Thursday January 29, 2009
Math and Science Education
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See also: I recognize the importance of math and science instruction in our schools. These subjects, and efforts to support them, are vital in keeping Idahoans educationally competitive.
Because of the importance of math and science in keeping the U.S. competitive, I recently supported the passage of S. 761, the America COMPETES Act. The COMPETES Act significantly increases the federal investment in basic research, fosters an innovation infrastructure, improves the teaching of math, science, engineering, and technology at the K-12 level, and encourages individuals to pursue careers in these fields. The bill significantly increases funding for the National Science foundation, Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In addition, the bill establishes training and education programs for math and science teachers, expands math and science scholarship programs, encourages participation in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, and provides grants to improve math instruction in local schools.
You may be interested to know that I have hosted a Senator Mike Crapo Math and Science Education Symposium in Boise to emphasize the importance of math and science in keeping our nation competitive with the rest of the world. This symposium brought together educators, administrators and community and national leaders to discuss the future of science and math education in Idaho.
It is my hope that events such as this will continue to help educators and the state and local communities identify under-used or unused resources that can be integrated into math and science education in the public schools.
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