Work in progress - SUNRISE: Schools, university 'N' (and) resources in the sciences and engineering-a NSF/GMU GK-12 fellows project

This WIP documents the development, implementation efforts, and preliminary results of SUNRISE a unique graduate Fellowship program at George Mason University (GMU) that targets graduate students working in the grade 4-6 school environment. SUNRISE is a new GK-12 project aimed at partnering STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) graduate students (Fellows) with elementary and middle school teachers from three different school divisions in Northern Virginia. The expected outcomes and an evaluation plan are also presented. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the project serves as one source of evidence that demonstrates the importance and the process of building partnerships among university’s engineering and education departments, and the K-12 education system. Index Terms – Elementary and middle school, Evaluation plan, Graduate fellows, Information technology.