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ON ELEMENTARY TEACHERS' UNDERSTANDING OF CT, CAPACITY TO NOTICE PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES RELATED TO CT INTEGRATION, INCLUDING INCLUSIVE COMPUTING PEDAGOGIES, AND APPLICATION OF THESE PRACTICES DURING THE SUBSEQUENT PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF CT INTEGRATED LESSONS. FINALLY, THE PROJECT INVESTIGATES WHETHER INTEGRATION OF CT POSITIVELY IMPACTS STUDENTS' COMPUTING IDENTITY AND LEARNING GAINS WITHIN CORE SUBJECTS. THIS PROJECT IS SUPPORTED BY THE CS FOR ALL: RESEARCH AND RPPS PROGRAM. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

MAPPING, CLARIFYING, AND COMMUNICATING KEY IDEAS ABOUT COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INTEGRATING STUDENTS? INTERESTS, IDENTITIES AND WAYS OF KNOWING WITH NETWORK VISUALIZATION TOOLS TO EXPLORE DATA LITERACY CONCEPTS -THIS PROJECT IS RESPONDING TO THE GROWING RECOGNITION THAT YOUTH CAN BENEFIT FROM A WIDE RANGE OF DATA LITERACY SKILLS. NETWORK VISUALIZATION IS A PARTICULARLY POWERFUL AND RELEVANT APPROACH FOR LEARNERS TO UNDERSTAND. IN A NETWORK VISUALIZATION, PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS ARE THE NODES IN A NETWORK, DISPLAYED AS CIRCLES. THESE NODES ARE CONNECTED BY LINES THAT REPRESENT INTERACTIONS. LEARNERS CAN VIEW RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NODES AND LINES IN A NETWORK USING EITHER A DYNAMIC VISUALIZATION OR THEY CAN VIEW NETWORK DATA AS A TABLE. THE TWO DIFFERENT REPRESENTATIONS TOGETHER CAN HELP LEARNERS EXPLORE DATA IN MANY CONTEXTS. THIS EXPLORATION IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT FOR DATA ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS BUILT ON POPULAR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. THEREFORE, NETWORK VISUALIZATIONS PRESENT A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE DATA AND DATA LITERACY IN RICH SOCIAL CONTEXTS THAT ARE OF INTEREST FOR, AND RELEVANCE TO, YOUTH LEARNERS. AS THEY EXPLORE A RANGE OF LOCALLY RELEVANT CONTEXTS ACROSS DISCIPLINES, LEARNERS WILL BE ENGAGED WITH CORE DATA LITERACY PRINCIPLES. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, AND STUDY AN INSTRUCTIONAL UNIT ABOUT NETWORK VISUALIZATION USING THE OPEN-SOURCE NET.CREATE SOFTWARE TOOL THAT THIS TEAM PREVIOUSLY CREATED TO SUPPORT INTUITIVE, COLLABORATIVE NETWORK VISUALIZATION. AS PART OF A CO-DESIGN PROCESS WITH TEACHERS, THE TEAM WILL CREATE A CURRICULUM UNIT THAT ENCOURAGES 7TH AND 8TH GRADE STUDENTS TO ENGAGE IN CORE NETWORK VISUALIZATION AND KEY DATA LITERACY PRACTICES THAT MEET DISCIPLINARY STANDARDS. THE CURRICULUM WILL INTEGRATE STUDENTS? INTERESTS AND CULTURAL IDENTITIES, AND THOSE OF THEIR COMMUNITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, NETWORK VISUALIZATIONS THAT MAY BE EXPLORED INCLUDE HOBBIES AND ACTIVITIES THEY ARE ENGAGED IN AS WELL AS ASPECTS OF THEIR CULTURE OR IDENTITY. TO HELP STUDENTS APPRECIATE NETWORK VISUALIZATION IN A ROBUST MANNER, THEY WILL HAVE OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP, CRITIQUE, AND REVISE THE VISUALIZATIONS THEY BUILD. THIS PROJECT WILL TAKE A SYNERGISTIC APPROACH IN WHICH MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS USE NETWORK VISUALIZATION TO LEARN ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES. AS THE SAME TIME, STUDENTS WILL ALSO BE LEARNING ABOUT THE UNDERLYING NETWORK SCIENCE AND DATA LITERACY PRINCIPLES THAT MAKE THEIR EXPLORATION POSSIBLE, AND WHICH ARE CENTRAL TO THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH MANY COMMON TECHNOLOGIES. THE PROJECT ADDRESSES THREE RESEARCH QUESTIONS OVER THIS THREE-YEAR STUDY: 1) HOW CAN STUDENTS LEARN NETWORK AND DATA LITERACY CONCEPTS THROUGH THE CREATION OF NETWORK VISUALIZATIONS WITH THEIR PEERS? 2) HOW DOES EXPLORING THEIR COLLECTIVE IDENTITY, THROUGH TOPICS OF INTEREST TO STUDENTS BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND AS A WHOLE, USING NETWORK VISUALIZATION HELP MOTIVATE THEM TO EXPLORE DATA LITERACY AND INTEGRATE TECHNOLOGY MORE DEEPLY INTO THEIR LIVES AND CAREERS? 3) WHAT CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES DO TEACHERS SEE IN USING NETWORK VISUALIZATIONS TO SUPPORT TEACHING DATA LITERACY CONCEPTS? THE PROJECT TEAM WILL ENGAGE IN ITERATIVE CO-DESIGN WITH A PARTNER SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ADAPT THE DRAFT CURRICULUM TO BE LOCALLY RELEVANT AND MEANINGFUL. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO EXTEND THE NET.CREATE TOOL TO SUPPORT MORE ROBUST EXPLORATION OF THE DATA LITERACY CONCEPTS SUCH AS DATA PROVENANCE. DATA ANALYSIS WILL INCLUDE PRE / POST MEASURES OF DATA LITERACY CONCEPTS AND CRITICALITY, ANALYSIS OF NETWORKS CREATED BY LEARNERS AND COMPUTER LOGS, APPLICATION OF AN ENGAGEMENT RUBRIC THAT MEASURES QUALITY OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT WITH DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES, AND INTERACTION ANALYSIS OF CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES TO HELP ARTICULATE HOW LEARNERS USED THE TOOLS TO DEVELOP UNDERSTANDING OF TARGET CONCEPTS. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH TWO TEACHERS IN YEAR 1, THREE TEACHERS IN YEAR 2, AND FIVE TEACHERS IN YEAR 3, WHILE ALSO SCALING UP THE IMPLEMENTATION TO SEE HOW UP TO 20 ADDITIONAL TEACHERS ARE SUBSEQUENTLY ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE CURRICULUM. THIS PROJECT IS FUNDED BY THE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS (ITEST) PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT BUILD UNDERSTANDINGS OF PRACTICES, PROGRAM ELEMENTS, CONTEXTS AND PROCESSES CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASING STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) CAREERS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

SPECIAL EDUCATION RESEARCH PROGRAM

RAPID: ADDRESSING EQUITY WHEN STEM TEACHING AND LEARNING GO REMOTE

COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT FOR THE BUILDING INCLUSIVE PATHWAYS THROUGH THE EAST ALABAMA REGIONAL CYBERSECURITY ALLIANCE (EARCA) (WITH DIGITAL PROMISE GLOBAL):PURPOSE: DIGITAL PROMISE AND THE TALLADEGA COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION (TCBOE) ARE COMMITTED TO EMPOWERING A VARIETY OF YOUNG INDIVIDUALS IN RURAL ALABAMA, HELPING THEM ACQUIRE THE NECESSARY SKILLS TO JOIN THE EXPANDING FIELD OF CYBERSECURITY AND FORM STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH EMPLOYERS TO ENSURE A STRONG REGIONAL TALENT POOL. THEY WILL CONTINUE DOING THIS WORK UNDER THEIR CURRENT BUILDING INCLUSIVE PATHWAYS THROUGH THE EAST ALABAMA REGIONAL CYBERSECURITY ALLIANCE (EARCA) PROGRAM IN PLACE. ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED:THE PROJECT WILL LEVERAGE THE EXISTING INCLUSIVE INNOVATION INITIATIVE TO ESTABLISH A COLLABORATIVE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP. THE PRIMARY GOAL IS TO CREATE NEW AVENUES FOR ENHANCING THE CYBERSECURITY EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND FOSTERING GROWTH IN THE WORKFORCE. TO ACHIEVE THIS, THE PROJECT WILL UTILIZE THE NICE FRAMEWORK TO ENSURE ALIGNMENT AMONG INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS, K12 PROGRAMS, AND HIGHER EDUCATION PARTNERS. THE STRATEGY INVOLVES ENHANCING THE AVAILABILITY OF CYBERSECURITY COURSES, INTRODUCING SUMMER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, OFFERING PAID INTERNSHIPS, AND FACILITATING CERTIFICATIONS FOR YOUNG INDIVIDUALS.EXPECTED OUTCOMES: THE SUCCESS OF THIS PROGRAM WILL INITIALLY BE GAUGED THROUGH THE EVALUATION OF THE ALLIANCE'S EFFECTIVENESS. KEY INDICATORS INCLUDE THE NUMBER OF COLLABORATING PARTNERS WITH CLEARLY DEFINED ROLES, THE LEVEL OF PARTNER ENGAGEMENT, THE HOSTING OF COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL EVENTS, THE RECRUITMENT AND ENGAGEMENT OF MENTORS, AND THE PRESENCE OF A SUSTAINABILITY PLAN FOR A UNIFIED CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE ECOSYSTEM. INTEGRATING THE NICE FRAMEWORK INTO CYBERSECURITY PROGRAMS, SPANNING FROM K12 TO EMPLOYERS, WILL BE CRUCIAL FOR ONGOING COLLABORATION AND IMPROVEMENT. THIS ENTAILS ENSURING THAT PARTNERS SHARE A COMMON UNDERSTANDING OF REGIONAL CYBERSECURITY PATHWAYS. FURTHERMORE, SUCCESS WILL MANIFEST IN TANGIBLE WAYS, SUCH AS AN INCREASED NUMBER OF CYBERSECURITY COURSES IN CLASSROOMS, THE INTRODUCTION OF EARN-TO-LEARN OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS, A RISE IN PAID INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, AND A GROWING ENROLLMENT OF UNDERREPRESENTED YOUTHS IN CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS. THESE OUTCOMES COLLECTIVELY CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS AND IMPACT OF THE PROGRAM IN DEVELOPING A ROBUST AND INCLUSIVE CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE ECOSYSTEM.INTENDED BENEFICIARIES: THE NICE PROGRAM OFFICE AT NIST WILL BENEFIT BY INCREASED USE AND ALIGNMENT OF THE NICE FRAMEWORK ACROSS INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIC PARTNERS. THE YOUTH IN RURAL ALABAMA WILL HAVE ACCESS TO CYBERSECURITY COURSES, INTERNSHIP AND MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, AND SUPPORT FOR CYBERSECURITY CERTIFICATION. SUBRECIPIENT ACTIVITIES: SUBAWARDS TO TALLADEGA COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION $122,205.00.

CONFERENCE: ENVISIONING RURAL FUTURES: EMPOWERING HUMAN INGENUITY THROUGH STEM EDUCATION -AS STEM EDUCATION RESEARCHERS WORK TO IMPROVE STEM TEACHING AND LEARNING IN SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS ACROSS THE NATION, RURAL COMMUNITIES ARE OFTEN OVERLOOKED. THIS IS DESPITE THE FACT THAT 9.5 MILLION STUDENTS ATTEND SCHOOL IN RURAL CONTEXTS. THERE IS A DEFINITE CRITICAL NEED FOR STEM EDUCATION RESEARCH FOCUSED ON RURAL COMMUNITIES. RURAL SCHOOLS TYPICALLY HAVE LESS FUNDING FOR STEM PROGRAMS, HAVE TROUBLE RECRUITING AND RETAINING QUALITY STEM TEACHERS, AND HAVE LESS ACCESS TO STEM LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. YET, RURAL COMMUNITIES POSSESS AN ABUNDANCE OF INGENUITY, RESOURCEFULNESS, AND COLLECTIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS. THIS PROJECT WORKS TO ADDRESS THIS NEED BY BRINGING TOGETHER RESEARCHERS, RURAL EDUCATORS, AND WORKFORCE LEADERS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES TO SUPPORT THE MUTUAL EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE AND LEARNING AROUND PRESSING PROBLEMS IN RURAL K-12 STEM EDUCATION, UNDERSTANDING RURAL INGENUITY WITHIN TEACHING STEM, AND STEM EDUCATION'S CONNECTION WITH THE LOCAL WORKFORCE. IT EMPLOYS A THREE-PHASE HYBRID CONVENING APPROACH INVOLVING BOTH VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON MEETINGS AND ACTIVITIES THAT TAKE PLACE OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR. THIS CONVENING WILL PRESENT A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE CAPACITY FOR MUTUAL KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND LEARNING IN CROSS-SECTOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN RURAL WORKFORCE LEADERS, RURAL STEM EDUCATORS, AND RESEARCHERS. THE CONVERSATIONS WILL INFORM RESEARCHERS IN STEM EDUCATION OF THE NEEDS AND DESIRES OF RURAL COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY IN CONNECTION WITH LOCAL WORKFORCE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. THE WORK WILL ILLUMINATE COMMONALITIES AND DIVERGENCES OF DIFFERENT RURAL AREAS, ANTICIPATE NEW POSSIBILITIES AROUND PLACE-BASED STEM EDUCATION ACTIVITIES IN RURAL CONTEXTS, AND LEAD TO FURTHER PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT IN RURAL STEM EDUCATION. FROM THE CONVENING, THE ORGANIZERS WILL PRODUCE A CONCISE SUMMARY OF WHAT, WHY, AND HOW STEM EDUCATION RESEARCH CAN BE RE-IMAGINED AND RE-INVIGORATED IN RURAL COMMUNITIES AND WORK TO IDENTIFY PRIORITY RESEARCH QUESTIONS FOR THE FIELD. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL ALSO SHARE LESSONS LEARNED IN USING A HYBRID CONVENING APPROACH TO BRING TOGETHER PRACTITIONERS, WORKFORCE LEADERS, AND RESEARCHERS TO SUPPORT MEANINGFUL AND MUTUAL EXCHANGE OF KNOWLEDGE, FURTHERING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE. THIS PROJECT IS CO-FUNDED BY NSF'S DRK-12 AND ITEST PROGRAMS. THE DISCOVERY RESEARCH PREK-12 PROGRAM (DRK-12) SEEKS TO SIGNIFICANTLY ENHANCE THE LEARNING AND TEACHING OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) BY PREK-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS, THROUGH RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE RESOURCES, MODELS, AND TOOLS. PROJECTS IN THE DRK-12 PROGRAM BUILD ON FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH IN STEM EDUCATION AND PRIOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS THAT PROVIDE THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR PROPOSED PROJECTS. THE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS (ITEST) PROGRAM SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT BUILD UNDERSTANDINGS OF PRACTICES, PROGRAM ELEMENTS, CONTEXTS AND PROCESSES CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASING STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) CAREERS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

RAPID: RESPONSIBLE, ETHICAL, AND EFFECTIVE ACCEPTABLE USE POLICIES FOR THE INTEGRATION OF GENERATIVE AI IN US SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND BEYOND -THE RAPIDLY EVOLVING SPACE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) IS REQUIRING SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERS TO MAKE SENSE OF HOW EMERGING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS, INCLUDING THOSE THAT USE GENERATIVE AI (GENAI), ARE BEING INTEGRATED IN SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. MUCH UNCERTAINTY EXISTS ABOUT WHAT GENAI IS, HOW IT WORKS, AND WHAT THE IMPLICATIONS ARE FOR STUDENTS, FAMILIES, EDUCATORS, AND THE BROADER SCHOOL COMMUNITY. SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERS HAVE SHARED CHALLENGES THAT THEY ARE FACING REGARDING THE USE OF AI FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING, INCLUDING CONCERNS AROUND ISSUES OF PRIVACY, DATA SECURITY, AND BIAS. THEY ARE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT EXISTING INEQUITIES IN ACCESSING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND TOOLS, AND THAT THIS DISPARITY COULD PRESENT FURTHER STRUCTURAL BARRIERS FOR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITIES. TO ADDRESS THE NEED FOR POLICIES, GUIDELINES, AND GUARDRAILS, THIS PROJECT WILL RECRUIT AND CONVENE A GENAI WORKING GROUP MADE UP OF SCHOOL AND DISTRICT LEADERS THAT REPRESENT DIVERSE IDENTITIES AND DISTRICT DEMOGRAPHICS. THE GENAI WORKING GROUP, IN COLLABORATION WITH A DIGITAL PROMISE TEAM AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, WILL WORK TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH QUESTIONS: (1) WHAT TENSIONS DO LEADERS EXPERIENCE WHEN ADAPTING ACCEPTABLE USE POLICIES (AUPS) FOR EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS GENAI? (2) WHAT DO ACCEPTABLE USE POLICIES THAT ARE ETHICAL, RESPONSIBLE, AND EFFECTIVE LOOK LIKE? (3) HOW CAN DISTRICTS DEVELOP POLICIES THAT ALLOW FOR LEARNING TO ADVANCE WHILE PROTECTING AND CENTERING HUMAN AGENCY? THIS PROJECT WILL BE BOTH INFORMATIVE TO THE RESEARCH FIELD AND HAVE DIRECT BROAD IMPACTS VIA AUPS FOR DISTRICTS AND SCHOOLS. THE GENAI WORKING GROUP WILL: (1) WRITE, ADAPT, AND SHARE A SET OF SAMPLE GENAI AUPS FOR A RANGE OF DISTRICT CONTEXTS; (2) WORK WITH OTHERS AT THEIR DISTRICTS TO WRITE AND SHARE THEIR OWN DISTRICT'S AUPS FOR THE RESPONSIBLE, ETHICAL, AND EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION OF GENAI; AND (3) PARTICIPATE IN A FINAL PUBLIC WEBINAR WHERE THEY WILL SHARE WHAT THEY LEARNED ABOUT GENAI AND THEIR POLICIES. THIS PROPOSAL WAS RECEIVED IN RESPONSE TO THE DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER (DCL): RAPIDLY ACCELERATING RESEARCH ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN K-12 EDUCATION IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL SETTINGS (NSF 23-097) AND FUNDED BY THE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS (ITEST) PROGRAM, WHICH SUPPORTS PROJECTS THAT BUILD UNDERSTANDINGS OF PRACTICES, PROGRAM ELEMENTS, CONTEXTS AND PROCESSES CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASING STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND INTEREST IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) CAREERS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EAGER: DISTRICTS HELPING DISTRICTS: EXPANDING & AMPLIFYING NETWORK SUPPORT FOR K-12 AI INTEGRATION -DISTRICTS HELPING DISTRICTS: EXPANDING AND AMPLIFYING NETWORK SUPPORT FOR K-12 AI INTEGRATION IS A 16-MONTH PROJECT THAT EXTENDS BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS? EXISTING K-12 COMPUTATIONAL THINKING PATHWAY TO SUPPORT THE COHERENT USE OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TOOLS. AS AI SYSTEMS ARE RAPIDLY INTRODUCED INTO CLASSROOMS, DISTRICTS FACE THE CHALLENGE OF MOVING BEYOND BASIC TOOL USE TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE COMPUTATIONAL IDEAS THAT UNDERPIN THESE TECHNOLOGIES. THIS PROJECT BUILDS ON AN ONGOING COLLABORATION BETWEEN DIGITAL PROMISE AND BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO ALIGN AI INTEGRATION TO FOUR CORE COMPUTATIONAL COMPETENCIES ALREADY EMBEDDED ACROSS GRADES K-12. THE PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AND TEST AI-ENHANCED LESSONS, REVISE DISTRICT CURRICULUM MAPS, AND PREPARE TEACHERS TO HELP STUDENTS UNDERSTAND NOT ONLY HOW TO USE AI TOOLS, BUT HOW THOSE TOOLS FUNCTION. BY GROUNDING AI ADOPTION IN AN ESTABLISHED COMPUTATIONAL THINKING PATHWAY, THE PROJECT AIMS TO SUPPORT MORE COHERENT AND SUSTAINABLE APPROACHES TO DISTRICT-WIDE AI LITERACY THAT CAN BE INTEGRATED SYSTEMATICALLY ACROSS GRADE LEVELS AND SUBJECT AREAS. ACCORDINGLY, THIS PROJECT CONTRIBUTES TO THE GOALS STATED IN THE DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER NSF 25-035 REGARDING ADVANCING AI EDUCATION FOR THE AMERICAN YOUTH. THIS PROJECT WILL EXTEND BROWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS? EXISTING K-12 COMPUTATIONAL THINKING PATHWAY TO DESIGN AND STUDY A DISTRICT-WIDE MODEL FOR INTEGRATING GENERATIVE AI IN CONCEPTUALLY GROUNDED WAYS. GUIDED BY THREE RESEARCH QUESTIONS, THE PROJECT WILL ALIGN AI INTEGRATION TO FOUR CORE COMPUTATIONAL COMPETENCIES (PATTERN RECOGNITION, COMPUTATIONAL MODELING, ALGORITHMIC THINKING, DATA PRACTICES) WHILE DEVELOPING AND PILOTING GRADE-BANDED, AI-ENHANCED LESSONS AND REVISING THE DISTRICT?S CURRICULUM MAPS TO REFLECT CUMULATIVE LEARNING ACROSS GRADE LEVELS. THE WORK WILL UNFOLD OVER THREE STAGES: 1) COLLABORATIVE CURRICULUM DESIGN AND PATHWAY ANNOTATION, 2) CLASSROOM PILOTING WITH A COHORT OF TEACHERS, AND 3) ITERATIVE REFINEMENT LEADING TO A REVISED K-12 INTEGRATED COMPUTATIONAL THINKING + AI PATHWAY. USING DESIGN-BASED IMPLEMENTATION RESEARCH, THE PROJECT WILL COLLECT AND ANALYZE SURVEY, INTERVIEW, OBSERVATION, AND STUDENT ARTIFACT DATA TO EXAMINE TEACHER LEARNING, DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRESSION, AND CONSISTENCY OF IMPLEMENTATION. THE PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE A SCALABLE MODEL FOR ALIGNING AI LITERACY WITH ESTABLISHED COMPUTATIONAL THINKING PATHWAYS AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

A WORKSHOP TO SYNTHESIZE FINDINGS FROM EDUCATION RESEARCH CONDUCTED DURING THE PANDEMIC: EMERGING LESSONS FROM COVID-19

AI AND THE FUTURE OF STEM LEARNING: ENGAGING RESEARCH AND PRACTITIONER AUDIENCES