Gordon’s Math and Science Education Bill Clears Committee

March 28, 2007, WASHINGTON – The House Committee on Science and Technology approved U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon’s legislation designed to boost math and science education to ensure U.S. students will be able to compete for the jobs of the future.

“In its report on U.S. competitiveness, the National Academies told Congress that the most important thing we can do to maintain our country’s economy is invest in our science and math teachers,” said Gordon, who chairs the Science and Technology Committee.

“If we want our kids and grandkids to be able to compete for tomorrow’s jobs, we have to make sure our nation’s workers become the most skilled workforce in the world. We can do that by improving science and math education.”

Gordon’s “10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds” Science and Math Scholarship Act would address the critical shortage of certified science and math teachers in the U.S. by offering scholarships to science, math and engineering students who commit to becoming science or math teachers at elementary and secondary schools upon completion of their degrees. The bill would also authorize summer training institutes for teachers to focus on improving content knowledge.

The legislation was inspired by the foremost recommendation of the National Academies’ report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: improving K-12 science and math education. The report found that without action, the U.S. may not be able to maintain global leadership in innovation.

The panels found that in 2000 more than 85 percent of students in grades 5-9 were taught physical science by a teacher lacking a major or certification in the physical sciences. In 1999, 68 percent of U.S. 8th grade students received instruction from a mathematics teacher who did not hold a degree or certification in mathematics.

“When I ask scientists why they became interested in the field, the most common response is that a teacher inspired them,” said Gordon. “I want to make sure our teachers have the content knowledge and resources they need to inspire students and enable them to compete for the jobs of the future.”