Latest News from the Working Group 

·         House Committee Increases funding for Math/Science Partnership

On Thursday, June 19, 2003 , the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, approved the Fiscal Year 2004 budget for these agencies.  Included in this budget is a $50 million increase for the Math/Science Partnership Program, which increases the funding for the program in FY 2004 to $151 million.  While this funding level is short of the $200 million requested by the Math/Science Partnership Working Group, it does represent a 50% increase of funding for the program.  Given the constraints placed on spending, this does represent a significant increase in spending for the program.  The Math/Science Partnership Working Group is grateful to Chairman Ralph Regula (R-OH) and the members of the subcommittee for approving this increase in the budget for the program.

·       CEO’s Send Letter in Support of increased funding for Math/Science Partnership

Craig Barrett, the CEO’s of Intel, Tom Engibous, the CEO Texas Instruments, Joseph Tucci, the CEO of EMC Corporation, and Henry McKinnell, the CEO of Pfizer signed a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking members of the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees urging them to increase funding in Fiscal Year 2004 for the Math/Science Partnership Program to $200 million.  The letter stated their strong support for increased funding for the Math/Science Partnership, and explained how critical math and science education improvements are to the future competitiveness of their companies.  Read the letter sent by the CEO’s.

·      Math/Science Partnership Working Group sends letter to House/Senate Appropriators asking for $200 million:

      More than 40 corporations and trade associations sent a letter to Chairman Ralph Regula (R-OH) and Chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA), along with Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) urging them to increase funding for the Math/Science Partnership to $200 million.  Read the letter sent to the House/Senate Labor/HHS Appropriations Committee.

·         View the Math/Science Partnership Working Group Activities in 2002

The Issue

As part of the "No Child Left Behind" Act (NCLB), Congress created a new program designed to improve math and science education – the Math/Science Partnership. The program consists of partnerships between local school districts, colleges, and other groups including businesses and business organizations.  While Congress authorized $450 million for this program, actual spending for the program in 2002 was $12.5 million.  The Math/Science Partnership Working Group was created to ensure that the Math/Science Partnership Program in the NCLB Act receives full funding - $450 million.

Who is the Math/Science Partnership Working Group
The Math/Science Partnership Working Group consists of trade associations and corporations dedicated to improving K-12 math/science education. This group was created in order to increase funding for the Math/Science Partnership, which was part of the "No Child Left Behind" Act. Chaired by AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association), some of the members of the Math/Science Partnership Working Group include Texas Instruments, Intel, Motorola, the National Alliance of Business, the Business Roundtable, and the Semiconductor Industry Association.

• Contact your Representative and Senators and indicate your support for full funding of the Math/Science Partnership. Send a Letter Now or Review the letter first.

• Join the Math/Science Partnership Working Group 

• One Page overview of the Math/Science Partnership
• Q&A on the Math/Science Partnership 
• Side-by-side Comparison:  National Science Foundation & Department of Education
• Math & Science Teaching Needs
• NAEP Math and Science Scores for 2000
• Details on Undergraduate Degrees in Math and Science
• Math & Science Partnership Presentation (powerpoint)

Other Resources

• House Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations Subcommittee Membership 
• Senate Appropriations Committee 
• CyberEducation 2002: U.S. Education and the High-Technology Industry - A National and State-by-State Perspective
• National Science Teachers Association
• The Committee for Economic Development

Contact Matthew Page, Director of Procurement Policy and Workforce Issues, 202.682.4439

This page was last updated on 06/23/04.  
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