About the Office of Science and Technology Policy
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) advises the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs. The office serves as a source of scientific and technological analysis and judgment for the President with respect to major policies, plans, and programs of the Federal Government. OSTP leads an interagency effort to develop and implement sound science and technology policies and budgets. The office works with the private sector to ensure Federal investments in science and technology contribute to economic prosperity, environmental quality, and national security.
For more information, visit http://www.ostp.gov.
About the National Science and Technology Council
The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) was established by Executive Order on November 23, 1993. This Cabinet-level council is the principal body within the executive branch that coordinates science and technology policy across the diverse entities that make up the Federal research and development enterprise. Chaired by the President, the membership of the NSTC consists of the Vice President, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Cabinet Secretaries and Agency Heads with significant science and technology responsibilities, and other White House officials.
The NSTC is organized into five primary committees: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education; Science; Technology; Environment, Natural Resources and Sustainability; and Homeland and National Security. Each of these committees oversees subgroups focused on different aspects of science and technology. One of the NSTC’s primary objectives is to establish clear national goals for Federal science and technology investments in an array of areas that span virtually all the mission areas of the executive branch. The Council prepares coordinated interagency research and development strategies to form investment packages that are aimed at achieving multiple national goals. For additional information concerning the work of the National Science and Technology Council, please visit the NSTC website.
About the Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education
The NSTC Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) coordinates Federal programs and activities in support of STEM education pursuant to the requirements of Sec. 101 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (2010). CoSTEM addresses education and workforce policy issues; research and development efforts that focus on STEM education at the PreK-12, undergraduate, graduate, and lifelong learning levels; and current and projected STEM workforce needs, trends, and issues. CoSTEM performs three functions: review and assessment of Federal STEM education activities and programs; with the Office of Management and Budget, coordination of STEM education activities and programs across Federal agencies, and; development and implementation of a Federal STEM education 5-year Strategic Plan through the participating agencies to be updated every 5 years.
About the Federal STEM Education 5-Year Strategic Plan
The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (2010) directs OSTP to create an interagency committee under the NSTC to develop a Federal STEM education 5-year strategic plan. In response to the Act, CoSTEM chartered the Federal Coordination in STEM Education (FC-STEM) Task Force to develop the Federal STEM Education 5-Year Strategic Plan and to prepare this report with CoSTEM oversight. The FC-STEM includes members from the 12 Federal agencies represented on CoSTEM, and the Smithsonian Institution. Representatives from each of the agencies represented on CoSTEM made significant contributions to the plan. CoSTEM chartered the NSTC Fast-Track Action Committee on Federal Investments in STEM (FISTEM) to design and conduct an inventory of current Federal investments in STEM education. FI-STEM included members from the 12 Federal agencies represented on CoSTEM. The Federal Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Portfolio6, released in December 2011, provided the most-detailed overview of Federal STEM education activities to date, and guided the development of the Strategic Plan.
Link: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/stem_stratplan_2013.pdf