Nation's Math And Science Teachers Inspire Young Minds

April 15, 2005, Our nation's security remains a top concern for most of us. But personal safety is just part of the equation. Security also means having the type of job that allows us to live comfortably and send our children to good schools where motivated teachers mold and shape inquisitive minds.

That's why I have made it a priority in Congress to bolster our schools and ensure they have the resources needed to teach our children skills vital in a highly competitive job market. Today's economy is a global venture among many nations. And it demands educated workers who can compete in a high-tech world where math and science skills are in huge demand. Good teachers are critical to the security and success of this country.

Math and science teachers are the backbone of this nation's innovative prowess. In fact, the president and Congress recently honored 95 of the nation's best math and science teachers with the 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, including Murfreesboro school teacher Cynthia Cliche. She is a first-grade teacher at Homer Pittard Campus School and a math methods instructor at Middle Tennessee State University. She is an inspiration to not only her students, but an entire nation that depends on an educated workforce.

Too often, though, we take our teachers for granted. We expect them to teach our children the vital skills they need to compete in a high-tech world, but we don't necessarily think about how they are paid or where they work. We have to do more to compensate them before it's too late. Many simply cannot afford to stay in the teaching profession, opting instead to go into more lucrative occupations. That only hurts our children's chances of being taught the kinds of skills they need to find good jobs.

A recent study, in fact, ranked math proficiency of U.S. students at 24th out of 29 industrialized countries. It, together with other assessment data, concludes that the gap between American students and their counterparts in Europe and Asia widens at the high school level. We cannot allow the math and science skills of our children to suffer any longer. Too many corporations here in America have to recruit highly skilled employees from outside our borders. Not only do we have to worry about outsourcing less-skilled jobs, but we also have to worry about outsourcing the high-tech jobs we depend on to keep America's economy strong and vibrant.

During a recent hearing of the House Science Committee, of which I am the ranking member, Ms. Cliche, gave me and my colleagues a rather frank assessment of the education profession here in the U.S.

"As a university math methods instructor for the past fifteen years, I have seen the quality of teacher candidates decline," she said. "Teachers are being hired that would not have been given an interview 10 years ago, and our brightest young adults are choosing careers with higher salaries and more benefits. My own niece wanted to be a teacher until she became a senior in high school. Now she intends to go into business so she can make a bigger salary. Young people want to be able to justify the cost of an education with the potential salary."

Congress and the administration have to get more serious about the brain-drain going on in school systems across the nation. It seems we have lost our focus on what should be top priorities for the U.S. The federal government has been slashing funding to programs and agencies charged with bolstering the nation's prowess in math, science and basic research. Just look at what we have been doing to the National Science Foundation lately. Just two years after it promised to double funding for scientific research, Congress last year decreased the budget for the National Science Foundation by $105 million, the largest cut in the history of the NSF.

Congress' lack of commitment to the very agency charged with strengthening the nation's overall potential in science, mathematics and engineering through basic research and education is a serious threat to national security on the highest level. Technological innovation seems to have taken a back seat to many other issues, many of which seem to be politically motivated distractions instead of constructive debates about serious issues.

In the 1960s, the U.S. responded with break-neck speed to the Soviet Union's launching of Sputnik I. Because we didn't want to lose our technological superiority to the Soviet Union, we created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and boosted government research and development spending to nearly 2 percent of gross domestic product. Now, federal research and development spending is about 0.75 percent of GDP, a whopping 63 percent decrease. That speaks volumes of where our priorities now lie.

Ms. Cliche hit the nail on the head when she told me and my colleagues that Congress needs to elevate its commitment to not only education, but also to math and science disciplines specifically.

"Technology is an essential tool in teaching and learning mathematics," she said. "Our children need to leave our classrooms technology literate. So many schools lack the funds to give their students this opportunity. As lawmakers, the decisions you make will impact the future of our children. Thanks so much for your continued dedication in this area. With the challenges our nation faces today, we need talented, well-educated children with the ability to solve the problems of tomorrow."

I agree Ms. Cliche. Thank you for your insights and thank you for your dedication at teaching the leaders of tomorrow skills that will be vital to this country's success, as well as its security in an often volatile world.