Integrating federal research on global change and climate change

The Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) program seeks to establish a coordinated national network of regionally- or thematically-based partnerships devoted to increasing the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts. Each CCEP is required to be of a large enough scale that they will have catalytic or transformative impact that cannot be achieved through other core NSF program awards. The CCEP program is one facet of a larger NSF collection of awards related to Climate Change Education (CCE) that has two goals: (1) preparing a new generation of climate scientists, engineers, and technicians equipped to provide innovative and creative approaches to understanding global climate change and to mitigate its impact; and, (2) preparing today's U.S. citizens to understand global climate change and its implications in ways that can lead to informed, evidence-based responses and solutions. Each CCEP must include representation from at least each of the following communities: climate scientists, experts in the learning sciences, and practitioners from within formal or informal education venues. This combined expertise will insure that educational programs and resources developed through the activities of each CCEP reflects current understanding about climate science, the best theoretical approaches for teaching such a complex topic, and the practical means necessary to reach the intended learner audience(s). Each CCEP should be organized around either geographic regions that share similar climate change impacts, or major climate impact themes (e.g., sea-level rise).

The CCEP program is a two-phase program. This solicitation seeks proposals for development of Phase I Partnerships (CCEP-I). CCEP-I grantees will receive up to 2 years of funding to support synthesis, network-building, and strategic planning activities leading toward potential Phase II Partnerships (CCEP-II). Each CCEP-I awardee is expected to: (1) conduct an inventory of existing climate change education resources and identify educational needs and opportunities relevant to their particular region or theme; (2) identify key players from relevant stakeholder communities and initiate network development; (3) convene community workshops and other community-building activities that lead toward development of a comprehensive climate change education strategic plan for that Partnership; and, (4) begin to serve as a test-bed for development, customization and scaling up of standards-based instructional materials, professional development and training models, and other appropriate activities tailored to the Partnership's goals. External evaluation activities (formative and summative) are required during Phase I efforts (and will be required during Phase II). In FY 2011, CCEP-I awardees will be able to request supplemental funding in order to support: (1) early implementation of meritorious programs or activities identified during the planning effort; and/or (2) expansion of the initial Partnership through addition of other investigators seeking to collaborate with a specific CCEP-I awardee. A future program solicitation will invite proposals for Phase II Partnerships, which are expected to receive 5 years of support for full-scale implementation of mature strategic plans serving the goals of the CCE program. Eligible institutions for the CCEP-II competition will include the CCEP-I awardees and equivalent partnerships established through other funding mechanisms that have met the CCEP-I strategic planning criteria and objectives described in this solicitation. Phase II of the CCEP program is expected to begin in FY 2012, depending on the availability of funding.