GAO Report: Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Programs and Related Trends
13 federal civilian agencies reported spending about $2.8 billion in fiscal year 2004 for 207 education programs designed to increase the numbers of students and graduates or improve educational programs in
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. NSF and NIH each account for a bit over 1/3 of the spending.
University officials frequently cited teacher quality as a key factor that affected domestic students’ interest in and decisions about pursuing STEM degrees and occupations. Officials at all eight universities we visited expressed the view that a student’s experience from kindergarten through the 12th grades played a large role in influencing whether the student pursued a STEM degree.
…
officials at many of the universities we visited told us that some teachers were unqualified and unable to impart the subject matter, causing students to lose interest in mathematics and science.
Estimated Changes in Numbers of International Students in STEM fields by Education Levels from the 1995-1996 Academic Year to the 2003-2004 Academic Year
| Education level |
Number of international students, 1995-1996 |
Number of international students, 2003-2004 |
Percentage change |
| Bachelor’s |
31,858 |
139,875 |
+339 |
| Master’s |
40,025 |
22,384 |
-44 |
| Doctoral |
36,461 |
7,582 |
-79 |
| Total |
108,344 |
169,841 |
+57 |
June 26th, 2006 at 6:27 pm
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