FY 2001 Dept. of Education Science and Math Education

Many federal department and agency budgets contain some funding for science and math education activities. However, the major efforts on science and math education are conducted by the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. Information on the FY 2001 budget request for science and math education within the Department of Education is provided below. Details of the request for NSF’s Education and Human Resources Activity will be provided in a subsequent FYI.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:

In the past, the department has provided funding for teacher professional development, with emphasis on the fields of science and math, through the Eisenhower Professional Development State Grants. This year, however, the budget request proposes that this program be combined with Title III of the Goals 2000 program, to form a new “standards-based reform grant program” entitled Teaching to High Standards State Grants.

Because of changes to these programs, it is not clear whether a year-to-year funding comparison is valid. Currently, FY 2000 funding for the Eisenhower program is $335.0 million, with $250 million of that amount specifically reserved for professional development in science and math. FY 2000 funding for Goals 2000 is $458.0 million, for a combined total of $793.0 million in FY 2000. The FY 2001 budget request for the combined programs, under the title “Teaching to High Standards State Grants,” is $690.0 million, a decrease of $103.0 million from the current combined total. According to some sources, the request would increase the set-aside for science and math professional development to from $250 million to $300 million, but this does not appear to be stated specifically in the department’s budget documents. The section on Teaching to High Standards is quoted below:

“The request supports the Administration’s ESEA [Elementary and Secondary Education Act] proposal to create a new standards-based reform grant program, Teaching to High Standards State Grants, that would build on the former Eisenhower Professional Development State Grants program and Title III of Goals 2000. The program will help educators improve classroom-based teaching and learning by supporting local efforts to align instruction, curricula, assessments, and professional development with challenging academic standards. Resources will be focused on sustained, intensive, content-based, and collaborative professional development in core content areas. Both research and reports from teachers show that this kind of professional development has the greatest impact in improving the quality of teaching.

“School districts are just beginning the challenging process of reforming curricula and professional development for teachers in order to bring standards-based reform to the classroom. This program would support those efforts, and also help States to improve the standards and assessments that help shape those reforms. High-quality professional development is a central and indispensable element of the larger effort to help all students meet challenging standards. Research indicates that high-quality professional development, especially when it is focused on academic content, can contribute to improvements in teachers’ skills and practice and thereby raise student achievement.

States would use up to 10 percent of their awards to continue to develop or revise academic standards, develop assessments, and support other State reforms, and $60 million will be allocated to State agencies for higher education for competitive grants. The remaining funds would be distributed to local districts, 50 percent by formula and 50 percent through a grant competition.”