National Commission for Science and Mathematics Leadership Act

Summary: National Commission for Science and Mathematics Leadership Act - Establishes the National Commission for Science and Mathematics Leadership. 
Directs the National Science Foundation to:  (1) pay Commission expenses up to a specified amount; and (2) provide administrative support for the Commission. 
Requires the Commission, in coordination with the National Academy of Sciences, to:  (1) review the status of science and mathematics training in the United States relative to international competitors; (2) formulate an implementation proposal to assure world class achievement in mathematics eduation in the United States; (3) propose professional development priorities to strengthen science and mathematics teaching at all levels; and (4) report findings and recommendations to specified congressional committees.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Commission for Science and 
Mathematics Leadership Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act, the term--
            (1) ``TIMSS'' means the Third International Mathematics and 
        Science Study; and
            (2) ``Commission'' means the National Commission on Science 
        and Mathematics Leadership established by section 4.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) students in the United States should be preeminent 
        among the nations of the world in science and mathematics 
        achievement by the year 2000;
            (2) TIMSS, the largest international study ever undertaken 
        of how students perform in science and mathematics, 
        demonstrated that mathematics skills of American students 
        (including the top 10 percent of students in the United States) 
        lags behind the work of students in many other nations;
            (3) research shows that the problems of students in the 
        United States in science and mathematics stem from the lack of 
        a unified effort to define and implement a process that will 
        assure national leadership;
            (4) research shows that the poor performance of students in 
        the United States in science and mathematics also stem from the 
        lack of assessment instruments for curriculum and the lack of a 
        sufficient commitment by colleges and universities in the 
        United States to provide high quality teacher preparation and 
        professional development programs;
            (5) there are core problems with the courses of study and 
        the teaching styles upon which many schools in the United 
        States rely for instruction in science and mathematics;
            (6) the National Science Foundation has concluded that 
        schools in the United States teach mathematics concepts in ways 
        that are superficial and, ultimately, ineffective;
            (7) a coherent framework for mathematics and science must 
        be developed to give balanced attention to basic skills, 
        conceptual understanding, problem solving, reasoning, 
        communication skills, and appropriate use of technology;
            (8) because of the failure of existing teaching methods in 
        science and mathematics in the United States, a systematic 
        retraining of teachers and an increased emphasis on their 
        professional development is required; and
            (9) teachers of math and science should be well-trained 
        professionals who combine sound knowledge of subject matter 
        with the necessary skills and a solid understanding of student 
learning and assessment.

SEC. 4. COMMISSION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be known 
as the ``National Commission for Science and Mathematics Leadership''.
    (b) Membership.--The Commission shall be composed of 12 members, of 
whom--
            (1) 4 shall be appointed by the President;
            (2) 4 shall be appointed jointly by the Speaker and the 
        Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, 
        after consultation with the Committee on Science of the House; 
        and
            (3) 4 shall be appointed jointly by the Majority Leader and 
        the Minority Leader of the United States Senate, after 
        consultation with the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation and the Committee on Labor of the Senate.
    (c) Chairman.--The Commission shall elect one of its members to 
serve as chairman.
    (d) Quorum.--A quorum for the purpose of conducting meetings of the 
Commission is 7.
    (e) Compensation; Per Diem.--Members of the Commission shall serve 
without pay. While away from their homes or regular places of business 
in the performance of their duties as members of the Commission, 
members shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
subsistence, in the same manner as persons employed intermittently in 
government service under section 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
    (f) Meetings.--The Commission shall meet at such times and such 
places, and hold such hearings, as it considers appropriate.
    (g) National Science Foundation.--The National Science Foundation 
shall--
            (1) pay the expenses of the Commission, but not in excess 
        of $500,000; and
            (2) provide administrative support for the Commission.
    (h) Termination.--The Commission shall terminate after submitting 
its report to the Congress under section 6.

SEC. 5. PURPOSE AND FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of the Commission is to review and 
propose recommendations for assuring leadership in science and 
mathematics training in the United States by the year 2000 in 
cooperation with the National Academy of the Sciences by--
            (1) reviewing existing research based on mathematics and 
        science education leadership, including the TIMSS findings; and
            (2) converting the research findings into specific 
        recommendations for implementation by public and private 
        agencies.
    (b) Functions.--The Commission shall--
            (1) review the status of science and mathematics training 
        in the United States as compared to the status of science and 
        mathematics education relative to international competitors;
            (2) review the TIMSS findings and other major research 
        projects and formulate an implementation proposal, including 
        specific recommendations which are reviewed by appropriate 
        public and private agencies, to use the information in those 
        findings and projects to build leadership in science and 
        mathematics in the United States;
            (3) propose professional development priorities based upon 
        available research to strengthen the teaching of science and 
        mathematics at all educational levels; and
            (4) coordinate its activities with the National Academy of 
        Sciences.

SEC. 6. REPORT.

    The Commission shall issue a report to the United States Senate 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on 
Labor, and the United States House of Representatives Committee on 
Science no later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.