It is "imperative that the Federal Government reassess its role
and step forward with an aggressive effort to better prepare the Nation's
S&E workforce," declares a new draft report by the National
Science Board (NSB). Echoing several other recent reports, the NSB report
warns of an impending crisis for the nation's science and engineering
(S&E) enterprise if projections about S&E job growth, current
workforce retirement rates, the number of American students pursuing
S&E careers, and international competition for foreign S&E workers
prove true.
The NSB is still seeking public comments on its report, which calls
for a greater federal role - accompanied by increased federal resources
- in preparing the S&E workers of the future. The Board recommends
the following National Policy Imperative: "The Federal Government
and its agencies must step forward to ensure the adequacy of the US
science and engineering workforce. All stakeholders must mobilize and
initiate efforts that increase the number of US citizens pursuing science
and engineering studies and careers."
The draft report, by the Task Force on National Workforce Policies
for Science and Engineering, can be found on the NSB web site at: http://www.nsf.gov/nsb/
, and IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT UNTIL JULY 1, 2003. COMMENTS
SHOULD BE EMAILED TO: nsbcomments@nsf.gov .
The report points out that while the federal government has played
a major role in supporting graduate S&E education, undergraduate
education has largely been the responsibility of states and localities.
The report also finds that while the US S&E enterprise "has
always benefitted from foreign science and engineering talent,"
the "level of dependence on foreign-born students and professionals...has
become problematic." It anticipates increased global competition
for S&E workers "at a time when demand for their skills is
projected to rise significantly." The NSB also expects that "the
number of native-born S&E graduates entering the workforce is likely
to decline unless the Nation intervenes to improve success in educating
S&E students from all demographic groups, especially those that
have been underrepresented in S&E careers." The report warns
that its recommendations "will require increased Federal resources
commensurate with the role and planned contribution of each [federal]
agency." It is of note that some of the suggested actions, such
as increasing graduate student stipends, encouraging collaboration between
schools of education and university science and math departments, and
providing scholarships to attract students to S&E careers, are already
being planned or implemented by the National Science Foundation and
other federal agencies.
The report's recommendations, along with selected explanatory text,
follow:
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING: "The
Federal Government must direct substantial new support to students and
institutions in order to improve success in S&E study by American
undergraduates from all demographic groups." Government actions
should include providing scholarships and other financial assistance;
encouraging institutions to improve programs in S&E areas where
degree production is insufficient; providing financial support to help
community colleges increase students' success in transferring to four-year
S&E programs; and expanding funding to programs that are successful
in graduating underrepresented minorities and women in S&E fields.
The report adds that "research on the reason why able students
switch out of S&E majors concludes that improvement in the yield
of S&E majors will require modification of the educational environment,
particularly for improved retention of underrepresented minorities and
women."
ADVANCED EDUCATION IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING: "Federal
support for research and graduate education should respond to the real
economic needs of students and promote a wider range of educational
options responsive to national skill needs." The report calls
for competitive federal graduate and postdoctoral stipends that include
benefits; innovative approaches to higher education that prepare students
for a broad range of careers; and consistent, long-term federal support
for high-quality disciplinary and interdisciplinary S&E doctoral
programs.
The report recognizes the opportunity costs to students pursuing an
advanced education in S&E fields, and notes that "attracting
more US students to enroll in and complete graduate training depends
in part on their expectations that investment in science or engineering
education will be rewarded by careers employing the skills they acquire."
It also acknowledges that "targeted interventions to ensure the
supply of scientists and engineers in specific fields may miss the mark."
PRECOLLEGE TEACHING WORKFORCE FOR MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
"In partnership with other stakeholders, the Federal Government
should act now to attract and retain an adequate cadre of well-qualified
precollege teachers of mathematics, science and technology." The
report urges compensation of teachers at a level comparable to that
of other S&E professionals; reinforcement of teaching as an important
career and an integral part of the S&E professions; and expedited
certification of S&E professionals as teachers. It calls for support
of teacher preparation programs that bring together science and engineering
departments with schools of education, efforts by S&E professionals
to assist and improve K-12 education, and research on learning in science
and mathematics.
US ENGAGEMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL S&E WORKFORCE: Especially
as visa and other policies on foreign scientists and students are reexamined,
the report says, "it is essential that future US policies: strengthen
the capacity of US research universities to sustain their leadership
role in increasingly competitive international S&E education; strongly
support opportunities for American students and faculty to participate
in international S&E education and research; [and] maintain the
ability of the US to attract internationally competitive researchers,
faculty, and students, while accommodating national security concerns."
KNOWLEDGE BASE ON THE S&E WORKFORCE: "To support
development of effective S&E workforce policies and strategies,
the Federal Government must: substantially raise its investment in research
that advances the state of knowledge on international S&E workforce
dynamics; [and] lead a national effort to build a base of information
on: the current status of the S&E workforce; national S&E skill
needs; [and] strategies that attract high-ability students and professionals
to S&E careers."
"Production and employment of scientists and engineers are not
well understood as a system," the report states; "Federal
policies and strategies for interventions in the workforce must be sensitive
not only to impacts on areas targeted for intervention, but also to
other impacts on broader workforce capabilities."
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