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Addressing the Teacher Shortage
In a Dear Colleague Letter, Secretary Cardona outlined (1) evidence-based and promising short- and long-term strategies for addressing teacher and staff shortages, which can be acute in STEM fields, that may be funded through American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund and (2) examples of how ARP and past relief funding are already being used to attract and retain teachers and staff.
New Secretarial Priorities for Discretionary Grants
Secretary Cardona finalized his six priorities for use in agency discretionary grant programs; equitable access to rigorous STEM, including computer science, experiences is noted in Priority 2. The Department also issued a revised set of common instructions for grant applicants.
New IES Science and Math Competitions Coming Soon
According to Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Director Mark Schneider’s latest blog post, IES will shortly announce two new prize competitions: one to incentivize innovation in middle school science instruction, and another to improve mathematics achievement for elementary students with disabilities. IES is seeking information from developers on relevant science and math interventions, including any research describing their efficacy. To share your intervention, respond to our Request for Information by February 14, 2022. For more information, visit STEM Learning Challenges.
EIR Grantees Announced
On December 13, 2021, the Secretary announced $182 million in new grant awards to 30 school districts, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations across the United States as part of the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program. Twenty six of the 30 grantees address at least one of the priorities included in the competition for responding to the impact of the pandemic or promoting equity in student access to high-quality educational resources and opportunities. Within this cohort of grants, the EIR program is supporting:
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more than $46 million in grants to rural areas;
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more than $67 million in grants focused on STEM education (including computer science); and
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more than $73 million in grants supporting social-emotional learning (SEL) projects.
Some grantees focus on both STEM education and rural areas, SEL and rural areas, or STEM education and SEL and are counted within each respective bullet. Selected grantees’ applications and abstracts can be viewed here.
Regional Education Laboratories
The IES announced the award of seven new contracts for Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs), which work in partnership with educators and education stakeholders to bridge research, policy, and practice in education. The REL program is IES’ largest single investment in supporting the use of rigorous evidence in education. RELs conduct applied research in partnership with stakeholders to address local and regional needs; provide training, coaching, and technical support for applying research to education improvement; and widely disseminate findings from high-quality research. Visit the REL website for helpful STEM and other educational resources.
Green Strides Webinar Series Continues Through Winter
The Green Strides Webinar Series has promoted over 2,500 sessions that provide free tools to reduce schools' environmental impact and costs, improve health and wellness, and teach effective environmental education. Consult the webinar calendar and submit suggestions for listing additional free, publicly available webinars related to school, district, and postsecondary sustainability to ed.green.ribbon.schools@ed.gov. (Note: all times listed are ET.)
Comment on Community Schools
The Department of Education released the Notice of Proposed Priorities, definitions, and requirements for the Full-Service Community Schools competitive grant program and launched a 30-day public comment period. Community schools can meet student social, emotional, academic needs through after school and summer learning that could include STEM enrichment opportunities, as well as mental and physical health services. To submit comments about these priorities, the definitions, and requirements, please follow this link to the Federal Register by February 11, 2022.
Family Engagement Center Grants Announcement
The Department released an application for Statewide Family Engagement Centers. This program will award $5 million in grants to organizations that offer technical assistance and training to states and districts in the implementation of effective family engagement policies, programs, and activities that lead to improvement in student development and academic achievement. As students continue to recover from the pandemic, it is critical that states and districts work in partnership with parents and families to help address the impacts (press release).
 Think Globally, Teach Locally
January, 19, 2022, 1:30 – 3:00 PM ET
Register Today
Join the Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review free STEM K-18 educational resources to inspire and build your students’ skills in understanding stewardship of the environment. You will learn about the Air Quality Flag Program, Generate - The Game of Energy Choices, student challenges, and many more teacher resources.
Host: Patti Curtis, Robert Noyce/Ellen Lettvin STEM Education Fellow, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
Speakers:
Andrea Falken, U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools
Melissa Anley-Mills, US EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD)
Melissa Payne, US EPA, Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) Air Quality Flag Program
Sarah Matthews, US EPA OAR (former educator) Rebecca Dodder, Ph.D., US EPA ORD (Generate Game creator)
Emma Refvem, NBCT, MAT, K-12 STEM Literacy Facilitator, Durham Public Schools
Sania Tong-Argao US EPA ORD, Environmental Justice Video Challenge
Michael Band, US EPA, Office of Environmental Education
Recent Archives
December 9, 2021 - – Environmental Literacy
November 30, 2021 – Energizing STEM
All STEM briefings and webinars are archived here.
STEM Strategic Plan Progress Report
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recently issued its third annual progress report to Congress on the implementation of the five-year Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan. This progress report describes ongoing efforts and implementation practices across the Federal government as it works to accomplish the goals and objectives of the Strategic Plan. This report also compiles budget information from all Federal agencies that have investments in STEM education during Fiscal Year (FY) 2021.
January is National Mentoring Month
President Biden issued a proclamation on December 30, 2021, declaring January 2022 as National Mentoring Month. “During National Mentoring Month, we honor all those parents and family members, teachers and coaches, employers and co-workers, community and faith leaders, and so many others who devote time, care, and energy to helping our young people thrive,” noted the President. Take this opportunity to thank a STEM mentor or consider becoming one.
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EPA Seeks Applicants for Youth and Educator Presidential Awards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications for the 2021-22 President's Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) program and the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE). The PEYA program recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship projects by K-12 youth that promote awareness of our nation's natural resources and encourage positive community involvement. The PIAEE recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers who employ innovative approaches to environmental education and use the environment as a context for student learning. Applications for both programs are due February 18, 2022.
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NOAA to Support Environmental Literacy Efforts
Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) funding is provided through competitive grants that promote Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences. The B-WET program offers regional funding opportunities through local NOAA host offices, which are published in late summer or fall each year. The regions served by the program, which have open applications (deadlines vary), are California, Chesapeake, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii, and Pacific Northwest.
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STEM Education Summit: Attracting & Retaining a Diverse STEM Teaching Workforce
The Smithsonian Science Education Center is hosting a virtual STEM Education Summit on March 19-26, 2022 to engage leadership teams from districts throughout the US who have identified problems in attracting and retaining a diverse STEM teaching workforce. This highly interactive Summit will give districts the tools to develop “action plans” for attracting and retaining minority STEM . The deadline to ply as a team or mentor is January 21, 2022.
Elementary Science & Engineering Webinar
The Board on Science Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in partnership with the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) and the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) hosted a webinar on the role of leadership in supporting elementary science and engineering learning and teaching. The free webinar featured the newly released report Preschool through Elementary Science and Engineering: The Brilliance of Children and The Strengths of Educators.
Monthly Intellectual Property Workshops for K-12 Educators
The Office of Education at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hosts a monthly virtual professional development workshop for K-12 educators interested in integrating intellectual property (IP), innovation, and invention activities into their STEM/STEAM curriculum. Educators will learn about different types of IP including patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Sessions are held on the last Tuesday of each month. January’s workshop will feature a fireside chat with Presidential Award for Excellence in Math & Science Teaching (PAEMST) recipient Doug Scott and Acting Director of the USPTO Drew Hirshfeld. Learn more here.
The Department’s Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) Transparency Portal now displays award and expenditure data by state for all four major ESF programs: ESSER, GEER, the Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEER) Fund, and the Emergency Assistance to Non-Public Schools (EANS) Program.
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