AIP FYI #17: FY 2005 Budget Request: Science Education Programs

Under President Bush’s FY 2005 budget request, federal programs to
improve science and math education would undergo significant
changes. The request would begin a phase-out of the NSF Mathematics
and Science Partnerships (MSP) and shift them to another Activity
within NSF. While funding for the complementary MSP program at the
Education Department (ED) would be increased, the increase would be
targeted to high school mathematics. Funding for the Education
Department’s state grants to improve teacher quality in all fields
would remain at the FY 2004 level, while funding for NSF’s Education
and Human Resources (EHR) Activity would drop by 17.9%, due in part
to the changes to NSF’s MSP program.

Both the NSF and ED MSPs are intended to improve science and math
education through partnerships among states, school districts,
university science or math departments, and other eligible partners.
The NSF Partnerships fund merit-based grants to develop model
programs and best practices; the Education Department program
provides funding to states by formula grant, to be distributed to
partnerships that include high-need school districts.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Mathematics and Science Partnerships:

Down 42.4% or $59.17 million, from $139.17 million (in EHR) to
$80.00 million (in Integrative Activities)

According to NSF budget documents, as a first step in phasing them
out, the Administration proposes eliminating the NSF MSPs from the
Education and Human Resources Activity, and transferring the program
to Integrative Activities “to enable better integration with other
NSF disciplines.” Support would be continued in FY 2005 “for (a)
out-year commitments to Comprehensive and Targeted awards made in
the first and second competitions and (b) data collection and
program evaluation.” Further details can be found at NSF’s FY 2005
budget web site under the section for Integrative Activities at
www.nsf.gov/bfa/bud/fy2005/pdf/fy2005_13.pdf
while details of the NSF EHR FY 2005 request can be found at
www.nsf.gov/bfa/bud/fy2005/pdf/fy2005_14.pdf .

NSF EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES:

EPSCoR:

Down 11.1% or $10.44 million, from $94.44 million to $84.00 million.

Elementary, Secondary and Informal Education:

Down 18.6% or $39.51 million, from $212.26 million to $172.75
million.

Undergraduate Education:

Up 2.2% or $3.35 million, from $155.50 million to $158.85 million.

Graduate Education:

Up 11.5% or $17.93 million, from $155.95 million to $173.88 million.

Human Resource Development:

Down 6.8% or $7.91 million, from $115.85 million to $107.94 million.

Research, Evaluation and Communication:

Up 12.4% or $8.13 million, from $65.81 million to $73.94 million.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Mathematics and Science Partnerships:

Up 80.5% or $120.0 million, from $149.1 million to $269.1 million.

The Education Department’s FY 2005 budget documents state:
“Currently, the program finances formula grants to States, and
States, in turn, make competitive grants to local partnerships. The
$120 million increase requested for 2005…would finance a new
program of Federally competed grants focused on accelerating the
mathematics learning of secondary-school students…. The
initiative, which would incorporate similar teacher training
activities currently supported by the National Science Foundation,
would emphasize the use of research-based mathematics instruction.”
Details of the Education Department’s budget request for Elementary
and Secondary Education can be found at
www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget05/summary/edlite-section2a.html . (Note that this URL runs
across two lines of text).

Improving Teacher Quality State Grants:
No change from FY 2004 funding level of $2,930.1 million.

Audrey T. Leath

Media and Government Relations Division

The American Institute of Physics

fyi@aip.org www.aip.org/gov

(301) 209-3094