President Bush's FY 2005 proposal to begin phasing out the Math and
Science Partnership (MSP) program at NSF, and to instead add a competitive
grant program for high school math to the Education Department's Math
and Science Partnership program, continues to receive opposition from
influential voices in Washington. The National Science Board has issued
a statement to the White House and Congress in support of the NSF partnership
program. In the Senate, Sen. John "Jay" Rockefeller (D-WV)
is seeking additional signatures on a "Dear Colleague" letter
with a similar message, to the chairman and ranking minority member
of the Senate VA/HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, Christopher Bond
(R-MO) and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD). The text of the letter is provided
below. As Rockefeller's office plans to release the letter early next
week, interested constituents who want to urge their senators to sign
on must act quickly.
There seems to be little support among key Members of Congress for
Bush's proposal; both Bond and Mikulski have already voiced their opposition
to the loss of the NSF MSPs, as have House Science Committee Chairman
Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and other members of the Science Committee.
Additionally, Bush's proposal to enhance the Education Department MSPs
with a high school mathematics program seems unlikely to go anywhere;
a staffer for House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman
John Boehner (R-OH) has indicated that Boehner is not inclined to open
the "No Child Left Behind" law for amendment in the coming
year.
Rockefeller has gathered 13 additional signatures so far on his "Dear
Colleague" letter to Bond and Mikulski. All are Democrats except
for Sen. James Jeffords, who is an Independent: Barbara Boxer (CA),
Jon Corzine (NJ), Christopher Dodd (CT), Richard Durbin (IL), Russ
Feingold (WI), Daniel Inouye (HI), James Jeffords (VT), Tim Johnson
(SD), Edward Kennedy (MA), Frank Lautenberg (NJ), Carl Levin (MI),
Patty Murray (WA), and Ron Wyden (OR). The text of Rockefeller's letter
follows; the National Science Board statement will be provided in FYI
#44.
"Dear Colleagues,
"We are writing to urge you to maintain funding
for the National Science Foundation's Math and Science Partnership
program, which was enacted in 2002 as part of the reauthorization
of the National Science Foundation. This program is a fundamental
investment in developing innovative partnerships among schools
and institutions of higher education for quality math and science.
"One distinguishing characteristic of the Math
Science Partnership program from other math and science efforts
in K-12 is that Math Science Partnerships emphasize relations
between institutions of higher education and local school districts.
Furthermore, institutional and organizational change is encouraged
in partner institutions to guarantee the sustainability of
promising policies and practices.
"Math and science are top priorities along with
reading under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). To achieve
the high standards of NCLB, we should invest in creating innovative
partnerships at the National Science Foundation, and provide
basic formula funding to states through the Department of Education.
"In FY2004, the National Science Foundation received
$138.2 million out of the $200 million authorized for the Math
and Science Partnership program. We agree with Dr. Warren Washington,
Chair of the National Science Board, who testified before your
subcommittee that elementary and secondary math and science
education are part of the core mission of the National Science
Foundation. Maintaining these innovative partnerships is vital
for the Foundation and for the promotion of quality math and
science education.
"There is a clear need for two separate and distinct
programs for Math and Science Partnerships. The Foundation's
model is designed for competitive grants to spur innovative
programs that will be peer reviewed and evaluated to enhance
research on effective math and science education. The Department
of Education's program provides states with formula funding
to give states the base investment to meet No Child Left Behind
standards. Knowledge gained from the competitive Foundation's
partnerships can improve and enhance state investments. Trying
to move the Foundation's competitive grants into the Department
of Education could force Congress to open the No Child Left
Behind Act.
"The Math Science Partnership program, which began in 2002, was designed
to respond to a growing national concern – the tendency for U. S. children
to perform poorly in mathematics and science. Over 30 years of research on student
achievement shows that American students do not perform as well as their foreign
counterparts in these subject areas. This research found that science teaching
in the United States is falling behind other countries in quality and that American
students often arrive at college unprepared to major in technical fields.
"Math and science education supports our nation's technological advancement.
Technological advancement supports economic development. To stay competitive
in this increasingly technological world we must invest in innovative math and
science education programs. Under the auspices of the National Science Foundation,
Math Science Partnerships have helped our nation accomplish these goals. The
program should remain at the National Science Foundation and be appropriately
funded.
"Additionally, the Math and Science Partnership
program encourages bright people to enter the teaching profession
by establishing a scholarship program for college students
who agree to become K-12 math or science teachers and providing
funds for research on math and science teaching and classroom
performance. These partnerships show true promise in improving
math and science instruction for the future, but only if the
program remains at the Foundation with its competitive, peer-reviewed
model, including evaluations.
"Thank you for your careful consideration of this request."
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