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Executive Summary
Pages 1-10

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From page 1...
... 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.
From page 2...
... The study committee reviewed a wide range of documents related to NASA's programs in precollege STEM education, heard testimony from NASA staff, and commissioned three papers. As is the case with many federal science agencies involved in education outreach, only a limited number of external evaluations of NASA education projects have been conducted.
From page 3...
... CONTEXT OF K‑12 EDUCATION AT NASA Education and contributing to public understanding of science have been important components of NASA's mission since its creation by the 1958 Space Act. NASA does not, however, have the lead federal role in precollege STEM education, which is the responsibility of the National Science Foundation and the U.S.
From page 4...
... Effectiveness of Individual Projects and Adequacy of Assessment Metrics The Elementary and Secondary Program overall is to be commended for its effort to reach underrepresented groups. The committee concludes that the seven specified core projects are somewhat effective at raising awareness of the science and engineering of NASA's missions and generating students' and teachers' interest in STEM subjects.
From page 5...
... NASA does not appear to have budgeted sufficient funds for a thorough evaluation of projects; however, because budgets for evaluation are reported as project costs, information on total funds targeted specifically for evaluations is unavailable. The committee questions whether the agency has sufficient resources and expertise to adequately support the school-level curricular reform efforts of the NASA Explorer Schools project.
From page 6...
... Recommendation 4  NASA should strive to support stability in its education programs, in terms of funding, management structure, and priorities. Recommendation 8  The NASA headquarters Office of Education should focus on leadership and advocacy for inclusion of education activities in the programs of NASA's four operating directorates, quality assurance, internal coordination, and coordination with other agencies and organizations.
From page 7...
... NASA's new strategic coordination framework for education is designed to address these issues of review and evaluation; however, it is still in initial stages of implementation. Recommendation 5  NASA should take a more intentional approach to portfolio development than it has to date so that individual projects are well defined and have clear and realistic goals and objectives given their target audiences.
From page 8...
... The technical staff in the agency cannot be expected to have sufficient expertise in K‑12 STEM education to allow them to develop effective education p ­ rojects on their own. Thus, the scientists and engineers in the agency need to work in concert with experts in education, often from outside the agency, in order to achieve the appropriate mix of expertise in science, engineering and education to design and implement effective education projects.
From page 9...
... Overall, NASA makes significant contributions to K‑12 education by providing access to its expertise in science, engineering, technology, and space exploration. It is uniquely positioned to inspire and engage students in STEM subjects and to expose teachers and students to the nature of science and engineering through exposure to the agency's missions.


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