Triangle Coalition For Science And Technology Education

Yesterday, Congress passed the FY2011 spending bill (H.R. 1473) to fund the federal government, including the agencies, through September 30th. The bill passed in the House by a vote of 260 to 167 and the Senate by 81 to 19. The measure makes historic spending cuts totaling nearly $40 billion, the largest non-defense cut ever.

The passage comes after a long, painstaking and highly partisan battle that almost forced a full government shutdown. The shutdown was narrowly avoided by an agreement that was reached just minutes before the deadline last Friday night.

While education did see its share of cuts, STEM education programs fared rather well considering the overall reductions. The Department of Education saw a $1 billion cut from levels enacted in FY2010. The budget of the National Science Foundation’s Education and Human Resources division was reduced by $10 million. It’s Research and Related Activities is also down $43 million. NASA Education’s budget was cut by $38 million. The Department of Energy’s Office of Science also saw a reduction of $35 million.

The White House reports, “We protected funding for critical programs that invest in science programs, our kids’ education, and critical health programs… Even though we will no longer double the funding of key research and development agencies, you will still see strong investments in National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Science Foundation and the Office of Science.”

The measure does continue two of the administration’s key education priorities, which were both initiated in the Recovery Act. The Investing in Innovation (i3) program is slated to continue with another $150 million. Although surprising to some, the Race to the Top will continue another round with $700 million. While Obama had hoped to see districts compete in the next round, the measure only allows for states to enter.

Several of the Department of Education’s programs were eliminated, including the $100 million Education Technology State grants. Unfortunately, the legislation also cut $138 million from Perkins by eliminating Tech-Prep and cutting back the Perkins Basic State Grants by $35 million.

National earmarks including Teach for America, National Writing Project, and the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards will now have to compete for funding through a 1 percent set-aside within the Teacher Quality State Grants program.

With the FY2011 budget settled, Congress can finally move onto the FY2012 budget, which will likely see the same arguments in the weeks and months to come.

President Obama is recognizing some of the Nation’s finest math and science teachers this week. The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) is the highest honor that Kindergarten through 12th grade science and math teachers can receive. The awardees are gathered in Washington, D.C. for the awards ceremony and four days of festivities, including a visit to the White House, professional development opportunities, and discussions with the Obama Administration.

The PAEMST award alternates each year between recognizing elementary and secondary education teachers, with the latter being honored this round. The selection process is rigorous and includes multiple reviews by scientists, mathematicians and educators, as well as the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The final teachers who are selected exemplify the highest standards of math and science teaching.

This year, 52 of the awardees are science teachers, 51 are mathematics teachers, and they represent 49 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories. In addition to the free trip to Washington, D.C. for the awards ceremony, winners also receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion.

“Science and technology have long been at the core of America’s strength and competitiveness…,” said President Obama. “Today we honor some of the best of these teachers and thank them for their dedication. They are inspirations not just to their students, but to the Nation and the world.”

At Triangle Coalition, we are especially proud of two Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows, Mark Greenman and Camsie Matis, who are recipients of this year’s award.

Mark Greenman, who has taught high school for 30 years in Marblehead, Massachusetts, describes PAEMST as “an award that highlights the national priority to provide all our citizenry with a world-class science and mathematics education. I am greatly honored and deeply humbled to be considered for this prestigious teaching award, and I am proud to be recognized as an educator who has contributed to inspiring young people to appreciate and excel at mathematics and science.”

Camsie Matis has taught in urban public schools for 10 years, most recently in New York, NY. “Too often, urban students in public schools do not have access to excellent teaching and current resources,” she says. “I passionately believe that outstanding teachers should be strategically placed in struggling schools. The Presidential Award solidifies this belief–that excellent teaching can and does make a difference with even the most challenged students. The success of my students is my real award, and I am grateful for the opportunity to highlight their success by this recognition.”

Meet all 103 awardees and check out their profiles.

Enacted by Congress in 1983, PAEMST is administered by the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources on behalf of OSTP. To learn more about the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching or to nominate a teacher, visit http://www.paemst.org/.