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3 The Federal Context for Education
Pages 44-56

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From page 44...
... At the undergraduate and graduate levels, which are not the focus of this report, it is generally assumed that the federal science agencies have a different and possibly broader role.
From page 45...
... Many federal agencies, including the Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Health and Human S ­ ervices, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Transportation, as well as NASA, fund K‑12 STEM education programs and research. These agencies share their expertise in science and science education through their involvement in education programs for students and teachers at the K‑12 level. They develop programs that provide opportunities for learners to understand the nature of science, and they provide scientific knowledge, theory, and practice to educational institutions, both formal and informal, According to the report of the Academic Competitiveness Council, other agencies such as the Department of Defense, have significant involvement in STEM education but do not support projects whose primary focus is formal K-12 education.
From page 46...
... About 62 percent of the total f ­ ederal STEM budget in 2006 supported programs identified as general STEM programs (including K-12, undergraduate, graduate, and informal) , 37 percent supported science- and engineering-focused programs, and only 1 percent supported specific mathematics-focused programs. NASA accounts for only 4 percent of federally sponsored K‑12 STEM education.
From page 47...
... Thus, these two agencies play different but significant roles in the K‑12 STEM education system. We believe it is important for other federal science agencies to be aware of the roles of these two agencies in order to minimize duplication of effort and to maximize awareness of the larger context in which their own programs are situated.
From page 48...
... and the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002. The 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
From page 49...
... The regional labs address student achievement by providing access to high-quality, scientifically valid education research through applied research and development projects, studies, and other related technical assistance activities. Only a small percentage of the NCEE evaluation and regional lab activities are specific to STEM education.
From page 50...
... In the 1990s, EHR, concerned that years of investment in curriculum development and teacher training had not yielded the hoped-for level of improvement in science and mathematics education, changed its course to support "systemic reform" efforts that targeted large regions or states. Through this reform, the agency attempted to create coordinated efforts to improve science and mathematics teaching throughout targeted regional systems and structures.
From page 51...
... In addition to NASA, those agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Commerce, particularly the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A second reason for many federal science agencies' involvement in K‑12 STEM education is their commitment to repaying the American public for their support of agency-related science and engineering work.
From page 52...
... Limitations of Agency Involvement Federal science agencies have expertise in science and engineering, but they have limited expertise in education and in research on teaching and learning. In all their education efforts, agencies need to be informed by the best available knowledge about what is effective in education and how their programs contribute to a larger national education effort.
From page 53...
... This balance can be mediated through modern technology, such as the Internet, which can be used as a distribution tool, and through strategic partnering with other federal science agencies and education organizations. The need for and impact of such coordination is supported by recent and past reviews of federal STEM programs that found a considerable overlap across programs, the report of the Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (1993)
From page 54...
... Radical shifts, due for example to changes in administration or changes in agency priorities, can result in lack of stability in education programs and erratic funding that can seriously diminish the program's effectiveness. A funding pattern that fluctuates with federal and agency priorities can hamper the development and maintenance of effective education work in NASA and in other federal science agencies.
From page 55...
... of the federal funding of K‑12 STEM education, and it is only one of several scientific and research federal agencies that have missions and resources that are charged with a role in science education. Yet NASA is uniquely positioned to contribute to the nation's STEM education programs with its awe-inspiring facilities and missions; the data, images, and findings from five decades of space missions; and the scientists and engineers employed by the agency.
From page 56...
... NASA is more widely known to the U.S. public than any other federal science agency and associated in the public mind with the challenges and excitement of space exploration (Hopkins, 2007b)


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