Highlights from the President's FY15 Department of Education Budget Request

Enacted FY14 funding is used for comparisons unless otherwise noted.

The FY15 budget request for the Department of Education (ED) totals $68.6 billion (1.9 percent increase) in total discretionary funding. An overhaul of P-12 STEM education programs and a ConnectED initiative providing next-generation broadband and high-speed wireless network support to students and teachers are among the new proposals.

With the FY15 budget request, the administration is proposing $170 million in new funding for a comprehensive STEM innovation proposal to transform teaching and learning in STEM education. The goal is to create a fresh framework for delivering STEM education to more students and teachers more effectively while reducing fragmentation. Key activities include:

• STEM Innovation Networks — $110 million to provide competitive awards to local education agencies (LEAs) in partnership with institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, other public agencies, and businesses to transform STEM teaching and learning by accelerating the adoption of practices in P-12 education that help increase the number of students who seek out and are effectively prepared for postsecondary education and careers in STEM fields.
• STEM Teacher Pathways — $40 million to help develop 100,000 new, effective STEM teachers though competitive grants for recruiting, preparing, placing, and supporting talented recent college graduates and mid-career professionals in the STEM fields in high-need schools.
• National STEM Master Teacher Corps — $20 million to identify, refine, and share models to help America’s best and brightest math and science teachers make the transition from excellent teachers to school and community leaders and advocates for STEM education. This program would recognize, enlist and reward a nationwide corps of outstanding STEM educators to help improve STEM teaching and learning in schools and communities.

The proposal also would replace the Mathematics and Sciences Partnerships program with a new Effective Teaching and Learning: STEM program, which would be funded at the same level — $149.7 million. The new program would provide formula grants to support comprehensive, evidence-based strategies and professional development that aligns federal, state and local resources to provide high-quality STEM instruction.

A new ConnectEDucators program would help educators transition to using technology and data to personalize learning and improve instruction and assessment. The goal is to ensure that teachers and leaders with access to high-speed internet and devices for students are well prepared to use the resources in a way that improves classroom instruction and learning.  The budget proposes $200 million for the effort in FY15 and the Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative would add $300 million to the initiative to provide a total of 100,000 teachers in 500 school districts across the U.S. with access to professional development in this area.