We previously reported that most federal STEM education programs  overlapped to some degree with at least one other program, in that they  offered similar services to similar groups in similar STEM fields to achieve  similar objectives (see sidebar for definition of overlap). 1). 2). From 2010 to 2016, the Number of STEM Education Programs Decreased While Spending Remained Stable, and Most Programs Continued to Overlap

		Agencies Reported Fewer STEM Education Programs and Relatively Stable Levels of Spending in Fiscal Year 2016 Compared to Fiscal Year 2010

Program officials from the 13 federal agencies that administer STEM  education programs reported a total of 163 STEM education programs in  fiscal year 2016, compared to 209 programs in fiscal year 2010. While agencies reported many of the same STEM education programs in  fiscal years 2010 and 2016, the federal portfolio evolved in various ways. The portfolio underwent various changes from fiscal years 2010 to 2016,  including program consolidations, creations, and terminations. Efforts to Assess Programs’ Performance and Participation Rates of Underrepresented Minorities Are Limited

		Performance Assessments of STEM Education Programs Are Not Reviewed or Documented

The Committee on STEM Education and Office of Science and  Technology Policy have not fully met their responsibilities to assess the  STEM education portfolio. Further, that information is outdated, as the STEM  education portfolio has changed considerably since 2010, as we have  discussed in this report. This could facilitate the use of performance  information by agency managers and lead to greater public awareness  regarding the effectiveness of many of the nation’s STEM education  programs. Program Participation Rates of Underrepresented Groups Are Not Reported

The Committee on STEM Education has not reported STEM education  programs’ participation rates of groups historically underrepresented in  STEM fields, although broadening participation of those groups is one of  the Committee’s strategic goals. Reporting information on the participation rates of women,  underrepresented minorities, and persons in rural areas could help the  Committee assess whether STEM education programs have broadened  participation to groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields—a  key goal of the Strategic Plan. The Committee on STEM  Education reported that, through its leadership and strategic planning  efforts, it fostered coordination among agencies administering STEM  education programs, which helped them implement the STEM Education  Strategic Plan. Moreover, as the Committee on STEM Education begins to implement its  new responsibilities prescribed by the American Innovation and  Competitiveness Act, its efforts to review programs’ performance  assessments could improve its capacity to make well-informed  recommendations to further enhance the portfolio of STEM education  programs. We confirmed this information and the  programs’ exclusion with the administering agencies.
Why GAO Did This Study

Education programs in STEM fields are intended to enhance the nation's global competitiveness. GAO reported in 2012 that there were more than 200 federal STEM education programs in fiscal year 2010. Since then, this portfolio of programs has changed. GAO was asked to review the landscape of federal STEM education programs.
This report examines (1) how the federal investment in STEM education programs changed from 2010 to 2016, and (2) the extent to which the STEM education portfolio has been assessed.To answer these questions, GAO administered a web-based questionnaire to all federal STEM education programs funded in fiscal year 2016 and analyzed the results. GAO also reviewed relevant federal laws and agency documents, examined the implementation of relevant assessment requirements, and interviewed officials from relevant federal agencies.

What GAO Found

The federal investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs remained relatively stable from fiscal years 2010 to 2016, although the number of programs declined from 209 to 163 (see figure). While agencies reported that many of the same STEM education programs existed during this time period, the portfolio underwent various changes, including program consolidations, creations, and terminations. Nearly all STEM education programs in fiscal year 2016 overlapped to some degree with at least one other program in that they offered similar services to similar groups in similar STEM fields to achieve similar objectives. The Committee on STEM Education, an interagency body responsible for implementing the federal STEM education strategic plan, reported it managed this overlap through coordination with agencies administering these programs.
The Committee on STEM Education has not fully met its responsibilities to assess the federal STEM education portfolio. Specifically, the Committee has not reviewed programs' performance assessments, as required by its authorizing charter, nor has it documented those assessments in its inventory, as required by law. Such efforts could encourage the use of evidenced-based practices across the portfolio—a key national goal of the STEM education strategic plan. These efforts could also enhance public awareness of the administering agencies' efforts to assess programs' performance. In addition, the Committee has not reported the participation rates of underrepresented groups in federal STEM education programs, as required by law. By reporting this information, the Committee could better assess whether programs are broadening access to groups historically underrepresented in STEM fields—another key goal of the strategic plan.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is making four recommendations, including three to the Committee on STEM Education to review performance assessments of STEM education programs, document those assessments, and report programs' participation rates of underrepresented groups. The Committee on STEM Education agreed with GAO's recommendations.