Reps. Miller, Holt: Report Highlights Need to Bolster Science Education in U.S. Schools 

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Reps. George Miller (D-CA) and Rush Holt (D-NJ) released the following statement today on the results of 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a scale comparing the science literacy of 15-year-old students across countries. The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that the United States will not continue to participate in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS-A), an international assessment that is given to high school students who have taken advanced math and physics courses. 

“This report offers further proof that our nation is falling behind our competitors in providing our students with the strong science education they will need in today’s world. These results are an urgent reminder that we must do everything we can to bolster students’ interest in science and improve the quality of science instruction,” said Miller, the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee. “Our nation has a wonderful legacy of bold innovation and discovery – but we will not be able to build on this legacy unless we make a serious commitment to educating and training a new generation of scientists.”

“Just as science is vital to our nation’s future competitiveness, studies that measure the performance of our students against the performance of students in other countries are essential to our ability to make well-informed policy decisions that will improve our nation’s schools,” Miller continued. “I am extremely disappointed by the Bush administration’s plans to withdraw from the next TIMMS-A study, and I hope that the Secretary will reconsider this misguided decision.”

“While American students have fallen behind those in other countries, it is our own government that has not been smart about investing in science and math education,” said Holt, a member of the House Education and Labor Committee. “A number of studies and reports have demonstrated how the U.S. is lagging behind the rest of the world in science education. Now is the time to stop talking and get serious as a nation about investing in science education. The Bush Administration's indefensible decision to withdraw from the next TIMMS-A study would stand in strong contrast to the policies we should be supporting to bolster science education."

Strengthening science education has been a priority for Miller, Holt, and other House Democrats. As part of the Committee’s efforts to improve No Child Left Behind, Miller has proposed allowing schools more flexibility to fully incorporate science into the curriculum, in addition to maintaining strong emphasis on reading and math. In addition, the recently enacted College Cost Reduction and Access Act, authored by Miller and Holt, will provide upfront tuition assistance to college students who commit to teaching math and science in high-need school districts.

In November 2005, Miller joined other Democratic leaders in developing the Innovation Agenda, a set of principles aimed at boosting U.S. competitiveness by producing greater numbers of scientists and enhancing teacher education in science, among other things. Some of these proposals were included in the bipartisan 21^st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007, which Congress passed into law this fall.

Holt was a member of the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, which published “Before It's Too Late: A Report to the Nation from The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century.” Holt is also an advocate for John Glenn Academies that facilitate summer workshops for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers.

For more information on the Democrats’ Innovation Agenda, click here.

For more information on the 21^st Century Competitiveness Act, click here.

For more information on the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, click here.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tom Kiley / Rachel Racusen
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