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ED Pumps $279 Million into STEM Programs

The U.S. Department of Education is renewing its commitment to STEM education through dedicating $279 million to fund programs.

  • By Sara Friedman
  • 11/08/18

For the fiscal year 2018, the United States Department of Education is dedicating $279 million to fund STEM educational efforts within the department.  The investments come from the Secretary of Education's STEM discretionary grant funds.

"It's important that all students have access to a high-quality STEM education," U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said. "These discretionary grant programs and this Administration's increased focus on STEM will help ensure our nation's students are exposed to STEM early in their lifelong education journeys and will have the tools needed for success in the 21st century economy."

The department's efforts include the following programs:

  1. Education Innovation and Research (EIR), $66.8 million
  2. Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED), $28.2 million
  3. Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP), $16.4 million
  4. Pathways to Apprenticeship for High School Career and Technical Education Students (CTE) Students, $3.6 million
  5. Innovative Approaches to Literacy, $26.7 million
  6. Indian Education Discretionary Grants Programs: Professional Development Grants Program, $6.2 million
  7. Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs, $1.2 million
  8. GEAR UP Competition: New Partnership Awards, $108 million 
  9. GEAR UP Competition: New State Awards, $20.4 million
  10. Center on Early STEM Learning for Young Children with Disabilities, $1.45 million

Along with the funding news, the department also released new data story on the numbers of students enrolled in Algebra 1 in eighth grade.  According to 2015-2016 Civil Rights Data Collection statistics, 80 percent of all eighth graders attend a school that offers Algebra 1, but only 24 percent of students are actually enrolled in the course.

Read the full data story here.

About the Author

Sara Friedman is a reporter/producer for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe covering education policy and a wide range of other public-sector IT topics.

Friedman is a graduate of Ithaca College, where she studied journalism, politics and international communications.

Friedman can be contacted at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @SaraEFriedman.

Click here for previous articles by Friedman.


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