On April 21, the House approved, 411-7, a bill (H.R. 4030) authorizing the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award congressional medals to private entities in recognition of their contributions to elementary and secondary schools that improve student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The House Science Committee approved the measure on March 31 (see The Source, 4/2/04). Rep. Nick Smith (R-MI) sponsored the measure.
Under the bill, ten congressional medals would be authorized each year through FY2007. Five medals would go to small businesses with fewer than 500 employees, and five medals would go to companies with more than 500 employees. H.R. 4030 would give priority to programs that improve math and science achievement among women and minorities.
The measure would require the NSF to distribute information about the medal recipients to schools, colleges, parents, administrators, policymakers, researchers, public and private entities, and the general public. Businesses that were finalists or recipients of a medal would be permitted to publicize their achievement for advertising and other publicity purposes.
H.R. 4030 also would allow the NSF to change the date it issues a report on policies and activities to encourage women and minorities in science. At present, the NSF issues the report and a science and engineering indicators report every even-numbered year. The bill would allow the women and minorities report to be issued every odd-numbered year.
Contending that children will need to have a better understanding of math, science, engineering, and “technical know-how” to have high quality jobs in the future, Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) stated, “Currently a full third of U.S. students perform below basic levels in science and math on assessment tests. At the advanced level, only two out of every 100 high school graduates will obtain an engineering degree, while the numbers are even smaller for women and minorities who choose to go on in math and science.“
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) thanked the bill’s sponsor for accepting her language to give priority to programs that improve math and science achievement among women and minorities, noting, “This provision is consistent with [the House Science] Committee’s long interest in attracting the interest of, and preparing, all segments of the population in math and science. This is necessary if the Nation is to satisfy its demands for the science and technology workforce of the future, because the proportion of minorities in the college-aged population is growing. And it helps to ensure that all citizens will achieve a level of technological literacy needed to function in the 21st century.”
