{
  "id": "R42470",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R42470",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 427836,
      "date": "2014-01-31",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-06T23:08:49.935633",
      "title": "An Analysis of STEM Education Funding at the NSF: Trends and Policy Discussion",
      "summary": "Federal policy makers have a long-standing interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education that dates to at least the 1st Congress. This interest is largely driven by concerns about the national science and engineering workforce, which is widely believed to play a central role in U.S. global economic competitiveness and national security.\nThe National Science Foundation (NSF) is a key component of the federal STEM education effort. Several inventories of the federal STEM education portfolio have highlighted NSF\u2019s important role\u2014both in terms of funding and in the number and breadth of NSF programs. The NSF is also the only federal agency whose primary mission includes supporting education across all fields of science and engineering. As such, funding for STEM education at the NSF impacts not only the agency, but also the entire federal STEM education effort. \nCongress reduced enacted funding levels (from the prior year) for NSF\u2019s main education account in both FY2011 and FY2012. Those year-over-year reductions followed several years of varying funding, as well as changes in the overall distribution of the foundation budget that reduced funding for the main education account as a percentage of the total NSF budget. For the most part, these changes appear to result from a combination of holding the main education account more or less constant while applying most of the foundation\u2019s FY2003-FY2012 budget growth to the main research account. However, in constant dollar terms, it appears at least some of the increase in funding for research activities during the observed period may have come at the expense of education activities.\nIt is not clear if these funding changes reflect evolving congressional and Administration policy priorities and an intentional prioritization of research over educational activities at the NSF, or if they reflect the cumulative impact of funding decisions made in response to specific conditions in specific fiscal years that happen to have had this effect. Further, the significance of these changes for NSF\u2019s STEM education and research missions\u2014and for the overall federal STEM effort\u2014depends, in part, on how they fit within the broader policy context. In particular, it depends (among other things) on how policy makers perceive and assess the policy rationale behind STEM education funding at the NSF; the character of NSF\u2019s STEM education activities; the foundation\u2019s role in the federal STEM education portfolio; and the impact of changes in NSF\u2019s education account on the foundation\u2019s other primary mission, research.\nThis report analyzes NSF funding trends and selected closely related STEM education policy issues in order to place conversations about NSF\u2019s budget in a broader fiscal and policy context. It concludes with an analysis of potential policy options.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42470",
          "sha1": "c7b9ec469e369c6db318987e5dfba3a591f5a582",
          "filename": "files/20140131_R42470_c7b9ec469e369c6db318987e5dfba3a591f5a582.html",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42470",
          "sha1": "cd562808f5d1887bfdbca5a6f6a3a49734ef9ca0",
          "filename": "files/20140131_R42470_cd562808f5d1887bfdbca5a6f6a3a49734ef9ca0.pdf",
          "images": null
        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc461926/",
      "id": "R42470_2012Dec12",
      "date": "2012-12-12",
      "retrieved": "2014-12-05T09:57:41",
      "title": "An Analysis of STEM Education Funding at the NSF: Trends and Policy Discussion",
      "summary": "This report analyzes National Science Foundation funding trends and selected closely-related STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education policy issues to provide fiscal and policy context. It concludes with an analysis of potential policy options.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "filename": "files/20121212_R42470_185f3a6504e6387161dd8052aae76e6afdaf1542.pdf"
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20121212_R42470_185f3a6504e6387161dd8052aae76e6afdaf1542.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Technology",
          "name": "Technology"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Technology policy",
          "name": "Technology policy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Science",
          "name": "Science"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Science policy",
          "name": "Science policy"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Fiscal policy",
          "name": "Fiscal policy"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc86626/",
      "id": "R42470_2012Apr09",
      "date": "2012-04-09",
      "retrieved": "2012-06-15T10:07:48",
      "title": "An Analysis of STEM Education Funding at the NSF: Trends and Policy Discussion",
      "summary": "This report analyzes National Science Foundation funding trends and selected closely related STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education policy issues in order to place conversations about FY2013 funding in broader fiscal and policy context. It concludes with an analysis of potential policy options.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "filename": "files/20120409_R42470_dd6fc173bcee87dfeb9ad8ffef8300de2869abbe.pdf"
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20120409_R42470_dd6fc173bcee87dfeb9ad8ffef8300de2869abbe.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Technology",
          "name": "Technology"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Science",
          "name": "Science"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Fiscal policy",
          "name": "Fiscal policy"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economic Policy",
    "Immigration Policy",
    "Science and Technology Policy"
  ]
}