[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 40 (Thursday, March 8, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2904-S2905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MENENDEZ:
  S. 810. A bill to establish a laboratory science pilot program at the 
National Science Foundation; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill 
designed to improve the science learning experience for students in 
low-income and rural school 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 so that 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 America COMPETES Act, S. 
761, which I was proud to join with my colleagues in introducing 
earlier this week, helps provide these 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 innovation 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 percent of its capital sitting idle, and neither can the 
United States.
  That's why I offered an amendment during last year's Energy Committee 
markup of science and technology competitiveness legislation--an 
amendment that has made it into the America COMPETES Act--which will 
create a series of outreach programs designed to get more minority 
elementary and secondary students excited about science, to increase 
their interest in entering 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 can not 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's why I am proud to re-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 creates a pilot program, authorized at $5 
million per year, to help schools purchase scientific equipment, 
renovate laboratory space, design new experiments or methods of 
integrating the laboratory with traditional lectures, and provide 
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.'' 
This bill is strongly supported by a number of scientific and 
educational organizations, including the American Chemical Society, the 
American Council on Education, the National Science Teachers 
Association, and more.
  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.
  I ask unanimous consent the text of this bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 810

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) To remain competitive in science and technology in the 
     global economy, the United States must increase the number of 
     students graduating from high school prepared to pursue 
     postsecondary education in science, technology, engineering, 
     and mathematics.
       (2) There is broad agreement in the scientific community 
     that learning science requires direct involvement by students 
     in scientific inquiry and that laboratory experience is so 
     integral to the nature of science that it must be included in 
     every science program for every science student.
       (3) In America's Lab Report, the National Research Council 
     concluded that the current quality of laboratory experiences 
     is poor for most students and that educators and researchers 
     do not agree on how to define high school science 
     laboratories or on their purpose, hampering the accumulation 
     of research on how to improve labs.
       (4) The National Research Council found that schools with 
     higher concentrations of non-Asian minorities and schools 
     with higher concentrations of poor students are less likely 
     to have adequate laboratory facilities than other schools.
       (5) The Government Accountability Office reported that 49.1 
     percent of schools where the minority student population is 
     greater than 50.5 percent reported not meeting functional 
     requirements for laboratory science well or at all.
       (6) 40 percent of those college students who left the 
     science fields reported some problems related to high school 
     science preparation, including lack of laboratory experience 
     and no introduction to theoretical or to analytical modes of 
     thought.
       (7) It is the national interest for the Federal Government 
     to invest in research and demonstration projects to improve 
     the teaching of laboratory science in the Nation's high 
     schools.

     SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.

       Section 8(8) of the National Science Foundation 
     Authorization Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-368) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (F) as 
     clauses (i) through (vi), respectively, and indenting 
     appropriately;
       (2) by moving the flush language at the end 2 ems to the 
     right;

[[Page S2905]]

       (3) in the flush language at the end, by striking 
     ``paragraph'' and inserting ``subparagraph'';
       (4) by striking ``Initiative.--A program of'' and inserting 
     ``initiative.--
       ``(A) In general.--A program of''; and
       (5) by inserting at the end the following:
       ``(B) Pilot program.--
       ``(i) In general.--In accordance with subparagraph (A)(v), 
     the Director shall establish a pilot program designated as 
     `Partnerships for Access to Laboratory Science' to award 
     grants to partnerships to improve laboratories and provide 
     instrumentation as part of a comprehensive program to enhance 
     the quality of mathematics, science, engineering, and 
     technology instruction at the secondary school level. Grants 
     under this subparagraph may be used for--

       ``(I) purchase, rental, or leasing of equipment, 
     instrumentation, and other scientific educational materials;
       ``(II) maintenance, renovation, and improvement of 
     laboratory facilities;
       ``(III) professional development and training for teachers;
       ``(IV) development of instructional programs designed to 
     integrate the laboratory experience with classroom 
     instruction and to be consistent with State mathematics and 
     science academic achievement standards;
       ``(V) training in laboratory safety for school personnel;
       ``(VI) design and implementation of hands-on laboratory 
     experiences to encourage the interest of individuals 
     identified in section 33 or 34 of the Science and Engineering 
     Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b) in 
     mathematics, science, engineering, and technology and help 
     prepare such individuals to pursue postsecondary studies in 
     these fields; and
       ``(VII) assessment of the activities funded under this 
     subparagraph.

       ``(ii) Partnership.--Grants awarded under clause (i) shall 
     be to a partnership that--

       ``(I) includes an institution of higher education or a 
     community college;
       ``(II) includes a high-need local educational agency;
       ``(III) includes a business or eligible nonprofit 
     organization; and
       ``(IV) may include a State educational agency, other public 
     agency, National Laboratory, or community-based organization.

       ``(iii) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of 
     activities carried out using amounts from a grant under 
     clause (i) shall not exceed 50 percent.''.

     SEC. 3. REPORT.

       The Director of the National Science Foundation shall 
     evaluate the effectiveness of activities carried out under 
     the pilot projects funded by the grant program established 
     pursuant to the amendment made by section 2 in improving 
     student performance in mathematics, science, engineering, and 
     technology. A report documenting the results of that 
     evaluation shall be submitted to the Committee on Commerce, 
     Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Science and Technology of the House of 
     Representatives not later than 5 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act. The report shall identify best 
     practices and materials developed and demonstrated by grant 
     awardees.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the National 
     Science Foundation to carry out this Act and the amendments 
     made by this Act $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and such 
     sums as may be necessary for each of the 3 succeeding fiscal 
     years.
                                 ______