[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22257]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         VA-HUD APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Madam President, I was proud to support the entire 
VA-HUD Appropriations conference report yesterday, including its vital 
investments for our Nation's veterans. Chairperson Mikulski and Ranking 
Member Bond work hard each and every year to provide investment in a 
wide range of important agencies and programs, ranging from veterans, 
to housing, to the National Science Foundation.
  This year I am particularly proud of a new investment within the 
National Science Foundation, NSF, to promote math and science 
education. Two new programs have been funded: the Mathematics and 
Science Partnerships program and the Noyce Scholarships worth $165 
million.
  Our elementary and secondary students are currently sadly lacking in 
their mastery of technical subjects. Although our 4th graders are on a 
par with the rest of the world, by the time they reach the 12th grade 
they are in the bottom half of countries of the world. This is an 
intolerable situation. Our United States students come to college ill 
equipped to study mathematics, science, and engineering. The 
partnerships and scholarships funded in this package offer the promise 
of substantial improvement in the performance of our students.



  Under the Mathematics and Science Partnerships programs, 
universities, businesses, and local educational institutions will form 
partnerships to develop new programs to teach these subjects. These 
programs will be watched and evaluated and those that are successful 
will be incorporated into the mainstream of K-12 education.
  The Noyce Scholarships will address a different problem. One of the 
best predictors of student performance is the quality of the teacher. 
Too many of our teachers of technical subjects are not well qualified. 
The scholarships will remedy this situation by supporting students of 
technical subjects who agree to teach two years for every year of 
support. This will ensure that many of our urban and rural schools that 
are particularly in need of good teachers will obtain relief.
  President Bush proposed the math and science partnerships in his 
budget. Working with Senators Kennedy and Roberts, I sponsored 
legislation in the Senate to authorize the Partnerships and the Noyce 
Scholarships. The House of Representatives has already passed a similar 
measure introduced by Congressman Boehlert. The VA-HUD appropriations 
package provide the first year of funding and the down payment to start 
these key programs to improve math and science education, and invest in 
our future.
  I appreciate the support of my colleagues for the entire package, and 
I am especially pleased about these new investments in math and science 
education which represent such promise for the future.

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