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 Science Education Student Science Enrichment Program Program Information
The Student Science Enrichment Program (SSEP) awards have been expanded to nonprofit organizations serving North Carolina primary and secondary school students. These awards provide up to $60,000 per year for three years with up to18 awards made annually. Since the program’s inception in 1996, Burroughs Wellcome Fund (BWF) has awarded nearly $18 million to support 128 awards at 64 organizations across North Carolina. The program has reached 27,000 students. In 2006, 54 percent of student participants reported that they view science as a career option after completing a science enrichment program. Many participants stated that they would refer a program to their friends. SSEP awards support career-oriented and practical programs intended to provide creative science enrichment activities for students in K-12 education who have shown exceptional skills and interest in science and mathematics, as well as those perceived to have high potential. These programs must enable students to participate in hands-on scientific activities and pursue inquiry-based avenues of exploration—an educational approach that BWF believes to be an effective way to increase students’ understanding and appreciation of the scientific process. To increase academic achievement, programs must provide a well-defined structure that aligns with the school-day curriculum, well-trained staff, and student follow up. SSEP awards are not intended to support curriculum development. As this program focuses primarily on students, only minimum levels of teacher training that involve student participation will be considered. BWF convenes award recipients annually and offers technical assistance for program evaluation. The evaluation process has found that successful Student Science Enrichment Programs have the following attributes:
Note: Application materials must be submitted electronically to BWF no later than 4 p.m., Thursday, April 10, 2008. The awards will be announced November 2008. Projects receiving funding may begin program marketing after January 31, 2009. In line with the mission of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, projects that are funded under the SSEP must seek to attain three goals:
The activities designed to lead to these goals must align with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for science and mathematics pertinent to the grade levels of the student participants. Applicants offering summer camps, summer academies, or other summer activities, must provide participating students with a year-round learning activity. These activities may range from web portals to after school clubs and Saturday academies. Successful projects generally include the following examples of how to achieve the three goals mentioned above:
The program is open to nonprofit organizations in North Carolina. Eligible organizations include public and private schools, colleges and universities, community groups, museums, zoos, scientific groups, and others that can provide experiential activities for K-12 school students. BWF encourages partnerships (i.e., between individual schools or school systems and scientific groups, universities, local education associations, or community groups). For-profit companies may participate in collaboration with nonprofit organizations that assume the lead role for a SSEP grant. Applicants should enlist participation of representatives of partner organizations in developing project goals and activities. The proposal must clearly demonstrate the role of each partner. SSEP activities must enable students to “do” science and mathematics in creative and engaging ways that involve hands-on activities and inquiry-based exploration. Activities should occur outside of the usual school environment, such as after school, on weekends, or during vacation periods. SSEP activities may be conducted all year, during the school year, or during the summer provided there is a year-long educational component. Applicants should use a diverse set of criteria and include a plan for targeting specific groups of students, including traditional methods, such as test scores, and nontraditional methods proposed by the applying organization to identify students for participation. Special efforts must be made to reach out to students from traditionally underrepresented groups in the fields of science, mathematics, and technology, including girls, minorities, persons with disabilities, and persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Evaluation and Capacity Building Applicants must evaluate their projects. The evaluation plan should outline efforts that will be used to assess projected outcomes of student enrichment activities and include innovative plans to increase participation of underrepresented groups in science and mathematics. Include standardized evaluation information that describes who will conduct program evaluation, what evaluation will cost, how evaluation activities will be funded, and what role partners will have in the evaluation process. Past SSEP award recipients should give student outcome data from previous award activities and be explicit in describing how lessons learned have been integrated into continuing or expanding the program design. In addition, BWF employs an external evaluator to assess the quality and effectiveness of SSEP awards. Student surveys and instructions for program evaluations will be provided. The evaluator will also provide technical assistance in evaluation to individual projects. In compiling their annual evaluation report, the evaluators will then draw upon the standardized data collected by all projects, as well as the internal evaluation reports prepared by project staff. Occasional site visits will be made to individual projects as needed. For suggestions on evaluation data, visit our site on program evaluation. BWF conducts workshops across the state to develop writing skills of potential SSEP applicants. For the 2008 SSEP award series, of the total 36 eligible SSEP applications received, 47 percent were workshop participants; 14 percent were from targeted areas of North Carolina in need of resources; and 25 percent were from minority universities or schools in small towns. Of the 20 institutions that received SSEP awards for 2008, 30 percent were workshop participants. The advisory committee will review all eligible applications and make recommendations for awards to the BWF’s Board of Directors based on evidence provided that addresses the following:
Organizations that previously received a SSEP award and are applying for another award must submit a sustainability plan with their application to demonstrate successful outcomes from the earlier award, to highlight significant achievements, and to identify other means of financial support or institutionalization of their program. BWF also considers whether the proposed plan will help link participating students with other science-related activities in their schools and communities, and whether there are plans to continue the program after the BWF’s support ends. Special efforts will be made to support programs that reach disadvantaged students in low wealth areas of the state. Organizations receiving awards are responsible for disbursing the funds and for maintaining adequate supporting records and receipts of expenditures. All grantees are required to participate in the evaluation efforts specified by BWF. Grantees must provide BWF with an annual progress report and financial report. Both reports must be submitted on forms provided by BWF. Continued funding will depend on the favorable review of these reports by BWF and its program advisory committee. Any unused funds held by organizations when awards expire or are terminated must be returned to BWF, unless the Fund has granted prior permission to retain the funds. Grantees may receive a no-cost extension of up to 24 months; requests explaining why an extension is needed must be submitted in writing at least four months prior to the end of the award. Recipients may reapply for awards at the end of their award duration. There is a restriction of two awards per individual program, but not per institution.
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Program Background