[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class size, to repair outdated school facilities, to construct new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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