YOU Belong in STEM: Advancing Federal Policy at the U.S. Department of Education

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is a service agency whose mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access. The COVID-19 pandemic brought a national focus on educational recovery and acceleration efforts, and ED faced a unique opportunity to promote a whole child education system that prioritized relationships, academic rigor, and student engagement.

This capstone examines my 10-month residency at the U.S. Department of Education in the Office of the Deputy Secretary, where I worked on a policy initiative on belonging in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). To inform my approach, I cite data from practitioners and policymakers on the essential role of belonging in STEM education. I also draw from research on policy creation and maintenance. I analyze my leadership experience through two frameworks: John W. Kingdon’s revised Garbage Can Model of how problems, proposals, and politics interact to set policy agendas; and Mark H. Moore’s Strategic Triangle Model describing how authorizing environments, public value, and operational capabilities serve as enabling conditions that keep policy agendas alive.

The findings from this capstone indicate that ED will benefit from active collaboration with other agencies and organizations to maximize resources and mobilize partners to address complex inequities in STEM education. At the sector level, my results suggest that system leaders ought to elevate the criticality of belonging to ensure that the needs of students and educators are prioritized to create conditions for student success. Addressing these focal areas will position ED and the system to implement and scale equitable, high-quality STEM education for all students.