STEM includes many fields of study and occupations. Based on the National Science Foundations’ categorization of STEM fields, we developed STEM fields of study from NCES’s National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and identified occupations from BLS’s Current Population Survey (CPS). Using these data sources, we developed nine STEM fields for students, eight STEM fields for graduates, and four broad STEM fields for occupations. Table 2 lists these STEM fields and occupations and examples of subfields. Additional information on STEM occupations is provided in appendix I. Many of the STEM fields require completion of advanced courses in mathematics or science, subjects that are introduced and developed at the kindergarten through 12th grade level, and the federal government has taken steps to help improve achievement in these and other subjects. Enacted in 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) seeks to improve the academic achievement of all of the nation’s school-aged children. NCLBA requires that states develop and implement academic content and achievement standards in mathematics, science and the reading or language arts. All students are required to participate in statewide assessments during their elementary and secondary school years. Improving teacher quality is another goal of NCLBA as a strategy to raise student academic achievement. Specifically, all teachers teaching core academic subjects must be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. NCLBA generally defines highly qualified teachers as those that have (1) a bachelor’s degree, (2) state certification, and (3) subject area knowledge for each academic subject they teach. The federal government also plays a role in coordinating federal science and technology issues. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) was established in 1993 and is the principal means for the Administration to coordinate science and technology among the diverse parts of the federal research and development areas. One objective of NSTC is to establish clear national goals for federal science and technology investments in areas ranging from information technologies and health research to improving transportation systems and strengthening fundamental research. NSTC is responsible for preparing research and development strategies that are coordinated across federal agencies in order to accomplish these multiple national goals. In addition, the federal government, universities and colleges, and others have developed programs to provide opportunities for all students to pursue STEM education and occupations. Additional steps have been taken to increase the numbers of women, minorities, and students with disadvantaged backgrounds in the STEM fields, such as providing additional academic and research opportunities. According to the 2000 Census, 52 percent of the total U.S. population 18 and over were women; in 2003, members of racial or ethnic groups constituted from 0.5 percent to 12.6 percent of the civilian labor force (CLF), as shown in table 3. In addition to domestic students, international students have pursued STEM degrees and worked in STEM occupations in the United States. To do so, international students and scholars must obtain visas. International students who wish to study in the United States must first apply to a Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) certified school. In order to enroll students from other nations, U.S. colleges and universities must be certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program within the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement organization. As of February 2004, nearly 9,000 technical schools and colleges and universities had been certified. SEVIS, is an Internet-based system that maintains data on international students and exchange visitors before and during their stay in the United States. Upon admitting a student, the school enters the student’s name and other information into the SEVIS database. At this time the student may apply for a student visa. In some cases, a Security Advisory Opinion (SAO) from the Department of State (State) may be needed to determine whether or not to issue a visa to the student. SAOs are required for a number of reasons, including concerns that a visa applicant may engage in the illegal transfer of sensitive technology. An SAO based on technology transfer concerns is known as Visas Mantis and, according to State officials, is the most common type of SAO applied to science applicants. In April 2004, the Congressional Research Service reported that State maintains a technology alert list that includes 16 sensitive areas of study. The list was produced in an effort to help the United States prevent the illegal transfer of controlled technology and includes chemical and biotechnology engineering, missile technology, nuclear technology, robotics, and advanced computer technology. Many foreign workers enter the United States annually through the H-1B visa program, which assists U.S. employers in temporarily filling specialty occupations. Employed workers may stay in the United States on an H-1B visa for up to 6 years. The current cap on the number of H-1B visas that can be granted is 65,000. The law exempts certain workers, however, from this cap, including those who are employed or have accepted employment in specified positions. Moreover, up to 20,000 exemptions are allowed for those holding a master’s degree or higher. Officials from 13 federal civilian agencies reported having 207 education programs funded in fiscal year 2004 that were specifically established to increase the numbers of students and graduates pursuing STEM degrees and occupations, or improve educational programs in STEM fields, but they reported little about the effectiveness of these programs. These 13 federal agencies reported spending about $2.8 billion for their STEM education programs. Taken together, NIH and NSF sponsored nearly half of the programs and spent about 71 percent of the funds. In addition, agencies reported that most of the programs had multiple goals, and many were targeted to multiple groups. Although evaluations have been done or were under way for about half of the programs, little is known about the extent to which most STEM programs are achieving their desired results. Coordination among the federal STEM education programs has been limited. However, in 2003, the National Science and Technology Council formed a subcommittee to address STEM education and workforce policy issues across federal agencies. Officials from 13 federal civilian agencies provided information on 207 STEM education programs funded in fiscal year 2004. The numbers of programs ranged from 51 to 1 per agency with two agencies, NIH and NSF, sponsoring nearly half of the programs—99 of 207. Table 4 provides a summary of the numbers of programs by agency, and appendix II contains a list of the 207 STEM education programs and funding levels for fiscal year 2004 by agency. Federal civilian agencies reported that approximately $2.8 billion was spent on STEM education programs in fiscal year 2004. The funding levels for STEM education programs among the agencies ranged from about $998 million to about $4.7 million. NIH and NSF accounted for about 71 percent of the total—about $2 billion of the approximate $2.8 billion. NIH spent about $998 million in fiscal year 2004, about 3.6 percent of its $28 billion appropriation, and NSF spent about $997 million, which represented 18 percent of its appropriation. Four other agencies, some with a few programs, spent about 23 percent of the total: $636 million. For example, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) spent about $231 million on 5 programs and the Department of Education (Education) spent about $221 million on 4 programs during fiscal year 2004. Figure 1 shows the 6 federal civilian agencies that used the most funds for STEM education programs and the funds used by the remaining 7 agencies. The funding reported for individual STEM education programs varied significantly, and many of the programs have been funded for more than 10 years. The funding ranged from $4,000 for an USDA-sponsored program that offered scholarships to U.S. citizens seeking bachelor’s degrees at Hispanic-serving institutions, to about $547 million for a NIH grant program that is designed to develop and enhance research training opportunities for individuals in biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research by supporting training programs at institutions of higher education. As shown in table 5, most programs were funded at $5 million or less and 13 programs were funded at more than $50 million in fiscal year 2004. About half of the STEM education programs were first funded after 1998. The oldest program began in 1936, and 72 programs are over 10 years old. Appendix III describes the STEM education programs that received funding of $10 million or more during fiscal year 2004 or 2005. Agencies reported that most of the STEM education programs had multiple goals. Survey respondents reported that 80 percent (165 of 207) of the education programs had multiple goals, with about half of these identifying four or more goals for individual programs. Moreover, according to the survey responders, few programs had a single goal. For example, 2 programs were identified as having one goal of attracting and preparing students at any education level to pursue coursework in the STEM areas, while 112 programs identified this as one of multiple goals. Table 6 shows the program goals and numbers of STEM programs aligned with them. The STEM education programs provided financial assistance to students, educators, and institutions. According to the survey responses, 131 programs provided financial support for students or scholars, and 84 programs provided assistance for teacher and faculty development. Many of the programs provided financial assistance to multiple beneficiaries, as shown in table 7. Most of the programs were not targeted to a specific group but aimed to serve a wide range of students, educators, and institutions. Of the 207 programs, 54 were targeted to 1 group and 151 had multiple target groups. In addition, many programs were targeted to the same group. For example, while 12 programs were aimed solely at graduate students, 88 other programs had graduate students as one of multiple target groups. Fewer programs were targeted to elementary and secondary teachers and kindergarten through 12th grade students than to other target groups. Table 8 summarizes the numbers of STEM programs targeted to one group and multiple groups. Some programs limited participation to certain groups.