House Committee Works on Coordination on STEM Education

House Democrats continue to advance their “Innovation Agenda." On Wednesday, the House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Science Education held a hearing on how to better coordinate federal science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs among agencies.

Witnesses at the hearing included:
• Dr. Cora Marrett, Assistant Director, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, National Science Foundation;
• Dr. Joyce Winterton, Assistant Administrator, Office of Education, National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
• Dr. Bruce Fuchs, Director, Office of Science Education, National Institutes of Health; and
• Mr. William Valdez, Director, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists, Office of Science (SC-27), U.S. Department of Energy.
The subcommittee examined whether educators are utilizing information provided by federal agencies, if the federal government is creating effective and manageable programs for educators, whether there is a lack of a coordinated effort between agencies and whether federal programs are improving STEM education in America. The purpose was to assure that the recently passed STEM legislation could provide usable, effective tools for schools, educators and students.
Last month, the House passed the omnibus STEM bill, H.R. 2272, the 21st Century Competitiveness Act. The package includes H.R. 362, H.R. 363, H.R. 1068, H.R. 1867 and H.R. 1868. Each of these bills previously passed the House by wide bipartisan margins. The reason an omnibus was rushed through the House is to present one bundled bill to conference with the Senate’s more comprehensive bill, S. 761, the America COMPETES Act.
The House package authorizes a total of $23.6 billion over fiscal years 2008 – 2010, including $21 billion for research and education programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), $2.5 billion for the research labs, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and other activities at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST), and $96 million for early career awards and teacher professional development programs at the Department of Energy (DOE). An additional $70 million is authorized for these programs at DOE for fiscal years 2011-2012.
Resources:
House Committee on Science and Technology Press Releases:
“House Advances Major U.S. Competitiveness, Science/Math Education Package,” House Science and Technology Committee, Press Release, May 21 2007.
“Subcommittee Investigates How to Better Coordinate Federal Math and Science Programs,” House Science and Technology Committee, Press Release, June 6, 2007.
Author: SAS