S.Amdt. 2294

SA 2294. Mr. COLEMAN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 3010, making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2006, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of title III (before the short title), add the following:

SEC. __. ASSESSMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Education shall conduct an assessment of the Mathematics and Science Partnerships program under part B of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6661 et seq.). The assessment shall--

(1) include the current participation level of businesses and nonprofit organizations in the program;

(2) include a comparative analysis between those partnerships that include either a business or a nonprofit organization and those that do not;

(3) include a general comparative survey of other competing nations that involve businesses in similar programs;

(4) include the level of interest and demand by institutions of higher education and high-need local educational agencies for business participation in the program;

(5) include a determination as to whether greater participation in the program by businesses and nonprofit organizations would improve the program's effectiveness and efficiency in meeting the goals of such program and better ensures that the learning process is geared towards the development of marketable skills for teachers and students;

(6) include a list of possible incentives for greater business involvement in the program; and

(7) determine whether additional business participation in the program would help address the critical need for a strong, highly skilled workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Education shall report the Secretary's findings to Congress.