[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19935]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

  (Mr. HOLT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, yesterday the National Commission on 
Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century issued its report 
entitled ``Before it's too late'' on the state of math and science 
teaching in America. The Glenn Commission, as it has come to be known, 
identifies teaching as the most powerful instrument for reform in 
education, and thus the place to begin.
  I am proud to be one of four Members of Congress selected to serve on 
the Glenn Commission, which was chaired by former senator and astronaut 
John Glenn.
  As the report concludes, we must significantly increase the number of 
teachers who feel qualified to teach math and science, and change the 
environment of professional development to create an ongoing system of 
improvement in our schools.
  Teaching our children math and science is important for economic 
productivity and national security. It is also important at an even 
more profound level than the practical benefits to our economy.
  Math and science bring order and harmony and balance to our lives. 
They teach us that our world is not capricious, but predictable, that 
it contains pattern and logic. They also provide us with foundational 
skills for lifelong learning, for creating progress itself.

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