[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 54 (Tuesday, April 20, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H2183-H2189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 1999, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to 
lead the House's special order on mathematics and science education.
  Mr. Speaker, it is difficult to imagine a successful enterprise 
during the 20th century that has not involved proficiency in math and 
science. Skilled mathematicians and scientists have led the way in 
smashing the atom, discovering vaccines and cures for diseases, landing 
astronauts on the moon and developing the Internet. In fact, a notable 
author has heralded the last 100 years as the American Century.
  It is no exaggeration to say that mathematics and science provided 
the bricks and mortar that helped the U.S. construct its prominence on 
the world stage as a leader in the global economy and its sole status 
as superpower.
  Mr. Speaker, if the U.S. is to maintain its status as a world leader, 
it is necessary to fundamentally change how America looks at education 
and specifically mathematics and science education.
  The House Democrats have joined with President Clinton to improve 
education. We recognize that a high-quality education will ensure that 
today's students will become the skilled employees and business leaders 
of tomorrow. The Democrats have strongly supported measures to reduce 
class size, to repair outdated school facilities, to construct new 
schools and to ensure that public schools are safe places for our 
children to learn. These are important initiatives.
  We believe that it is in the national interest that improvements are 
made not only in our country's school architecture, but also in how we 
teach our students mathematics and science in kindergarten through the 
12th grade. Toward this end, we believe that greater emphasis needs to 
be placed on the training and recruitment of mathematics and science 
teachers. We need to make changes in mathematics and science curricula 
to give some students more access to computers. We can make 
improvements to study math and science in greater detail rather than 
focusing on just the basics.
  Today I would like to highlight some of the problems that exist when 
it comes to mathematics and science education. We will examine how 
these educational shortcomings adversely affect the recruitment of 
employees to businesses, particularly in the field of information 
technology and other information-based fields.
  When it comes to mathematics and science education in the U.S., 
students need practice and more practice. Compared to their 
international peers, American students ranked near the bottom in the 
Third International Mathematics and Science Study that was released 
last year and in 1996. Results at the third and fourth grade levels 
showed that Korea was the top-performing country in science; Japan was 
second; and the U.S. and Austria shared the third position.
  In mathematics, Singapore, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong were the top, 
while American students came in in 12th place. For 12th graders, U.S. 
students ranked 16th in their knowledge of science and 19th in their 
knowledge of mathematics among the 21 competing countries. That is 
unsatisfactory.
  These findings underscore that U.S. students do not share the same 
proficiency in mathematics and science that their overseas peers have. 
Since these students will comprise tomorrow's work force, they will 
have a direct impact on our country's ability to compete in the global 
economy.
  There are many of us in the House who believe that the President and 
Congress need to embrace public policies to improve mathematics and 
science education. As the Subcommittee on Basic Research's ranking 
member, I have had several discussions with representatives of the 
information technology community. These business people have expressed 
their frustration in not being able to find qualified job applicants. 
In fact, one chief executive officer testified last month that in his 
company he had received 630 resumes in the first 6 months of its start-
up, and of those considered qualified, none were American born. One out 
of 10 jobs in information technology is currently unfilled according to 
the Information Technology Association of America. One in three job 
applicants tested by U.S. companies lacks the reading and mathematics 
skills for the job as reported by the American Management Association.
  These statistics reveal that there is a direct relationship between 
proficiency in math and science as a student and one's ability to be a 
successful employee in the evolving information-based workplace.

[[Page H2184]]

                              {time}  1800

  American Airlines, for example, is a major employer in my 
congressional district. This company has written me to express its 
interest in having a highly-trained workforce.
  ``Dear Representative Johnson: American Airlines, for instance, 
relies heavily on complex computer systems in order to plan and 
coordinate 2,200 flights, track over 300,000 pieces of baggage moving 
through our system and manage 343,000 reservation calls each day. 
Approximately two-thirds of American Airlines' 125,000 employees use 
computers on a daily basis, and our pilots, yield management 
specialists, and flight operation personnel depend on advanced math and 
computer skills in the routine performance of their jobs.''
  Some schools have already recognized the importance of promoting 
mathematics and science education. They have implemented programs that 
are developing our students' skills in math and science. These 
institutions ought to be commended for their efforts and encouraged to 
push the envelope when it comes to math and science instruction.
  The Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center located in Dallas in the 
low income area of my district is one school that provides cutting edge 
instructions of mathematics and science through its School of Science 
and Engineering.
  In addition to the Science and Engineering School, the Townview 
campus has schools of business and management; education and social 
services; government and law; health professions; and talented and 
gifted.
  The Townview campus, particularly in the Science and Engineering 
School, has many of the features that other American schools need to 
help other students compete in the 21st century's workforce. These 
components include small classroom size, the latest in computer 
technology, job site based internships that are related to the 
curriculum, independent learning, and a highly trained teaching staff.
  Townview students participate regularly in academic and technological 
competitions. They have even built voice-activated robots. I salute 
Townview students and its faculty. One component of the Townview 
experience sheds some light on one way that schools can improve 
education opportunities for children. That is through the development 
of partnerships between schools and the businesses in their community.
  Businesses can work with schools in their communities to do such 
things as donate computer equipment, set up job site internships for 
students, as well as the establishment of college scholarships for 
promising math and science students.
  Last month, I introduced the Math and Science Proficiency Partnership 
Act, H.R. 1265, to improve mathematics and science education for 
students kindergarten through the 12th grade, as well as to increase 
training for math and science teachers.
  The purpose of H.R. 1265 is to encourage partnerships between schools 
and businesses in their communities, to improve lower test scores by 
students and to enrich the applicant pool for high technology firms in 
other fields dependent upon engineering and math. My area is prolific 
in its need for this skill and it will grow as we move into the 21st 
century.
  Schools in urban and rural areas do not always have the resources 
that other schools have. Schools and the businesses located in their 
communities are strategically poised to partner with each other. My 
bill authorizes the National Science Foundation to award 10 partnership 
grants through its urban and rural systemic initiative programs.
  The National Science Foundation director will make five grants to 
urban areas and five grants to rural areas. Each grant will not exceed 
$300,000 and the total amount authorized is only $3 million, a small 
amount for the need that this entire Nation needs for its workforce for 
the future.
  The purpose of the partnership grants is to assist in training of 
math and science teachers and to further education opportunities for 
science and math students. The grants will be awarded to schools that 
have successfully established partnerships to accomplish the above-
mentioned teacher training and educational opportunities for 
mathematics and science students.
  Eligibility of the grants will be based on how well the participating 
schools and businesses have forged their partnerships. Ways that 
schools can participate include sponsoring advanced and innovative 
training for math and science teachers. Ways that businesses can 
participate in the partnership include setting up college scholarship 
programs for promising math and science students, establishing 
mentoring and internship programs at the company's job site, as well as 
donation of computer hardware and software to participating schools.
  The legislation directs the National Science Foundation director to 
conduct a long-range study on the students who have participated in the 
partnership program and their ability to land and to retain jobs in 
math and science and information technology.
  I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this bill but, moreover, I continue 
to urge the entire Congress to look at these areas because it impacts 
directly on our economy in this global society. The ability of students 
to be skilled in mathematics and science education is directly linked 
to whether the U.S. and its companies will be successful in the 21st 
century. That is why schools and businesses need to increase their 
efforts to establish these partnerships now, so that today's students 
can take their places in the skilled information workforce tomorrow.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson).
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, as a former high school physical science teacher, I know 
the value of science education, and I remember the sense of 
anticipation and excitement that my students shared with me when we 
huddled around a television set as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon 
in 1969. I saw the gleam in their eyes that inspired them to become our 
future engineers and scientists, those of today.
  Unfortunately, today's scientists and engineers do not accurately 
represent the ethnic and racial makeup of our melting pot society. In 
fact, the Beaumont Independent School District is comprised of about 70 
percent minority students and, of those, 55 percent are considered to 
be economically disadvantaged.
  We must do something today to ensure that every child in every home 
or apartment building in this Nation, regardless of their color, 
religion, economic status, can realize their dream of becoming an 
astronaut or physics instructor or researcher.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to talk about an exciting program in 
my southeast Texas district that motivates school-aged minority 
students to study math and science and explore new frontiers where no 
man or woman has gone before.
  As a member of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, I was able 
to help Lamar University in Beumont to secure a space, science and 
technology educational program grant to provide disadvantaged high 
school students with science curriculum and related hands-on 
interactive learning activities.

  For example, students from my hometown will be going on a field trip 
to Austin, Texas, to explore the relationship between astroid impacts 
and the extinction of dinosaurs more than 65 million years ago by 
studying dinosaur tracks. So far, this program has trained more than 
200 teachers and has benefited more than 23,000 students in Beaumont 
public schools.
  It is also worth pointing out that the in-kind and cash contributions 
of the consortium members total more than $800,000. Moreover, Lamar 
University, which is my alma mater, waived the institutional overheads 
for this program because of its wide-ranging regional impact on the 
education of southeast Texas youth.
  I am not a gambling man, Mr. Speaker, but I bet that NASA's 
educational grant will turn out to be a wise investment in the future 
of engineering, technology and scientific research. My guess is that a 
decade or so from now there will be men and women who attended Beaumont 
Independent Schools working as astronauts and physicists at NASA and 
other space industries. That is what I am banking on.

[[Page H2185]]

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey).
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Texas 
(Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) for putting this together and giving us a 
chance to speak on the important subject of science and math, and also 
for representing our subcommittee.
  I also want to thank the gentlewoman from Texas, our distinguished 
ranking member of the Subcommittee on Basic Research, for bringing us 
here together today. I am very proud to serve on her committee, and 
under her leadership I am enjoying exploring important issues like 
math, science and technology education for our children.
  As one of the few members of both the Committee on Science and 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, how our children learn math, 
science and technology is extremely important to me and I consider it 
important for everyone in this Nation.
  Math and science have not only shaped our history but now, more than 
ever, will shape our future. I am concerned, however, that our students 
are not learning math, science and technology as well as students of 
other countries, the countries that we compete against in the global 
marketplace. This is reflected in the Third International Mathematics 
and Science Study, which measured fourth, eighth and twelfth grade 
students in the United States with comparable countries.
  Disturbingly, by the 12th grade our students were ranked among the 
lowest in math and science, and in physics we finished last. I know we 
can do better. We must do better and we will, but we first need to 
deepen our commitment to math, science and technology education.
  A recent President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, 
or PCAST, report recommended an applied research study to determine 
what has been effective and what has not been effective in teaching our 
children math, science and technology. The Ehlers report last year 
pointed out that we spend about $300 billion annually on education but 
only about 
1/100th of a percent of that is spent on researching how our students 
learn.
  Again, I hope that the bipartisan desire to improve math, science and 
technology education will lead to increased funding for education 
research so that our children can grow into our country's current role 
as a nation of innovation.
  Even more concerning to me, however, is that too many girls have been 
largely left out of the technological revolution. A recent news story 
had a brother and a sister talking about their interest in computers. 
The girl said, and I quote, I do not like them. I only use them when I 
have to. The boy, on the other hand, saw computers as a tool to make 
his work easier.
  It is clear that there are inequities in the education system between 
boys and girls, and that this would be the worst time to step away from 
fixing those imbalances. We are finding that girls do well with math 
and science education until about the ninth grade. After that, they are 
largely absent in classes and programs that teach math, science and 
technology.
  As we talk today about the criteria to measure success, we want to 
include criteria for measuring the progress of girls and boys in these 
fields. We need to learn more about how girls and boys learn, both 
about math, science and technology; what makes it interesting and what 
keeps it interesting. We cannot expect girls to be motivated the same 
way as boys.
  We also need to improve what our students are being taught and by 
whom. Teacher training is a vital link in improving our students' math, 
science and technology education. Again, the Ehlers report saw this 
need and recommended recruiting teachers with a formal education in 
these disciplines. However, retaining quality math, science and 
technology teachers is very difficult. That is why I strongly recommend 
compensating them accordingly.
  Again, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) 
for convening this very important special order. Hopefully, through 
events like these and through our work on the Committee on Science, we 
can help find a direction that takes all students, girls, boys, wealthy 
and disadvantaged, younger and older, into the 21st century.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), an outstanding legislator.
  Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), my good friend and 
colleague from Dallas, for organizing this special order tonight on 
education in math and science.
  Just to digress for a minute on a personal note, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) and I have served together since both 
of us were many years younger, starting in 1973 as a State 
representative in Austin, Texas, and then in the State Senate before we 
both felt the urge to run for Congress in 1992. It is good to serve 
with her for all these 26 years. I need to go back to my math to count 
all of those years now.

                              {time}  1815

  Mr. Speaker, our country, a leader in the world, has fallen 
dramatically behind the rest of the world in the critical subjects of 
math and science. When compared to students in European nations, our 
students finish at the bottom of their class.
  I would like to commend my colleague for introducing the Mathematics 
and Science Proficiency Partnership Act, and I am proud to be a 
cosponsor of this legislation. This important legislation will help us 
provide both students and teachers the critical skills in math, science 
and information technology. Without these skills, our youth will be 
ill-equipped to compete in tomorrow's high-tech, computer-oriented 
marketplace.
  I would like to also highlight the success of our home State of Texas 
in developing the tools necessary to begin addressing the problem. 
Texas, in 1984, set an example and created the TAAS test, the test that 
represents a comprehensive assessment of problem-solving ability and 
higher-order thinking skills that all students must pass to earn their 
high school diplomas. It is given all during their latter years in 
school, but it is an exit-level exam that is required for graduation.
  Texas has taken it even one step further. In 1994, Texas schools 
began administering an end-of-course exam. These exams are designed to 
measure student progress toward the achievement of academic goals. 
These tests not only provide a solid measure of student achievement, 
they can also provide a benchmark that can be used to measure the 
performance of future students and provide for institutional 
accountability.
  Texas schools have used these tests to find out what works and what 
does not when it comes to educating our children. I sometimes think we 
can test too much, and with both TAAS and the end-of-course exams, that 
may be too much, but I know we do not need anymore, because now we need 
to focus on content, and that is what my colleague has in her 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1994 in the Houston ISD, only 49 percent of the 
students in HISD could pass the TAAS exams for mathematics. Among 
African-American students, it was only 41 percent. Among Hispanic 
students, 44 percent, and among low-income students, the rate was 42 
percent. That was in 1994. In 1998, four years later, we have seen the 
dramatic impact that these tests have in helping increase the rate of 
passage.
  Mr. Speaker, 77 percent of all students passed the TAAS mathematics 
test, an increase of 28 percent in 4 years. Among African-American 
students, the passage rate went to 73 percent; that is a 32 percent 
increase in 4 years. Among Hispanic students, the passage rate rose to 
74 percent, an increase of 30 percent; and the passage rate among low-
income students also rose to 74 percent, and that is a 32 percent 
increase.
  We saw similar results in the Aldine ISD, a district that is just 
north of Houston; again, two very urban districts, Mr. Speaker, and 
another school district that I am proud and honored to represent. In 
Aldine, we have seen an even more dramatic increase in the number of 
students passing the mathematics portion of the TAAS test. In 1994, in 
the Aldine district, 56 percent

[[Page H2186]]

of all students passed. Among African-Americans it was only 42 percent, 
and among Hispanics, 55 percent, and among low-income students, 49 
percent. In four years, what a difference four years makes. In 1998, 87 
percent of all Aldine students passed their math TAAS, an increase of 
31 percent. Among African-American students, the passage rate rose to 
82 percent, an astounding increase of 40 percent. Among Hispanic 
students, their passage rate rose to 88 percent, an increase of 33 
percent, and among low-income students, the passage rate rose to 86 
percent, an increase of 36 percent.
  Mr. Speaker, we are testing the students now on the quality of what 
they are learning. We have seen success in the last 4 years, at least 
in the two districts that I represent, and that is true with a lot of 
our districts. But we still need to do programs like my colleague from 
Dallas has suggested, because what may work today will surely be behind 
the times tomorrow.
  Two weeks ago I had the opportunity with NASA, and NASA assigned an 
astronaut to me in my district, and so we went to middle schools in a 
predominantly Hispanic community in my district and had an astronaut, 
Dr. Franklin Chambias, along with a businessperson to talk about the 
importance of math and science. That is a one-day-a-year chance, we can 
only do three middle schools, to encourage those seventh and eighth 
graders to realize math and science are important. Programs like my 
colleague has introduced is something that needs to be done every day 
of the year, because if we do not, surely our students will be behind 
and the United States will not be the competitive Nation that we are 
now, and that is why this legislation is so important.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague not only for tonight, 
but also for authoring this legislation, and again, I am proud to be a 
cosponsor.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge).
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from 
Texas for yielding me time, and I also want to express my deep 
appreciation for her setting up this Special Order and providing 
leadership on this very important issue. It is an issue of grave 
importance I think to this country and certainly to the economic life 
and viability of America.
  I also want to thank the gentlewoman and congratulate her for 
introducing this legislation, and I am proud to be a cosponsor, that 
will go a long way, in my opinion, in encouraging our youngsters to 
take an interest in the fields of science, math, and really an area we 
sort of tend to forget sometimes; we talk about it as if it is a 
separate piece, and that is this whole area of information technology 
that really is deeply rooted in science and mathematics.
  We can talk about standards for students and teachers and we can talk 
about the math and science curriculum until we are blue in the face, 
but if we do not generate more interest in these fields among our 
children, these efforts will mean very little. Talk is cheap, but it 
takes a lot of hard work to do it. So I want to thank the gentlewoman 
for her leadership on this issue. It is an issue that I think deserves 
the interest and an awful lot of time of Members of this Congress.
  I am sure it does not come as a surprise to the gentlewoman or to 
anyone else on this floor tonight that as the former superintendent of 
the schools of the State of North Carolina, the topic of science and 
math education is not only near and dear to me, but it is an important 
one that I have spent an awful lot of time working on. When I was 
superintendent in our State, one of our primary goals was to improve 
the science and math education for our children, and we did a number of 
things in this regard in North Carolina.
  As the gentlewoman knows, her home State and my State of North 
Carolina, the States of Texas and North Carolina are two States that 
have been singled out by the Secretary of Education and the President 
on numerous occasions as two States that really are doing some of the 
right things. But, the thing to remember is, we have a long ways yet to 
go. Science and math education is a long journey.

  We have worked hard in North Carolina to encourage local curriculum. 
We have a State system of schools really, and we worked on it hard in 
the early grades to make learning of math and science fun for our 
children, but at the same time, putting a lot of rigor in it. We have 
done a lot of applied learning at the same time. Rather than just the 
analytical kind we have done for years, we have put a lot of applied 
opportunities in the classroom, and that takes money. It means that we 
need to have tools to work with.
  We have worked hard in North Carolina to increase the availability of 
technology in the classroom and to link our schools to the information 
highway, what we now call the Internet, and that is so critical. If we 
want to open up the opportunities for teachers to teach and children to 
learn, they have to have access to the things that we take for granted 
in the business community every day.
  I used to say when I traveled the State that if one wants to go into 
any modern office, one will find a telephone, a computer and a whole 
number of other things. If one goes into a school, we expect the 
teachers to go to the office to use the telephone, and they may have a 
computer in the library or the media center, as we call it, and that is 
not acceptable in the 21st century if we want our children to learn.
  We placed a great emphasis on putting children into a more rigorous 
math and science curriculum and we have done a lot of that in North 
Carolina. We raised standards in our math and science curriculum, 
increased the units of math and science every child needed for 
graduation, and probably one of the most significant developments that 
we made, and this was done early on as I went in as superintendent, we 
required algebra as a requirement for graduation for our students. We 
said, well, that is nothing great. Well, the truth is, too many 
students were allowed to get out with just general math and we went to 
requiring it for graduation, and many said, it will not work. We are 
going to fail a lot of students. Well, what happened, too many times 
algebra has been used as a filter. It filtered out an awful lot of 
students that had an opportunity and ability to do it: females, 
African-Americans and a number of our minority students were filtered 
out. We turned it into a pump primer. And what that meant is we forced 
more into it, and we got better at teaching; we had to do a better job 
of staff development for our teachers. And lo and behold, guess what 
happened. Math scores went up, and so did our reading scores.
  So we have used it in a way to make a difference. I think if we 
enrich the curriculum and we give the teachers the tools and we help 
them in staff development and we encourage students, they will rise to 
the occasion. I read with interest this weekend that other States are 
beginning to follow our lead and require algebra in earlier grades.
  Obviously, there is no silver bullet to improve science and math 
education. It is hard work. However, there is no doubt that we must 
start in the earlier grades to help our children develop the skills 
that they need to be successful in the science and technology-based 
economy of the 21st century.
  The debate over science and math curriculum is not simply one of 
improving test scores or making our children smarter. It is fundamental 
to the future of our country and its prosperity in the 21st century, 
and it is absolutely fundamental to our children's ability to deal with 
the complicated issues that they will face in the 21st century.
  North Carolina has become a hub of our Nation's technology 
revolution. The Research Triangle Park area boosts some of the best 
research universities in the world and is the home to a host of a world 
renowned pharmaceutical, biotechnology, telecommunications and computer 
companies, the same list that you can read in Texas and some of our 
other high-tech centers.
  The technology revolution has been good to North Carolina. But hardly 
a week goes by that I do not talk to a company's CEO who tells me that 
we need to improve science and math education and that we need more 
people with technical skills entering the workforce. It is true in our 
State, it is true across this country. Unfortunately, too often in this 
town, what is best for our children gets bogged down

[[Page H2187]]

in petty politics and partisan power struggles.
  Take the Dollars for the Classroom program, block grants that were 
just introduced today by the loyal opposition. Having been a 
superintendent for 8 years and been at that level, I can tell my 
colleagues that block grants are great if we have a great grant-writer. 
It is a sorry way to dispense money for poor folks who do not have 
grant-writers. Guess which children have the greatest need for science 
and math education? It is those children in those districts that do not 
have good grant-writers. And I think it is a sham if we go through such 
a charade talking about putting more in the classroom. People who have 
the greatest need are hurt the most by block grants.
  Now, Mr. Speaker, when we are forced to stand on the floor and debate 
whether or not we should increase the number of foreign workers we 
allow in this country to meet the needs of our companies here for 
workers in some of the fields that our high-tech companies and biotech 
companies and others need, something is wrong. I can tell my colleagues 
that something is wrong, and we need to fix it. I am here to tell my 
colleagues that there is one Member of Congress that is committed to 
fixing it, because the future of this country, the future of my State 
and the future of our children depend on it.

                              {time}  1830

  I want to thank my friend, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie 
Bernice Johnson), because she has decided that she is going to do more 
than talk about it. She has put together a bill, and I commend her for 
it.
  I am proud to be a cosponsor on a piece of legislation that does 
something about the issue of putting resources out there where children 
are across the country in rural districts that have great needs, as 
well as urban districts, because the one thing that we are short of in 
this country is having the kind of staff development that teachers need 
to be able to teach math and science in a way that children can learn, 
and we can move them into a higher level as we approach the 21st 
century.
  I commend the gentlewoman from Texas for her vision, and I thank her 
for highlighting the importance of this issue.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the 
gentleman from North Carolina, and I yield to the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) for her leadership 
on the Committee on Science.
  I am delighted to join her this evening as a member of the Committee 
on Science, and also a chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, to 
congratulate her for her legislation that really has as its underlying 
premise that children can learn.
  I think that that is the key element of what we are discussing this 
evening: One, the importance of math and science, and the fact that 
America's children should not be at any less of a level than any of the 
children of the world; that America's children can learn math, they can 
learn science, and more importantly, they can enjoy it.
  As a member of the Texas delegation and a member of the Committee on 
Science and a member of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, I 
interact a lot with NASA and the needs of NASA, the funding needs, of 
course, but the technological needs.
  How exciting it is for young people, as I had the opportunity to 
bring into my district a number of the astronauts to introduce to young 
people what the fun things are that one can do by knowing math and 
science. How interested they were, elementary school students, high 
school students, in being exposed to the career options that math and 
science can bring about.
  The fact is that our children are not willing to not learn, if I can 
use a double negative, science and math. They only have to be inspired 
to do so. I think it is very important that we include the corporate 
combination that the gentlewoman has included in her legislation, the 
partnership, the mentoring that is so very important to encourage our 
young people to study math and science.
  Mr. Speaker, I am a ranking member on the Subcommittee on Immigration 
and Claims. In that there is great discussion always about the number 
of individuals we must bring in from other places outside the United 
States because we do not have enough of an employee base to provide for 
the various technological companies around the Nation. We do not have 
enough people to fill the slots.
  This past weekend I met with and talked with one of the human 
resource persons of our number two company in this Nation that deals 
with technological issues. He documented that there are not enough 
Americans trained in math and science or coming through the pipeline to 
be able to provide all of the positions that will be needed as we move 
into the 21st century.
  I say shame, shame, shame on us. So I hope that this legislation can 
move quickly. I hope we can collaborate with the gentlewoman to do even 
more.
  This is an authorizing piece of legislation. I hope that we will find 
more dollars in the appropriating forces to ensure that we give dollars 
to our school districts or complement the school programs that will 
help make math and science interesting.
  My daughter had a professor, or there was a professor in her school, 
and there was a rumor going around that he taught physics, and he 
taught it by laying horizontally across the desk. Some people say he 
even levitated into the air. That was a rumor going around in the 
school. Well, there was standing room only in his physics class, as we 
can imagine. That is because he made math and science interesting.
  Therefore, I would look forward to supporting the legislation of the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson). I think it is 
extremely important that we say to America's children, you can learn, 
and that we pass legislation that will emphasize the value of math and 
science to provide career opportunities for all of the children of 
America, and that we can stand equal in the world's market, that we 
will be the leaders in math and science. I know we can.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith), the chair of this subcommittee.
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding to me. I would like to commend the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Eddie Bernice Johnson) for moving ahead with something we need to 
accomplish, because it is so important that we look at all avenues in 
encouraging additional students to pursue the sciences.
  Let me just say, as we contemplate more seriously the world's 
situation, as we consider where America might be in the next 10 or 20 
or 30 years, the challenges of staying ahead and being on the cutting 
edge of science and technology and information so that we can maximize 
our productivity and therefore our competitiveness is so very important 
today, probably more so than it has ever been in history.
  Again, I commend the gentlewoman from Texas for exploring and looking 
at these avenues of how we might continue to encourage more students 
and higher qualifications in the area of science and mathematics.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to also 
express my appreciation for having the opportunity to visit scientists 
from New Zealand on a recent trip.
  I appreciate the gentleman's leadership in looking to see what other 
places around the world might be doing so that we can better understand 
what we need to be doing. I thank the gentleman very much.
  Mr. Speaker, I do want to do some final closing remarks by reading a 
portion of the statements of the gentleman from California (Mr. George 
Brown), ranking member of the full committee, an outstanding Member of 
this Congress, who knows full well what we are talking about here. He 
is not able to be here this evening, but he sent his statement.
  In part, it reads:
  ``The importance of science and math education to the Nation's future 
well-being is without question.
  ``The post-industrial society will have an ever growing need for 
highly trained individuals in science and technology. Clearly, we must 
ensure a full pipeline of students moving towards careers in these 
fields, if we are to compete successfully with our Major

[[Page H2188]]

economic competitors in the 21st century. To meet the demand, the 
Nation must take advantage of the human resource potential of all the 
people.

  ``But there is an equally important reason for effective science and 
math education in all parts of the Nation. Technology now infuses more 
and more aspects of daily life. Most workplaces are becoming 
increasingly technological. This means that all citizens need a basic 
grounding in science and math to function in an increasingly complex 
world and to lead fulfilling lives.
  ``The situation is complicated by the uneven quality of educational 
opportunities across the broad diverse Nation. We are running the risk 
of a widening gulf between those with the training to thrive in this 
new work environment and those lacking the basic skills to qualify for 
the high-tech workplace.
  ``It is important to find ways to spur the interest and encourage the 
study of science and math by students at all levels of ability. The 
growing reality is that a strong back and a strong work ethic will not 
be enough to ensure a good job in the 21st century.
  ``In addition to mastering the three Rs, students must learn as much 
as they can about science and technology, because such knowledge will 
be a key to their future. Efforts to reform science and math education 
must seek to engage and cultivate the interest of all children.
  ``There is much evidence that young children are naturally interested 
in science and that grade school students in the U.S. perform well in 
science and math. This was shown to be the case in the recent results 
of the Third International Math and Science Study, known as TIMSS. U.S. 
students at the fourth-grade level were near the top in the 
international comparison.
  ``However, the picture changes for the worse as students move through 
the school system. By middle school, again from the TIMSS findings, 
U.S. students have drifted down to the average performance level of the 
international comparisons, and well below most of our major economic 
competitors. And by the terminal year of high school, U.S. students are 
near the bottom of the rankings in math and science performance.
  ``There are no simple answers for reversing this dismal situation. 
Many interrelated factors are involved. Engaging curriculum materials 
coupled with a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to teaching have 
promise for improving student outcomes in science and math. This will 
require curriculum development and teacher professional development.'' 
But we also must be motivated, and our children must be motivated and 
excited.
  ``An excellent example of an educational program that has a proven 
record for providing such excitement is the JASON Project. The 
brainchild of world-famous explorer Dr. Robert Ballard, JASON is a 
year-round scientific expedition designed to engage students in science 
and technology through live satellite and Internet broadcasts.
  ``For 2 weeks, students at interactive network sites in the U.S. and 
other countries can watch the expedition live, interact with 
scientists, control live-feed video cameras. The JASON network now 
reaches over 2 million students.
  ``The tenth expedition in this series this past march focused on a 
comparative study of temperate, tropical and fossil rainforests, with 
the live segment originating from the Peru tropical rainforest.''
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Brown) had the opportunity to 
spend a day participating in this exploration at one of the JASON 
network downlink sites located at the A.B. Miller High School in 
Fontana, in his district. This is currently the only JASON downlink 
site in Southern California.
  ``JASON is helping to change how science is taught in the classroom 
and will help to reverse the harmful decline of students interest in 
science and technology.''
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Brown) has been a JASON supporter 
since its inception, and is pleased to see its expansion and continuing 
excellence.
  ``The JASON Project is driven largely by private sector initiatives 
and supported mainly by industry contributions. But there is also a 
role for Federal programs to improve science education.
  ``There is no doubt that the Federal role in K-12 education is 
limited and that the Federal resources available are but a small 
fraction of the national investment in K-12 education. But the Federal 
Government can be a catalyst for constructive change in our schools, if 
its a relatively small education investment and is wisely directed.''
  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the text of the entire 
statement of the gentleman from California (Mr. Brown).
  The text of the statement of Mr. Brown of California is as follows:
  Mr. BROWN of California. Mr. Speaker, the importance of science and 
math education to the nation's future well being is without question.
  The post-industrial society will have an ever growing need for highly 
trained individuals in science and technology. Clearly, we must ensure 
a full pipeline of students moving toward careers in these fields, if 
we are to compete successfully with our major economic competitors in 
the 21st century. To meet the demand, the nation must take advantage of 
the human resource potential of all our people.
  But there is an equally important reason for effective science and 
math education in all parts of the nation. Technology now infuses more 
and more aspects of daily life. Most workplaces are becoming 
increasingly technological. This means that all citizens need a basic 
grounding in science and math to function in an increasingly complex 
world and to lead fulfilling lives.
  The situation is complicated by the uneven quality of educational 
opportunity across this broad and diverse nation. We are running the 
risk of a widening gulf between those with the training to thrive in 
this new work environment and those lacking the basic skills to qualify 
for the high-tech workplace.
  It is important to find ways to spur the interest and encourage the 
study of science and math by students at all levels of ability. The 
growing reality is that a strong back and a strong work ethic will not 
be enough to ensure a good job in the 21st century.
  In addition to mastering the 3R's, students must learn as much as 
they can about science and technology, because such knowledge will be a 
key to their future. Efforts to reform science and math education must 
seek to engage and cultivate the interest of all children.
  There is much evidence that young children are naturally interested 
in science and that grade school students in the U.S. perform well in 
science and math. This was shown to be the case in the recent results 
of Third International Math and Science Study, known as TIMSS. U.S. 
students at the fourth-grade level were near the top in this 
international comparison.
  However, the picture changes for the worse as students move through 
the school system. By middle school, again from the TIMSS findings, 
U.S. students have drifted down to the average performance level of the 
international comparisons, well below most of our major economic 
competitors. And by the terminal year of high school, U.S. students are 
near the bottom of the rankings in science and math performance.
  There are no simple answers for reversing this dismal situation. Many 
interrelated factors are involved. Engaging curricular materials 
coupled with a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to teaching have 
promise for improving student outcomes in science and math. This will 
require curriculum development and teacher professional development. 
But we also must have motivated, excited children.
  An excellent example of an educational program that has a proven 
record for providing such excitement is the JASON Project. The 
brainchild of world-famous explorer, Dr. Robert Ballard, JASON is a 
year-round scientific expedition designed to engage students in science 
and technology through live satellite and Internet broadcasts.
  For two weeks, students at interactive network sites in the U.S. and 
other countries can watch the expedition live, interact with 
scientists, and control live-feed video cameras. The JASON network now 
reaches over two million students.
  The tenth expedition in the series this past March focused on a 
comparative study of temperate, tropical and fossil rainforests, with 
the live segment originating from the Peru tropical rainforest. I had 
the opportunity to spend a day participating in this exploration at one 
of the JASON network downlink sites located at the A.B. Miller High 
School in Fontana in my district. This is currently the only JASON 
downlink site in Southern California.
  JASON is helping to change how science is taught in the classroom and 
will help to reverse the harmful decline of student interest in science 
and technology. I have been a JASON supporter since its inception and 
am pleased to see its expansion and continuing excellence.

[[Page H2189]]

  The JASON Project is driven largely by private sector initiative and 
supported mainly by industry contributions. But there is also a role 
for federal programs to improve science education.
  There is no doubt that the federal role in K-12 education is limited 
and that the federal resources available are but a small fraction of 
the national investment in K-12 education. But the federal government 
can be a catalyst for constructive change in our schools, if its 
relatively small education investment is wisely directed.
  School budgets are tight and meager resources are available for such 
things as supporting experimentation with new curricular materials or 
training teachers on how to implement science standards in the 
classroom. The federal science and math education programs can provide 
an important supplement that can have an influence on reform efforts 
out of proportion to the size of the investment.
  In addition to providing financial resources, the federal government 
can bring to bear the scientific talent available in federal 
laboratories as an important resource for support of teachers, many of 
whom are unprepared to teach science and math subjects.
  An example of a Federal program to help train science and math 
teachers is a recent initiative involving the National Science 
Foundation and the Department of Energy's national labs. Teachers from 
school systems participating in NSF's education reform programs will be 
eligible to attend in-service training programs at the labs where they 
will use state-of-the-art facilities and instrumentation.
  The program will provide hands-on experience and help improve 
teachers' skills in integrating the tools of computer simulation and 
modeling with implementation of science and math standards. In 
California, the Lawrence Berkeley Lab, Lawrence Livermore Lab, and the 
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center will participate in the program.
  Another example of an innovative federal education programs is the 
NASA Student and Teacher Excellence Project, or STEP. STEP includes 
participation by some schools from San Bernardino County in my 
district.
  STEP has several complementary components to increase student 
performance in science and math. It will draw on NASA's resources to 
develop curriculum tied to real-world problems; it will provide 
professional development opportunities for teachers; and it will 
provide for home access by students and parents to STEP resources.
  The last component is a particularly important innovation which will 
greatly enlarge student access to the educational materials and draw in 
participation by parents.
  As I indicated earlier, there are no simple answers for improving K-
12 science and math education. Federal, state and local government, and 
the private sector all have important roles. We must identify best 
practices and effective programs, and then work to achieve their widest 
dissemination. Much remains to be done, but we cannot afford not to 
succeed.
  Mr. Speaker, I will close by simply making one more plea, that we 
must give attention to this most critical need. We owe it to our 
Nation. We certainly owe it to our future.
  Our jobs will ultimately follow where the skills are located. If our 
companies are now having to hire mostly people that are non-American 
born, we can be sure that our companies cannot remain competitive until 
we make sure that every American child is excited about math and 
science.
  We must start with teacher preparation. Many of our best teachers 
graduated more than 10 years ago from college. Our colleges did not 
have the integrated system of including our technologies at that time, 
so most of our teachers will have to return for further education.
  That further undergirds the notion that education is lifelong, and 
teachers more and more will have to continue to return for their 
offerings of improving their skills, but our institutions must be 
responsible for offering those needed skills. Mr. Speaker, we will 
continue working.

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