Federal Research Environment for
STEM Education
A Presentation to UC Riverside
Michael Ledford, Kaitlin Chell, and Karen Mowrer
Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC
January 2014
Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC
Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC is a leading full-service government
relations firm specializing in advocating for the public policy
interests of institutions of higher education and other research
and education organizations
• Began working with UC Riverside in November 2012
• 23 professional staff members
• 26 clients, all nonprofits involved in research and/or education
– 15 universities
– 3 contractors running national research facilities
– 8 associations
2
STEM Education Priorities
• Undergraduate education remains a priority
–
–
–
–
Focus on first two years of college and STEM major retention
Promotion of early research experiences
Efforts to implement best practices from education research – NSF WIDER
Joint NSF/DoED K-16 Math Initiative
• Obama Administration continues to encourage efforts by outside
groups
– Change the Equation, AAU Undergraduate Initiative, etc.
• Budget request proposes consolidation of many federal STEM programs
into new initiatives at Department of Education (K-12), NSF
(undergraduate and graduate), and Smithsonian (informal)
3
STEM Education Consolidation
• Budget request proposes consolidation of many federal STEM programs into
new initiatives at Department of Education (K-12), NSF (undergraduate and
graduate), and Smithsonian (informal).
–
–
–
For K-12 and informal, funding shifted to prioritize dissemination and state level
education innovations – STEM Innovation Networks
Biggest consolidations at NASA, DOD, and NIH; NSF EHR programs protected
Broadening Participation programs protected
• Congressional effort to block the creation of new initiatives and prevent some
consolidations
–
–
–
–
4
Fragmented appropriations process means no uniform action on consolidation
Funding unlikely to be provided for new and expanded programs at Smithsonian,
DoED, and NSF, but agencies likely to create smaller pilots for their initiatives
Not all existing programs will be saved
House version of COMPETES prohibits consolidation
National Science Foundation
• EHR interested in promoting core research and partnerships
to enhance dissemination of results and best practices
• New NSF leadership may mean shift in priorities
• Rethinking CAREER
• Continued Engagement with Major Crosscutting Initiatives
(Big Data, Sustainability, Neuroscience)
• Improving Undergraduate STEM Ed (IUSE)
– Call for proposals related to Ideas Labs in three areas: GEO,
ENG, and BIO
– Dear Colleague Letters coming soon to provide more guidance
5
Graduate Education
• New thinking on graduate education throughout federal agencies; Graduate
Education Modernization interagency group formed
• General themes:
‒
‒
‒
•
•
Preparation for alternate careers
Diversity
Interdisciplinary skills
‒
‒
‒
Industrial and international experience
Ability to address social issues
Sustainability/retention
NIH has new Biomedical Research Workforce and Diversity Initiatives
NSF in rethinking stage this year – Proposed expansion of GRF to serve mission
agency needs; increased focus on national priorities (IGERT to NRT); potential for
additional changes and new models
DOD contemplating minimum of one summer of service at DOD lab to obtain
federal support
Proposed consolidation across agencies leaves several smaller mission agency
programs in doubt (EPA STAR, DOE Computational Science Fellowships)
•
•
6
Ongoing Agency Interests
• Ongoing support for fellowships across the federal
government
• NOAA Sea Grant Fellowship
• NIST Measurement Science & Engineering
Fellowship
• DOD Science & Engineering Graduate
Fellowship
• DoED Foreign Language and Area Studies
Fellowship
• DOE Graduate Fellowship Program;
Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
• NIH NRSA Predoctoral Fellows
• CDC Emerging Infectious Disease Fellowship
• SAMSA Minority Fellowship Program
• EPA STAR Fellowship
• NASA Space Tech Research Fellowship; Space
Grant Fellowship; Jenkins Pre-doctoral
Fellowship
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
• USDA NIFA Fellowship Grant Program;
National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate
Fellowship
• DOT Eisenhower Graduate Fellowship
• BD2K initiative includes training component; available in near
future
7
Looking Ahead
• Universities have to adjust to changing science bureaucracy in
a flat budget environment
• R&D and basic research still a TOP priority on both sides of the
aisle in Congress, but there is competition for limited dollars
– STEM consolidation proposal was not popular with Congress or the
scientific community; FY 2015 budget request will be interesting
– NSF open to “experiments” related to STEM training
• During this time of transition – discussions with thought
leaders within agencies and at OMB essential
• Advisory committees still key to determining and influencing
agency policy and research directions
8
Education Research
•
•
Push by IES to get research into the hands of practitioners and local schools.
Emerging foci – Research-Practitioner Partnerships; Researcher and Policymaker
Training; evaluation of programs (RttT); statewide longitudinal data systems and
how to use them.
White House continues to propose ARPA-ED, but wouldn’t be housed in IES. Focus
on funding to address specific identified problems in education (e.g. digital tutors as
effective personal tutors; courses that improve as more students use them;
educational software as compelling as video games).
Investing in Innovation (i3) and Race to the Top (RttT) will continue for the rest of
the Obama Administration.
– LEA must lead or be a close partner.
– Focus of i3 and RttT on Administration policy priorities – STEM, Early Learning,
Higher Education/ College Cost/ Completion.
– Requires a substantial cost share.
•
•
9
Education Legislation
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
• All major education reauthorization bills are outstanding- IDEA, WIA, ESEA, HEA
and IES, but focus has been on ESEA because HELP Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA)
is determined to pass a bill before he retires in 2014.
• House passed “Student Success Act” (Republican version of ESEA) in July,
unlikely to pass the Senate because of dilution of federal role, changes to
accountability standards.
• Senator Harkin has moved “Strengthening America’s Schools Act” out of
committee, unclear about floor actions. No Republican support for the bill in
the Committee.
• Senate bill would tie Title I funding to requirements made through the NCLB
waiver process- college/ career ready assessment requirements; strengthen
statewide longitudinal data systems; and produce annual reports on effective
teachers.
10
Education Legislation (cont.)
Title II- Teacher and Principal Training
• Focus on teacher training and new models, i.e. Teach for America (TFA) and
“teaching academies.”
• GREAT Act, introduced by Senator Bennet (D-CO), would allow new
“academies” the ability to award certificates, the equivalent of a Masters
within the state.
• Title II proposals would redefine “highly-qualified” teacher and allow for TFA
institutions to apply for Title II funding.
• Push to track teachers and teacher assessment back to Colleges of Education.
11
Education Legislation (cont.)
Higher Education Act (HEA) Reauthorization
•
•
•
•
•
•
12
Congress and Administration preparing for HEA reauthorization, although process
will likely take several years.
House Committee on Education and Workforce has started holding hearings
(accreditation, regulatory reform, college cost) and put out a call for comments.
Senate expected to put out a call for comments in the fall.
Foundations release white papers on college cost, rethinking financial aid,
transparency, and student outcomes. All likely to be touched on in reauthorization.
President Obama has called out accreditation and college costs in recent speeches,
new proposal of a “ranking system” for colleges based on cost and value, tied to
additional federal financial aid.
Concerns about fraud and abuse of Title IV federal student aid funds and Veterans/
Military benefits at for-profit institutions of higher education.
Department may try to accomplish some of the President’s goals through the
negotiated rulemaking process.
Contact
Kaitlin Chell
Lewis-Burke Associates LLC
1341 G Street, NW
Eighth Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
e: kaitlin@lewis-burke.com
p: 202.289.7475
f: 202.289.7454
www.lewis-burke.com
13