(Washington, D.C.) Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) joined her colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives in supporting legislation called the “10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act”  to assure that the U.S. maintains an abundance of qualified, well-equipped math and science teachers in grades K-12.

“The measure significantly increases our federal investment in scholarships and stipends to encourage math and science college majors to pursue careers in teaching,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said.  “This investment is desperately needed to ensure that our children obtain the math and science skills necessary to compete in the global marketplace.”

The bill enacts the foremost recommendation of the National Academies’ report Rising Above the Gathering Storm which calls for improvements to K-12 math and science education by helping to ensure that teachers have a deep knowledge of their subject matter and effective teaching skills.

The 2005 report - issued by a distinguished spectrum of national leaders in academia, industry and government – found that in 2000 more than 85 percent of students in grades 5-9 were taught physical science by a teacher lacking a major or certification in the physical sciences.  In 1999, the report noted, 68 percent of U.S. 8th grade students received instruction from a mathematics teacher who did not hold a degree or certification in mathematics.

“Essentially, the National Academies report concluded that without immediate action to produce a new generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians, the U.S. may fall behind as a leader in innovation and technology,” Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said.  “The key to maintaining our nation’s success in enterprise is to produce well-qualified, well-trained teachers who are able to truly inspire and motivate our children to pursue studies in math and science.”

The “10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act” will:

• Create thousands of new teachers — with content and instructional expertise in their area of teaching — via the Noyce scholarship program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Noyce awards go to universities that build model programs for recruiting students into teaching.  Students who enroll in these programs earn degrees in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), get early mentoring and field experiences in teaching, learn content-oriented pedagogy, follow a streamlined path toward teacher certification, and receive $10,000 per year scholarships.  In return, they make a commitment of several years to the teaching profession. 
• Create summer institutes and graduate programs that provide sustained, content-oriented professional development to teachers through Math Science Partnerships at NSF.
• Create centers for improvement of undergraduate education in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) via the STEM Talent Expansion Program program at NSF.

The measure passed the House (HR 362) on April 24 in a vote of 389 to 22.  The U.S. Senate passed a similar measure (S 761) on April 25 in a vote of 88-8.