These suggestions were compiled from proceedings of recent meetings, material in Annual Reports from current sites, observations during site visits, and feedback from current PIs. They are not meant to be commands as each site differs in its needs, resources, and approach to GK-12 activities. What is appropriate for one or most sites might not be appropriate for others. However, judicious attention to these suggestions might help new sites avoid some of the pitfalls discovered by others and thus achieve a smooth functioning state a bit more quickly.

a. Giving universities the opportunity to experiment with what research by others has indicated are desirable component of STEM graduate education.

b. Enriching the graduate education of the Fellows in order to increase their communication skills and develop their teaching ability as STEM faculty and/or ability to work in partnerships with a diverse set of people as future STEM professionals in industry or government laboratories.

c. Providing teachers with a resource to both increase their own STEM knowledge and skills and with the resources to enrich their classrooms' and schools' STEM offerings.

d. Increasing K-12 students’: STEM knowledge, understanding of how to approach STEM, enjoyment of STEM, knowledge of who STEM professionals are, interest in entering careers in STEM and knowledge of the educational pathways to those careers. and

e. Developing strong enduring partnerships between universities and school districts that are of mutual benefit.

2. Engage school district and university administrators early in the planning and implementation process so they can help provide needed resources which can range from: A) monetary support and provision of space or release time for meetings and workshops to Z) verbal support and help in recruiting teachers and Fellows.

a. University administrators can help the project gain acceptance by acknowledging and encouraging faculty and graduate student participation and by planning mechanisms for dissemination and institutionalization.

b. School administrators, particularly principals and district and school science and mathematics coordinators, can help recruit teachers, ease the process of obtaining information helpful for evaluation such as comparative test scores, provide release time and space for teacher/Fellow planning meetings or teacher attendance at seminars and workshops, aid in longitudinal studies of students and teachers, and help identify needy but welcoming schools.

3. Engage an evaluator early in the process; during proposal writing would be best. Urge them to honestly let you know where change is needed because either you are not doing what you think you are doing or because it is not working in the way you hoped. Be sure to include the Research Advisors in the evaluation process as they can supply needed observations about effects of GK-12 participation on the Fellows. Evaluation should include documentation for any observations and conclusions.

4. Establishing teacher/Fellow partnerships is difficult but critical to the success of all projects. Most sites find including both teachers and Fellows in the initial orientation sessions is crucial. Another helpful technique is having written guidelines so both know expectations and limitations. Workshops during the academic year help both teachers and Fellows feel more confident in their progress as they share their successes and continuing challenges with others and discover problems encountered are not unique to their team. Scheduling these additional sessions can be difficult as regards both time and place. Flexibility and consultation with the teachers is very helpful in solving scheduling problems.

5. The size of the fellowships is deliberately equal to those offered to Graduate Research Fellows so you can recruit GK-12 Fellows of equal stature and promise. It may be difficult at first to convince Research Advisors to encourage their best students to apply but good documentation of Fellows’ experiences during the first year (they have generally been positive) can help convince faculty and graduate students of the value of the program to them. Although the existence of a GK-12 program can be of help in recruiting top students, it is not usually wise to award GK-12 Fellowships to first year graduate students. First year graduate students can have problems adjusting to the pace of graduate school, are generally not as mature as other students, and are less well grounded in their discipline and in the scientific approach to solving problems.

6. This program is in many ways an experiment in new ways to approach endemic problems. As such, you and the other participants are pioneers on the cutting edge of both improving STEM graduate education and using university STEM resources as a means of improving STEM education at the K-12 level. It is helpful to emphasize this to gain cooperation of teachers and Fellows in the evaluation process and patience when things don’t always work as expected when first tried. It also helps to impress upon both Fellows and teachers that you might want to contact them for participation in post-project evaluation efforts to track long-term effects of the project. It is hoped they will keep you informed of where they are as they change jobs and email addresses.

• Pre-school year orientation sessions for teachers and Fellows: Sessions to help the Fellows know what to expect in the schools and effective classroom management techniques are obvious needs. In addition current Fellows and teachers suggest such sessions should include a succinct review and open discussion of current ideas in pedagogy, the importance of state and local standards, and the place of testing in the schools where the Fellows will be working. Including teachers and education faculty in the planning and leadership of these workshops/seminars helps establish the idea of partnerships and gives an opportunity to build in some planning sessions prior to the start of the school year.
• Fellow/teacher planning: This is usually done at a time arranged between the Fellow and the teacher(s) and might be best arranged during the initial orientation sessions with the sense that both will be flexible as to time and place. One problem that can arise, particularly in inner city schools with security concerns, is how difficult it can be for the Fellow to gain access to the school. If these sessions are to be at schools, be sure to check on this and recruit the school district to help you find a solution.
• Academic year meetings for students: Most students find it useful to have regularly scheduled weekly or biweekly one-hour meetings where they pool their experiences. Their comment is they find these sessions help them find ways to meet challenges and also have given them insight into how Fellows from a variety of disciplines approach their discipline and their research problems.
• School Year workshops or seminars for teachers: It is important to provide convenient parking for teachers during workshops or seminars on the university campus and to schedule them at times mutually convenient for the teachers and Fellows. Because of geographic or class schedule considerations, teachers in some districts may prefer weekend meetings, while others prefer after school meetings. Fellows may have competing time demands from regularly scheduled departmental seminars and meetings.

• Both current Fellows and their Research Advisors can become good recruiters. Some of the mechanisms useful for recruiting initially include: posters, emails to graduate students telling them of the opportunity, and working with Research Advisors and Department Chairs to recommend the program to appropriate students. Some sites have been lucky enough to have appropriate Deans and Department Chairs and graduate program directors support their recruiting efforts by stating to the faculty the importance of the program and urging them to suggest it to their students.
• While some first year graduate students can handle the additional work of GK-12 as they adjust to graduate school, it is not the best time for them to be Fellows. Most sites suggest that students in their second year or beyond are the best candidates for GK-12 Fellowships. Students whose research is started and so have some momentum find it easiest to adjust. Some students in their fourth year and beyond report it helps them gain perspective on thesis writing to participate in GK-12. Honors programs are good recruiting grounds for undergraduates.
• This is not a teacher preparation program. NSF has some excellent teacher preparation programs in DUE and ESIE. If Fellows elect to become teachers that is certainly a plus for the nation, but the nation needs STEM professionals who are aware of the K-12 schools needs and how they might help solve them, can communicate their science clearly and engagingly to the public, appreciate the value of working in partnership with others and know how best to form those partnerships, and are good teachers at the university level. GK-12 speaks to that latter need. While science education graduate students can be valuable to a project as assistants in various components of the program, they are not appropriate as Fellows.

• Presenting the project at a regular teachers’ meeting can be a help, particularly if another GK-12 exists nearby and you can recruit Fellows or teachers to present with you. Initial presentation by the PIs of the project is important so teachers can ask questions.
• The important consideration in choosing teachers is getting those who are enthusiastic and open to the challenge of developing a partnership and welcoming a STEM graduate student into their classroom. Current projects have examples of a wide range of teachers involved in effective partnerships, including first year teachers, experienced teachers and even teachers who were at first suspicious but willing to try. The key ingredient for an effective partnership appears to be each participant’s respect for the abilities, knowledge and professionalism of the other.

In spite of the challenges, the project is proceeding more smoothly than anyone had hoped. A key element of this success is the true partnership between the university and the schools. Public school personnel, understandably, approach collaborations with higher education cautiously, anticipating that the university 'partner' will dominate the relationship and have little appreciation of or respect for the school culture. At the same time, higher education often faults K-12 for not understanding higher education's culture and always expecting 'handouts.' The project has drawn consistent praise from school personnel, due primarily to their perception that team members approach the project with respect for the expertise and authority of the teachers, and with sensitivity to the culture and constraints of the public schools. By focusing on supporting the schools' needs, sharing our expertise rather than imposing our own agenda, and by learning about and cultivating the young students who may be our future clientele, we appear to be well on the way to developing a partnership that will benefit all of the players.

• Fellows: number and quality of applicants; satisfaction level with the program; their progress in their research projects and towards their degree, opinions of teachers, principals and research advisors and the Fellows themselves on Fellows’ communication and teaching skills.
• Universities: Increased interest in participation by faculty and graduate students, adaptation of GK-12 like activities as an option within graduate education for all students.
• K-12 Students: test grades if available; knowledge of what a scientist (mathematician, engineer) does; understanding of and ability to use the scientific method in solving problems; attitude toward science; interest in STEM careers; attitude toward the Fellow; and, for high school students, attendance patterns and interest in attending college.
• Teachers: number and quality of applicants; comfort with STEM and using inquiry methods in STEM classes; time in class spent on STEM; knowledge of STEM; increase in professional activities such as publications, attendance at professional meetings.
• K-12 Schools: evidence of use of GK-12 developed ideas, teaching methods and materials by others in the schools or districts involved; number of schools, teachers asking to be included.

Evaluators have used the following methods for gathering information: focus groups; classroom observation; informal email requests for the opinions of research advisors; formal surveys of teachers, PIs, Fellows, Advisors, principals and even, in some cases, K-12 students and their parents. Some of the most useful surveys and focus groups are those which ask respondents why they think so (based on what activities and outcomes) when they say things such as “this is a great project” or “well it was a good idea but—“

• The schools and teachers should realize the Fellows are not student or substitute teachers. When in the classroom the Fellows should be working with not replacing the teacher and therefore not expected to take sole charge of a class with no teacher present. It is the teacher who is responsible for maintaining discipline and setting priorities for what needs to be done. At the same time the Fellows are not just there to grade papers, prepare laboratory materials and tutor students in trouble. Although they can do all these things, they are mainly there to work in concert with the teacher to help them implement exciting STEM in the classroom and should, as appropriate, be given the opportunity to present classes, laboratories and modules.
• Involve Research Advisors as early as possible. They should be aware of the time expectations for their Fellows and the benefits the Fellows are receiving. It would be helpful to: include them in evaluation efforts; have them visit the students while they are teaching and talk to the teacher to see what the partnership is doing in that classroom.
• Some sites are considering initiating an annual GK-12 related administrator- sponsored seminar/review on lessons learned from school/university partnerships. These seminars could include Fellows, teachers, advisors, deans and department chairs discussing: what the GK-12 experience has meant to the Fellows; the resources it provides to the university outreach efforts; the opportunity it provides faculty for satisfying the “broader impacts” component of their research grants; and the implications they feel it provides about how STEM teaching might be enriched at the university level.