Congressional Medal for Outstanding Contributions in Math and Science Education Act of 2004

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4030) to establish the Congressional Medal for Outstanding Contributions in Math and Science Education program to recognize private entities for their outstanding contributions to elementary and secondary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First, I would like to commend the chairman and the ranking member and certainly the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) for her help in moving ahead, trying to get more involvement from the business community in helping with K-through-12 education, especially in the areas of math and science.

This legislation establishes a national recognition program at the National Science Foundation to honor those in the private sector who work with K-through-12 schools to improve science and math education. In addition, the bill makes information about award winners publicly available so that the examples that they are using across the country that are effective, that are making a difference in our math and science performance can be considered by other school systems around the Nation.

The way to maintain and increase our standard of living certainly is through innovation, technological advances and hard work. Unfortunately, our schools, Mr. Speaker, are currently not producing enough young people with the math and science interest or the skills necessary to meet the emerging demand. We need to do a better job of encouraging student interest and achievements in fields like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics so that today's students will not only be successful in their own lives, but will contribute to the economy that we are going to need in future years.

The challenge of competition for our kids and our grandkids are going to be probably so much greater than they are for us today, and having the kind of technology that can result in new innovation, the kind of research that can develop new products and the ways to produce those products at a cost and a quality level that is competitive with products that are produced across the world is going to be much more important for our kids and grandkids than maybe it was for us.

In this legislation we recognize the industry leaders and companies and businesses that make a special outstanding effort in working with their schools. We included in the legislation work that these companies might do to encourage parents to be more involved with their students and schools because we think the interest and encouragement of parents is probably just as important as the quality of teachers that we have in math and science.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4030, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, the ranking member makes a good point, and maybe it is an opportune time to explain some of what goes into developing legislation. A lot of work from staff, Democrat staff and Republican staff on our committee. Kara Haas, certainly David Finger, spent many hours, sending out inquiries to the business community around the United States for their suggestions on how this award program should evolve and develop to really accomplish our goals of encouraging the business community to be more active and take a greater part in improving math and science education.

I would like to tell a very short story in trying to improve math and science education. I was talking to an individual who is the director of international studies at one of our Michigan

colleges. I asked him his ideas. He is from India. He grew up in India. He told me the story when he came home in about the 8th grade with a report card that showed a B in math, and he showed that to his father and tears welled up in his dad's eyes. And his dad went out and hired a tutor to try to improve his son's math skills. He suggested that almost all students in India concentrate on being successful in fundamental math and science before they continue their career maybe in some other field.

That lesson should be especially acknowledged by us today when we are doing a lot of outsourcing of math and science to engineers in other countries such as India. We need to do a better job at home. Parents need to do a better job.

Often when I ask witnesses before our committee how do we motivate and excite students in math and science. To the extent that education in kindergarten through twelfth grade is more like a lighting of a fire, lighting that interest and enthusiasm, rather than simply filling a container with information, when is that fire lit for these students. Their suggestion was maybe at home when they are 3 and 4 and 5 years old, maybe in kindergarten, first and second grade. So if we lose that individual with their interest in math and science at that stage of their lives, it is hard to rekindle that fire.

Improving math and science education is important for the sake of business and industry because they have a special economic interest in having enough qualified students in math and sciences to make sure they are going to be able to stay in this country and compete.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4411) to amend title VII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to ensure graduate opportunities in postsecondary education, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 4411.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4411, the Priorities for Graduate Studies Act, which builds on the success of the graduate programs currently authorized under title VII of the Higher Education Act and also helps to fulfill the demand for highly qualified teachers at the K-12 level.

I want to commend my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns), a valuable member of the committee, for his work on this important piece of legislation.

I am particularly pleased that this bill has the potential not only to enhance graduate education but to build on the strength of education at all levels by helping to increase study of subject areas facing particular shortages in elementary and secondary schools.

This bill complements H.R. 4409, the Teacher Training Enhancement Act, which we have considered here today. Bringing these two bills forward is our declaration that supporting America's schoolteachers is a priority for our committee and for the U.S. House of Representatives.

We know that an important part, important key to placing highly qualified teachers in every public classroom called for by the bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act is having adequate faculty available to train the teachers of tomorrow. This is particularly important in subject areas facing severe shortages.

If we are serious about ensuring every child learns from a highly qualified teacher, we must address the issue in a comprehensive manner. Elementary and secondary classrooms across the Nation are facing severe shortages of highly qualified teachers, particularly in high-demand subject areas. States and schools tell us they are struggling to find highly qualified math, science and special education teachers.

To address these shortages head-on, this bill places a priority on these particular subject areas, ensuring that our investment in graduate education continues to improve education at all levels in America.

Although I believe the role education plays in creating a pipeline of highly qualified teachers is extremely important, the many other benefits of graduate education cannot be overlooked. As we enter the 21st century, the need for advanced education is becoming increasingly vital to successfully maintaining our place in the technologically advanced economy. The future competitiveness of our Nation will depend on successfully educating our workforce and fostering continued breakthroughs through education.

Now more than ever our citizens are obtaining graduate degrees in order to obtain more expertise in their field of study. This bill will help ensure the continued availability of such graduate study opportunities for students.

As we move forward with the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, we must continue to build on the success of these valuable programs that prepare the next generation of scholars. We have expressed our support for our teachers before and we stand united today to continue that support and urge our colleagues in the other body to do the same.

Graduate education is essential to maintaining our economic leadership as well as ensuring the success of education reform in classrooms across America. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this bill and the continued success of graduate education.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds to answer the gentleman's question why we are here today.

I think that we did pass these bills before, but they have not been acted upon by the other body. So I do not think it will hurt to have further discussion here, again voting on these issues and showing how important our teachers are, showing how important economic stability comes from education.

We think that it is very important to discuss these issues; and, frankly, I do not think it is a waste of time any time we can talk about helping the education of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Burns), a strong member of our committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and respond to my colleague that I will be happy to join him in that letter. Whatever we can do to help move the other body, I think is important, especially in the area of education, where we are trying so hard to help our teachers and our young people so that we can better prepare ourselves for stronger economic stability in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, a highly educated workforce is critical to America's future competitiveness. And the quality of education in America's schools is directly related to the quality of the teachers entrusted with the vital task of educating the Nation's students. Today's students are tomorrow's workforce, and for that reason education is directly linked to America's future competitiveness in a changing economy.

H.R. 4411, the Priorities for Graduate Studies Act, addresses the shortage of highly qualified math and science teachers at the K-12 level. One of the problems is the continuing lack of faculty at the graduate level to train the teachers of tomorrow in these demanding fields. This must be addressed to fortify the pipeline of highly qualified teachers for our Nation's youth. To increase faculty in these high-demand subject areas, the Priorities for Graduate Studies Act will target Federal aid for graduate studies to these subject areas. The bill, introduced by my colleague from Georgia Representative Max Burns, places a priority on the areas of math and science for graduate fellowship programs in the Higher Education Act. Further, this bill reinforces previous Federal efforts in the ``No Child Left Behind Act'' requiring a ``highly qualified'' teacher in every classroom. This bill, along with the other bills being discussed today, also provides State grants to recruit and train teachers. In addition, loan forgiveness programs at the Department of Education and the Noyce Scholarship Program at the National Science Foundation (NSF), which seeks to encourage top math and science students to enter the teaching profession, are just some of the initiatives that have been designed to address issues of teacher recruitment and retention.

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan recently testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee and said that strengthening the Nation's education and worker training systems and supporting innovation are essential to creating jobs and sustained economic growth for American families. He said that the U.S. appears to be lagging seriously behind other nations in terms of the quality of education being provided to students at the K-12 level. He quoted a study conducted in 1995 (The Third International Math and Science Study, a project of the International Study Center, Lynch School of Education, Boston College) revealing that although our fourth-grade students were above average in both math and science, by the time they reached their last year of high school they had fallen well below the international average.

The quality of America's workforce is inextricably tied to the quality of America's education system. For that reason, advanced degrees in specific subject areas will help to improve the training of our schoolteachers, building upon the quality of elementary and secondary education and, in turn, strengthening the competitiveness of the American worker. The House bill being discussed today recognizes that a shortage of advanced degrees earned in high-demand subject areas such as math and science can create a void from the university level down to K-12 classrooms. To address this shortage, the bill places a priority on these subject areas when awarding graduate level fellowships.

Mr. Speaker, when I have an opportunity to speak with teachers about education, I often ask them if teaching a child math or science is more like lighting a fire than filling a container, at what age they believe the flame of interest for math and science education is sparked and how can we keep it burning. I get all sorts of answers. Some say third grade. Others say kindergarten. But they all generally agree that our greatest challenge is to ensure that all children experience that initial spark to create more interest in science and math.

As Chairman of the Science Research Subcommittee, I recently introduced legislation that passed this House, creating a Congressional award for private sector entities that partner with schools to improve science, technology, engineering, and math education. The bill, H.R. 4030, would provide well-deserved recognition for outstanding private sector efforts and directs the National Science Foundation to disseminate information about award winners to educators, businesses and the general public.

The way to maintain and increase our standard of living is through innovation, technological advancement and hard work. We need to do a better job of encouraging student interest and achievement in math and science so that today's students will be successful in the highly competitive global economy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for his work on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4411, Priorities For Graduate Studies Act. I am pleased to be offering this bill, which will build upon the successes of our graduate education programs and help also trigger improvements at all levels of the educational environment by prioritizing studies in areas of national need.

We all recognize the importance of graduate education, particularly as we work to meet the challenges of the No Child Left Behind Act and place a highly qualified teacher in every school, in every classroom in America by the school year 2005-2006. I believe that the legislation before us today will help both States and schools across the Nation achieve that important goal.

Mr. Speaker, I speak from experience, having taught at the graduate level at Georgia Southern University for some 19 years. In order to produce a qualified teacher, you have to have a qualified classroom. So if we are going to have world-class math and science instruction for our K through 12 students, we have to have the world-class instruction for those teachers at our graduate schools across the Nation.

The Federal Government has long been involved with graduate level education, providing fellowships that assist students who excel in their chosen fields to complete education beyond the baccalaureate level. These programs have been successful, tremendously successful in encouraging in-depth study and creating knowledgeable experts, particularly in subject areas facing a national need.

Graduate programs authorized under the title VII component of the Higher Education Act produces immeasurable benefits for our Nation. Not only do these programs enrich our citizenry but they also nurture discovery and innovation that will lead to medical, educational, and technological advancements. Graduate programs train the next generation of teachers, the next generation of researchers and engineers and doctors and lawyers and professors. These individuals will be vitally important in preparing the United States to meet the challenges of a global economy.

Title VII of the Higher Education Act authorizes three graduate fellowship programs: the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need program, the Jacob K. Javitz Fellowship program, and the Thurgood Marshall Legal Educational Opportunity program. Collectively, these programs encourage students to advance their knowledge in scientific and technical fields, in the arts and humanities, and in legal studies by providing financial assistance as well as support services to those displaying academic excellence in their selected fields.

Each year, Congress appropriates nearly $70 million to assist these students in pursuing their goals. The Priorities For Graduate Studies Act seeks to build upon the success of these programs by targeting fellowships to subject areas facing national need not only at the graduate level but also by encouraging the study of subject areas where there are shortages in K through 12 education. This will help to expand the number of educators prepared to train teachers of tomorrow in the critical subject areas of math and of science and of special education. By placing a priority on these subject areas with a demonstrated national need, graduate fellowships will serve to strengthen education from the halls of universities down to the classrooms filled with children.

In addition to placing a priority on these three subject areas, the Priorities For Graduate Studies Act will also recognize the rapidly growing need for teachers prepared to meet the needs of students with limited English proficiency. H.R. 4411 is an essential piece of legislation that strengthens our higher educational system. We strengthen the graduate education, we target the Federal investment toward areas facing a demonstrated need, and we work to improve not just the graduate education but education at all levels across our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this piece of legislation and help our already successful graduate educational programs become even more successful.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, we have been here before. We have already voted on this legislation. As with the last bill, this legislation has already passed this House. Less than 1 year ago, this House reported the exact bill by a good bipartisan voice vote. That bill also improved our graduate programs. While this is a worthwhile goal, today's action does not actually move us further toward these improvements.

I am going to support this bill today, but there is a more important question for this body: Why are we repassing legislation? During the last bill we considered, I asked this very question. Since I did not get a satisfactory answer then, I really do not expect to get one now. But rather than wasting our time, Mr. Speaker, repassing legislation, we should be investing in America's families.

During the last bill, I talked about some much-needed improvement to our higher-education programs that this Congress should be considering. Now I will spend my time on how this Republican Congress and the Bush administration has not provided economic security for the American worker and their families.

The Republican Congress and the Bush administration have refused to provide extended unemployment benefits to those workers who have exhausted their initial benefits. Despite the fact that 1.5 million workers have exhausted their benefits, this Congress has refused to act. These workers who have lost their jobs due to outsourcing and the sour economy do not have the financial security to provide for their families. This Congress and the administration continue to turn a blind eye.

The real root of the problem for today's American workers is that there are not any jobs. I was in my hometown of Flint, Michigan, this past weekend; and I went into McDonald's and ordered the No. 9. They were hiring, but General Motors is not hiring. The really good jobs are not there.

There are 8.2 million individuals now unemployed. On his watch, President Bush has lost 2 million jobs. That is a staggering figure when you stop to think about it. The administration has failed to keep the jobs needed to keep pace with an expanding workforce, but also we are 2 million jobs in the hole.

The Republican Congress and the Bush administration have failed to pass an unemployment insurance extension and other critical legislation directly affecting the financial security of families. Instead, Congress is debating legislation that has already passed.

Clearly, Mr. Speaker, we need to refocus our priorities on restoring the economic well-being of our workers and the families for which they provide. Mr. Speaker, I again want to say that I am going to support this legislation which is before us today. However, this legislation is not moving us toward improving our graduate programs. We simply are squandering our time and resources by repassing this bill today.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

The gentleman from California (Mr. McKeon) has said we are repassing these bills to get the attention of the Senate. I suggest it might be cheaper and more efficient to send a respectful message to the Senate, and I will be glad to cosign a letter with my colleague to do that.

But, nevertheless, I will support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.