House Science Committee Introduces Science and Math Education Bill
On May 11, the House Science Committee introduced three bills aimed to strengthen science and math education by bolstering programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Two bills are designed to increase grant programs to assist early-career researchers. The third bill, The Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act (H.R. 5358) has a number of initiatives that would replace the current Math and Science Partnership program with teacher-training partnerships for in-service K-12 teachers, increase the Noyce scholarships to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduates who commit to teaching, increase the number of students taking STEM in college, and strengthen undergraduate STEM education.
For a section-by-section summary of the bill , visit http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2006_05_22_billsummaries.htm. The bill is scheduled to be marked up by the full Science Committee on Thursday, May 25. If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts on the proposed legislation, please contact jpeterson@nsta.org.
(back)Secretary Spellings Announces Members of National Math Panel
U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings has announced the 17 panelists and 6 ex-officio members who will comprise the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (NMP).
As reported earlier, the NMP is part of the Administration’s American Competitiveness Initiative. Earlier this month the President signed an Executive Order establishing the panel.
According to the Department of Education, the NMP will be modeled after the National Reading Panel, and will examine and summarize the scientific evidence related to the teaching and learning of mathematics, with a specific focus on algebra. The NMP will issue an interim report that will provide policy recommendations on how to improve math achievement by January 31, 2007, and a final report no later than February 28, 2008.
All meetings of the NMP will be open to the public and will be announced in the Federal Register.
The National Mathematics Advisory Panel will be chaired by Dr. Larry Faulkner, president of the Houston Endowment and President Emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin. The other panelists are:
Ex-officio members will include:
James Rubillo, executive director of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, told the New York Times that he had “great hopes that this panel will honestly and openly find a path that will be helpful for the 15,000 school districts in this country that have to decide how to teach mathematics.”
For more information, visit http://www.ed.gov/news/opeds/factsheets/index.html?src=gu. For further information on education news this week, read the NSTA Reports Online Exclusive at http://www.nsta.org/main/news/stories/nsta_story.php?news_story_ID=52070.
(back)NAEP Science Scores To Be Released This Week
At noon on Wednesday, May 24, the National Assessment Governing Board will release the 2005 National and State Science Assessment Results. The test was administered in schools throughout the country from January to March 2005. National assessments were conducted at grades 4, 8, and 12. State assessments were conducted at grades 4 and 8 only.
Copies of the 2005 NAEP Science Assessment will be available online beginning at 10 a.m. on May 24 at http://nationsreportcard.gov. A live webcast of the 12:00-1:00 p.m. EST news conference may also be viewed at the address listed above. Next week’s NSTA Express will also cover the NAEP science results and data in detail.
On Thursday, May 25, from 3-4 p.m. (Eastern time) NSTA President Mike Padilla will participate in a live Web chat, hosted by Education Week, to discuss the NAEP results. To follow the dialogue, or to participate, go to http://www.edweek-chat.org. Education Week will have full coverage of the report beginning Wednesday, May 24.
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