HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES UDALL MATH AND SCIENCE EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

June 13, 2001

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) today won approval of a program that would provide scholarships to students or professionals who have a degree in science or engineering to enable them to take the courses they need to become certified as science or math teachers. Provisions of the Udall bill, H.R. 932, were included in H.R. 1858, the National Mathematics and Science Partnerships Act of 2001, which the House Science Committee approved unanimously.

"Every year, I visit all of the high schools and high-tech companies in my district. High school teachers and corporate leaders have all told me the same thing - we need to improve science and math education in this country. Poor student performance in science and math has much to do with the fact that students are being taught by unqualified teachers. My proposal ensures a high quality of science and math education for our students, and ensures there is a sufficient quantity of trained teachers available to teach them," said Udall.

Udall's provisions authorize a program of one-year, $7,500 scholarships at the National Science Foundation. These scholarships will assist graduates of baccalaureate degree programs in science, mathematics, or engineering, to fulfill the academic requirements necessary to become certified as K-12 teachers. The bill authorizes $20 million each year for the next four years for these and other scholarships.

Last year, Udall hosted a forum on worker training at Front Range Community College which included representatives from the University of Colorado, higher education leaders and businesses. Participants in that forum suggested that there is a shortage of skilled high tech workers the new economy has created. Projections indicate that through this decade, Front Range high-tech companies will be unable to fill 30,000 jobs for skilled workers. The Udall bill is an outgrowth of the discussions that took place at that forum.

"The National Mathematics and Science Partnerships Act takes some critical steps to help ensure that we can sustain our current economic growth and that our future workforce will be prepared to succeed in our increasingly technologically-based world," said Udall. "My proposal complements these efforts, and I look forward to working with my colleagues for passage by the full House."