The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in collaboration with the National Alliance of State Science & Mathematics Coalitions (NASSMC), sponsors teams of state leaders to meet for the purpose of supporting states’ efforts to improve mathematics, science, and technology education (MSTE). Each state involved in Linking Leaders selects a team which will comprise representatives of the state’s corporate, education, policymaking, and community leadership sectors. It will review the status of MSTE in its state, propose a long-term strategy to advance the state’s agenda for improving MSTE, and identify specific actions related to implementing that strategy. The teams will be assisted in their work by consultants and facilitators that they have selected to address both issues specific to a given state and issues that are common to both states.

Foundations and members of the business community including firms like U.S. West, Exxon, etc. have participated in Linking Leaders meetings. The involvement of industry as participants and collaborators is predicated on the notion that part of the work of Linking Leaders is workforce preparation.