Report of the Academic Competitiveness Council

Overview & Synopsis

The Academic Competitiveness Council (ACC) is responsible for reviewing the effectiveness of existing federally funded Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs, and for improving the state of STEM education in the United States. To this end, it has conducted a review of program evaluations submitted by 115 STEM programs. The ACC's review revealed that, despite decades of significant federal investment in science and math education, there is a general dearth of evidence of effective practices and activities in STEM education, and there is evidence of ineffective duplication of efforts. This report presents six recommendations for improving the body of evidence for effective STEM practices and facilitating communication and coordination between programs. The following are appended: (1) Academic Competitiveness Council Statutory Authority; (2) Federal STEM Education Goals and Metrics; (3) Federal STEM Programs, by Agency and Populations Served: FY 2006 Appropriation; (4) Federal STEM Education Program Funding and Count, by Agency: FY 2005-07; (5) Federal STEM Education Program Funding and Count, by Primary Subgroup and Agency, FY 2005-07; and (6) Federal STEM Education Program Funding and Description, by Agency and Primary. (Contains 3 figures and 12 footnotes.)