Representatives Vern Ehlers (R-MI) and Rush Holt (D-NJ) are seeking
their colleagues' signatures on a letter requesting at least $450 million
in funding for the Department of Education's Math and Science Partnership
(MSP) program in the FY 2008 appropriations process. This is the originally-authorized
funding level for the Education Department's MSP program, but the program
has never received even half of that amount (the FY08 request is $182.1
million, equal to the FY07 request and the FY06 funding level). The
letter will be sent to key appropriators on the Labor, Health and Human
Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee.
In their cover letter seeking additional signatures, Ehlers and Holt
state that "funding for math and science professional development
is needed since we are seeing disturbing trends in the United States'
K-12 student performance on basic math and science tests. Students from
other countries are outperforming our own, and we are losing ground
in science and technology fields. The maintenance of our national expertise,
prosperity and security requires that our students dramatically improve
their math and science skills. In addition, the No Child Left Behind
Act requires science testing in 2007-08, making it imperative to provide
in-service science teacher training."
Ehlers and Holt hope to collect signatures and send the letter by the
end of this week. Other representatives are far more likely to sign
such a letter if contacted by their constituents. See http://www.aip.org/gov/commcong.html
for information on communicating with Congress. Note that government
resources should not be used to contact Members of Congress.
The text of the Ehlers-Holt letter to Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations
Subcommittee Chairman David Obey (-WI) and Ranking Minority Member James
Walsh (R-NY) follows:
"As your subcommittee considers its priorities for the
fiscal year 2008 appropriations for Labor, Health and Human Services
& Education, we respectfully request that you provide at least
$450 million in funding to strengthen mathematics and science education,
as authorized in the No Child Left Behind Act.
"A resounding bipartisan chorus of business leaders,
educators, Nobel laureates and other luminaries has called for improvements
in our nation's math and science education. Most recently, on March
7, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates testified regarding the importance
of math and science education, and stated, ‘If we are going to
demand more from our students and teachers, then it is our obligation
to provide them with the support they need to meet the challenge.
All students - regardless of age, grade level, gender, or race - do
better when they are supported by a good teacher.' The Math and Science
Partnerships provide necessary professional development enabling effective
math and science teaching and strengthening our students' math and
science skills.
"Jobs of the future will require an understanding of
the basic principles and concepts of math and science. Business owners,
in particular manufacturers, have noticed a disturbing trend where
they are unable to find qualified skilled workers in our nation. Of
the 800 U.S. manufacturers surveyed in the 2005 Skills Gap report,
80 percent reported a shortage of qualified workers overall, with
65 percent reporting a shortage of engineers and scientists. To have
the workers of the future, we need to give our kids a chance by providing
them teachers who are trained to teach math and science properly and
understandably. It is critical for our children's and our nation's
future.
"Through formula grants to every state, the Math and
Science Partnerships provide crucial teacher professional development
by linking school districts with university mathematics, science and
engineering departments. The Math and Science Partnership program
at the Department of Education was designed to work in tandem with
the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Math and Science Program,
and a separate letter has been sent to request significant funding
for NSF.
"We respectfully request that you continue to strengthen
our math and science education system by providing $450 million for
the Department of Education's Math and Science Partnership program."
Enlarge text
Shrink text
Print
E-mail
Digg this
Del.icio.us
Furl