Precollege Math and Science Education

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Energy’s (DOE) management of its precollege mathematics and science education program, focusing on: (1) DOE program implementation priorities; (2) the role of project evaluations in budget decisions; and (3) whether the program helps to achieve the National Education Goal of making U.S. students first in the world in mathematics and science achievement. GAO found that: (1) DOE heavily weights program funding toward teacher enhancement projects, including programs to upgrade teachers’ mathematics and science skills; (2) research has not conclusively demonstrated a relationship between teacher enhancement and student achievement; (3) systemic reform, in which DOE has not implemented many projects, is a more promising approach for increasing student achievement; (4) DOE could improve its chances of increasing student achievement by further diversifying the types of projects it funds; (5) until recently, DOE did not require project evaluations, ensure that evaluations were adequate, or link project evaluations to budget decisions; and (6) DOE precollege program projects are not focused on student achievement or linked to achieving the National Education Goals.