2015 Budget Would Boost Investments in STEM Education

President Obama’s fiscal 2015 budget blueprint released Tuesday proposes a number of changes to improving and strengthening the quality and quantity of workers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

One proposed change is a governmentwide reorganization of STEM education programs that have traditionally been fragmented across various agencies. The proposal also seeks to focus federal STEM education efforts on five areas identified in the government’s five-year strategic plan: P-12 instruction, undergraduate education, graduate education, broadening participation in STEM to women and minorities, and STEM education activities that take place outside the traditional classroom.

The budget also proposes $170 million for the Education Department to launch a cohesive initiative to transform STEM teaching and learning, in part to establish the President’s goal of recruiting, preparing and retaining 100,000 STEM teachers over the next decade.

The president's budget also would provide $333 million to support top graduate student researchers who show promise in becoming future leaders in STEM fields, and would provide $7 million for a new program to boost innovation in graduate education by providing awards to universities that come up with innovative ideas for improving student training. 

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