Chamber Applauds Education Bill

 

As classrooms open for the start of the new school year, there is good news for students and their future employers: More federal dollars are going to math and science education, which is essential to meeting the needs of America's economy and its employers.

 

The U.S. Chamber-backed America COMPETES Act, passed by Congress in August, authorizes more than $40 billion between fiscal years 2008 and 2010 for science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and research. Included are two new competitive grant programs that will enable public-private partnerships with colleges and universities to strengthen education in these subjects and in critical foreign languages.

 

In addition, the bill will help prepare thousands of new teachers and improve the knowledge and skills of current teachers through subject-specific training. It will also provide competitive grants to increase the number of teachers serving high-need schools. According to the Program for International Student Assessment, U.S. students rank 24th in the world in math literacy by the time they get to high school.

 

"This bill will help make American businesses more competitive by creating an innovative and talented workforce," says Chamber Senior Vice President Arthur Rothkopf and head of the Chamber's Education and Workforce Initiative. "It is the culmination of a year and a half-long effort to pass an agenda that responds to the challenges identified in the 2005 National Academies report Rising Above the Gathering Storm."

 

The Chamber is a member of Tapping America's Potential (TAP), a coalition of business groups with a goal of doubling the number of science, technology, engineering, and math graduates by 2015. The America COMPETES Act represents a significant victory for TAP.