NSTA Legislative Update

NSTA Legislative Update
June 12, 2006

House Science Committee Approves Science and Mathematics Education Bill
House Appropriations Subcommittee Increases Funding for MSPs, No Funding for ACI Math Now Programs

House Science Committee Approves Science and Mathematics Education Bill

On June 6 the House Science Committee unanimously passed H.R. 5358, the Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act. The bill strengthens and expands existing programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF) that would allow for more teacher training, bring more science and math majors to teaching, and improve undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses.

Specifically H.R. 5358 will

Strengthen and focus the NSF Math and Science Partnership (MSP) programs by renaming the program the School and University Partnerships for Science and Mathematics Education, authorizing increased appropriations ($10m increase for each year starting in FY2007), and focus the program on teacher-training activities. Use of funds for the MSPs include developing content-specific professional development programs for teachers; training teachers to teach Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses; developing model induction programs; training teachers to become teacher leaders in K-8 classrooms; and developing master degree programs for teachers. Priority is given to applications that include teacher-training activities as the main focus of the program.

Expand the Robert Noyce Scholarship program by providing more scholarships to students majoring in STEM fields who commit to teaching for two years in return for every year of aid received. Funding is also provided to universities to help prepare future teachers.

Continue the work of the NSF Centers for Research on Learning and Education Improvement.

Expand the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP), which provides grants to colleges and universities to improve undergraduate science, math and engineering education. The bill enables NSF to fund the creation of centers at colleges and universities to develop new approaches to undergraduate education programs, and expands the focus of STEP beyond its initial focus of increasing the number of graduating STEM majors to include increasing the number of non-majors taking STEM courses.

Provide for a study on laboratory equipment donations for schools that would evaluate and report on the extent to which universities are donating lab equipment and how appropriate donations can be encouraged.

The Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act is considered the Science Committee's competitiveness bill based upon the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative and key recommendations made in the National Academy of Sciences' report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm.

In a press release Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) said, “If we are to remain competitive, then we have to bolster key programs at NSF, especially programs focused on K-12 and undergraduate education, and it's the prerogative of the Congress to do that.”

It is unclear when, and if, this bill will come to the House floor for a full vote. For more information, read the section by section summary of the bill (http://science.nsta.org/nstaexpress/nstaexpress_2006_06_12_summary.htm).

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House Appropriations Subcommittee Increases Funding for MSPs, No Funding for ACI Math Now Programs

On June 7 the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education marked-up their FY 2007 appropriations bill. Overall, the bill provides approximately $800 million in additional funding over FY 2006 and $4.1 billion more than the President’s FY 2007 request.

The House subcommittee funded the U.S. Dept. of Education MSP programs at $225m, a nice bump up from the FY 2006 appropriation (and the President's FY 2007 request) of $182 m. Math/Science Advanced Placement programs also received an increase, receiving $80 million, up from $32 m last year. It appears the Math Now programs for Elementary and Secondary Schools and the Adjunct Teacher Corp, requested by President Bush as part of the American Competitiveness Initiative, were not funded in the House bill.

Most education programs are either being funded at the same level or they received a slight increase. Two key education programs slated for elimination by the Administration—the Education Technology State Grants and Arts in Education—were not funded in the House subcommittee bill. The National Writing Project, also targeted for elimination, was funded at last year’s level. The Funding for Improving Teacher Quality State Grants (Title II B) program was reduced $300 million.

The full Appropriations Committee is tentatively scheduled to mark up the bill on June 13 with floor action scheduled for the following week. For more information, visit
http://appropriations.house.gov/_files/LH_Detail_SCWEB.pdf.

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