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House Basic Research Subcommittee Hearing / The National
Science Foundation's Math, Science and Engineering
Education Programs
March 13, 1997
At the hearing of the Basic Research Subcommittee of
the House Science Committee on March 13, 1997, outside
witnesses testified in support of the National Science
Foundation's Math, Science and Engineering Education
programs. Outside witnesses included Mr. Richard Mills,
Commissioner of Education for New York State; Dr.
Edward Friedman, Director of the Center for Improvement
of Engineering and Science Education at the Stevens,
Institute of Technology, NJ; Dr. Nathan S. Lewis,
Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California
Institute of Technology; and Dr. Alfredo de los Santos,
Jr., Vice Chancellor for Student and Educational Development,
Maricopa County Colleges, AZ. Subcommittee Chairman,
Rep. Steve Schiff (R-NM), newly named Ranking Member,
James Barcia (D-MI), and other members of the subcommittee
praised the quality of the National Science Foundation
(NSF)'s educational programs and urged their continuation.
In their opening remarks, all witnesses echoed this
praise. Mr. Mills, commended the NSF's ability to
bring vision to the states through statewide systemic
reform and through insistence that reforms demonstrate
and document results. He pointed out that NSF's grant
to New York State, supplemented by funds leveraged
from the private sector, has encouraged New York to
study and learn from other states. He emphasized that
need to focus not just on setting goals and evaluating
results, but on building capacity to sustain the reforms.
Dr. Friedman commended NSF's push to get technology
into the classroom, but argued that this push has
created a growing need to give teachers and students
the tools to effectively use this technology. He suggested
training centers, which could be partially supported
by industry, as a means to provide interdisciplinary
guidance for teachers on how to use technology. As
the third witness, Dr. Lewis praised the Division
of Undergraduate Education's institute-wide curriculum
reforms and reinforced the importance of NSF's ability
to leverage private sector contribution, as well as
stimulate the participation of top scientists in all
levels of education. Finally, Dr. de los Santos highlighted
the importance of the Advanced Technology Education
program, commending in particular its focus on industry
participation.
Discussion between the witnesses and members focused
on how to better prepare teachers to teach math and
science and how to raised the level of math and science
education for all students, rather than just an elite
few. In reply to the suggestion from Rep. Schiff that
magnet schools or training centers should be more
widely utilized, the panel unanimously agreed that
good math and science education is important for all
students, not just a few. The panel agreed further
that, while magnet schools may not reach a sufficient
number of students, technology can enable the centers
to reach a broad population. Rep. Boehlert lamented
about the NSF's decrease of 1.73 million (-0.5%) in
investments in PreK-12 education. Rep Barcia the panel
to name the barriers to reform in higher education,
and tell the Committee how NSF could better meet these
challenges. Rep Ehlers added his concern that students
graduating from the nation's top universities remain
ignorant about science. He quoted a study in which
95 percent of Harvard and UCLA graduates thought the
seasons occur as the sun moves closer and farther
from the earth. He asked the panel why, if we have
been studying how to improve math and science education
for decades, we still produce students who do not
understand basic concepts such as what causes seasonal
variation. In response to these concerns, the panel
reaffirmed the National Science Foundation's effectiveness,
particularly in its systemic reforms. Dr. Lewis called
for all teachers to "embrace the students as customers"
and for the Foundation to continue using a wide variety
of strategies for K-12, undergraduate and graduate
education. The panel recommended continued focus on
systemic reform and teaching students how, rather
than just what, to learn. Finally, Rep. Rivers asked
how the U.S. is doing compared to other countries.
Dr. Friedman pointed out, as an example, that Bulgaria
for example has much higher math and science standards
for teachers than does the U.S.
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