U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige and Singapore's Minister of Education, Teo Chee Hean, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will expand cooperative efforts and exchanges in education between the two countries.

"Singapore's students score among the highest in the world in mathematics and science," Paige said, "and there is much we can learn about its system of education which leads to such high achievement. The MOU signed today will ensure that we develop further areas of partnership with Singapore that will result in improved teaching and learning for youngsters in both our countries."

Minister of Education Teo said, "We look forward to increased exchanges and collaborations between our schools, students and teachers and to the increased opportunities to learn from each other."

Earlier in the day, the Education Department arranged for members of Minister Teo's delegation to conduct a seminar on math and science teaching in Singapore for members of math and science associations, teacher preparation organizations and local educators.

The MOU signed today places special emphasis on sharing information about effective teaching practices related to math and science education at the elementary and secondary levels. Some of the specific activities that could be undertaken include comparing math textbooks and curricula in both countries; exchanging math and science teachers, curriculum specialists, and principals; working cooperatively to explore new ways to teach in such rapidly changing fields as life sciences, communications technology and environmental science, and examining teacher training programs in math and science, both preservice preparation at colleges and universities and professional development for in-service teachers. In addition, Singapore and the United States both have expressed an interest in exploring innovative uses of technology for teaching math and science as well as ways to inspire creativity in math and science education.

"Given the foundation of the No Child Left Behind law," Paige said, "it is especially meaningful that the MOU specifically calls for our two nations 'to consider ways to maximize the performance of all students, regardless of gender, family background or other characteristics.' The education collaboration we are formalizing today will ensure a brighter future for the children of both our countries."

NOTE TO EDITOR: A photo of this event will be available September 10 at: http://www.ed.gov/news/photos/latest/index.html

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