This report contains news and opinion concerning educational and policy issues
relevant to the MAA. Opinions expressed are those of individual authors and
do not necessarily represent official positions of the
Mathematical Association of America.
March 2007 Science Policy report (PDF form)
MAA signs letter to OMB Director on STEM education funding.
Research & Development and Related Funding
Letters Regarding America COMPETES Act Funding
MAA responds to Chronicle for Higher Education January 13th article, "Taking Anxiety Out of the Equation"
President Bush's American Competiveness Initiative and NSF 2007 Budget Proposal
Common Abbreviations
Past Reports
SPC Charge
COP Charge
THE MAA WASHINGTON REPORT
The MAA has retained Lewis-Burke Associates as its Washington representative. From time to time, edited versions of the reports sent to MAA by Lewis-Burke will be posted on this site.
February 6, 2007: The impact of the President's FY2008 budget request
February 5, 2007: MAA joins 150 universities and societies in signing the American Competitiveness Proclamation
February 2, 2007: House proposes Joint Funding Resolution for FY2007 budget that includes new funds for NSF
July 19, 2006: Spreadsheet comparison of Administration, House, and Senate proposals for FY2007 NSF budget
July 12, 2006: Senate Committee acts on federal science budgets
June 29, 2006: House passes science and mathematics funding bill
June 28, 2006: NSF publishes draft of its new strategic plan
June 27, 2006: MAA endorses Scholarship Database proposal
May 9, 2006: MAA writes to House Science Committee Chair
April 28, 2006: NSF seeks new science policy officer
February 10, 2006: A National Committee Considers National Standardized Tests in College
February 2, 2006: Project Kaleidoscope Summarizes Recent National Reports On Science and Mathematics Education
February 1, 2006: President Bush announces new mathematics and science programs in the 2006 State of the Union address
HOW TO TRACK THE PROGRESS OF LEGISLATION
The American Association for the Advancement of Scence (AAAS) maintains a website where you can track the progress of various authorization and appropriation bills. See http://www.aaas.org/spp/rd/approp07.htm
The Coalition for National Science Funding (CNSF), to which MAA belongs, publishes periodic summaries of federal research allocations and proposals, and the reports are available at http://www.cnsfweb.org.
Another useful tool in following the progress of proposed legislation can be found at http://thomas.loc.gov where you can search for a bill by its reference number or by key words.
MAA responds to Chronicle for Higher Education January 13th article, "Taking Anxiety Out of the Equation". An abridged version appeared in the Chronicle for Higher Education, February 24th issue in the Letters to the Editor section. Read the full article here. (PDF Format)
February 9, 2006 - The Mathematical Association of America (MAA) has long advocated increased federal funding for science and mathematics as a way to enhance the nation's international competitiveness. The MAA is pleased that President Bush's American Competitiveness Initiative includes a plan to double the research budgets of several important federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF). MAA is also encouraged that the President's plan includes a significant emphasis on mathematics and science education and on the need to strengthen university programs that educate mathematics and science teachers. We hope that, as part of ACI, mathematical research will receive the funding necessary to fulfill its status as a priority area for NSF, as it was designated four years ago but unfunded for the past two years. We advocate increased support for the programs of the Education and Human! Resources Directorate of the NSF, particularly the Division of Undergraduate Education. American competitiveness depends on the mathematics underpinning the sciences and engineering. The programs funded under the NSF Division of Mathematical Sciences and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources play a vital role in advancing the state of the art in mathematics research and education and will be crucial to the President's efforts to keep America competitive in the 21st Century.