99 



In FY 1996 NSF received 120 proposals requesting $186 million. Most of the new 

 projects and centers requests received have been of very high quality and involve 

 all partners — two-year colleges, industries, business, government, secondary schools, 

 four-year colleges and universities, professional societies, etc. — required to improve 

 education for an increasingly technology-based workforce. Coordination at the colle- 

 giate and school levels is achieved through close cooperation between the Under- 

 graduate Education (DUE) Division and the Elementary, Secondary, and Informal 

 Education (ESIE) Division. The requested FY 1997 budget increase of $7.5 million, 

 including $5.0 million in DUE and $2.5 million in ESIE, is expected to result in 

 three new ATE multi-organization projects and 30 new individual projects funded 

 directly or cofunded with other programs. 



REVIEW OF SYSTEMIC REFORM PROGRAMS 



QUESTION: In the Education and Human Resources Directorate, NSF 

 has been undergoing a review of the systemic reform programs. What is the 

 status of this review and what have you learned in this program? 



ANSWER: The NSF's Division of Educational System Reform conducts a series 

 of activities to continually assess the progress of the systemic initiative programs. 

 Among these are: periodic monitoring site visits by program officers; submission of 

 Midpoint Progress Reports by each Initiative, followed by reverse-site visits at NSF 

 and Midpoint Review on-site visits to review progress and concerns; submission of 

 an Annual Progress Report by each Initiative, Data Collection Report, and an up- 

 dated Strategic Plan. On an annual basis, program officers conduct an analysis of 

 these data and review all documentation to determine if appropriate progress has 

 been made to justify a recommendation for continued funding from NSF. In addi- 

 tion, a number of periodic meetings are held with superintendents, principal inves- 

 tigators and project directors to discuss critical issues related to technical assist- 

 ance, accountability, reporting, data collection and formative evaluation processes. 



In addition, third party program evaluations of the initiatives are being con- 

 ducted. A recently released NSF Report entitled: Evaluation of the National Science 

 Foundation's Statewide Systemic Initiatives (SSI) Program: Second Year Report, De- 

 cember 1995 reports current information on the progress and findings for the SSI 

 program. The report findings indicate that the SSI program has motivated and sup- 

 ported thousands of talented individuals and many different agencies and institu- 

 tions to work to improve education in mathematics and science in new ways. There 

 has been greater attention to development of standards and learning goals. More- 

 over, a number of states are making substantial progress, including development 

 and implementation of new curricula, new professional development programs, inno- 

 vative public outreach strategies, and comprehensive school change strategies. At 

 the same time, it is evident that systemic reform is very difficult, slow work. Al- 

 though the SSI's as a whole have made substantial progress in meeting these chal- 

 lenges, progress is not uniform either across states or within them. Currently, pro- 

 gram evaluations are being designed for the Urban and Rural Systemic Initiatives. 



STATUS OF REPORTS REQUESTED BY HOUSE MEMBERS 



QUESTION: The NSF authorization passed by the House has not yet been 

 signed into law. However, the House Members did request several reports 

 from the NSF for their decision making process. 



The Committee asked for reports on the reorganization of the NSF Re- 

 search and Related account Directorates, an OSTP Indirect Cost Report, a 

 Facilities Plan, and an Educational Impact Study. What is the status of pro- 

 viding this information? 



ANSWER: Reorganization: NSF gives continuing attention to issues of organiza- 

 tional structure because they are important in managing the agency. NSF is com- 

 mitted to an organization that is driven by the substance of the Foundation's work 

 and that is responsive to planned outcomes. NSF is exploring organizational options, 

 including the House and Senate recommendations, as part of the planning process. 



The Director and Chairman Walker have had lengthy discussions and have 

 agreed upon NSF's approach. These discussions will continue as part of NSF's ongo- 

 ing consideration of organizational issues. NSF focused attention on broad issues of 

 organization in a senior management retreat in December but progress has been 

 stalled by shutdowns and protracted FY 1996 and 1997 budget discussions. NSF has 

 given highest priority to planning balanced, forward-looking activities for FY 1996 

 and 1997. NSF intends to return to the issue of reorganization and will keep the 

 Congress informed on this matter. 



Facilities Plan: The NSF plan for proposed facilities construction projects within 

 the Major Research Equipment (MRE) account is detailed in NSF's FY 1997 Budget 



