Bills on Competitiveness Resurface in New Congress

Just last year, the issue of “competitiveness” seemed to enjoy exalted status on Capitol Hill. Public support came from the White House, members of both parties in Congress, and a cluster of leading business executives, with all agreed that the nation needed to act, and soon.

But despite that talk, the 109th Congress failed to act on any proposals to enhance competitiveness, a catch-all descriptor for the push to promote American economic growth through improved education and research. Now advocates of that agenda are taking up the issue again, even as they acknowledge that their prospects are uncertain in a new Congress with a revamped set of education policy priorities.

Lawmakers have introduced several new bills under the banner of competitiveness this year—some of which were offered last session—and more are expected to follow. A number of the proposals focus on improving the skills of mathematics and science teachers and creating more incentives for students and working professionals to enter and remain...