NSPE joined the STEM Education Coalition in supporting an amendment that restored $51 million in funding to the Department of Education's Mathematics and Science Partnerships program. The Mathematics and Science Partnerships program is the only program within the Department of Education with the specific goal of improving student performance in math and science by enhancing teachers' subject-matter knowledge and teaching skills. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies originally cut the Mathematics and Science Partnerships program's 2013 fiscal year funding from its current level of $150 million to $99 million. Subcommittee Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL) built bipartisan support for Mathematics and Science Partnerships program funding, however, then offered a successful amendment to restore the program's funding during full-committee deliberations. The Senate Appropriations Committee included the amendment in its final bill. NSPE is a member of the STEM Education Coalition, which supports science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education programs for teachers and students at the Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and other agencies that offer STEM-related programs. The coalition is composed of more than 1,000 groups representing all sectors of the technological workforce.
