[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 37 (Monday, March 5, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S2601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CLINTON:
  S. 757. A bill to create a national set of effective voluntary 
national expectations for mathematics and science education in 
kindergarten through grade 12, and for other purposes; to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to reintroduce legislation 
to help ensure that American students are competitive in today's global 
economy. If approved, The National Mathematics and Science Consistency 
Act would ensure that America's children have access to a rigorous math 
and science education.
  The reality is that modern technology makes it increasingly possible 
for employers to hire the most skilled workers wherever they live. 
Additionally, too many American students--even some graduates of high 
school and college--are not equipped with the skills they need to 
compete successfully in the global economy. That is why I am 
reintroducing the Mathematics and Science Consistency Act.
  This legislation calls for the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to 
convene a national panel of experts to collect proven effective K-12 
science and mathematics teaching standards and materials to serve as 
promising practices. Under this bill, it is entirely up to states 
whether to adopt these promising practices. States that do so, however, 
would be eligible for grants to acquire instructional materials, to 
make those materials available online to teachers and staff for free, 
and to train teachers to effectively use these materials. These 
promising practices would provide effective standards for K-12 
education.
  Regrettably, many States have set standards for math and science 
education at an abysmally low level. A Fordham Institute report 
entitled ``The State of State Science Standards 2006'' deemed the 
average grade for State standards across all subjects as a ``C-minus,'' 
while two-thirds of our K-12 students attend schools in States with C-, 
D-, or F-rated standards. The result of low State standards is that 
States think their students are demonstrating proficiency in math and 
science when in fact they are not.
  For example, a recent Trends in International Mathematics and Science 
Study, the largest and most comprehensive comparative international 
study of education, found that 12th graders in the U.S. ranked 21st out 
of 40 industrialized nations on general math and science knowledge. In 
addition, just one in three of America's college graduates earn degrees 
in math, science, and engineering while two in three college graduates 
of other countries do so. We must act now to improve education and 
research in math and science if America is to retain leadership of the 
global economy in the 21st century.
  The Mathematics and Science Consistency Act will help States to raise 
their standards, invest in high-quality teaching through the collection 
of best practices, and ensure that a world-class curriculum is 
available to all students. I am hopeful that my Senate colleagues from 
both sides of the aisle will join me today to move this legislation to 
the floor without delay.
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