[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 76 (Wednesday, June 14, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5877-S5878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. Allen):
  S. 3510. A bill to amend the National Science Foundation 
Authorization Act of 2002 to authorize grants for Partnerships for 
Access to Laboratory Science (PALS); to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor and Pensions.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise today with my colleague from 
Virginia, Senator Allen, to introduce a bill designed to improve the 
science learning experience for students in low-income and rural 
schools across the country. Investing in education is about investing 
in our future. Today's young people will be facing a new world when 
they enter the workforce--a world that is globally integrated and where 
technology has transformed the boundaries of human capital. Our tax 
forms, blueprints, and x-rays can all be analyzed halfway around the 
world. The greatest asset we have in this country is our collective 
intellect, and the Nation's competitive future will depend on us 
nurturing the intellect of the next generation of Americans.
  In order to be competitive in the coming decades, we need to ensure 
that we have given our students the tools to be successful in science, 
engineering, mathematics, and technology. The Protecting America's 
Competitive Edge, PACE, Acts, which I am proud to be a cosponsor of, 
helps provide the tools at all levels of our educational system, from 
kindergarten through graduate school and beyond. Unfortunately, I am 
concerned that we may not be paying enough attention to those students 
that are already in the greatest danger of not reaping the full 
benefits of America's innovative future, such as minorities, women, and 
students in low-income or rural schools.
  For example, according to the National Science Foundation, only 7 
percent of our scientists and engineers are Hispanic, African American, 
or Native American, despite the fact that they make up 24 percent of 
the total population. A minority scientist is also far less likely to 
achieve a post-graduate degree. By 2020, one-quarter of the Nation's 
schoolchildren will be Hispanic, and another 14 percent will be African 
American. That's 40 percent of our precious human capital, and we can 
not neglect that tremendous resource when we talk about improving our 
competitiveness for the future. No business could afford to leave 40% 
of its capital sitting idle, and neither can the United States.
  That is why I introduced an amendment during the committee markup of 
the PACE-Energy bill, joined by Senator Allen, which will create a 
series

[[Page S5878]]

of outreach programs designed to get more minority elementary and 
secondary students excited about science, to make them want to enter 
these fields that will be such a crucial part of our economic future. A 
program like this called Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology 
Week, HESTEC, has been operating very successful for the past few years 
as the University of Texas--Pan American, and I hope to see that 
success replicated throughout the Nation.
  But these types of programs are only one part of getting students 
hooked on science. We can spend all the time in the world telling 
students how exciting it is to be a scientist, but unless we actually 
let them experience that excitement--unless we let them discover the 
joy of scientific discovery first-hand--we will still lose them. And 
that is the job of the science laboratory class. A well-designed, well-
equipped, well-staffed high school laboratory can be an incredibly 
invigorating and illuminating experience for a student. It can teach 
them far more about scientific principles than they can learn from a 
book or in a lecture, and more importantly, it teaches them the thrill 
of actually being a scientist. That, more than anything else, can mean 
the difference between a student who goes on to become a chemist, an 
engineer, or a medical researcher, and one who loses interest in 
science forever.
  Unfortunately, a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences, 
called ``America's Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science,'' 
made some findings that are extremely troubling for those of us who 
want to provide all of our students an equal opportunity to succeed in 
science and technology. It found that schools that have high 
percentages of minorities and low-income students are ``less likely to 
have adequate laboratory facilities'' and ``often have lower budgets 
for laboratory equipment and supplies'' than other schools. The study 
also found that students in those schools ``spend less time in 
laboratory instruction than students in other schools.'' Rural schools 
had some of the same problems.
  We cannot expect our country to be adequately prepared for the future 
unless all of our students are adequately prepared for the future. And 
unless we do something to improve the laboratory experience for our 
low-income, minority, and rural students, we simply won't be prepared. 
That is why I am proud to introduce the partnerships for access to 
laboratory science bill, originally championed by Congressman Hinojosa, 
which would authorize partnerships between high-need or rural school 
districts, higher education institutions, and the private sector, with 
the goal of revitalizing the high school science labs in those schools. 
The bill authorizes $50 million in matching grants to help fund 
comprehensive science instruction improvement plans, with the grant 
money able to be used for such things as purchasing scientific 
equipment, renovating laboratory space, designing new experiments or 
methods of integrating the laboratory with traditional lectures, and 
providing professional development for high school science lab 
teachers. This last one is particularly important because one of the 
key conclusions from the National Academy report is that ``improving 
high school science teachers' capacity to lead laboratory experiences 
effectively is critical to advancing the educational goals of these 
experiences.''
  We need to do a lot to ensure that our Nation stays competitive 
throughout the 21st century, and this bill is only one small step. But 
it is a sorely needed step, particularly for those students who need 
our help the most. I invite my colleagues to join us in support of this 
bill, and I look forward to working to enact this important piece of 
legislation.
                                 ______