Reviews National Science Foundation's (NSF) functions defined by the Congress and outlines the budget request for fiscal year 1982 and associated proposed rescissions for fiscal year 1981. Reviews the role of the National Science Board in assisting the President by establishing policies and priorities, and by guiding NSF activities. (Author/SK)

Discusses priorities in the Reagan administration's science policy, including an emphasis on basic research and the concomitant training of students. New programs for fiscal year 1985 emphasize engineering education and research, as well as improved interactions between universities, federal laboratories, and industry. (Author/JN)

Discusses current activities of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) education directorate, including proposed programs to upgrade science and mathematics teaching at the elementary and junior high school levels. Includes comments by Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, NSF's new assistant director for science and engineering education. (JN)

Describes tentative federal budget cuts affecting science education in the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, and the specific areas these budget cuts will affect. (DS)