Federal Support for Science and Mathematics Education
Kevin Mitchell
The federal government continues to show strong support for K-12 science and math education.
The U.S. Department of Education has identified seven priorities based on President Clinton's
1997 "Call to Action" to provide American students with the best education in the world. Several
of these priorities now play a major part in guiding the Department's activities related to boosting
academic achievement in science and math:
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All students will master challenging mathematics, including the foundations of algebra
and geometry, by the end of eighth grade. |
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All states and schools will have challenging and clear standards of achievement and
accountability for all children and effective strategies for reaching those standards. |
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There will be a talented, dedicated, and well-prepared teacher in every classroom. |
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Every classroom will be connected to the Internet by the year 2000, and all students will
be technologically literate. |
The information that follows provides a brief overview of federal programs and initiatives related
to improving science and math education. Although this information appears in discrete groups,
many of the programs include elements that necessarily overlap.
Curriculum and Materials
The America Counts Challenge (http://www.ed.gov/inits/Math)
is a six-point initiative designed to help all students master advanced skills in math by the end of eighth grade. In addition,
President Clinton has urged the states to adopt Voluntary National Tests (VNT) to determine
whether students are meeting the national standards for eighth-grade mathematics achievement
(for more information, see the article "National Math and Science Standards: A Primer for
Parents").
The Department of Education has granted the National Assessment Governing Board exclusive
authority over the development of the proposed VNT, which would be based on the same content
and performance standards as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). But
unlike NAEP, VNT would be given to individual students and yield individual student scores.
Support for, as well as opposition to, VNT has been bipartisan, so its future is unclear.
Depending on legislative activity in 1999, pilot testing of VNT may begin in 2000 or 2001, with
subsequent implementation in 2002 or 2003.
The Department and the National Science Foundation have issued An Action Strategy for
Improving Achievement in Mathematics and Science
(http://www.ed.gov/pubs/12TIMSS), an
outline for using federal resources to help states, local school districts, and schools improve
teaching, upgrade curricula, and integrate technology and high-quality teaching materials into the
classroom.
The Department's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) funds the National
Center for Improving Student Learning & Achievement in Mathematics & Science. The center
conducts research and publishes materials that educators can request or view on its Web site
(http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/NCISLA).
The Department also funds the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science
Education (ENC), which collects a wide range of math and science curriculum materials and
makes them available online (http://www.enc.org) and on CD-ROM. The ENC network includes
regional consortia, demonstration sites, and access centers, which provide educators with
technical assistance and professional development opportunities on topics important to their
regions and to the nation.
In addition, the Department funds the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC),
through OERI and the National Library of Education. The ERIC Clearinghouse for Science,
Mathematics, and Environmental Education provides a wealth of online resources for teachers,
parents, and students. Visitors to the Web site (http://www.ericse.org) will find links to lesson
plans, journals, books, digests, and related organizations. Science teachers will find an entire
section devoted to science fairs, including links to several "idea generators."
The Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM) Web site (http://thegateway.org), a special project
of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology, provides one-stop access to thousands
of lesson plans, curriculum units, and other education resources found on federal, state,
university, nonprofit, and commercial Web sites. Visitors can search the database--including
extensive math and science resources--by key word and grade level, or browse the subject index.
The Department's current, free publications and products are available through ED Pubs, the
Education Publications Center. Visitors to the Web site
(http://www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html)
can search the catalog by title or browse by subject. All items can also be ordered by toll-free
telephone at 1-877-433-7827.
Teachers can also access many other online resources devoted to math and science education.
The Guidebook of Federal Resources for K-12 Mathematics and Science
(http://www.enc.org/guidebook), published by the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse, is a
comprehensive national directory of federal offices, programs, and facilities that support math
and science education.
Educators can learn more about available education resources by visiting the Teachers Web Page
(http://www.ed.gov/inits/teachers/teach.html) on the Department's Web site. This page provides
links to teacher guides, education research, and information on professional development,
leadership, and recruitment.
Professional Development
The Department sponsors several programs designed to improve science and math achievement
through advancements in teacher training. For example, Eisenhower Professional Development
State Grants support professional development activities in the core academic subjects. At least
$250 million of the currently funded $310 million must be spent on professional development in
math and science.
The Eisenhower Professional Development Federal Activities Program supports national
professional development initiatives, such as the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards (NBPTS). NBPTS establishes national standards of excellence in teaching and
recognizes attainment of those standards through a rigorous assessment process.
Title II of the Higher Education Amendments of 1998 created three Teacher-Quality
Enhancement Grants: State Grants to support comprehensive statewide reforms to improve
teacher quality; Partnership Grants to bring about fundamental change and improvement in
traditional teacher education programs; and Teacher Recruitment Grants to reduce shortages of
qualified teachers in high-need school districts. Currently funded at $75 million, these grants will
facilitate recruitment, preparation, and induction of the estimated 2.2 million new teachers to be
hired over the next decade. For more information, visit the Department's Web site at
http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/heatqp.
Teachers interested in learning more about these and other programs sponsored by the
Department should consult The New Teacher's Guide to the U.S. Department of Education
(http://www.ed.gov/pubs/TeachersGuide), What Should I Know About ED Grants?
(http://www.ed.gov/pubs/KnowAbtGrants), Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs
and Resources (http://web99.ed.gov/GTEP/Program2.nsf), and Excelling in Math and Science
(http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Excelling/excelling.html).
Technology
The Department's Office of Educational Technology sponsors several programs that support the
development of technologically literate students, classrooms, and teachers. These programs can
contribute significantly to the professional development of science and math teachers. The
Technology Innovation Challenge Grant Program provides grants to consortia that work to
improve and expand new applications of technology. Currently funded at $22 million, the grants
help strengthen school reform, improve student achievement, and provide sustained professional
development for teachers, administrators, and school library media personnel.
Preparing New Teachers To Use Tomorrow's Technology is a grant program that prepares
teachers to integrate new technologies into the classroom. Currently funded at $75 million, the
program provides three levels of support: Capacity-Building Grants, Implementation Grants, and
Catalyst Grants. For more information on these and other programs sponsored by the Office of
Educational Technology, visit the Department's Web site at
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/inititiv.html.
Teachers can find out more about integrating technology into the classroom through the Network
of Regional Technology in Education Consortia (http://www.rtec.org). Funded through OERI,
each of the six regional consortia establishes and conducts regional activities that address
professional development, technical assistance, and information dissemination to promote the
effective use of technology in education. The ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher
Education (http://www.ericsp.org) and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology
(http://ericir.syr.edu/ithome) are also valuable sources of related information.
Other Resources
Although most of the federal funding for improving K-12 science and math education flows from
programs of the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation, other federal
agencies also play a part. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awards grants
to schools, state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and others to support environmental education
programs. Other agencies that promote K-12 science and math education include the National
Institutes of Health; the Smithsonian Institution; and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce,
Defense, Energy, the Interior, and Transportation.
Readers can access hundreds of federally funded, Internet-based education resources compiled by
these and many other federal agencies by visiting the U.S. Department of Education's Federal
Resources for Education Excellence Web site at http://www.ed.gov/free.
| Kevin Mitchell is Co-Editor of The ERIC Review and a Writer/Editor for ACCESS ERIC in
Rockville, Maryland.
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 Addressing the Needs of English-Language Learners in Science and Math Classrooms
 Table of Contents
 Math and Science Resource Organizations
This page was updated on Fri Nov 2 19:14:45 GMT 2001
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