Federal Research Environment for STEM Education A Presentation to UC Riverside

1. Federal Research Environment for STEM EducationA Presentation to UC Riverside Michael Ledford, Kaitlin Chell, and Karen Mowrer Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC January 2014

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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 • 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 4

5. 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

6. 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 • 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) • Industrial and international experience • Ability to address social issues • Sustainability/retention 6

7. Ongoing Agency Interests • Ongoing support for fellowships across the federal government • BD2K initiative includes training component; available in near future • 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Education Legislation (cont.) Higher Education Act (HEA) Reauthorization • 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. 12

13. 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