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Managing America: Education

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Week Ending May 25, 2006

H.R.2272 To invest in innovation through research and development, and to improve the competitiveness of the United States.

Congress again takes aim at the Nation’s dwindling position in the world regarding science, math and other technological-related courses of study that produce much needed scientists and engineers. The bill aims to bolster the US educational force through scholarships for science and math educational improvements, increasing laboratory science programs, science and engineering research, the National Science Foundation grants and the National Institute of Standards and Technology grants. Also included are provisions regarding high-performance computing.

The National Science Foundation is required to seek to increase by up to 10,000 per year, the number of elementary and secondary math and science teachers who would have exemplary subject knowledge and pedagogical skills, the bill says. Programs for graduate students are included but the emphasis is placed on encouraging and recruiting undergraduate students and to provide early on in their careers, courses and experiences to prepare them to later will teach the courses. Grants would go to colleges to prepare those students. Students must first pass a national test to determine their prior knowledge of the subjects. Scholarships and stipends would support the qualified students’ effort. In the end all schools will have highly trained teachers and teacher leaders to support them. Academia and private enterprise would cooperate.

Grants to institutions shall be not less than $75,000 and no greater than $2 million.

Grants can be used for stipends, offering additional courses and programs to stipend recipients. Stipends are for 16 months, the amount of time a program would have to produce a well educated teacher. The amount is $10,000 per year. Recipients are obligated to, within 6 years of graduation, give four years of service as a math of science teacher in a public elementary school. Grants may also be used to provide summer or academic year teacher training and workshops of 1 to 2 weeks each.

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH

The National Science Foundation will award grants to scientists and engineers at the early stage of their careers to conduct research in fields relevant to the mission of this bill. Awards will range to $80,000 and will be made to eligible students at eligible institutions. Early careers at the department of energy would be stimulated by grants to research domestic energy production and coal-to-liquids technology and advanced nuclear reprocessing by tenure tracked assistant professors.

The nation’s research infrastructure will be scrutinized by a newly formed Office of Science and Technology Policy.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

NIST will focus on research and laboratory activities as well as awarding innovation. The existing Manufacturing Extension partnership, a program that aid manufacturers with technology development and other matters will gain an advisory board to assess and improve that program. Any size company with expertise in germane research may receive grants to support high-risk, high-reward research to $3 million. Cooperative grants can rise to $9 million.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING

The high-performance computing program is tweaked to allow greater access to researchers and to increase software availability, portability and reliability and to build high-performance computer networks.

Sponsor:  Rep. Bat Gordon (D-TN-6^th)

Vote: passed House by voice vote May 21, 2007

Cost to the taxpayers: Laboratory Science Teacher Professional Development- There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy for the Laboratory Science Teacher Professional Development program, $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2011, and $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy to carry out the Director's responsibilities under this section $25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012.

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Foundation $6,500,000,000 for fiscal year 2008

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