Laurie Garduque

Governmental and Professional Liaison Report: A Look at NSF’s Educational Research Budget:

xvesearch, as the key to continued progress in all major fields of endeavor, has rarely been perceived as strategy for improving the quality of education. The trials and tribulations of the Department of Educations research and statistics functions have attracted considerable notoriety over the years. And at the National Science Foundation, an agency that might be expected to appreciate and support research to improve education, especially science and engineering education, educational research remains a very modest program. That is not to say that NSF has not supported activities to improve science and engineering education and training, but rather research has not played a prominent role in those efforts. It is not immediately apparent why NSF has neglected science education research. After all, the budget for science and engineering education is driven by the same issues as the budget for science and engineering research. Our efforts to sustain our nations economic growth and productivity, secure and maintain the countrys national defense, and improve the quality of life of all citizens rests on the health and vitality of our scientific and technological base. A corollary is the predominant role of the nations colleges and universities in the process, through the production of knowledge, its transfer to technology, and the education and training of scientists and engineers. Elementary and secondary education have benefited from a downward extension of the logic and reasoning behind support for academic research, for those years are the staging ground for our nations scientists and engineers. But educational research, regardless of whether or not its related to the disciplines, has not achieved the status of either science or education in the budget.

A Matter of Principle

be used judiciously, for transitions can escape in a moments notice. Before you realize it, the time has passed. The action has started up again and the past sessions activities only become important as a baseline for planning the next sessions actions. Initially, theres some awkwardness. After all, gaining closure on what has just happened means coming to terms with what was accomplished and what efforts fell short. This article is not a record