NSBA's Letter to U.S. House of Representatives: April 24, 2007
April 24, 2007
Member
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
RE: H.R. 362 – 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the 95,000 school board members who serve the nation’s 48 million students in our local public school districts, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) wishes to express our support for H.R. 362, the “10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act,” sponsored by Representative Bart Gordon and scheduled for consideration by the House today, April 24.
The legislation seeks to increase the supply of knowledgeable and well-supported elementary and secondary math and science teachers with targeted assistance that encourages graduates to commit to teach for several years in high-need schools. It also aims to boost professional development, mentoring and induction programs for teachers of these subjects, and encourage existing teachers to further develop their knowledge base and skills through financial assistance toward master’s degree programs.
We are encouraged that several specific provisions are included in the legislation, specifically: 1) defining a high-need school district as one that receives Title I funds and is experiencing a shortage of qualified teachers in math and science to ensure assistance is targeted where most needed; 2) emphasizing the need for grantees to provide professional development and mentoring assistance that takes into account relevant teaching methods and effective pedagogical practices; and, 3) explicitly stating that the collection anddevelopment of effective math, science and technology materials by the national panel created by the legislation does not equate to a specific, mandated K-12 curriculum.
We believe the legislation has the potential to strengthen math and science instruction in the nation’s public schools, which is consistent with an NSBA policy recognizing the importance of local, state and federal collaboration to ensure our schools provide students with the skills needed to be successful in the 21st Century workplace through rigorous instruction. School board members from around the nation adopted this policy this month at our annual conference.
While we applaud Congress’ attention to assisting local school districts in strengthening teacher quality and attempting to address the targeted shortages in subjects such as math and science with this initiative and authorized resources, we continue to strongly urge adequate funding for current critical education programs, such as Title I and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). While we realize that funding for H.R. 362 may not directly compete with funding for existing education programs, we do wish to express our broader concern that it would be counterproductive to invest new money in a new program without making the necessary significant financial commitment to high-priority education initiatives such as Title I and IDEA.
If you have any questions, please contact Marcus Egan, Director of Federal Affairs at (703) 838-6707, or by email at megan@nsba.org.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Resnick
Associate Executive Director