Discovery Research PreK-12 | 23 596

Opportunity Information: Apply for 23 596

The National Science Foundation's Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) program is a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 23-596; CFDA 47.076) designed to spark research and development that measurably improves preK-12 STEM education. At its core, DRK-12 is focused on expanding access to high-quality learning experiences in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for all students and strengthening the capacity of all preK-12 teachers to support that learning. The program is not limited to a single STEM discipline; it welcomes work across any STEM field(s) and encourages alignment with priorities in NSF's broader strategic plan.

DRK-12 is organized around three main goals. First, it aims to build knowledge about how students and teachers develop STEM content understanding, disciplinary practices, and related skills. Second, it emphasizes collaborative, practice-connected partnerships that bring together STEM education researchers, classroom practitioners, and school or district leaders so that projects both advance the research literature and lead to improvements that can actually work in real school settings. Third, it seeks to strengthen the overall STEM education field by supporting activities such as knowledge synthesis, interdisciplinary collaboration across communities and stakeholder groups, and the creation of stronger, more innovative approaches to measuring and assessing learning, engagement, and skill development for both students and teachers.

Projects funded through DRK-12 can produce a range of outcomes, including evidence-based products that others can adopt or adapt. Examples mentioned in the opportunity include curriculum materials, teaching tools, research tools, and models for effective collaboration between researchers and education professionals. A consistent theme is usefulness beyond the immediate project site: proposals are expected to contribute findings, methods, or products that help the wider community improve STEM teaching and learning.

The program asks applicants to submit proposals under one of two overlapping but distinct strands: Learning or Teaching. While a given project may touch both students and teachers, applicants are expected to identify the strand that best matches the central purpose and research questions of the work. In practical terms, the Learning strand is intended for projects where the primary focus is student learning and development, while the Teaching strand is intended for projects where the main emphasis is teacher development, instructional practice, and teaching-related outcomes.

Within both strands, DRK-12 supports multiple types of research and development efforts. These include exploratory studies that investigate early-stage questions; design and development projects that create and iteratively refine interventions or tools; impact studies that examine outcomes and effectiveness; implementation studies that look closely at how innovations are adopted and sustained in real contexts; measurement and assessment work that develops or improves instruments and approaches for evaluating learning and engagement; and synthesis studies that integrate and interpret existing evidence across studies. In addition to these research project types, the program also supports Partnership Development Grants (to help teams form or deepen collaborations) and Workshops/Conferences (to convene stakeholders, build shared agendas, or accelerate field-wide progress).

Competitive proposals are expected to clearly show how the proposed work builds on existing foundational research in STEM education as well as prior or ongoing applied research and development. Reviewers are looking for strong theoretical and empirical grounding, meaning the proposal should explain why the project is designed the way it is, what assumptions or learning theories guide it, and what evidence supports the chosen approach. Proposals should also spell out specific aims, research questions, and methods in a way that demonstrates the project can generate new understanding about STEM teaching and learning, including attention to the contexts in which education happens, the processes through which learning and teaching improve, and the outcomes that result.

A notable emphasis in this solicitation is the value placed on reciprocal knowledge exchange between researchers and the preK-12 formal education community. The program encourages efforts that do not treat schools simply as study sites, but instead prioritize two-way collaboration and the mobilization of knowledge so that research informs practice and practice-based insights shape research. NSF specifically highlights this priority through a related Dear Colleague Letter on knowledge mobilization between research and professional communities (linked in the opportunity text).

From an administrative standpoint, DRK-12 is offered by the National Science Foundation as a grant program in the Science and Technology and other Research and Development category. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning a wide range of organizations may apply as long as they meet any clarifications in the full solicitation. The opportunity record indicates an expected 60 awards, and it lists an award ceiling of 0, which typically signals that applicants should rely on the detailed solicitation for award size guidance rather than treating the listing as a fixed cap. The original closing date shown in the record is November 8, 2023, and prospective applicants should verify current deadlines and requirements in the official NSF solicitation materials in case of updates or future cycles.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Discovery Research PreK-12" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.076.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 27, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Nov 08, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 60 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for 23 596

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: