Federal STEM Education

Strategic Plan:

2 Years Later

November 17, 2020
DISCLAIMER

Any content or opinions expressed in this webinar are 

not that of the U.S. Department of Education nor an 

endorsement of any persons, products, programs, or 

policies mentioned herein.
Next STEM Webinar: New Frontiers in K-12 Computer 

Science Education, December 10, 2020, 1:30-3:00 PM ET

Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award –

nominations due January 31, 2012

Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide

STEM Webpage www.ed.gov/STEM

STEM Newsletter www.ed.gov/subscriptions

ED Grants https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grants-apply.html

Goals of the Strategic Plan

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.

Plan Vision Statement

Build Strong 

Foundations 

for STEM 

Literacy

Prepare the 

STEM 

Workforce 

for the Future

Increase 

Diversity, 

Equity, and 

Inclusion in 

STEM
James Blew

Assistant Secretary for 

Planning, Evaluation and 

Policy Development, U.S. 

Department of Education
Cindy 

Hasselbring

Senior Policy Advisor and 

Assistant Director of STEM 

Education, Office of 

Science and Technology 

Policy, Executive Office of 

the President 
Federal STEM Education 

Strategic Plan Update

November 17, 2020

Office of Science and 

Technology Policy

www.whitehouse.gov/ostp

www.ostp.gov

@WHOSTP

Photo credit: Lloyd Whitman
Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan
STEM Education - An Interagency Effort 
Pathways for Success

 Develop and Enrich Strategic Partnerships

Cultivate new or strengthen existing connections between educational entities and 

the broader communities they serve.
Pathways for Success

 Engage Students where Disciplines Converge

Teach STEM as an interwoven and complex pursuit that blends disciplines and 

makes STEM learning meaningful and inspiring.
Pathways for Success

 Build Computational Literacy

Ensure that STEM education is heavily imbued with computational skills and 

accessible through digital means.
Pathways for Success

 Operate with Transparency and Accountability

Use evidence-based practices and assessments that can be emulated by other 

STEM stakeholders.
Federal STEM Education Opportunities and Resources

• Federal STEM Education Request for Information – deadline to submit responses 

November 20, 11:59 pm EST 

• Charting a Course for the Nation’s Success – Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan

• Annual Federal STEM Education Progress Report

• Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 

Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering 

Mentoring, Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award

• Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program

• U.S. Dept. of Education Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide 
Susan Poland

Senior Analyst, Office of 

STEM Engagement, 

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration
National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

NASA’S STEM 

ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS

SUPPORTING COSTEM’S

STRATEGIC PLAN

SUSAN POLAND

FC-STEM EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

SENIOR ANALYST, TOTAL SOLUTIONS, INC.
NASA’S STEM ENGAGEMENT ENTERPRISE

VISION

We immerse students in NASA’s work, enhance STEM literacy, and 

inspire the next generation to explore.

MISSION

We engage students in NASA’s mission

Strategic Goals 

Create unique opportunities for a 

diverse set of students to 

contribute to NASA’s work in 

exploration and discovery.

Build a diverse future STEM 

workforce by engaging students in 

authentic learning experiences with 

NASA’s people, content and facilities.

Attract diverse groups of students to 

STEM through learning opportunities that 

spark interest and provide connections

to NASA’s mission and work.
NASA’S STEM ENGAGEMENT INVESTMENTS

Office Name of Investment

Office of STEM Engagement Minority University Research 

and Education Project (MUREP)

Office of STEM Engagement NextGen STEM (NGS) 

Office of STEM Engagement National Space Grant College 

and Fellowship Project (Space 

Grant)

Science Mission Directorate GLOBE Program

Science Mission Directorate Science Activation Program
NASA EXPRESS

Subscribe to NASA EXPRESS:

nasa.gov/stem/express
stem.nasa.gov

Imagine leading a one-week expedition to the Moon’s South Pole. Tell us about the astronauts 

in your Moon pod crew and the technology you would leave behind to help future explorers! 

Open to K-12 Students in the U.S. – Full Challenge Details: http://go.nasa.gov/2Fr2s1t 

21

ENTER THE CONTEST OR SIGN UP TO JUDGE

156 Semifinalists will be invited to represent their state or territory in a series of Artemis Explorer sessions with NASA experts

Nine finalists will travel with a parent to Johnson Space Center to learn about lunar exploration 

National winners in each grade division will receive a family trip to see the first Artemis test flight from Kennedy Space Center 
NASA STEM ON THE WEB

stem.nasa.gov

Implemented a New Website for 

NASA’s STEM Engagement Enterprise

• Overhauled website – stem.nasa.gov

o Allows students, educators and families to more readily find 

opportunities to engage with NASA

o Users can filter and sort content based on audience, 

opportunities, date or location, grade, subject, and resource type

o Existing content collections have also been expanded to include 

topics for students

• Improved look, organization and navigation

o Allows content offerings to be sorted and grouped for students 

and educators by grade appropriateness or by relevant 

themes or topics
INCREASE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION IN STEM

NASA’s Efforts Toward Strategic Plan:

• MUREP INCLUDES, in support of the NSF INCLUDES initiative:

o Supports broadening participation in engineering through collaborative 

approaches, while leveraging the talents of students and researchers at 

Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs)

o Planning grants were funded in August 2020; coalitions solicitation to be 

released in coming months

o https://www.nasa.gov/stem/murep/includes.html

• Expansion of NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS)

• Gives community college STEM students an authentic NASA experience, and 

encourages them to finish a two-year degree or transfer to a four-year 

university to pursue a NASA-related field or career.

• NCAS consists of a five-week online course (no credit) followed by a four-day 

engineering design workshop at a NASA center.

• In 2019, 141 MSIs participated in NCAS, representing 40% of the nation’s 

MSIs

• https://www.nasa.gov/stem/murep/projects/ncas.html
ARTEMIS STUDENT CHALLENGES

Human Exploration 

Rover Challenge Student Launch

Micro-G NExT

Lunabotics 

Competition

2020 BIG Idea Challenge

Spacesuit User Interface 

Technologies for Students

(S.U.I.T.S.)

First 

Nations

Launch

Human Exploration Rover Challenge

Create a vehicle designed to traverse the 

simulated surface of another world 

Micro-g NExT

Design, build and test a tool or device to address 

a current space exploration challenge 

Spacesuit User Interface Technologies 

for Students

Design and create spacesuit information displays 

within an augmented reality environment

First Nations Launch

Build and launch class K high-powered rockets

Big Idea Challenge

Design lunar payloads that demonstrate 

technology systems needed for exploration 

and science

Student Launch

Research and compete and experience 

exploration to support the Space Launch System

Lunabotics

Build a robot to simulate an off-world lunar mining 

mission 

stem.nasa.gov/artemis
NASA STEM ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES

STEM.NASA.GOV

Search for opportunities to engage with NASA based on specific filters

stem.nasa.gov

NASA EXPRESS Newsletter

Stay up-to-date on the latest NASA STEM Engagement resources and opportunities

nasa.gov/stem/express

NASA STEM@Home

Activities you can do together, from home

https://www.nasa.gov/stem-at-home-for-students-k-4.html

https://www.nasa.gov/stem-at-home-for-students-5-8.html

https://www.nasa.gov/stem-at-home-for-students-9-12.html 

Artemis Student Challenges

Seven student challenges directly related to NASA missions.

stem.nasa.gov/artemis
Nafeesa 

Owens, Ph.D.

Program Director, 

Directorate for Education 

and Human Resources, 

National Science 

Foundation
Alignment

and Support of the 

Federal STEM Education 

Strategic Plan

November 17, 2020
Three Aspirational Goals

•Build Strong Foundations for STEM 

Literacy

•Prepare the STEM Workforce for the 

Future

•Increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

in STEM

Federal STEM Education Strategic Plan 

(https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/STEM-Education-Strategic-Plan-2018.pdf)
3

“to promote the progress of 

science; to advance the national 

health, prosperity, and welfare; to 

secure the national defense...”

Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director, National Science Foundation

(https://www.nsf.gov/about/who.jsp)
4

4
Advancing Digital Literacy and Data Science:

Harnessing the Data Revolution (HDR)

5
Investing in the STEM Workforce of the Future:

NSF - Boeing Partnership: Production Engineering Education and Research (PEER)

6
Industries of the Future

Biotechnology

Artificial 

Intelligence

Quantum 

Information 

Science

7

Advanced 

Manufacturing

Next Gen 

Wireless
National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes

8
Scaling Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity:

NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners 

of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science

(NSF INCLUDES)

9
Report to the Nation II

www.INCLUDESnetwork.org

10
NSF INCLUDES Federal Partners

11
Excellence 

Awards in 

Science and 

Engineering 

(EASE)

Apply! 

Nominate!

www.paemst.org www.paesmem.org
S C I E N C E M A T T E R S B L O G

• #NSFstories: What a magic school bus can teach us about science education

• When science meets art: 6 NSF research projects that turn STEM into STEAM

• 7 NSF-supported STEM resources that are perfect for at-home learning

• 7 ways to help your kids with math homework

• 7 NSF-funded museums and science centers offering virtual experiences to enjoy from your home

• 5 NSF-supported STEM education resources that are perfect for virtual learning
M o b i l e A pp : N S F S C I E N C E Z O N E

14
I N S T A G R A M
Nafeesa Owens, Ph.D.

Thank You!

16
Louie Lopez

Director, DoD STEM, U.S. 

Department of Defense
Program Overview

Louie R. Lopez, Director, DoD STEM

Defense Laboratories & Personnel Office

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense in Research & Engineering
Overview Agenda

• Federal STEM Alignment

• DoD STEM’s K-20 Efforts

• DoD STEM’s support of the Federal STEM Education Strategy

• Website Links and Resources
Aligned to the Federal STEM Education Strategy 

CURRENT DoD STEM STRATEGY

VISION: A STEM talent pool with minds for innovation, 

diversity of thought, and technical agility to sustain the 

Department’s competitive edge.

MISSION: Attract, inspire, and develop exceptional STEM 

talent across the education continuum to enrich our

current and future DoD workforce to meet defense 

technological challenges.

GOALS:

• COMMUNICATE the value and purpose of the DoD 

STEM Strategy and the need for engagement.

• INSPIRE youth and community engagement in K-12 

STEM education and outreach by encouraging 

participation in DoD-sponsored STEM activities.

• CULTIVATE the future STEM talent pool through 

supporting and enhancing undergraduate and graduate 

students served by DoD-sponsored STEM programs.

• PROMOTE increased participation of underserved 

groups in STEM 

• ENHANCE the efficiency and effectiveness of STEM 

initiatives by gathering evidence using a systematic 

approach. 

AMERICA’S STRATEGY FOR STEM EDUCATION:

VISION: 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.

GOAL: Build strong foundations for STEM literacy; increase 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM; and prepare the 

STEM workforce of the future.

Pathways To Achievement: 

• Develop and Enrich Strategic Partnerships. Leverage 

partnerships with shared mission from academia, 

industry, and communities.

• Engage students where disciplines converge. 

Promote innovation and entrepreneurship in 

transdisciplinary activities & integrate math learning 

across disciplines.

• Build Computational Literacy. Empower learners 

through activities that promote digital literacy and 

computational thinking.

• Operate with Transparency and Accountability. 

Evidence-based practices and decision-making.
DoD STEM K-20 Efforts

• K-12

- Student enrichment activities (year- round and summer STEM camps)

- Student Competitions

- Paid apprenticeships/internships

- Teacher professional development & 

externships

• Post-secondary

- Paid apprenticeships/internships

- Scholarships

- DoD Scientists/Engineer in the 

Classroom or Faculty Exchange

- Fellowships

DoD Components that Support STEM

 U.S. Army – Office of the Deputy Assistant 

Secretary of the Army for Research & 

Technology

 U.S. Navy & Marine Corps – Office of Naval 

Research

 U.S. Air Force – Office of the Secretary of 

the Air Force in Acquisition, Technology, and 

Logistics & Air Force Research Laboratory

 Missile Defense Agency

 Defense Threat Reduction Agency

 National Security Agency

 DoD Educational Activity

 Office of Civil and Military Affairs (JROTC)

Leveraging the DoD’s 300K STEM Professionals, 63 Defense Laboratories in ~200 Locations across the U.S. 

to engage in STEM activities that help develop the Nation’s STEM talent now and into the future
Plan Goal: Build Strong Foundations of STEM Literacy

• Defense STEM Education Consortium 

(DSEC)

• Army, Navy and Air Force – Junior Science & 

Humanities Symposium (JSHS)

• Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) - Gains in the Education of Math & Science 

(GEMS)

- eCYBERMISSION

• Naval STEM - Naval Science Awards Program (NSAP)

• Air Force LEGACY Program

• Air Force Cyber Patriot

• Joint Science & Technology Institute (JSTI)

• STARBASE Program

• Air Force Team Rocketry Program

• MDA STEM Initiatives

DSEC is a collaborative partnership between academia, 

industry, non-for-profit organizations and government that aims to broaden STEM literacy and develop a diverse and agile 

workforce with the technical excellence to defend our Nation.

• DoD STEM launched DSEC in March 1, 2019

• Consortium model approach to STEM education under a 

cooperative agreement award of up to $75M / 5 years

• 18 Partner organizations led by RTI International

• STEM education and outreach activities across the K-16 

continuum

- Engage students in meaningful STEM experiences

- Serve military connected and underserved/underrepresented students

- Connect to the DoD STEM Workforce

- Leverage the network as a force multiplier

- Evolve the approach based on data

• 9 of 18 DSEC Partners provide teacher professional development

• NEW DoD STEM Ambassadors for Teachers Initiative AUG 

2020
Plan Goal: Increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEM

• AEOP Research Engineering 

Apprenticeship Program (REAP)

• AEOP Unite Program

• STARBASE Program

• Defense STEM Education 

Consortium (DSEC)

- FIRST Robotics

- National Math & Science Initiative (NMSI) 

College Readiness Program

- ASU CGEST

• DoD HBCU/MI Program (Student 

Internship & Faculty Fellowship 

Program)

• National Defense Education 

Program (NDEP) – STEM Grants 

DSEC

- FIRST Robotics ~50% of student teams sponsored by DoD STEM are military 

connected students; In FY20, DoD sponsored 1,600+ teams in Jr. FLL, FLL, FRC 

and FTC, with about 

- NMSI College Readiness Program works predominantly with military 

connected and Title I schools across the country encouraging high school 

students to take AP courses and exam, and provide teacher development; 

2020: 2,196 teachers and 19,017 students

- Arizona State University’s Center for Gender Equity in Science and Technology 

– CompuGirls Cybersecurity Warriors Program

STARBASE

- “hands-on, minds-on” STEM activities for 5th graders; Work predominantly 

with Title I schools near military installations, serving students that are 

historically underrepresented in STEM; ~80,000 annual participants across 70 

program sites in the U.S. 

AEOP

- REAP is a paid apprenticeship program for high school students at partner 

universities exclusively for underserved populations; >95% of annual 

participants are from underserved populations

- Unite is a 3-6 week summer enrichment program for high school students in 

partnership with universities across the country; ~95% of annual participants 

come from underserved populations
Plan Goal: Prepare the STEM Workforce for the Future

• DoD Science Mathematics and Research 

Transformation (SMART)

• National Defense Science & Engineering 

Grant Fellowship (NDSEG)

• Science & Engineering Apprenticeship 

program (SEAP -Army & Navy)

• AEOP College Qualified Leaders (CQL)

• Naval Research Enterprise Internship 

Program (NREIP)

• Air Force Research Laboratory Scholars 

Program

• DoD Information Assurance Scholarship 

Program

• Air Force PALACE Acquire Program

• High School & Undergraduate Research 

Apprenticeship Programs (HSAP & URAP)

• National Security Agency Computer 

Science Intern Program (CSIP)

• Manufacturing Engineering Education 

Program (MEEP)

What is the SMART Scholarship: a scholarship for service 

program which enhances the Department’s STEM workforce through 

support of students’ undergraduate and graduate STEM educational 

degrees.

- 3,076 Scholarships awarded since 2006

- 91% success rate of service commitment completion

- 206 DoD sponsoring laboratories & agencies across 40 states

- 410 Universities represented by SMART scholars

- 21 STEM Disciplines

- 2,202 Graduated Scholars

What do SMART Scholars Receive?

- Full Tuition and Related Education Expenses

- Cash award paid at a rate of $25,000-$38,000 per year 

- Book Allowance & Health Insurance

- Summer Internship(s)

- Post-graduation Employment
DoD STEM Links & Resources

• DoD STEM Website – DoDSTEM.us

• DoD STEM Email - info@dodstem.us

• DoD STEM Teacher Resources: Online learning opportunities provided by members of the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC), and DoD 

Components such as the Army, Navy, and Air Force

• Defense STEM Education Consortium Annual Program Report 2019-2020

• Future DoD STEM Grant Opportunities will be broadcasted on our website and 

social media channels

Follow us on Social Media:

Twitter - @DoDSTEM, @SMART_DoD

LinkedIn – SMART Scholarship

Instagram - @DoDSTEM, @smart_dod

YouTube – DoD STEM, DoD SMART Scholarship
Jean Morrow

STEM Lead and Policy 

Advisor, Office of 

Planning, Evaluation and 

Policy Development, U.S. 

Department of Education
U.S. Department of Education

Science, Technology, Engineering and 

Mathematics 

(STEM)

November 18, 2020
STEM at ED – Today’s Overview

• ED’s support of Federal STEM Education 5 –Year Strategic Plan

• ED’s support and efforts concerning STEM

• Opportunities and resources available
Goal 4: The Federal agencies 

collectively plan to Operate with 

Transparency and Accountability.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/STEMEducation-Strategic-Plan-2018.pdf
ED’s support and efforts concerning STEM

• STEM is a centerpiece of Secretary 

DeVos’ comprehensive education 

agenda. 

• ED’s Internal STEM Strategy: 3-

prong approach 

• Grants, Inter-agency Initiatives, 

and Communications

• Rethink School Initiative 

• “Opening Multiple Pathways” 

Alongside; Improving K-12 

Outcomes; and Supporting 

Students after High School

Offices that Support STEM

• Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy 

Development (OPEPD)

• Office of Career, Adult, and Technical Education 

(OCTAE)

• Office of Elementary and Secondary Education 

(OESE)

• Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative 

Services (OSERS)

• Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE)

• Office of Educational Technology (OET)

• Institute of Educational Sciences (IES)

• Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA)

• Institute of Educational Sciences (IES)

• White House Initiatives

• Federal Student Aid (FSA)

• Office of Communications and Outreach (OCO)
Plan Goal: Build Strong Foundations in STEM Literacy

• Education Innovation and Research Program

• Statute: Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by 

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

• There are three types of grants under this program:

• “Early-phase” grants, “Mid-phase” grants, and “Expansion” grants

• Aims of the program:

• Implement practices that are designed to create, develop, implement, replicate, 

or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to 

improve academic achievement for high-need students

• Benefit all students, especially high-need students

• Past support: FY18 and FY19

• Grantee Examples: here (FY20 announced later this year)

• Where to go to find information: Program websites here and here

• Contact info: EIR@ed.gov
Plan Goal: Increase Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEM

• Minority Science Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP)

• Statute: Higher Education Act (HEA) 

• Aims of the program:

• This program assists predominantly minority institutions in effecting longrange improvement in science and engineering education programs and 

increasing the flow of underrepresented ethnic minorities, particularly 

minority women, into science and engineering careers

• Supports building the capacity of minority institutions in STEM disciplines

• Past support: here and here

• Grantee Examples: here

• Where to go to find information: program’s website here

• Contact info: Bernadette.Hence@ed.gov
Plan Goal: Prepare the STEM Workforce for the Future (and the Now)

• Innovation and Modernization Program

• Statute: Perkins V

• Aims of the program:

• Identify, support, and rigorously evaluate evidence-based and innovative 

strategies and activities to improve and modernize career and technical 

education (CTE) 

• Ensure workforce skills taught in CTE programs funded under the Perkins 

statute align with labor market needs

• Past support: here

• Grantee Examples: here

• Where to go to find information: program’s website here

• Contact info: Jenny.Lambert@ed.gov or Robin.Utz@ed.gov
ED Resources

• Funding

• Discretionary, Formula, Federal Student Aid, 

and Research

• 2018 Funding and 2019 Funding

• Grantee Resources

• New potential grantee toolkits (here and here)

• Peer reviewer – How to Be Considered as a 

Peer Reviewer

• Forecast of Funding 

• Set up alerts on www.grants.gov

• Knowledge

• College Scorecard

• Exploring Career Options – FSA 

• GreatSchools.org 

• OET’s Rural broadband connectivity work

• Data

• IES data and statistics, research and evaluation, 

and tools for educators

• STEM Data Story

• CTE Data Story 

• Civil Rights Data Collection

• Tools and Project Ideas

• STEM Spotlights 

• ESSA, IDEA, Perkins Resources

• OCTAE tool-kits

• Apprenticeships

• What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guides and 

Intervention Reports

• K-12 Practitioner’s Circle

• STEMIE

• Out of School

• CTE Research Center

• Parent and Family Digital Learning Guide

• Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award 

• Communications

• Ed.gov/STEM

• Newsletter Subscriptions – STEM Newsletter

• Twitter – ED and Secretary’s accounts

• STEM webpage 

• STEM Briefing Series 

• Homeroom Blog

• Press Releases

• Early Learning: STEM – Math Video

• Federal Collaboration

• Federal Partnerships

• STEM Education Advisory Panel
Contact Information

• Jean Morrow, STEM Lead and Policy Advisor, Office of Planning, 

Evaluation, and Policy Development (OPEPD) 

• Jean.Morrow@ed.gov

• https://www.ed.gov/STEM

• STEM Newsletter 
An Interagency Process – some links to STEM pages
DISCUSSION

QUESTIONS ANSWERS CONCLUSION