The mission of building a stronger, more inclusive U.S. STEM workforce demands a core competence in evidenced-based research and evaluation. Rigorous evaluation is the most reliable way to gauge program effectiveness, inform public understanding, foster program improvement, and validate the impact of STEM program investments.

Since its launch with federal seed funding in 2002, BEST has:

• Conducted a Congressionally-mandated national search for effective STEM diversity programs

• Analyzed the STEM program portfolios of the Office of Naval Research and the U.S. Army

• Prepared a report on “What Works in STEM Education in San Diego, California"

• Produced reports on STEM capacity for the Governor of Missouri and the Kansas Legislature

• Developed a white paper on the mentoring of women in STEM within the Department of Defense

• Provided management oversight for an independent evaluation of the DoD STEM Diversity Campaign