The Policy Forum is a 501(c) non-profit entity created by the STEM Education Coalition to bring a deeper focus to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education policy issues through public events, partnerships with state and local education stakeholders, policy roundtables, and other activities designed to improve our understanding of key STEM issues.
Recent Events and Updates
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) will host a series of virtual listening sessions to inform the development of the 2023- 2028 Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Strategic Plan. As part of a robust public engagement plan, OSTP encourages input from all interested parties, including students, teachers, administrators, parents, researchers, employers, and others to provide information and perspectives on the challenges faced by – and within – the STEM ecosystem in the United States and solutions that might be implemented by the U.S. Government. The six upcoming listening sessions will be as follows: STEM Education: Support learners and educators in and across all science and technology disciplines. Wednesday, March 15, 2023 from 3pm-5pm ET Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsceGqrjgjGNrFGmA3UrJz-XyEDItVXbA STEM Workforce Development: Prepare and recruit our Nation’s future STEM workforce. Friday, March 17, 2023 from 2pm-4pm ET Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsduGrqjwuHYhvjoro9itcpDyMX91kvPY STEM Workforce: Foster inclusive STEM learning and working spaces to retain STEM learners and workers. Monday, March 20, 2023 from 3pm-5pm ET Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItdeugpzMuHAySQQNgawSNMJOHLX2iiao STEM Engagement: Foster meaningful community and public engagement in science and technology. Wednesday, March 22, 2023 from 4pm-6pm ET Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItcOuvqT8tGytFhXGPtQ9cukAhdagCAcQ STEM Research and Innovation Capacity: Build and drive capacity and cutting-edge STEM (and STEM education) research and development. Friday, March 24, 2023 from 2pm-4pm ET Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsf-qvpjooE3je94jU9nosqi4Vjyy-vCk The National STEM Ecosystem Monday, March 27, 2023 from 6pm-8pm ET Register at: https://ida-org.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIscOysrTwtGY64BQqMATzWSBdMBU-H810
On Wednesday, March 1, the STEM Education Coalition delivered a letter to Congressional appropriations leaders outlining FY 2024 priorities for federal STEM education investments. The letter touches on appropriations for programs that support STEM education programming in out-of-school settings, competitive grants to support STEM innovation and research, professional development for STEM educators, and programs to support STEM workforce development in the CHIPS and Science Act enacted last year. View the full letter below. Letter – STEM Education Coalition Funding Priorities 2-23-23Download
On Tuesday, February 21st the STEM Education Coalition hosted a Congressional briefing to provide an overview STEM education issues facing the 118th Congress. The speakers were Karen Horting, the CEO and Executive Director of the Society of Women Engineers; Allyson Knox the Senior Director of Education Policy and Programs at Microsoft; Dr. Yvonne Lai a Milton Mohr Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska; and, Rhonda Foxx the Head of Global Corporate Affairs at Solidigm. James Brown, Executive Director of the Coalition, moderated the panel. The speakers discussed the challenges of supporting a diverse STEM workforce to meet the demand of STEM employers, ensuring all school districts have well-qualified educators in STEM subjects and the professional development they need, and how Congress can better align systems and efforts so stakeholders have more flexibility to respond to these challenges at a larger scale. A special thanks to our sponsors for making this briefing possible. STEM 101 Poster Final 2 – Feb. 21, 2023 (9)Download
The STEM Education Coalition is pleased to welcome TIES as the newest member of this diverse Coalition. TIES, an educational consultancy firm, serves as the backbone of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice, SLECoP, now consisting of more than 100 STEM Ecosystems operating worldwide. STEM Learning Ecosystems operate at the local, regional or state levels and consist of cross-sector partners who work as a community rather than in siloes to empower young people with the knowledge, engagement and skills to create our next innovative STEM workforce. In addition to its role with the SLECoP, TIES also works with partners from business and industry, government and non-profit sectors to design and implement meaningful STEM initiatives. Jan Morrison, founder and CEO of TIES, said, “We have a long relationship with the STEM Education Coalition and know that this new partnership will result in our nation’s legislators gaining deeper understandings of the importance of STEM and how it is integral to workforce, economic development and the overall welfare of our communities.”
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On Friday, December 23, Congress passed the FY 2023 Omnibus spending package, funding the government for the fiscal year through September 2023. James Brown, Executive Director of the STEM Education Coalition, stated: “This bill is a historic win for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. The funding levels in this bill for STEM programs at the National Science Foundation in particular are a massive, positive step forward towards scaling up innovations in education to reach a broader range of communities students with the greatest needs. Thank you to Congress for delivering a big down payment on our nation’s future.“ While the bill didn’t hit the authorization levels established in the CHIPS and Science Act (which were VERY aspirational), it does deliver a substantial boost to STEM program as NSF and to the education programs we target generally. Here are some of the highlights: NSF Total Funding: $9.9 billion (+12% over FY22) NSF STEM Education Directorate: $1.25 billion (+$140 million) NIST Total Funding: $1.63 billion (+32%) DOE Office of Science: $8.1 billion (+8%) Regional Innovation Technology Hubs: $500 million (new) Dept. of Education: Pell Grants: $7.395 billion (+7.3%) Title IV.A Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: $1.38 billion (+7.8%) – this is the largest source at ED for STEM program support 21st Century Community Learning Centers: $1.33 billion (+3.1%) Teacher Quality Partnerships: $70 million (+18.5%) Minority Science and Engineering Improvement: $16 million (+12.6%)
Policy Forum Supporters
