The Canadian Center of Science and Education Responds to Proposed Reorganization of Science Education in the United States

PHILADELPHIA, PA, June 19, 2013

The Canadian Center of Science and Education supports and promotes education and research efforts around the world. The center realizes the benefits that come from funding research initiatives that lead to improvements and advancements in many areas of study. A recent article on ScienceInsider reveals plans of the Obama administration to reorganize the funding associated with many STEM education programs in the United States.

When it comes to science education, the only thing that Democrats and Republicans seemed to agree with the Obama administration about was that it needed improving. The government plans to reorganize that $3 billion that it currently invests in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. According to the article, the proposal "would cut the total number of federal programs by half and concentrate resources at three agencies - the Department of Education for elementary and secondary school programs, the National Science Foundation (NSF) for undergraduate and graduate programs, and the Smithsonian Institution for informal and public science activities."

Legislators did not agree with these changes and questioned the administration on how it came to its decisions. They were skeptical about the outcome and how it would affect informal education programs agencies who would receive less funding. Some of these agencies would include NASA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Legislators feel that the reorganization is poorly planned out.

Democratic Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas does not think it makes sense that NASA will take such a big hit, and questions how well the proposal was thought out.

Republican Representative Randy Hultgren of Illinois expressed similar concerns. While he supports reducing duplicative programs, he notes that "the president's proposal seems to be taking a number of successful initiatives being done by high-quality groups at the local level and running a majority of them through a federal bureaucracy in Washington." The biggest opposition seems to revolve around the proposed cuts to NASA's $150 million STEM education budget by 33 percent and DOE programs by 30 percent, as well as the dismantling of the NIH's Office of Science Education. This would result in the elimination of the government's only health science education program.

When pressed for answers regarding how decisions about cuts were made, presidential science advisor John Holdren said that "an impartial, outside assessment of a program's successes and failures wasn't a determining factor." Instead, top priority was given to programs that fit into the administration's four priority areas. They include "improving K-12 instruction, reforming undergrad programs around evidence based practices, streamlining the graduate fellowship process, and amplifying engagement activities."

"The Canadian Center of Science and Education assists with the funding of many programs," states a representative of the organization. "We support educational programs for students, financial support for researchers, international education projects, and scientific publications. Scientific research and education are important part of making progress in the world. That is how new developments are made and lives are changed. Without adequate funding and support, these programs may cease to exist. That could be detrimental to the future and delay possible advances in research that provide beneficial results." The Canadian Center of Science and Education supports educators and researchers not only in Canada, but around the world.

ABOUT:

The Canadian Center of Science and Education was established in 2006. The center values scientific integrity and excellence, and respect and equity in the workplace. It provides financial support for research projects, and scholarships for educational institutions, students and researchers. In addition, it publishes more than 40 scholarly journals covering many fields of study. Researchers have the opportunity to share their findings with peers and colleagues and read about the work of others.