Over the past few months, federal policymakers have taken a number
of actions that deal with science and math education, and with encouraging
more students to pursue careers in related fields. In the House, appropriators
have marked up bills that would boost appropriations for the Education
Department's Math and Science Partnership program, but cut funding for
the similar program at NSF. At the Department of Energy, a new science
education initiative to provide assistance to teachers and encouragement
to students was announced last month. Additionally, a Homeland Security
Education Act has been proposed in the Senate that would seek to increase
the number of students pursuing degrees in S&T fields and foreign
languages.
Before leaving town for the August recess, members of the House Appropriations
Committee approved an FY 2005 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill
on July 13. While the full text of the committee's bill and accompanying
report are not yet publicly available, it has been reported that the
committee recommended $269 million for the Department of Education's
Math and Science Partnership (MSP) program. This would represent an
increase of 80 percent, or $120 million, over FY 2004 funding of $149
million. As readers may recall, the Administration requested $269 million
for FY 2005, but would have used the $120 million increase for a new
initiative focused strictly on improving secondary-school mathematics
education. Initial reports indicate that under the committee's bill,
the additional funds would not be fenced off for this purpose, but would
increase total funding for the MSPs. House floor action on the Labor-HHS-Education
bill must wait until Congress returns in September.
As reported in FY
#99, House appropriators also passed an FY 2005 VA/HUD spending
bill that would provide $82.5 million for NSF's Math and Science Partnerships,
essentially the same amount as requested by the White House as a first
step in phasing out this program. This is 40 percent, or $56.7 million,
below the FY 2004 level of $139.2 million. According to the draft committee
report, funding for the MSP program would remain in NSF's Education
and Human Resources (EHR) Activity instead of being transferred to Integrative
Activities as proposed by the Administration.
In related news, initiatives to improve science education have been
proposed for several federal agencies.
At DOE, on July 8 Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced a program
by which the department and its national laboratories would help promote
and enhance science education through grades K-12 and beyond. The seven-step
initiative, called STARS: Scientists Teaching and Reaching Students,
incorporates the following components: A program to bring K-12 and community
college instructors to DOE national labs to work with scientists; expansion
of Argonne National Laboratory's "Ask A Scientist" website,
with a link from DOE's home page; expected annual "What's Next"
conferences to focus student and public attention on innovative and
breakthrough technologies; Career Days when DOE scientists would visit
local schools; Science Appreciation Days when national labs would host
students; use of prominent DOE scientists to promote science as a career;
and establishment of an Office of DOE Science Education to coordinate
and implement the initiative. In his announcement, Abraham stated, "It
is critical that we leverage the resources of this Department...to help
create a new generation of scientists who will achieve the scientific
breakthroughs and technological advances so essential to our future
security and prosperity." The full text of Abraham's remarks and
more information on the initiative are available at
http://www.science.doe.gov, under DOE Science Education Initiative.
In another attempt to ensure that federal agencies will have the S&T
workforce they need for the future, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced
a Homeland Security Education Act (S. 2299) that calls for the Secretary
of Education to establish a student loan interest forgiveness program
for certain students receiving undergraduate degrees in science, math,
engineering and some foreign languages. It would also establish grant
programs and partnerships between K-12 schools and institutions of higher
education to encourage students to develop proficiency and pursue degrees
in the fields of foreign languages, science, math and engineering, and
partnerships between K-12 school districts and the private sector to
help upgrade science curricula, labs, equipment and teaching skills.
Durbin, with Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) as
co-sponsors, introduced his bill this spring, and it has been referred
to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where
it awaits consideration.
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