Science and Math Education Part of Major New Initiative Unveiled During the President’s State of the Union Address to the Nation

As expected science and math education were highlighted during the State of the Union (SOTU) address last week as part of the Administration’s American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI). The new Administration initiative seeks to significantly expand Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) science and math programs, bring 30,000 professionals into high school classrooms nationwide, and create new programs similar to the Reading First initiative for math education at the elementary and middle levels. The Administration is also calling for NCLB science assessments to be part of a state accountability systems for adequate yearly progress (AYP). Read more in this issue of the NSTA Legislative Update.

The Year of Math and Science

President Bush highlighted math and science education during the SOTU address last week as part of a new American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) “to encourage innovation throughout our economy and to give our nation’s children a firm grounding in math and science.”

Details of the program were released by the U.S. Department of Education a few days after the President’s address. New programs in the FY 07 Budget Request include:

• National Math Panel ($10million), which would evaluate the effectiveness of approaches to teaching math.
• Math Now for Elementary School Students ($125 million) and Math Now for Middle School Students ($125 million): New programs at the elementary and middle school levels will be similar to the Reading First initiative. Will improve math instruction to prepare more students for algebra; middle level programs will help to diagnose student deficiencies in math.
• Evaluation of ongoing federal math and science education programs ($5 million) to determine ineffective programs
• Expansion of the AP and IB programs ($122 million). The goal is to triple the number of students (700,000 by 2012) who take these courses and to train 70,000 more teachers in these areas. Money provided by the federal government would be matched by the states to develop this initiative.
• Adjunct Teacher Corps ($25 million): Grants to districts and states to encourage up to 30,000 math and science professionals to become part time high school teachers by 2015.

In addition the Department is also supporting these programs as part of the ACI:

• Including Science Assessments in NCLB: Under NCLB, science must be assessed but does not have to count toward the state accountability system. The Department of Education wants science assessments included in the state accountability system.
• Developing a High School Reform Initiative: This initiative would award grants to states and school districts for targeted interventions to increase the achievement of high school students, and require NCLB testing in two additional high school grades.
• Awarding Academic Competitive Grants: This program would award supplemental grants to low-income college students who major in math, science, and critical foreign languages. (This program has been passed by the Senate and is expected to be okayed in the House shortly).
• Expanding a Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program: This would be aimed particularly at low-income schools.

In addition to these programs the President seeks to double the federal commitment to basic research programs in the physical sciences over the next 10 years, and make the research and development (R&D) tax credit permanent.

To read the ACI Education Initiative, which begins on p. 18, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2006/aci/aci06-booklet.pdf. To read the President’s remarks about the new ACI during the SOTU, visit http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2006_02_06_sotu.htm.

Keep in mind the programs proposed by the Administration are separate from the PACE legislation introduced in the Senate on January 25. To read the NSTA Legislative Update regarding the PACE legislation, visit http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2006_01_30_legupdate.htm. If you have any questions, e-mail Jodi Peterson at jpeterson@nsta.org.

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