January 31, 2003

The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Harkin:

The undersigned companies and trade associations would like you to recede to the House Labor/HHS Appropriation that provides $100 million for the Math/Science Partnership Program authorized under Title II, Section B of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The business community is a strong and active advocate of the NCLB Act. We support the systemic reforms advanced by the legislation as well as the call for increased investments in key national priorities such as teacher quality, math and science education, and effective use of technology in the classroom.

A substantial increase to the Math and Science Partnerships will allow higher education, K-12 districts, businesses, and others to provide additional teacher training and professional development, curriculum development, and a host of other critically-needed reforms to improve current system of science, math, engineering and technology education. Excellence in K-12 science and mathematics, must be a national priority. Recent national and international test scores demonstrate how far we have to go to equip American students with the foundation they need in these core disciplines. We are pleased and grateful that you share our commitment to ensuring that all America’s students have access to a world-class education, particularly in mathematics and science that are so crucial to the nation’s continued economic growth.

By agreeing to the House figure of $100 million, you can ensure that the program is formula based and available to all states. Once again, we urge you to agree to the proposed House level of $100 million appropriated for the Math/Science Partnerships.

Sincerely,

AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association)
Agilent Technologies
Analog Devices
CompTIA
Industrial Research Institute, Inc.
Information Technology Association of America
Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International
Semiconductor Industry Association
Texas Instruments
The Business Roundtable