The Government's Assessment

In the current mixed legal climate, where diversity programs have been ruled constitutional and litigation continues over their appropriate boundaries, federal agencies are by and large continuing to fund programs aimed at increasing participation in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by underrepresented minorities, women, and those with disabilities.

Some agencies are taking steps to see whether these efforts are working, a key concern after a recent Government Accounting Office report pointed out that little has been done on a government-wide basis to evaluate the effectiveness of such programs. The National Institutes of Health is actively assessing the effectiveness and coordination of its diversity programs, says Jeremy Berg, director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences in Bethesda. (see "A Scientific Approach," page 8) "We're trying to find ways within NIH and more broadly to make a change, to create opportunities and awareness rather...