This Department of Defense grant is for providing training, support, assessment, and evaluation services for STEM education programs.

The National Defense Education Program (NDEP) is part of the DoD STEM education portfolio that includes national-level initiatives that connect to local-level execution of projects, generally located in close proximity to DoD laboratories, bases or other facilities. Projects enable DoD scientists and engineers to provide high-quality, hands-on STEM activities in formal and informal settings to K-12 students.

Since its inception, approximately 50 sites have received NDEP K-12 funding for a range of projects at all levels of the K-12 education system. The new funding cycle is expected to have fewer sites, but these will be geographically dispersed (nationwide).

The General Accountability Office (GAO) has defined program evaluation as “a systematic study using research methods to collect and analyze data to assess how well a program is working and why” by examining a broad range of information on program performance and its context. The GAO differentiates between four types of evaluation: process evaluation; outcome evaluation; impact evaluation; and cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses. (GAO-12-208G)

The DoD’s STEM expertise is one of its most valuable assets, creating engagement opportunities for schools, students, teachers and public sector and industry partners with DoD subject matter experts (SMEs) especially in communities adjacent to DoD laboratories and bases. Since 2007, NDEP K-12 has increased the number of DoD facilities that directly engage their local education communities to: 1) build student interest in STEM fields and disciplines and in careers specific to the Department, 2) develop science, engineering and mathematics skills important to the DoD, and 3) fulfill DoD’s future demand for highly skilled STEM professionals. As an example, through after-school learning opportunities, DoD STEM professionals teach key audiences about DoD’s current and future real-world science and technology applications. DoD STEM professionals also serve as role models, mentors, content experts and competition judges.

The purpose of this announcement is to obtain training, support, assessment, and evaluation services of new and existing projects sponsored by the Department of Defense (DoD) in partnership with local DoD laboratories, STEM education organizations, professional societies, and local education activities. Additionally it will provide DoD and its partners opportunities to enhance existing projects and create new projects supporting program and project level objectives. Program evaluations are used by DoD to determine the extent to which programs are operating efficiently, achieving the intended outcomes, and meeting program objectives.