[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 43 (Thursday, April 6, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ACCELERATING THE CREATION OF TEACHERS OF INFLUENCE FOR OUR NATION 
                              (ACTION) ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2006

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, today I introduce the Accelerating the 
Creation of Teachers of Influence for Our Nation (ACTION) Act, a bill 
that creates highly qualified science, technology, engineering, and 
mathematics teachers for elementary and secondary classrooms across 
America.
  The ACTION Act has two separate pieces. Through the scholarship 
portion we create teachers with a science, technology, engineering, and 
mathematics degree with teacher certification to raise scientific 
literacy and teach critical thinking, two necessary skills for our 
citizenry in the 21st century. Each student receiving this scholarship 
would have a teaching service requirement and if it is not fulfilled 
the scholarship reverts to a student loan. Students can also obtain 
their Masters in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or 
education.
  The competitive renewal university grants encourage universities or a 
consortium of universities to create these programs, thus augmenting 
the pool of potential institutions for these scholarship recipients to 
attend.
  Recently Maine declared that they are retiring more science and 
mathematics teachers than are being produced by colleges and 
universities. The National Science Board Science and Engineering 
Indicators 2006 states that ``out-of-field teaching (as measured by 
either lacking a certificate or a college major or minor in the 
assigned teaching) field is common. A maximum of twenty-eight percent 
of high school mathematics and science teachers lacked full 
certification in their teaching field in academic 2002.''
  As the global economy of the 21st century unfolds, scientific and 
engineering occupations are expected to continue to grow more rapidly 
than occupations in general. Out future workforce must be literate and 
fluent in both the technical and the scientific arenas. The decisions 
facing our Nation will also require these skills, as we move into 
uncharted waters with such topics as STEM cell research, 
nanotechnology, high-tech manufacturing, aerospace engineering, and 
biotechnology. Right now our 15-year-old students score below the 
international average on the Program for International Student 
Assessment which measures students' abilities to apply scientific and 
mathematical concepts and skills.
  It is time to take action and make changes necessary for the future 
of our Nation, and move the ACTION Act forward.

                          ____________________