Creating Solutions. Inspiring Action.

Research & Collaboration

BHEF conducts research to create solutions that address our nation's most significant education challenges.  This research identifies strategies and policy reforms that BHEF and its members advance in conjunction with partners and other organizations.  BHEF's recent research has explored the need for enhanced recruitment, retention and renewal of the nation's math and science teaching workforce.

To amplify its impact, BHEF partners with other organizations, where appropriate. BHEF currently collaborates with a number of groups, including the TAP Coalition, Data Quality Campaign, Business Roundtable, U.S. Chamber, National Governors Association and America's leading universities and foundations, to advance its initiatives. 

Current Research Projects

STEM Working Group co-chair and Raytheon Chairman and CEO Bill Swanson commissioned teams of Raytheon engineers to create a tool to help policymakers, educators, and researchers better understand the complex nature of the U.S. education system and identify potential solutions that could help the nation strengthen its leadership in STEM. With the assistance of BHEF and other experts, Raytheon engineers developed a prototype systems dynamics model.

In part of their work, these teams identified a number of promising approaches to test their potential for increasing the number of STEM-capable students and the number of STEM college graduates. In the next phase of the work, Raytheon will partner with BHEF, its members, and others on further model development, testing, refinement and analysis, and transition the model to open source use for the public.

To download a white paper summarizing the model, click here (pdf).

To view a presentation from the recent STEM Research and Modeling Network meeting, click here (ppt).