Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) joined with Senate colleagues today to help give students a brighter future by passing the America COMPETES Act (ACA), which provides funding to critical sectors of research and education.

"We need to invest more in education and research if we are to stay ahead of emerging economies like China and India," said Sen. Carper, co-sponsor of the America COMPETES Act. "As we move into the 21st century, it is essential our students have the necessary tools to compete and succeed in the global marketplace."

Sen. Carper was an original co-sponsor of the legislation to increase investment in research, strengthen educational opportunities in math, science and foreign language, and develop an innovation infrastructure.

Legislative efforts to meet these educational needs include:

• Creating partnerships between National Laboratories and local high-need high schools to establish centers of excellence in math and science education.

• Providing Math Now grants to improve math instruction in the elementary and middle grades and provide targeted help to struggling students so that all students can master grade-level mathematics standards.

• Expanding programs to increase the number of students from elementary school through postsecondary education who study critical foreign languages and become proficient.

The bill calls for:

• Doubling funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to $11.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2011.

• Setting the Department of Energy's Office of Science on track to double funding over 10 years, to more than $5.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2011.