Directorates/offices across the National Science Foundation (NSF) will host twenty (20) K-12 science and mathematics teachers as Fellows of the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship (AEDEF) program. The AEDEF program is a Congressionally-mandated program under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE). NSF participates in AEDEF through a grant to the Triangle Coalition that manages the program for DOE.
The objectives of the program are to: (1) provide outstanding STEM teachers the opportunity to bring to Congress and appropriate branches of the Federal government the insights, extensive knowledge, and practical experience of classroom teachers; (2) increase the understanding, communication, and cooperation between Congress and Federal agencies; (3) increase the understanding, communication and cooperation between the Federal government and the science, technology and mathematics education community; and (4) gain insights and an understanding of national educational issues which can then be transferred back to the classroom. While at NSF, each Fellow has a sponsor who will oversee all activities and experiences.
The Fellows will engage in a wealth of STEM activities within their respective directorates/offices such as regular meetings and discussions about research, discoveries, and practices; directorate-wide advisory meetings; seminars; briefings; brown bags; and distinguished lectures of national and international prominence. Externally, the Fellows will interact with their respective members of Congress and their staffs; visit the Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Institutes of Health, the Library of Congress, and the National Academy of Sciences.
AEDEF offers a wealth of rich experiences that will likely advance the STEM knowledge of participating teachers personally and professionally. Individually and as a group, Fellows present at national, state, and local workshops and conferences to disseminate information about their experiences and to help recruit potential candidates for the program.
Teachers will serve their fellowship in the Biological Sciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Education and Human Resources, and Geosciences directorates at NSF. They will also be hosted by the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships, the National Science Board, Office of Cyberinfrastructure, International Science and Engineering, Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, and the Polar Programs. The teachers represent Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Washington, DC, and Wisconsin. Other agencies participating in the program include NASA, NOAA, and DOE.
("AEF") is a federal agency fellowship program for outstanding K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) teachers. Each Fellow spends an academic year engaged in STEM policy while being immersed in a professional development (PD) program that provides practical, transferable classroom skills. The Einstein Fellowship program exposes participants broadly to STEM education policy, advances in pedagogy, STEM topics, and thought leadership that enhances their content and practice knowledge, improves their teaching methods, and strengthens their STEM leadership and policy influencing capabilities. Einstein Fellows bring to NSF a thorough understanding of the needs of K-12 students and teachers,evaluative insights into effective K-12 activities, and the ability to interpret the language of STEM education policy. Further, Fellows provide to NSF the unique perspective of the practicing teacher during project conceptualization and in administration of established programs. By statute, the AEF program is organized around four key goals: to connect STEM teachers (practitioners) to the federal government (policy); to improve communication on STEM policy between Congress and the agencies; to improve communication between federal policymakers and the STEM education community; and to develop STEM policy and practical skills that may transfer back to the classroom. The 2010-2011 AEF cohort was comprised of 32 teachers from 16 states and the District of Columbia. Twenty of those fellows were placed at NSF. Triangle Coalition, founder of the AEF program, provided program and administrative services to Fellows on behalf of NSF, working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy. These services included monthly professional development programming, oversight of individual professional development plans and participant reports, outreach, recruitment, interview, and placement of incoming Fellows, and financial administration of stipends, professional travel and education expenses. The AEF program endows participants with STEM policy knowledge, professional connections, and leadership skills that are critically important as the education community strives to meet American, and indeed global, STEM needs. Fellows leave the AEF program with a practitioner's understanding of STEM policy-making and a comprehensive STEM portfolio to share with local leaders, colleagues, and students. This includes contacts with STEM policy leaders, information on undergraduate and graduate internships, scholarships, lab research, contests and resources which can inspire teachers and students toward careers in STEM.
