[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 151 (Friday, October 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2076-E2077]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   WHERE IS SPUTNIK WHEN WE NEED IT?

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 4, 2007

  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, 50 years ago today, the Soviet Union 
changed the world by launching Sputnik I into orbit. People who were 
alive in 1957 vividly remember Sputnik. It shocked the American public 
and dwarfed the achievements of our rocket program. It was so serious 
that President Dwight Eisenhower had to go on national television to 
apologize for our failure, and promised a boost to our science efforts. 
This led to an awakening of innovation, which resulted in the United 
States launching a comparable satellite of its own, the Explorer I, 
into orbit fewer than four months later. More importantly, Sputnik 
spurred U.S. investment in aerospace, culminating in the Apollo Moon 
landing. There was also a great emphasis on improving our math and 
science education programs. This sparked an intense focus on equipping 
our workforce with the skills needed to compete with the Russians.
  Unfortunately, once again the United States is falling behind other 
nations. This time, it is our children who are falling behind their 
peers in European and Asian countries that have more rigorous math and 
science education programs. We must do a better job of preparing our 
kids for the jobs of the future.
  Already, economic pressures have pushed some States and the Federal 
Government to improve math and science education. For example, in 
Michigan the business community supported the effort to require that 
high school graduates take at least 4 years of math and 3 years of 
science courses. Michigan desperately needs a workforce equipped with 
math and science skills to attract employers to

[[Page E2077]]

our State and to retain our current jobs. Also, I should mention that 
President Bush recently signed into law the America COMPETES Act of 
2007, which includes provisions to encourage innovation in 
manufacturing and to strengthen many of our Federal research and 
education programs. While these efforts are crucial to our Nation's 
future, we must do more to improve.
  We should not wait for another Sputnik-like spark to bolster our 
Nation's math and science education programs. Fortunately, this year we 
have the perfect opportunity to invigorate our education system by 
improving upon the successful No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This law 
has helped countless students in the United States improve over the 
past 5 years, and it is a great launching pad for developing an 
educational system that will prepare our Nation for the future.
  NCLB has helped shine a bright light on schools that need 
improvement, and has focused our Nation's attention on accountability. 
The result is a tangible impact on the level of proficiency in schools. 
NCLB has helped our children learn to read and understand math, and has 
closed the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their 
more privileged peers.
  Yet NCLB still needs additional improvements. I introduced a bill to 
put science on a par with reading and math. The Science Accountability 
Act requires that science testing, which begins this school year, be 
included in States' student evaluation systems starting next school 
year. Another bill I introduced, the Improving Mathematics and Science 
Teacher Quality Act, provides dedicated funding for teacher in-service 
or professional development training.
  Furthermore, we need to ensure that States are treated equitably. Our 
Nation's mix of 50 different State educational standards and State 
tests distracts from our national focus on preparing our kids for their 
future. In that spirit, I worked with Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) to 
introduce the Standards to Provide Educational Achievement for Kids 
(SPEAK) Act, which creates rigorous, voluntary education content 
standards for math and science. In exchange for voluntarily adopting 
these math and science standards, it provides States regulatory 
flexibility. It is worth noting that since education is primarily a 
State and local responsibility the bill specifically avoids creating 
national curricula or tests.
  We must seize this Sputnik-like opportunity and strengthen NCLB. 
After the Russians beat us to space, our Nation redoubled its efforts 
and improved its focus on space programs and developed an innovative 
workforce. This led to many scientific discoveries and helped us put 
humans on the Moon. In the same way, we must redouble our efforts as we 
build on the successes of the first version of NCLB to help launch our 
students and our great Nation into the 22nd century and beyond.

                          ____________________