Federal

Panel Urges U.S. Push to Raise Math, Science Achievement

By Debra Viadero — October 18, 2005 3 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Warning that the United States stands to lose its economic, scientific, and technological edge over the rest of the world, a panel convened by the National Academies has issued a call for federal initiatives costing $10 billion a year to reverse the situation—including many aimed at K-12 schooling.

Among the education recommendations in the report issued last week by the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy were calls for:

• Using scholarships to entice 10,000 of America’s brightest students to become mathematics and science teachers;

• Beefing up the science and math skills of 250,000 teachers already on the job;

• Doubling the number of students who take Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses in those subjects; and

• Tripling the numbers of students passing those AP and IB tests.

“I can’t guarantee that there will be more jobs if we adopt these recommendations,” said panel member Craig R. Barrett, who is the chairman of the board of the Intel Corp., based in Santa Clara, Calif., “but I believe there won’t be more jobs if we don’t do these things.”

The National Academies, a congressionally created advisory organization, commissioned the 20-member panel earlier this year at the request of Democratic and Republican members of Congress.

“Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future” is available from the National Academies.

Norman H. Augustine, the retired chief executive officer and chairman of the Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin Corp., headed the group. It included three university presidents and three Nobel laureates, as well as current and retired CEOs. Nancy S. Grasmick, Maryland’s state superintendent of schools, was the lone K-12 educator in the group.

To support its call to action, the report lists economic and educational indicators that it says flag potential trouble for the U.S. economy. It notes, for example, that the United States is now a net importer of high-technology products, that chemical companies are closing plants by the dozens, and that American 12th graders score below the international average on math and science tests.

“Suddenly, Americans find themselves in competition for their jobs—not just from their neighbors—but from other countries as well,” said Mr. Augustine. “It’s not Pearl Harbor, Sputnik, or 9/11. It’s something much more akin to the proverbial frog being slowly boiled.”

Attracting Talent

In precollegiate education, panel members say, a major problem is that math and science teachers lack solid educational backgrounds in those subjects.

The scholarship program the report outlines would offer four-year scholarships, worth up to $20,000 a year, to 10,000 promising students who committed to teaching in public schools for five years. Participants working in underserved inner-city and rural schools could qualify for $10,000 bonuses.

The panelists also want to use scholarships to persuade 25,000 students to earn undergraduate degrees in the physical sciences, life sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

Outside of education, the report recommends: increasing federal spending on long-term scientific research by 10 percent a year over seven years; offering $500,000 grants to early-career researchers; and establishing new national offices to manage a centralized national research infrastructure and to develop programs to meet future energy challenges.

Other proposals include tax credits for employers that make continuing education available to practicing scientists and engineers and measures that would make the United States more welcoming to international students and scholars who want to stay and work here.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the October 19, 2005 edition of Education Week as Panel Urges U.S. Push to Raise Math, Science Achievement

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal Trump Shakeup Stops Most Work at Education Department's Civil Rights Office
President Donald Trump is downsizing a federal office that he's also using to carry out his policy agenda for schools.
9 min read
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens as Elon Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. The department's office for civil rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws in schools, has been hamstrung by the Trump administration's goal of shrinking the agency.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Trump’s 4th Week: Musk’s Team Pushes Ed. Dept. Cuts as McMahon Faces Senators
Linda McMahon appeared before U.S. senators, answering for an already turbulent time at the Education Department before she's taken charge.
6 min read
A shouting protester is removed from the hearing room as Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Education, testifies during her Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, on Feb. 13, 2025. A shouting protester is removed from the hearing room as Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Education, testifies during her Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing, at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, February 13, 2025. (Graeme Sloan for Education Week)
A shouting protester is removed from the hearing room as Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Education, testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 13, 2025.
Graeme Sloan for Education Week
Federal Trump Picks Long-Serving State Chief With Bipartisan Fans for Top Ed. Dept. Role
Trump nominated North Dakota State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler to a key post overseeing K-12 policy at the U.S. Department of Education.
5 min read
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announces the gathering of a task force to look into future options the state has for the assessment of students during a press conference May 8, 2015, at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D.
North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction Kirsten Baesler announces the gathering of a task force to look into future options the state has for the assessment of students during a press conference May 8, 2015, at the state Capitol in Bismarck, N.D. President Donald Trump has tapped Baesler to serve as assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education.
Mike McCleary/The Bismarck Tribune via AP
Federal Opinion Education Research Is in the Trump Administration's Cross Hairs
DOGE took a "chainsaw" to the Ed. Dept's grant programs. Morgan Polikoff has four suggestions for his research colleagues.
5 min read
Conceptual illustration of classroom conversations and fragmented education elements coming together to form a cohesive picture of a book of classroom knowledge.
Sonia Pulido for Education Week