Federal

‘Competitiveness’ Bill to Aid Math, Science Is Signed by President

By Sean Cavanagh — August 10, 2007 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

President Bush this week signed into law a bill that seeks to bolster mathematics and science education through improved teacher recruitment and training and the promotion of successful classroom practices through federal grants for schools.

The bipartisan legislation, which the House approved by a 367-57 vote and the Senate passed unanimously, had the backing of numerous business and education organizations.

Members of Congress have dubbed the bill the America COMPETES Act, a reference to what they believe is the proposal’s potential to strengthen the quality of the U.S. workforce and gird the economy against foreign competition.

“In my mind, there will be no more important legislation that passes the Congress this year,” Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., one of its sponsors, told reporters on Aug. 1. “This is the prime model of bipartisan cooperation.”

The law will establish several new federal math and science programs and expand existing ones. If Congress appropriates money for all the programs, it will cost $43.3 billion over three years, though much of that spending would be devoted to research programs in technology, energy, and other areas.

President Bush signs the America COMPETES Act on Aug. 9. Behind him are, from left, John Marburger, his science aide, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Rep. Bart Gordon, and Sen. Pete V. Domenici.

The measure will broaden the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, which provides grants of $10,000 a year to college majors in math- and science-related subjects who agree to teach in highneed schools, by expanding recipients’ years of eligibility for aid and giving them more time to finish teacher training.

The bill, signed by Mr. Bush on Aug. 9, also addresses some of the president’s priorities for math and science education. It will create “Math Now,” a program in which the Department of Education will award grant money to implement proven strategies in that subject.

Bush administration officials have likened Math Now to the federal Reading First program, a $1 billion-a-year effort that seeks to improve instruction through the promotion of research-based practices in reading. The math program seeks to help students reach grade level in that subject and prepare them for algebra, which most students take in 8th or 9th grade, through federal grants that will flow to the states and then to local schools to improve K-9 instruction.

The law also authorizes more grant money for the expansion of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes in schools nationwide—programs the administration has supported.

In addition, it calls for the secretary of education to contract with the National Academy of Sciences to convene a national panel to “identify promising practices” in school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics studies—the so-called STEM subjects.

Dollars Not Guaranteed

Last year, the White House set up the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, a 17-member group charged with studying effective classroom strategies in math and presenting recommendations to the president. Lee Pitts, a spokesman for Sen. Alexander, said the new panel would “extend the work of the math panel into science, technology, and engineering,” not duplicate the work of the math advisers.

While the America COMPETES Act—which stands for America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science— authorizes new spending on math and science programs, it does not guarantee they will get that money. Appropriations for those programs are included in three separate spending bills under consideration by Congress, Mr. Pitts said.

At a press conference the day he signed the bill, President Bush voiced support for the overall bill while also complaining that it did not include several of his suggestions for improving math and science. He also lamented its pricetag, and said he would ask Congress to limit spending on the new programs.

“These are important steps forward,” Mr. Bush said. “Yet the bill Congress sent to my desk leaves some of the key priorities unfulfilled, and authorizes unnecessary and duplicative programs.”

Francis M. “Skip” Fennell, the president of the 100,000-member National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, in Reston, Va., commended provisions in the legislation that create support for inexperienced and struggling educators.

“[L]ack of proper mentoring and support for teachers is one reason so many leave the profession in the first years of teaching,” Mr. Fennell said in a statement.

Improving math and science education has been a constant theme among lawmakers and business leaders in recent years. While acknowledging the value of a strong math and science education, two former high-ranking Education Department officials, Chester E. Finn Jr. and Diane Ravitch, cautioned in an essay this week in The Wall Street Journal that policymakers who backed the America COMPETES Act need to recognize that U.S. economic strength and innovation also spring from students receiving a rich education in other subjects, too, such as literature, history, music, and geography.

U.S. leaders “reason that India and China will eat America’s lunch unless we boost our young people’s prowess in STEM fields,” Mr. Finn and Ms. Ravitch, who served as assistant secretaries of education in, respectively, Ronald Reagan’s and George H.W. Bush’s administrations, wrote on Aug. 8.

“The liberal arts,” they added, “make us ‘competitive’ in ways that matter most.”

Related Tags:

Associate Editor David J. Hoff contributed to this story.
A version of this article appeared in the August 15, 2007 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Improving Outcomes on State Assessments with Data-Driven Strategies
State testing is around the corner! Join us as we discuss how teachers can use formative data to drive improved outcomes on state assessments.
Content provided by Instructure
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Equity & Diversity Webinar
Classroom Strategies for Building Equity and Student Confidence
Shape equity, confidence, and success for your middle school students. Join the discussion and Q&A for proven strategies.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Disrupting PD Day in Schools with Continuous Professional Learning Experiences
Hear how this NC School District achieved district-wide change by shifting from traditional PD days to year-long professional learning cycles
Content provided by BetterLesson

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal How Schools Fare in Biden's Proposed Budget
President Joe Biden released his fiscal 2024 budget, which calls for more money for preschool, Title I, and special education.
7 min read
President Joe Biden speaks about his 2024 budget proposal at the Finishing Trades Institute, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Philadelphia.
President Joe Biden speaks about his 2024 budget proposal at the Finishing Trades Institute, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Philadelphia.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal The Push for a $60K Base Teacher Salary Gains Steam as Bernie Sanders Signs On
Sanders' legislation complements a proposal in the House and comes as state lawmakers from both parties prioritize legislation to boost teacher pay.
6 min read
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., outlines his priorities during an interview in his Capitol Hill office, Feb. 7, 2023.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., outlines his priorities during an interview in his Capitol Hill office, Feb. 7, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal Q&A Ending 'Government-Run Monopoly' on Schools Is Top Priority for Rep. Virginia Foxx
The Republican chair of the U.S. House's education committee plans to pass parents' rights and school choice bills.
5 min read
House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., greets then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at the conclusion of a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.' Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 6, 2018.
House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., greets then-Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at the conclusion of a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in June 2018. Foxx spoke to Education Week about her priorities as she becomes chair of the committee for a second time.
Carolyn Kaster/AP
Federal Opinion Is This the Key to Unlocking Breakthrough Education Research?
An innovative federal R&D program for education is getting underway. Rick Hess and Jal Mehta discuss their mixed feelings about it.
5 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty