EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES $711,000,000
The FY
2000 Budget Request for the Education and Human Resources (EHR) Activity is
$711.0 million, an increase of $22.0 million, or 3.2 percent, over the FY 1999
Current Plan of $689.0 million. Within
the FY 2000 Request, $678.0 million are included within the EHR Appropriation,
and $33.0 million are H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Fees.
(Millions of Dollars)
Numbers may not add due to
rounding.
The EHR Activity defines and implements an investment
strategy that advances the vision and goals of NSF’s Strategic Plan for
education and human resource development. Its interconnected and comprehensive
portfolio of programs - unique within the federal enterprise - encompasses every educational level and type
of learning, including formal and informal, in all parts of the country. Its programs develop models and strategies
for providing all students access to high quality, standards-based educational
opportunities and play a major role in helping meet NSF's commitment to
developing human resources for the U.S. scientific and technological
workforce. EHR’s component programs are
subject to continuous improvements based on program reviews, evaluation,
dissemination of best practices, and evolving knowledge bases.
The strength of EHR science, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) programming resides in its ability to integrate research and education, marshaling the combined expertise of the research and education communities. Its products include cutting-edge research on teaching and learning that informs education practice; comprehensive, standards-based instructional materials effective in increasing student achievement and providing essential workplace skills; strategies for developing content knowledge and teaching skills of the instructional workforce; and research, development and implementation of next generation learning technologies.
Systemic
reform of science and mathematics education, a strategy replicated by other
federal and educational organizations, is the cornerstone of EHR PreK-12
programming. Based on the belief that all
students can learn and achieve at much higher levels than are presently
attained in science and mathematics,
systemic projects treat whole systems and build educational capacity at state,
urban, rural, and district levels. Over
the years, NSF and participating sites have identified elements critical to
successful reform, such as aligning of governance, practice, and resources;
adopting strategies informed by local needs; simultaneously implementing
standards-based curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and building
meaningful partnerships that bring needed intellectual and financial resources
to school systems.
Systemic efforts increase the breadth and depth of EHR's
impact on science and mathematics education in the U.S. EHR’s systemic programs include:
· Statewide
Systemic Initiatives (SSI): Initiated in
FY 1991, SSI developed alternative
models to strengthen state infrastructures for reform; over time, it has
translated that reform down to classroom levels. Phase II projects now provide seven states and Puerto Rico the
opportunity to carry their exemplary efforts to new levels. A network of SSI sites encourages continued
collaboration and the exchange of best practices for sustaining reform efforts.
· Urban Systemic
Program (USP): The Urban Systemic Initiatives (USI) program, with first efforts
initiated in FY 1993, attempts to
catalyze changes in policy and resource utilization in 28 of the largest U.S.
school systems. Operating in large school systems that are characterized by
high concentrations of students in poverty and racial/ethnic minorities, USI projects were designed to reduce
inequities and to raise unacceptably low levels of student performance. In FY 1995, the Comprehensive Partnerships for Mathematics and Science Achievement
(CPMSA) program made USI-type activities available to smaller cities. In FY 1999, the two programs merged into a
new effort, USP, expanding eligibility and offering opportunities to link K-12
reform with technical workforce development, teacher preparation efforts, and
academic enrichment for students.
· Rural Systemic
Initiatives (RSI): Initiated in FY 1994,
RSI addresses the unique needs of isolated regions with high rates of poverty
(e.g., Alaska, Tribal Sites, Appalachia).
RSI is pioneering efforts to coordinate education reform across state lines
and to apply innovative distance learning that brings quality instruction to
students in these communities.
Beginning in FY 1999, an enhanced rural strategy promotes implementation
of standards-based reform in smaller clusters of rural school districts nationwide.
· Local Systemic
Change (LSC): Initiated in FY 1994, LSC implements classroom-level reform
through professional development of teachers in entire school districts. Operational in urban, suburban, and rural
settings, LSC implements standards-based curricula and creates supportive
environments that engage administrators and parents.
To maintain U.S. research superiority and a workforce capable of meeting technological demands of the future, undergraduate and graduate education must also undergo reform. Undergraduate institutions build the workforce capable of delivering K-12 standards-based education; provide a well-trained science and technology workforce; and develop a scientifically literate citizenry. Undergraduate programming focuses on institution-wide implementation of high quality instructional materials and educational practices in classrooms and laboratories. It emphasizes innovations that apply state-of-the-art research on learning, instruction, and educational technologies; provides access to cutting-edge science; and responds to the varying cultural, academic backgrounds, and learning styles of students. At the graduate level, the NSF-wide Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) program provides doctoral students with the interdisciplinary research experiences, content knowledge, and professional skills to meet the challenges of scientific careers. The NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education program, initiated in FY 1999, continues to encourage graduate and advanced undergraduate SMET majors to serve as content resources for K-12 teachers.
EHR programs promote NSF goals by supporting:
· PreK-16 systemic reform to achieve standards-based,
inquiry-centered science and mathematics education;
· development of resources (e.g., curricula, student
assessments, professional development strategies) that support standards-based
education;
· advanced training of scientists, mathematicians, and
engineers for the 21st century;
· increased scientific and technological literacy; and
· integration of research and education.
In FY 2000, EHR will address emerging needs and opportunities in five priority areas. The intent is to capitalize on synergy across programs with related goals; challenge the field to develop innovative strategies to serve as models for the nation; and aggressively pursue opportunities for collaboration with other NSF programs, as well as federal and private organizations.
· Education Research: NSF's
education research agenda is unique within the federal enterprise. It provides the knowledge base that
undergirds improvements in mathematics and science instruction, more efficient
use of educational technologies, and development of a more effective
mathematics and science instructional workforce. A comprehensive agenda will be pursued, spanning applications of
basic research on neural and cognitive sciences, teaching and learning, systemic
reform, and policy. Emphasis is placed
on development and applications of educational technologies, piloting of
technologies to assess their effectiveness in classrooms, and large-scale
implementation across entire education systems. Special studies and indicator
development continues to define the context and monitor the state of the
education enterprise.
· Building the K-12
Instructional Workforce: Pre- and in-service education programs will work in concert
to implement a strategy that addresses the two-fold national need of producing
a K-12 instructional workforce of adequate size and quality to deliver
standards-based science and mathematics education. The strategy focuses on innovative models of teacher preparation,
early career induction and retention, development of a sustainable national
infrastructure to meet continuing teacher education needs, and research for
identifying effective strategies.
Systemic projects, whose progress is rate-limited by instructional
workforces, will be actively engaged in development and implementation of these
strategies.
· Systemic Reform: Systemic reform is increasingly recognized as a necessary
strategy to provide sustainable improvements in the nation's educational
enterprise. Eligibility is broadened to
smaller urban and rural areas, in order to enable districts to accelerate the
rate of change and increase system-wide improvements in K-12 science,
mathematics and technology (SMT) learning.
Increased emphasis is placed on forging partnerships between districts
and institutions of higher education.
The new Urban Systemic Program includes
innovative options for K-12 districts to develop exemplary improvements in
technical education with two-year colleges, improve existing teacher
preparation rograms and develop research opportunities for K-12 students at
four-year colleges and universities. Program and site-specific research is
encouraged across projects to increase understanding of the reform
process.
· Diversity
Continuum: In Losing Ground:
Science and Engineering Graduate Education of Black and Hispanic Americans
(1998), the American Association for the
Advancement of Science reported that continued decline in minority graduate
science, mathematics and engineering (SME) enrollment could have a major impact
on workforce diversity in the 21st century. In
FY 1999, EHR is developing a highly synergistic and value-added continuum that
integrates the operation of four programs--Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority
Participation, the HBCU-Undergraduate Program, the Minority Graduate Education
program, and Centers for Research Excellence in Science and Technology. Special emphasis is directed on increasing
diversity of the professoriate.
· Educational
Technologies: Educational technologies
show great, but as yet unrealized, promise for increasing access to quality
education and meeting the diverse needs of alternative learning styles. All SMET education programs encourage the
application and effective implementation of learning techniques; development of
appropriate tools and content; and effective implementation of technology in
classrooms, schools, and education systems nationwide. Major emphases include development of a
national digital library for K-16 education, and dissemination and application of
knowledge gained through research efforts.
SUPPORT BY
EDUCATION LEVEL
(Millions of Dollars)
1 Includes only costs charged to the
EHR Appropriation.
2 Includes $3.0
million in Administration & Management contract services in both FY 1999
and FY 2000.
PreK-12
Activities
The FY 2000 Budget Request includes $357.96 million for PreK-12 activities, an increase of $19.80 million. PreK-12 programs are operated within the Educational System Reform; Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education; and the Undergraduate Education Subactivities. Evaluation and monitoring systems within the Research, Evaluation, and Communication (REC) Subactivity assess program impact and operational effectiveness. The majority of the increment will be invested in two new activities:
· National Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education Digital Library (NSDL) funding of $13.0 million, includes $10.0 million to support PreK-12 activities and $3.0 million to support undergraduate-related activities. Development of the NSDL, a national resource to increase the quality, quantity, and comprehensiveness of internet-based K-16 SMET educational resources, will be accelerated. As a virtual facility, NSDL links students, teachers, and faculty and provides broad access to standards-based educational materials and learning tools for K-16 schools and academic institutions nationwide. In addition to platform development, new efforts focus on developing mechanisms to aid users in finding appropriate, high quality resources; identifying and testing procedures and tools for assessing and evaluating educational materials and services; and developing registries and repositories of high quality educational products and services
· NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12
Education initiated in FY 1999, will provide $7.50 million to continue
support of graduate and advanced undergraduate SMET majors as content resources
for K-12 teachers. These Fellows will
assist teachers in the science and mathematics content to be used in
instruction, demonstrate key science and mathematics concepts, and connect
elementary and secondary learning to the habits and skills required for
collegiate study. This activity brings
the acknowledged excellence of U.S. graduate education to the service of K-12
teaching and learning.
Additional support for PreK-12 activities are funded through EHR’s systemic reform activities:
Systemic Reform
of PreK-12: In FY 2000, funding of large-scale systemic reform for
states, cities, and rural areas totals $114.20 million, a decrease of $2.25
million. The consolidation of programs
will enable focused efforts on implementation of reform in smaller educational
systems, and program innovations to strengthen the interface between the K-12
and higher education sectors.
· Urban Systemic
Program (USP) funding decreases $1.45 million, to total $87.20
million. In FY 2000, up to 15 new
awards are anticipated. In 1998, over
90,000 teachers in 19 cities participated in professional development, and 3.4
million students benefited directly from the program. An additional, 1 million students were enrolled in the 1,536
schools at 27 CPMSA sites.
· Statewide
Systemic Initiative (SSI) program funding decreases by $3.30 million, to total $14.0
million. Exemplary reform efforts continue
in eight states and a network is formed that fosters communication across all
25 States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico which have received awards. In 1998, over 78,000 teachers in 10 states
participated in SSI-sponsored
professional development and 7.5 million students benefited directly from the
program.
· Rural Systemic
Initiatives (RSI) program funding increases $2.50 million, to total $13.0
million. In FY 2000, RSI continues
support for seven multi-state implementation sites; additional district-based
awards focused on implementation are anticipated. Continued focus will be placed on implementing distance learning
through satellite, fiber optics, and microwave technology. In FY 1998, over 3,600 teachers in five
projects participated in RSI-sponsored professional development and over
211,000 students benefited directly from the program.
· Local Systemic
Change (LSC) funding increases to almost
$45.0 million. With strategies designed
to meet local needs, LSC successfully engages school districts in implementing
standards-based curricula through professional development strategies that encompass
entire instructional workforces.
Alternative approaches to reform creatively involve universities,
informal science performers, and industry.
The 60 LSC projects operating in FY 1998 have provided intensive
professional development to nearly 58,000 teachers in rural, urban, and
suburban districts nationwide, improving classroom instruction for nearly 2
million students.
· Collaboratives
for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP)
funding decreases by $1.95 million, to
total $25.83 million. CETP reforms
PreK-12 teacher preparation through meaningful collaborations between SMET
disciplinary and education departments at universities and colleges. The 106 four-year institutions involved in
CETP produce over 12 percent of the nation's bachelor's degrees in
education. Most Collaboratives interact
with state, urban and/or rural systemic initiatives; many involve state policy bodies
in some formal capacity. Collaboratives
in Virginia, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and New Mexico worked with states to set
education policies governing science and mathematics teacher preparation. As of 1998, 73 percent of Collaborative
graduates were teaching, exceeding the national average of 67 percent (National
Commission on Education Statistics). Nearly 87 percent of graduates remain in
the geographic area served by the Collaboratives.
· Instructional
Materials Development (IMD) funding declines $1.90 million, to total $34.90
million. IMD projects develop rigorous,
validated standards-based comprehensive curricula and instructional materials
for K-12 science and mathematics education.
Special emphasis is placed on resource centers that foster awareness and
implementation of standards-based curriculum models, as well as development of
much needed standards-based science performance assessments.
· Advanced
Technological Education (ATE) funding remains constant at $8.30 million. ATE's goal
is to strengthen the science and mathematics preparation of technicians for the
high-performance workplace. The primary
goal of the program at this education level is to strengthen curriculum and the
instructional workforce for technology programs in secondary schools and to
facilitate transition to two- and four-year technology programs. When combined with undergraduate activities,
ATE funding totals $31.15 million.
· Teacher
Enhancement (TE) [excluding LSC projects] funding increases by $2.10
million, to a level of nearly $60 million.
TE efforts expand the nation’s
ability to strengthen its K-12 instructional workforce, creating materials for
training teachers and providing leadership training for in-service teachers and
school administrators. A special
component of the program provides state-of-the-art research experiences to
students and teachers through active engagement of practicing scientists and
engineers, with an emphasis placed on translating these experiences back to
middle- and secondary school classrooms.
· Informal Science
Education (ISE) funding remains unchanged at $46.0 million, investing in
activities across a variety of media including museums, print, broadcast, and
community-based organizations that increase appreciation and understanding of
science and technology. Over $39.0
million in support focuses on PreK-12 education. In FY 2000, ISE increases access to informal learning
opportunities in inner cities and rural areas; strengthens linkages between
informal and formal learning experiences; and works to disseminate the latest
scientific findings.
Undergraduate Activities
The FY 2000 Budget Request for undergraduate support of $115.01 million, a decrease of $200,000. Support is primarily in the Undergraduate Education, Human Resource Development, and Research, Evaluation, and Communication Subactivities. Major undergraduate programs include:
· Advanced
Technological Education (ATE) funding remains constant at $22.85 million. ATE's goal
is to strengthen the science and mathematics preparation of technicians for the
high-performance workplace. ATE
maintains support for 11 existing Centers and nearly 160 smaller-scale
projects. Emphasis is placed on
adaptation and implementation of exemplary curricula or programs. Currently, ATE involves over 1,000 faculty
and 300 teachers in developmental activities.
Over 1,000 large, medium, and small companies are actively involved in
the first six Centers, contributing substantial funds, personnel release time,
and expertise. When combined with
secondary-school activities, ATE funding totals $31.15 million.
· Course,
Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) funding decreases $3.0 million, to total $47.42
million. CCLI focuses on
institution-wide implementation of quality instruction in classrooms and laboratories. In FY 1998, over 120 new awards were made
across all NSF-supported disciplines,
nearly 25 percent were interdisciplinary in nature; 18 percent focused
on needs of women; and 22 percent focused on the needs of minority
students.
· Louis Stokes
Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) funding remains at $26.55 million, supporting a
combination of new and existing projects.
LSAMP strategies raise the
achievement and number of underrepresented minority degree recipients in
undergraduate science, mathematics, and engineering (SME). Projects utilize the knowledge, resources
and capabilities of academic, federal, industrial, and private sectors. LSAMP supports 27 alliances of two-
and four-year colleges and universities.
In 1998, LSAMP projects graduated more than 18,000 students with SME
baccalaureate degrees and leveraged more than 100 percent of NSF's investment.
· Minority
Institution funding remains unchanged at $8.50 million. Historically Black Colleges and
Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) funding remains constant at $6.0
million. HBCU-UP is designed to strengthen research infrastructure and
education in participating institutions and contributes to the goal of
increasing numbers of minorities obtaining SMET baccalaureate degrees. The Model Institutions of Excellence
program, a Foundation-wide effort, is funded at $2.50 million.
· National SMETE
Digital Library (NSDL) funding totals $13.0 million, with $3.0 million in
undergraduate support contributing to development of the platform, protocols,
and resource content for that virtual facility that will service K-16
education. An additional $10.0 million is invested at the preK-12 educational level.
Graduate Activities
The FY 2000 Budget Request provides support for graduate
activities totaling $81.93 million, a decrease of $4.0 million. Support is
primarily located within the Graduate Education, Human Resource Development,
and Research, Evaluation, and Communication Subactivities. Programs include:
· Graduate Research
Fellowship (GRF) funding decreases by $500,000, to total $51.75
million. The number of new offers to
Fellows will be maintained at approximately 900 with the total number of active
Fellows nearing 2,400. Fellowships
recognize and support the nation’s most promising science, mathematics, and
engineering graduate students. In FY
1999, the GRF and Minority Graduate
Research Fellowship programs were merged into one program. Priority is placed on maintaining diversity
of the applicant and award candidate pools.
· Graduate Research
Traineeship funding decreases $3.50
million to total $15.0 million. Within
this total, EHR increases support for the NSF-wide Integrative Graduate
Education and Research Training (IGERT) program by $500,000, to total $14.35 million,
which provides support for universities to engage graduate students in
interdisciplinary science and engineering research training programs. Graduate Research Traineeships (GRT) program
funding is reduced to $650,000 as the last projects terminate.
· Minority Graduate
Education (MGE) funding remains unchanged at $12.50 million. This effort, initiated at the request of
Congress in FY 1998, continues to refine and implement innovative strategies
for increasing substantially the number of minority SME doctorates and their
representation in the professoriate.
· Postdoctoral
Fellowships in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Education
(PFSMETE) remains unchanged at $2.90 million, supporting nearly 60
Fellows. PFSMETE is designed to
accelerate infrastructure development for K-16 education reform by providing
recent SMET doctorates with the skills to assume educational leadership
roles.
The FY
2000 Budget Request of $6.90 million remains unchanged. In FY 2000, the Informal Science Education
(ISE) program under the Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education
Subactivity continues its efforts to disseminate the latest findings from
NSF-supported research.
RESEARCH PROJECT SUPPORT
The FY 2000 Budget Request for Research remains unchanged
at $108.10 million. Supported
activities include:
· Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) funding remains constant at
$48.41 million as the program carries out its efforts to strengthen the
research infrastructure of participating states. In addition, approximately $15.0 million will be provided through
NSF’s research programs to enable EPSCoR researchers to participate more fully
in NSF research activities.
· Education
Research funding remains constant at $49.20 million. In FY 2000, EHR continues to support a
comprehensive and integrated agenda covering the spectrum from the application
of basic cognitive research to large-scale efforts implementing educational
technologies. Programs include: the
Education Research Initiative (ERI), a NSF-wide activity ($15.0 million);
Learning and Intelligent Systems (LIS) ($4.29 million); and other efforts
supporting the full array of EHR's program agenda.
· Centers of
Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) remains unchanged at $8.81 million with up to 10 sites
supported.
· Professional
Opportunities for Women in Research and Education (POWRE) funding remains unchanged at
the FY 1999 Current Plan level of $3.0 million. POWRE is a NSF-wide effort to promote early career development
for women in science, mathematics, and engineering.
EFFORTS ACROSS EDUCATION LEVELS
In FY
2000, EHR will provide support for research and education efforts related to
three broad Foundation-wide efforts:
Biocomplexity in the Environment, Information Technologies, and
Educating for the Future.
Educating for the Future (EFF): A number of programs within EHR also contribute to the
Foundation-wide efforts in EFF. A total of $220.68 million, including an
increment of $19.75 million, support these efforts including: $13.0 million for
the continued development of the National SMETE Digital Library to support K-16
education, systemic reform, Education
Research Initiative (ERI), K-8 Mathematics reform, Integrative Graduate
Education and Research Traineeships (IGERT), NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in
K-12 Education, PFSMETE and Minority Institutions of Excellence.
Information
Technologies (IT): In FY 2000, EHR will provide approximately $6.8 million to
support activities related to information technologies.
Biocomplexity in the Environment (BE): EHR support for the Foundation-wide efforts in BE will total $1.19 million in FY 2000 and will include support for the development of a comprehensive middle-school earth sciences curriculum program.
Program Evaluation and Accountability: In FY 2000, evaluation funding under the Research,
Evaluation, and Communication (REC) Subactivity remains unchanged at $12.54
million. Growing emphasis continues on
building robust data systems fully responding to Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA) reporting requirements. Full-scale evaluations activities of
selected major on-going programs and specialized implementation studies will
continue to identify best practices. To
ensure accountability and strengthening of programs, EHR continues two
activities initiated in 1997: (1)
Program effectiveness reviews of large-scale projects and program portfolios to
standardize assessment of their performance and document accountability and (2)
development of student performance assessments to measure achievement gains
under new, inquiry-based curricula.
Scientific and Technological Literacy: NSF's Strategic Plan focuses agency efforts on promoting
scientific and technological literacy, enabling citizens to make informed
decisions on matters that affect their lives and the nation’s
productivity. EHR efforts broadly serve
to attract children and young adults into scientific careers and enhance
life-long learning opportunities for those entering non-science
professions. While formal K-16
education activities support this objective, other targeted activities include:
informal science - outside-the-classroom - education for children and their
families; efforts focused on women and girls and persons with disabilities; and
dissemination activities that enable all Americans to appreciate the scientific
discovery and education process.
The Administration and Management key program function includes the cost of Intergovernmental Personnel Act appointments, contractors performing administrative functions and, in FY 2000, award- related travel.
Number of People Involved in EHR Activities