Spellings Leads Review of Math, Science Ed. Programs

As part of President Bush’s efforts to place more emphasis on mathematics and science education to keep the United States economically competitive, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings is leading a panel of high-level administration officials that is evaluating the effectiveness of more than 200 federal programs in those areas.

The panel, called the Academic Competitiveness Council, was established under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which President Bush signed earlier this year. Congress charged the council with making recommendations for streamlining and eliminating duplications within the broad array of science, technology, engineering, and math education programs the federal government now finances.

The council, which Secretary Spellings touted during a hearing of the House Education and the Workforce Committee on April 6, is made up of officials from the 13 federal agencies that manage the more than 200 programs dealing with math and science education, as well as a representative from the White House Office...