K-12 Educators

With the rest of NASA, the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is committed "to inspire the next generation of explorers." The discoveries and new knowledge from our missions and research programs consistently engage people's imaginations, inform teachers, and excite students about science and exploration. Below, you will find information that will allow you to:


Find Programs for K-12 Educators
New opportunities, such as teacher workshops, will be advertised through Community Announcements and in the Calendar. Please contact the correspondent listed. You may also want to visit the following websites for more information from the NASA SMD and the NASA Office of Education:

SMD Education Programs

SMD Earth Science Elementary and Secondary Programs

NASA Office of Education Programs for K-12 Educators


Classroom Resources
The NASA SMD E/PO program has created a wide range of standards-based classroom resources that use the excitement of SMD’s scientific explorations of our Earth and the universe beyond to help you and your students reinforce core science concepts and process skills. You can access these resources through the two online catalogs listed below. New resources will also be listed in the Community Announcements section of this workspace. Over their five-year effort, the Forums will assist SMD in developing a “one-stop-shop” to provide an intuitive and searchable database of SMD products and activities.

SMD Earth Science Education Catalog – Learning Resources

SMD Space Science Education Resource Directory

You can search for all education resources created by all areas of NASA.

NASA Nationwide
Visit this location to find speakers for your classroom and to learn about events that may be ongoing in your community through the network of NASA volunteers.


Learn More about SMD’s K-12 Education Working Group Efforts
The K-12 Education Working Group is tasked with providing NASA SMD and its four Forums (Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics, Planetary Science) with data, analysis, and access to expertise on K-12 audiences and initiatives. If you are interested in learning more about the K-12 Education Working Group, examine the K-12 Education section under “Documents.” Over the five-year lifetime of the Forums, this section will grow to contain a library of information about best practices in K-12 education and the needs of the K-12 education community with respect to the use of SMD content, expertise, and facilities.


Propose an Education or Public Outreach Project to SMD
SMD encourages educators to be involved in projects that directly impact students. If you have a great idea for an educational project, you might consider pursuing one of two types of grants offered by SMD:

  1. Proposals for Education and Public Outreach in Earth and Space Science (EPOESS) are requested annually, as part of NASA SMD’s Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Science (ROSES). These typically are in the range of $100,000 annually for one to three years.

Proposal Solicitation
2010 Selections
2009 Selections
2008 Selections

  1. Proposals for supplemental education and public outreach grants to ongoing SMD-funded research projects are requested twice a year. These must be proposed by the scientist leading the research project in collaboration with an educator. The parent research project must have at least 12 months remaining at the time of proposal submission. Proposals can be submitted for one of two paths:
    • Education projects (up to $15,000 for each year remaining on the parent research project). For proposal guidelines, click here.
    • Outreach projects (up to $10,000 for each year remaining on the parent research project). For proposal guidelines, click here.

2009 Education Supplements

2009 Outreach Supplement Selections

2008 Education Supplement Selections

2008 Outreach Supplement Selections

For either of these opportunities proposers are encouraged to carefully read abstracts of previously selected proposals before they begin their own proposal. We also recommend that you carefully read the evaluation criteria by which proposals are reviewed. The most up-to-date versions can be found here.

You may also find solicitations for other types of education and outreach projects from other NASA divisions at NASA’s clearinghouse for proposal information (NSPIRES).


Partner with an SMD E/PO Community Member
New opportunities for partnership are advertised through Community Announcements. Please contact the correspondent listed. If you would like to find a partner, please contact the Science Education and Public Outreach Forum that most closely aligns with your content interest; contacts are listed in the “About” menu under “Questions / Contact.”