Summary: The federal government invested an estimated $2.5 billion in mathematics and science education in fiscal year 1999. The Department of Education and the National Science Foundation supported the development of two-thirds of the 210 projects identified at the 11 agencies surveyed and worked with other agencies through an informal network of individuals involved in the development of materials. Overall, the materials incorporated the use of computer software and the Internet, and projects tended to focus on science rather than math. Agencies used various approaches to develop, promote awareness of, and distribute mathematics and science materials for kindergarten through 12th grade as part of their goal to increase public awareness, not to improve math and science education. Agencies also tended to disseminate their own information about materials rather than coordinating with other agencies; however, there is a trend toward making materials available through the Internet. No single comprehensive resource for all federally sponsored materials is available to educators seeking to make informed decisions about the materials, nor is there is information available about the quality of federally developed math and science materials. About half of the 61 materials available in fiscal year 1999 had been assessed by June 2000.
