NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and Critique

National Research Council

doi:10.17226/12081

Consensus Study Report

VIEW LARGER COVER

NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program

Review and Critique

(2008)

The federal role in precollege science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is receiving increasing attention in light of the need to support public understanding of science and to develop a strong scientific and technical workforce in a competitive global economy. Federal science agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), are being looked to as a resource for enhancing precollege STEM education and bringing more young people to scientific and technical careers.

For NASA and other federal science agencies, concerns about workforce and public understanding of science also have an immediate local dimension. The agency faces an aerospace workforce skewed toward those close to retirement and job recruitment competition for those with science and engineering degrees. In addition, public support for the agency's missions stems in part from public understanding of the importance of the agency's contributions in science, engineering, and space exploration.

In the NASA authorization act of 2005 (P.L. 109-555 Subtitle B-Education, Sec. 614) Congress directed the agency to support a review and evaluation of its precollege education program to be carried out by the National Research Council (NRC). NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and Critique includes recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the program and addresses these four tasks:

1. an evaluation of the effectiveness of the overall program in meeting its defined goals and objectives;

2. an assessment of the quality and educational effectiveness of the major components of the program, including an evaluation of the adequacy of assessment metrics and data collection requirements available for determining the effectiveness of individual projects;

3. an evaluation of the funding priorities in the program, including a review of the funding level and trend for each major component of the program and an assessment of whether the resources made available are consistent with meeting identified goals and priorities; and

4. a determination of the extent and effectiveness of coordination and collaboration between NASA and other federal agencies that sponsor science, technology, and mathematics education activities.

Contributor(s): National Research Council; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Board on Science Education; Center for Education; Committee for the Review and Evaluation of NASA's Precollege Education Program; Helen R. Quinn, Heidi A. Schweingruber, and Michael A. Feder, Editors

Topics

Suggested Citation

National Research Council. 2008. NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and Critique. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12081.

Import this citation to:

Publication Info

162 pages | 6 x 9 |

ISBNs:

Paperback: 978-0-309-11551-3
Ebook: 978-0-309-17808-2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/12081

Chapters		skim
Front Matter	i-xvi
Executive Summary	1-10
1 Introduction	11-20
2 NASA's Education Programs	21-43
3 The Federal Context for Education	44-56
4 Analysis of NASA's K-12 Education Portfolio	57-89
5 Program Evaluation	90-111
6 Conclusions and Recommendations	112-131
References	132-138
Appendix A: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff	139-144
Appendix B: Acronyms	145-146

What is skim?

The Chapter Skim search tool presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter. You may select key terms to highlight them within pages of each chapter.

Copyright Information

The National Academies Press (NAP) has partnered with Copyright Clearance Center's Rightslink service to offer you a variety of options for reusing NAP content. Through Rightslink, you may request permission to reprint NAP content in another publication, course pack, secure website, or other media. Rightslink allows you to instantly obtain permission, pay related fees, and print a license directly from the NAP website. The complete terms and conditions of your reuse license can be found in the license agreement that will be made available to you during the online order process. To request permission through Rightslink you are required to create an account by filling out a simple online form. The following list describes license reuses offered by the National Academies Press (NAP) through Rightslink:

Republish text, tables, figures, or images in print
Post on a secure Intranet/Extranet website
Use in a PowerPoint Presentation
Distribute via CD-ROM
Photocopy

Click here to obtain permission for the above reuses. If you have questions or comments concerning the Rightslink service, please contact:

Rightslink Customer Care
Tel (toll free): 877/622-5543
Tel: 978/777-9929
E-mail: customercare@copyright.com
Web: http://www.rightslink.com

To request permission to distribute a PDF, please contact our Customer Service Department at 800-624-6242 for pricing.

To request permission to translate a book published by the National Academies Press or its imprint, the Joseph Henry Press, pleaseclick here to view more information.

Loading stats for NASA's Elementary and Secondary Education Program: Review and Critique...