What is NISE?
The National Institute for Science Education was funded in 1995 for five years as a cooperative agreement. NSF directed the Institute to "address the totality of the [science] education enterprise, to assess its effectiveness, and examine what new activities need to be established, what activities are no longer needed, and what new approaches will enhance science education."
NISE is based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Washington, DC, through its partnership with the National Center for Improving Science Education. The NISE's vision is that all students leave the educational system with an ability to make informed decisions about STEM-related matters that they encounter in their daily lives. In this vision, all stakeholders in STEM education engage in active, contextual learning to acquire both a strong foundation in STEM and the ability to enhance that foundation as lifelong learners.