U.S. Department of Education Advances Trump Administration’s STEM Investment Priorities
Funding Will Prepare Students for Success in High-Demand Career Fields
WASHINGTON— The U.S. Department of Education announced today that it invested $540 million to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, including computer science, through discretionary and research grants in Fiscal Year 2019, in accordance with President Trump’s directive to foster expanded opportunities in these in-demand career fields.
“This Administration continues to make strategic investments in STEM education and is working to ensure that all Americans access to high-quality STEM education no matter where they are in their life-long learning journeys,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “I’m thankful to the President for his leadership on this issue and his commitment to the success of all of America’s students.”
These funds deliver on the Administration’s promise to support STEM education, as well as on the overall goals of the five-year federal STEM education strategic plan entitled Charting A Course For Success: America’s Strategy for STEM Education. The Department continued to support the Plan’s vision for a future where all Americans will have lifelong access to high-quality STEM education and the United States will be the global leader in STEM literacy, innovation, and employment.
Of the overall investment, almost $345 million supported continuing the work of current grants that support STEM activities that have demonstrated that they meet all applicable grant requirements, including making substantial progress towards fulfilling the aims of their project proposals. These funds will be used to prepare the STEM teacher corps, provide graduate student fellowships in areas of national need, increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education, and support state efforts to expand and improve the transition of high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) Students to postsecondary education and employment through apprenticeships, among other areas.
In addition to the millions that went to continue past investments, the Department had the following programs (discretionary and research) in Fiscal Year 2019 that supported roughly $200 million in new awards that include STEM activities:
Alaska Native Education Equity Program – $1.7 Million
Braille Training (Rehabilitation Services Demonstrations and Training) – $340,000
College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) – $4.7 Million
Comprehensive Centers Program – $5 Million
Education Innovation and Research (EIR) – $78 million
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (State Grants) (GEAR-UP) – $30.3 Million
Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) – $2.8 Million
Education Research Grants Program – $5 Million
National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) Program Special Education Research Grants Program – $2 Million
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program – $5 Million
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program – $4 Million
Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) – $6 Million
Perkins Innovation & Modernization Grant Program – $1.5 Million
Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) – $8.4 Million
Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) – $24 Million
TRIO – $19 Million (Of the eight TRIO programs, these funds are for Talent Search, Upward Bound Math-Science, and Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement.)
Finally, the Department’s investments in 2019 also included almost $100 million in funds to support projects with a focus on Computer Science.
In addition to the Department’s discretionary grants portfolio, the Department supports STEM via its formula and federal student aid support. To learn more about the Department’s STEM work, including information on allowable uses and resources, visit ED.gov/STEM.
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