The Administration's FY 2002 budget blueprint states that
"bipartisan education reform is the cornerstone of President Bush's
Administration," and calls particular attention to the need to
improve math and science education. To achieve this, President Bush has
proposed a new initiative for Math and Science Partnerships in which
states, local school districts, and institutions of higher education
would work together to strengthen teaching, instruction, curricula and
standards for K- 12 math and science.
The Partnership proposal appears in "No Child Left Behind," Bush's
education reform plan, which has generally been considered his outline
for reform of Education Department programs through reauthorization of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee has incorporated the
partnerships into its ESEA legislation, which the committee is currently
marking up. However, in Bush's FY 2002 budget request, the Math and
Science Partnerships appear within the NSF section of the budget. It is
not clear at this point how Congress will handle the partnership
initiative, whether partnerships will be included in final Education
Department or NSF reathorization legislation, whether they will receive
funding through the appropriations process, and, if so, within which
agency.
In the budget request, the partnership program within NSF would
receive FY 2002 funding of $200 million, of which $110 million would be
redirected from existing NSF education programs. Bush's education reform
proposal does not specify a dollar amount for the partnerships, nor does
it name a controlling agency. Text from the FY 2002 budget request
relating to math and science education is quoted below.
Under the section "Strengthen and Reform Education," the blueprint
says:
Bush proposes "supporting math and science partnerships among
States, universities, and school districts to improve math and science
K-12 education." His proposal would also consolidate and increase
general "funds for teacher training and recruiting into a $2.6
billion fund that provides States the flexibility to improve teacher
quality while ensuring increased accountability." Bush would also
expand "existing student loan forgiveness limits from $5,000 to
$17,500 for math and science majors who teach those subjects in
high-need schools for five years."
Under the section on the National Science Foundation, the blueprint
states:
"As America enters the 21st Century, many of our neediest
students are being left behind. The current state of grade K-12
mathematics and science education in the United States raises
significant warning signs. The most recent evidence of deficiencies in
U.S. math and science education is from the Third International Math
and Science Study, which measured American students in the fourth,
eighth, and twelfth grades against comparable students in other
countries. Although U.S. fourth graders did relatively well in both
math and science, by twelfth grade, the last year of mandatory
schooling, U.S. students were among the very worst in the world, and
in some areas, such as physics, were last. This evidence indicates
that our schools are not preparing our students adequately for today's
knowledge- based, technologically rich society or to become future
scientists and engineers. Among the underlying causes for the poor
performance of U.S. students in the areas of math and science, three
problems must be addressed: too many teachers teaching these subjects
for which they have not been trained; too few students taking advanced
coursework; and too few schools offering challenging curriculum and
textbooks.
"To address these issues, the President is proposing that the
National Science Foundation (NSF) initiate a Math and Science
Partnership program to provide funds for States to join with
institutions of higher education in strengthening K-12 math and
science education. The higher education community recognizes that it
has a vested interest in working to improve elementary and secondary
math and science achievement. More than 20 States have begun to form
partnerships with colleges and universities for the purpose of raising
math and science standards for students, providing math and science
training for teachers, and creating innovative ways to reach
underserved schools. For 2002, the President is requesting $200
million for the Math and Science Partnership program and $1 billion
over five years. States that access these funds will be required to
establish partnership agreements with State colleges, universities,
community colleges and school districts, with the goal of
strengthening K-12 math and science education. The success of
partnerships between States and institutions of higher education will
be measured through performance indicators such as improving student
performance on State assessments, increasing student participation in
advanced courses in math and science and their success in passing
advanced placement exams, and increasing the numbers of teachers that
major in math or science."
"As part of the Math and Science Partnership initiative, $110
million is redirected from existing NSF education programs toward the
initiative's $200 million level in 2002."
Bush's budget for NSF would also increase "graduate stipends for
the Graduate Research Fellowships, the Graduate Teaching Fellowships in
K-12 Education, and the Integrative Graduate Education and Research
Traineeships programs. These funds will help attract the best students
to pursue careers in science and engineering."
