This message is being circulated at the request
of Caucus Members. We are happy to circulate to Caucus staff information on letters,
legislation, or events relating to
ATTENTION
(STEM) Education
CAUCUS STAFFERS:
November 2008 News
Briefs on STEM Education
In this Issue:
6.
Newly introduced STEM Education Legislation
Once
a national youth group associated with cows and plows, today's 4-H aims to cultivate
a renewed interest in technology and science education.
John McCain and Barack Obama have voiced concerns about
The
At a time when STEM
fields are increasingly important to our national security, health, and competitiveness
we are neither supporting the research nor producing the diverse pool of scientists
and engineers we need to fuel our future.
6. Recently Introduced
STEM Legislation
This is a record of recently introduced legislation
related to STEM Ed. but does not represent Caucus endorsement of any legislation
No STEM education-related legislation was introduced during the month of October
2008.
The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Education Caucus’ primary mission
is to promote all areas of STEM Education including K-12, higher education and workforce
issues in Congress. At its core, the caucus functions to increase the visibility
and importance of STEM Education and educate Members of Congress and their staffs
on the technical issues and public-policy options surrounding STEM education.
The Caucus serves as an information source and a catalyst for improving STEM education.
If you would like
to join the Caucus, please contact Julia Jester (x53831) in Mr. Ehlers’ office or
Wendy Adams (x52161) in Mr. Mark Udall’s office.
By Sean
Cavanagh
Education
Week October 8, 2008
John McCain
and Barack Obama have voiced concerns about
Both candidates
agree that improving the math and science teaching corps will be a key to meeting
those challenges, and they’ve proposed new federal financial incentives aimed at
luring more people into the profession and encouraging them to stick with it.
Sen. Obama’s
math and science proposals are more ambitious, and almost certainly would be more
costly, several observers said. The Illinois Democrat has called for an estimated
$18 billion in new federal spending on preschool and K-12 programs in all subjects
and areas, while Sen. McCain has proposed freezing most discretionary spending until
he could conduct a full review of all federal programs. ("
Sen. Obama
calls for creating 40,000 “teaching service scholarships,” worth up to $25,000 each,
for those willing to teach in high-need schools and subjects, such as math and science.
He says teachers would also benefit from a tax credit of $4,000 for college, and
from his support for teacher-training “residency” programs, one of which is located
in his home city of
Sen. McCain,
meanwhile, has said he would channel a portion of federal teacher-training funding
toward bonuses for teachers who agreed to work in math or science and in hard-to-staff
schools. The Arizona Republican also pledges to boost support for online education
programs that focus on math and science.
“We need
to provide more incentives and ability for math, science, and engineering students,”
Sen. McCain said in an Aug. 20 campaign speech in
Those
ideas, along with many other campaign proposals, have been relegated to the sidelines
by more immediate economic worries. The Bush administration and leaders in Congress
have sought, in particular, to stop a spreading crisis in credit markets with a
$700 billion plan to bolster the
On Sept.
26, during the first of three presidential debates, Sen. McCain said he was willing
to implement a governmentwide spending freeze to deal with possible revenue shortfalls.
His opponent also pledged to look for cuts, but said he would protect certain areas,
such as energy research and education.
“We have
to make sure our children are competing in math and science,” Sen. Obama said during
the debate in
Bonuses,
Online Courses
Despite
possible spending limitations, many
Science
and math education programs have “some of the best return on investment that you
could ask for,” Mr. Otto said. “Both of the candidates realize we can’t continue
to burn on the fumes of yesterday.”
Sen. McCain
has said he favors rechanneling federal Title II money to support “incentive bonuses”
for high-performing teachers to take jobs in subjects such as math and science,
as well as for professional development. That money would come from the pool of
Title II funds authorized in the No Child Left Behind Act, said Lisa Graham Keegan,
a top education adviser to Mr. McCain.
That proposal
is in keeping with the candidate’s belief that teachers with superior math and science
skills get better results in the classroom, and more needs to be done to recruit
them, Ms. Keegan explained in an e-mail.
Ellin
J. Nolan, a lobbyist who represents several education organizations on Capitol Hill,
said support from her clients for Sen. McCain’s proposal would likely depend on
the details, such as whether money was diverted from popular existing professional-development
programs under Title II.
The Republican
nominee also wants to create a $250 million competitive-grant program for states
to support online education programs. That money could be devoted to “virtual” math
and science academies and to the expansion of computer-based Advanced Placement
courses in math- and science-related subjects.
Sen. Obama,
meanwhile, promises to increase federal support for teacher-residency programs—year-long
programs in urban areas that allow teacher-candidates, while pursuing master’s degrees,
to receive classroom training with supervision and help from seasoned educators.
A study released in August by the Washington-based Aspen Institute and the Hillsborough,
N.C.-based Center for Teaching Quality, found that a high proportion of teachers
participating in residency program in
Focus
on Incentives
While
both candidates have touted financial incentives as a strategy for recruiting and
retaining math and science teachers, that approach has produced mixed results in
states and school districts, research has shown.
Some proponents
argue that financial incentives carry particular weight with math and science teachers,
because those educators’ skills make them especially attractive to private-sector
employers. Yet concern about low pay is only one source of job dissatisfaction among
teachers, along with worries about lack of administrative support and poor workplace
conditions, surveys show. ("Doubts Cast on Math, Science Teaching Lures," Aug. 1,
2007.)
“There’s
a myth that there are beaucoup people out there just waiting to become teachers
if only the salaries were better,” said Barnett
Another
proposal from Sen. Obama, which the Democratic nominee introduced in a bill in Congress
this year, is to create a committee within the National Science and Technology Council,
a White House policy group, to better coordinate federal spending on science, technology,
engineering, and math, or STEM, education programs, which receive an estimated $3
billion a year. Critics say little is known about the effectiveness of such programs.
The bill
would also create a research repository highlighting effective STEM programs, to
be housed in the National Science Digital Library, an online clearinghouse for education
resources supported by the National Science Foundation.
Jon Baron,
the executive director of the Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, a
Mr. Baron
also said he would prefer that the STEM repository be located in the
Scientists
and business leaders played a major role last year in lobbying Congress to approve
the America Competes Act, which supported numerous math and science curriculum and
teacher-training programs. Congress has yet to fund many of those programs, so business
and education advocates will continue to push hard for them in next administration,
Ms. Nolan, the education lobbyist, predicted.
While
interest groups have to “look at the current economic situation and see if their
priorities can easily go forward,” she said, “there’s a huge coalition that still
sees these as important issues.”
Vol. 28,
Issue 07, Pages 17,19