NASA supports the country’s educators who play a key role in preparing the minds that will manage and lead the Nation’s laboratories and research centers of tomorrow. To prepare the Agencies future workforce and leverage the Agency’s unique resources, it partners with other Agencies, and collaborates with the Education community. In the NASA Strategic Plan, the Agency articulates three major education goals, which will continue to support U.S. innovation and competitiveness now and in the future:
(A) Strengthen NASA and the Nation’s future workforce — NASA will identify and develop the critical skills and capabilities needed to achieve the U.S. Space Exploration Policy. To help meet this demand, NASA will continue contributing to the development of the Nation’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, workforce of the future through a diverse portfolio of education initiatives that target America’s students at all levels, including those in traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities.
(B) Attract and retain students in STEM disciplines —To compete effectively for the minds, imaginations and career ambitions of America’s young people, NASA will focus on engaging and retaining students in STEM education programs to encourage their pursuit of educational disciplines critical to NASA’s future engineering, scientific and technical missions.
(C) Engage Americans in NASA’s mission—NASA will build strategic partnerships and linkages between STEM formal and informal education providers. Through hands-on, interactive, educational activities, NASA will engage students, educators, families, the general public and all Agency stakeholders to increase Americans’ science and technology literacy.
