National Science Foundation (NSF 09-507) Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program
WHAT: Limited Submission Proposal for the National Science Foundation (NSF 09-507) Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program
WHO: Texas A&M University faculty, including Agriculture, Engineering and TTI personnel.
WHY: NSF anticipates making Targeted Partnerships awards for a maximum of five years with average annual budgets up to $2.5 million dollars; Institute Partnerships awards for a maximum of five years with average annual budgets up to $1 million dollars; MSP Start Partnerships awards for a maximum of two years with average annual budgets up to $150,000; and Innovation Through Institutional Integration project awards for a maximum of five years with average annual budgets up to $250,000.
WHEN: Internal proposal deadline of January 12, 2009.
HOW: Faculty should submit internal proposal to osppc@tamu.edu for review by the internal selection committee.
THE FINE PRINT:
The funding agency below has limited the number of preliminary proposals to one per institution as the lead partner in the Targeted Partnerships, Institute Partnerships or MSP Start Partnerships programs or one per institution for the Innovation through Institutional Integration project. If the number of faculty wishing to submit a proposal exceeds the number allowed by the agency, we will conduct an internal selection process. Below are due dates for the program, including the due date of the internal proposal for review by the internal selection committee, the date for announcement of the internal selection and the due date for submission to the agency.
AGENCY: National Science Foundation (NSF)
AGENCY PROGRAM TITLE: NSF 09-507 Math and Science Partnership (MSP)
BRIEF PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: The Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program is a major research and development effort that supports innovative partnerships to improve K-12 student achievement in mathematics and science. MSP projects are expected to raise the achievements levels of all students and significantly reduce achievement gaps in the mathematics and science performance of diverse student populations. In order to improve the mathematics and science achievement of the nation’s students, MSP projects contribute to the knowledge base for mathematics and science education and serve as models that have a sufficiently strong evidence base to be replicated in educational practice.
The MSP program seeks to improve K-12 student achievement through a sharp focus on three interrelated issues: ensuring that all students have access to, are prepared for and are encouraged to participate and succeed in challenging and advanced mathematics and science courses; enhancing the quality, quantity and diversity of the K-12 mathematics and science teacher workforce; and developing evidence-based outcomes that contribute to our understanding of how students effectively learn mathematics and science.
Four types of awards pertinent to this announcement include: Targeted Partnerships, which focus on studying and addressing issues within a specific grade range or at a critical juncture in education, and/or within a specific disciplinary focus in mathematics or the sciences; Institute Partnerships-Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century, which are designed to meet national needs for teacher leaders/master teachers who have deep knowledge of disciplinary content and are school-or district-based intellectual leaders in mathematics and science; MSP-Start Partnerships, which are for awardees new to the MSP program and which involve supporting the necessary data analysis, project design, evaluation and team building activities needed to develop a full MSP Targeted or Institute Partnership; and Innovation through Institutional Integration (I3), which involve projects that enable institutions to think and act strategically about the creative integration of NSF-funded awards towards a whole that exceeds the sum of its parts, with particular emphasis of awards managed through programs in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR).
Each Institute Partner proposal must incorporate all five of the following key features: partnership driven; teacher quality, quantity and diversity; challenging courses and curricula; evidence based design and outcomes; and institutional change and sustainability. Graduates of the Institutes will be the mathematics and/or science specialists in elementary grades and the curricular leaders of mathematics and the sciences in the secondary grades.
All MSP-funded projects participate in the MSP Learning Network through which they are linked with other researchers and practitioners in the study and evaluation of educational innovations designed to improve student achievement in mathematics and science. The MSP Learning Network fosters greater national collaboration and contributes to the nation’s capacity to engage in and understand large scale education innovation.
In addition, each proposal will describe a partnership led by an institution of higher education that includes a department(s) in the sciences, mathematics or engineering, in collaboration with other university/college departments, administrative units or other institutions that contribute needed expertise; K-12 districts or schools; and other stakeholders, such as state education agencies, business and industry, science centers and museums, disciplinary and professional societies, research laboratories, district-level educational support centers, private foundations and other public and private organizations with interests in K-12 mathematics and science education.
Each proposal will describe the intended institutional change in all core partner organizations, detailing the change from current practice/policy and its importance for project sustainability.
Project evaluation is a major component of the institute and must include: an assessment of teachers’ growth as intellectual leaders; data on mathematics and/or science achievement; and impacts on the instructional practice of faculty who are instructional leaders.
Further, core partner organizations in each Targeted, Institute and MSP-Start partnership MUST include: at least one institution of higher education (including 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities) AND at least one K-12 local school district.
More information can be found at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09507/nsf09507.htm
AGENCIES ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT: The Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program is open to institutions of higher education for the Institute Partnerships segment.
AWARD INFORMATION: NSF anticipates making Targeted Partnerships awards for a maximum of five years with average annual budgets up to $2.5 million dollars; Institute Partnerships awards for a maximum of five years with average annual budgets up to $1 million dollars; MSP Start Partnerships awards for a maximum of two years with average annual budgets up to $150,000; and Innovation Through Institutional Integration Projects awards for a maximum of five years with average annual budgets up to $250,000.
ELIGIBLE PROJECT COSTS: Indirect Cost (F&A) Limitations: Requests for tuition are not allowed in the budget. Teacher stipends of at least $1,000 per week for structured institute participation are to be included, where local district are not in conflict with such stipends.
COST SHARING: NONE.
Internal Selection Procedures and Deadlines
January 9, 2009: Deadline for an email of intent, including the names of the PI and co-PIs, title of internal proposal and a 1-3 sentence description of the project. Send email of intent to osppc@tamu.edu.
January 12, 2009: Deadline to obtain signatures of approval from your department head and college dean to submit an internal proposal to the Research Policy and Development Support Office for review by the internal selection committee. The internal proposal should include:
An executive summary, up to three pages, based on the proposal description as outlined in the NSF program announcement;
Summary budget;
Project and Management Plans (including team members)
The form for completing the internal proposal is here.
This completed form should be submitted electronically to osppc@tamu.edu for review by the internal selection committee.
*Once your internal proposal has been received with all of the necessary signatures, you will receive an email indicating it will be reviewed by the internal selection committee. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please call 5-1812.*
Please read the RFP carefully for specific requirements of the program at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09507/nsf09507.htm
Selection of a proposal will be based on NSF guidelines. The needs of the university’s reinvestment plan will also be taken into account.
During the selection process, the internal selection committee may contact departments and colleges for their opinions and commitments. They may also request additional information from PIs.
January 23, 2009: The Internal Selection Committee will notify PIs of the result of the internal competition.
February 17, 2009: Deadline for full proposal for Institute Partnerships, MSP-Start Partnerships and Phase II Partnerships: (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time).
February 24, 2009: Deadline for full proposal for Innovation through Institutional Integration: (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time).
August 20, 2009: Deadline for full proposal for Targeted Partnerships: (due by 5 p.m. proposer’s local time).
