From Wired News, available online at: http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,39593,00.html Math and Science Seek Fed Funds Wired News Report 2:00 a.m. Oct. 21, 2000 PDT The state of math and science teaching in the United States is so poor that two members of Congress are calling for federal funds to address the problem. On Thursday, Rep. Rush Holt, D-New Jersey, and Rep. Connie Morella, R-Maryland, introduced the National Improvement in Mathematics and Science Teaching Act of 2000, which would establish $5 billion in programs to improve the quantity and quality of teachers in those disciplines. The bill was inspired by a September report from the Glenn Commission, a group of educators, industry and government officials (including Holt and Morella), and chaired by former senator and astronaut John Glenn. The group, which was created by Secretary of Education Richard Riley, found that the current level of preparation of American students in math and science is "unacceptable." Compared with students internationally, Americans scored significantly lower on math and science achievement tests. "(People) would pay just as much attention to astrology as they would astronomy," Holt said. "That is as much of an indication of a major shortcoming of our education system as low scores on international comparison tests." Through his work on the commission, "I became more convinced that teaching is the key," Holt said. "Education experts really made a case that if we want to improve math and science education, we have to focus on the teachers." The legislation calls for more professional development programs for teachers, funding for signing bonuses and loan forgiveness for teachers who choose to teach in high-need areas. It also includes tax incentives for businesses to get involved in local schools. In addition, 15 John Glenn academies would be established around the country to train 3,000 fellows for one year on the best practices for math and science teaching. The 106th Congress will adjourn in the next several weeks, and Holt admitted that he did not expect the bill to pass in that short amount of time. Nevertheless, he said, "I wanted to get people working on it right away. I think the findings and recommendations are important." Holt stressed that teachers are not the only ones who are responsible for improving math and science education in the United States. "The Glenn Commission wanted to be careful to not just criticize and give instructions to one part of society," he said. "There's plenty for everyone to do here: teachers, school boards, principals, parents, government and business and industry. "It's a matter of national concern. We, as a country, have to work on this." Related Wired Links: The Science of E-Publishing Oct. 19, 2000 Candidates Square Off on Science Oct. 9, 2000 Photo Worth a Thousand Lies Oct. 9, 2000 Evolution: Not in Kansas Anymore Oct. 6, 2000 Teachers Not Making the Grade Sep. 27, 2000 Ed-Tech Success Hard to Assess Sep. 13, 2000 A Captive Audience Learns Tech Sep. 7, 2000 Copyright 1994-2000 Wired Digital Inc. All rights reserved. ---------------------------------------------------- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or visit the following web site <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>.
