ht di ed U I. Introduction Mr. Chairman, I am Calvin Frazier, Commissioner of Education for the state of Colorado. I am here today as president and representative of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The Council is an independent organization composed of the commissioners and superintendents of education from each of the fifty states, six extra-territorial jurisdictions, and the District of Columbia. Members of the Council are the principal administrative officers of the public school systems in each state, and as such bear a heavy responsibility, along with our colleagues at the local level, for helping to insure that our children are well served by the nation's educational systems. The purposes of my appearance today are to summarize the views of the Council in the context of state and local needs. II. CCSSO Views the Problem The Council's view of the dimensions of the national problem we face in mathematics/science/foreign language/technology instruction can be expressed in the form of a series of propositions which we believe can form the basis for an appropriate national policy. These propositions, supported by the rationale for each and specific recommendations, are discussed more fully in the Council's policy statement, Need for a New "National Defense Education Act," a copy of which is appended to each copy of this statement. Proposition One: There is a federal role in support of improved instruction in mathematics and science. During the 1980s, the United States will experience an accelerating trend toward a focus on high technology industries, while also facing the challenge of increasing our national security and revitalizing basic industries. Our future security and physical and economic well-being will depend on how well America manages the task of investing in the education of tomorrow's citizens. Proposition Two: The elements of federal legislation should include: incentives to increase the supply and upgrade the quality of the teaching profession, funds for equipment, support for youth activities, and support for other activities. You will hear, Mr. Chairman, throughout these hearings about the scope of the problems faced by our schools. Let me simply point out a few examples: the state of California estimates an annual need for at least 1500 additional -? secondary science and mathematics teachers simply to cope with existing shortages. Similarly, some school districts in Maryland are unable to find a single trained, certified physics teacher to staff existing high school programs. This story is repeated throughout the country: too few qualified teachers and too little equipment is available to teach science, mathematics and technological subjects adequately. Recent figures from the National Science Foundation indicate that, nationwide, 16 percent of all elementary school teachers are not sufficiently prepared to provide basic training in science and mathematics. At the same time, the federal government's commitment to research and training in science education at the elementary and secondary levels has declined to almost nothing since the 1960s. Proposition Three: Support for foreign language instruction is part of the federal role in support of education. The Council believes that national security requires that we be able to understand major world cultures and political groups, and that trade and economic development in a global economy depend on our ability to communicate with trading partners. For these reasons, we believe steps must be taken to reverse the current decline in the foreign language proficiency of the American public. This is an appropriate area for federal support and action, as numerous members of this Committee have already indicated through the years. Proposition Four: Federal support for math/science/technology education should be administered through states, should be coordinated with the numerous state-level initiatives in this area, and should be of sufficient scope to have a significant impact on the nation's schools. Recent surveys by the Education Commission of the States indicate that, out of nearly forty states queried, all are implementing programs to improve educational quality. Such programs include: new science/mathematics curricula, inservice teacher training, increased use of computers in the classroom, and providing special programs to enhance teacher supply and quality. Kentucky, for example, has initiated at the state level a student loan forgiveness program for future science and mathematics teachers. At the same time, states have widely varying needs. In New York State, for example, 57 percent of high school students following an academic track take three or more years of science, while only 41 percent of such students nationally take as much science. Surveys also indicate that science teacher shortages vary by discipline and geographic area. National legislation, therefore, must provide the flexibility for state and local education agencies to be able to use funds in the areas of their own greatest needs. Proposition Five: The federal role in the areas of math/science/foreign language/technology education is linked to the federal role in support of human capital development generally, as well as to defense preparedness through personnel preparation. Training for high technology occupations, math and science education, and defense preparedness are interrelated acitivities. Public school vocational-technical education programs can contribute directly to the needed manpower of the military services through specific training programs keyed to Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) needs. Both the private sector and the defense establishment can contribute to and benefit from national policies in these areas. The number of young people is shrinking, while the needs of the nation for a better qualified technical workforce are well documented. Retraining of the existing workforce will be important, but much will depend on the types of training received by young people entering the workforce. There must be increased coordination of resources among the military, the private sector, and all levels of educational institutions. The Council has developed a number of recommendations for ways to stimulate such coordination, many of which are discussed in our statement. Others are to be found in the policy statement attached to copies of the statement. Proposition Six: Both federal and state efforts to support improved instruction in math, science, technical fields and foreign languages should have a significant focus on increasing access and equity. The particular needs of women and minorities must be addressed in this national effort. The Council believes that excellence in education means increased equity. Historically, women and minorities have been underrepresented in technical fields of study. For example, a 1980 estimate by the National Center for Education Statistics places the proportion of females taking three or more years of mathematics in high school at only 26 percent. Sixty percent of white students take geometry, but only 30 percent of black students do so. Women and minorities together make up more than 60 percent of the population, but a mere five to ten percent of the nation's engineers. It is part of the federal role in support of education, and the responsibilities of state and local education authorities, to find ways to take advantage of this resource. Proposition Seven: Federal legislation to support mathematics, science, foreign language, and technical instruction must incorporate and assure an adequate level of financial support. |