II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2248 

To establish the Math and Science Teaching Corps. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 7, 2006 

Mr. SCHUMER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To establish the Math and Science Teaching Corps. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mathematics and 

5 Science Teaching Corps Act of 2006’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Mathematics and science are the bases for 

9 almost every technical competence in the modern 

10 marketplace, including fields as diverse as computer 

11 programming, physics, engineering, manufacturing, 

12 and oil exploration. 
2 

•S 2248 IS

1 (2) Cultivating a workforce with strong mathe2 matics and science skills is necessary both to keep 

3 the United States competitive in a global economy 

4 and for its national security. China’s long-term 

5 growth rate has surpassed that of the United States 

6 in the time since Chinese economic reform focused 

7 on the development of science and technology. 

8 (3) Secondary school students in the United 

9 States rank near the bottom when compared to their 

10 counterparts in other developed countries. Of the 

11 Organization for Economic Cooperation and Devel12 opment nations participating in the 2003 Program 

13 for International Student Assessment, the United 

14 States ranked 24th of 29 in mathematics and 23rd 

15 of 29 in science, while Korea and Japan ranked in 

16 the top 5 in both categories. 

17 (4) Research shows that teacher quality is the 

18 most important factor in determining student 

19 achievement, especially in the technical fields of 

20 mathematics and science. Researchers from Penn 

21 State, the Urban Institute, and the RAND Corpora22 tion have all found higher student achievement in 

23 secondary school for those students whose teachers 

24 had taken more coursework related to their subject 

25 area. 
3 

•S 2248 IS

1 (5) According to the Center for Teaching and 

2 Policy, 38 percent of secondary school mathematics 

3 classes, 28 percent of general science classes, 45 per4 cent of life science classes, and 60 percent of phys5 ical science classes are taught by individuals lacking 

6 a major or a minor in such discipline. 

7 (6) College graduates with strong mathematics 

8 or science backgrounds have many career opportuni9 ties that are more financially attractive than teach10 ing. According to the National Science Foundation, 

11 recent college graduates in 2001 were offered be12 tween $10,000 and $20,000 more for their first year 

13 in a technical occupation other than teaching. 

14 (7) Sophisticated mathematics and science 

15 teachers are needed in all classrooms across the Na16 tion in order to raise student achievement and ulti17 mately help the United States maintain its competi18 tiveness in the global economy. 

19 (8) Individuals who are strong in mathematics 

20 and science need financial incentives, peer men21 toring, and professional development for proper re22 cruitment and retainment in the field of teaching. 

23 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to— 

24 (1) recruit up to 8,000 new, outstanding mathe25 matics and science secondary school teachers each 
4 

•S 2248 IS

1 year who might otherwise begin different careers; 

2 and 

3 (2) reward up to 8,000 existing and out4 standing mathematics and science secondary school 

5 teachers each year who might otherwise leave the 

6 teaching profession. 

7 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 

9 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

10 the Director of the Math and Science Teaching 

11 Corps. 

12 (2) HARD-TO-STAFF SCHOOL.—The term 

13 ‘‘hard-to-staff school’’ means a secondary school that 

14 has great difficulty in finding and retaining qualified 

15 and effective teachers, as determined by the Direc16 tor. 

17 (3) PARTICIPATING LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN18 CY.—The term ‘‘participating local educational agen19 cy’’ means a local educational agency that has been 

20 certified by the Director as offering an induction 

21 program for individuals receiving fellowships under 

22 this Act that meets adequate standards, including— 

23 (A) clustering Math and Science Teaching 

24 Corps Fellows in individual or nearby schools; 
5 

•S 2248 IS

1 (B) providing multi-year mentoring and 

2 coaching; 

3 (C) offering new teacher seminars on a 

4 monthly basis; 

5 (D) reducing the course load for such Fel6 lows; 

7 (E) allowing time for joint lesson planning 

8 and other constructive collaborative activities; 

9 (F) providing professional development op10 portunities for such Fellows and Math and 

11 Science Teaching Corps Master Fellows on con12 tent knowledge and pedagogy; and 

13 (G) facilitating relationships between Math 

14 and Science Teaching Corps Fellows and Math 

15 and Science Teaching Corps Master Fellows. 

16 (4) PARTNER INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘part17 ner institution’’ means an institution of higher edu18 cation that has been certified by the Director as 

19 meeting adequate standards for— 

20 (A) offering a teacher preparation program 

21 that— 

22 (i) is modeled on the Master of Arts 

23 in Teaching program, which provides a 

24 full-time, 1-year course of study leading to 
6 

•S 2248 IS

1 teacher certification and a master’s degree; 

2 and 

3 (ii) includes pedagogical courses and a 

4 minimum of 1 semester of student teach5 ing experience; 

6 (B) offering a part-time master’s degree 

7 program in mathematics or science education 

8 for teachers who are certified to teach; 

9 (C) offering a graduate degree program in 

10 mathematics and science; and 

11 (D) establishing an explicit collaboration 

12 between the teacher preparation and mathe13 matics and science departments of the institu14 tion to provide graduate-level mathematics and 

15 science content courses that are appropriate for 

16 secondary school teachers. 

17 (5) STANDARDIZED TEST.—The term ‘‘stand18 ardized test’’ means the test required by the Direc19 tor of each individual who applies for a fellowship 

20 under this Act that evaluates each individual’s math21 ematics or science subject area knowledge. The 

22 science subject area tests shall include a section to 

23 assess mathematics skills appropriate to each sub24 ject. The standardized tests shall be approved and 

25 reviewed periodically by the National Academy of 
7 

•S 2248 IS

1 Sciences to ensure that the tests meet rigorous 

2 standards and remain appropriate for the intended 

3 use, and cut-off scores shall be set at the national 

4 level. 

5 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MATH AND SCIENCE 

6 TEACHING CORPS. 

7 Title II of the Department of Education Organization 

8 Act (20 U.S.C. 3411 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

9 the end the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 221. MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHING CORPS. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Depart12 ment a Math and Science Teaching Corps to be adminis13 tered by the Director of the Math and Science Teaching 

14 Corps in accordance with the Mathematics and Science 

15 Teaching Corps Act of 2006. 

16 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.—The Director of the Math and 

17 Science Teaching Corps shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) administer the Math and Science Teaching 

19 Corps program established under the Mathematics 

20 and Science Teaching Corps Act of 2006; and 

21 ‘‘(2) report directly to the Secretary and shall 

22 perform such additional functions as the Secretary 

23 may prescribe. 

24 ‘‘(c) PURPOSE.—The Math and Science Teaching 

25 Corps is established in order to significantly improve 
8 

•S 2248 IS

1 mathematics and science achievement among secondary 

2 school students in the United States by ensuring that such 

3 students are taught by well-prepared mathematics and 

4 science teachers with superior subject area knowledge.’’. 

5 SEC. 5. MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHING CORPS FELLOW6 SHIPS FOR PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall carry out 

8 a program through which the Director awards— 

9 (1) Math and Science Teaching Corps Fellow10 ships for Prospective Teachers (referred to in this 

11 part as ‘‘MSTC Fellowships’’) to eligible individuals; 

12 (2) grants to partner institutions to pay the tui13 tion and fees and overhead costs at such institutions 

14 of individuals receiving MSTC Fellowships under 

15 this section; and 

16 (3) grants to participating local educational 

17 agencies to pay the costs of the activities described 

18 in subsection (e)(4). 

19 (b) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—In this 

20 section, the term ‘‘eligible individual’’ means an individual 

21 who— 

22 (1) is a recent college graduate or a mid-career 

23 professional outside of the teaching field; and 

24 (2) possesses a strong content area knowledge, 

25 including a baccalaureate (or higher) degree in 
9 

•S 2248 IS

1 mathematics, science, engineering, technology, or a 

2 related field. 

3 (c) APPLICATION.—An individual, partner institu4 tion, or participating local educational agency that desires 

5 to receive a MSTC Fellowship or grant, as applicable, 

6 under this section shall submit an application to the Direc7 tor at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 

8 such information as the Director may require. 

9 (d) RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF INDIVIDUALS

10 FOR MSTC FELLOWSHIPS.— 

11 (1) RECRUITMENT.—The Director shall recruit 

12 eligible individuals for the MSTC Fellowships. 

13 (2) SELECTION.—The Director shall establish 

14 criteria to ensure that individuals who receive MSTC 

15 Fellowships under this section possess— 

16 (A) a comprehensive knowledge of the sub17 ject area to be taught as evidenced by per18 forming at a satisfactory level on a standard19 ized test; 

20 (B) strong verbal and communication 

21 skills; and 

22 (C) other attributes that are linked to ef23 fective teaching. 

24 (e) ACTIVITIES.— 
10 

•S 2248 IS

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—An individual who receives a 

2 MSTC Fellowship under this section shall— 

3 (A) receive pedagogical training as de4 scribed in paragraph (2); and 

5 (B) for 4 years, within a 7-year period of 

6 first receiving the Fellowship, teach mathe7 matics or science in a secondary school, as de8 scribed in paragraph (3). 

9 (2) PEDAGOGICAL TRAINING.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—An individual who re11 ceives a MSTC Fellowship under this section 

12 shall— 

13 (i) if the individual is not certified to 

14 teach— 

15 (I) attend, during the first year 

16 of the MSTC Fellowship, a 1-year, 

17 full-time graduate education program 

18 of a partner institution that receives a 

19 grant under this section; and 

20 (II) receive, during that 1 year, a 

21 stipend that is in an amount that is 

22 equal to the Graduate Research Fel23 lowship stipend awarded by the Na24 tional Science Foundation; or 
11 

•S 2248 IS

1 (ii) if the individual holds appropriate 

2 teacher certification credentials when 

3 granted the MSTC Fellowship, then during 

4 any of the 4 years of the MSTC Fellow5 ship— 

6 (I) attend a part-time graduate 

7 education program leading to a mas8 ter’s degree in mathematics or science 

9 education; or 

10 (II) enroll at an institution of 

11 higher education in not more than 24 

12 credit hours of courses in mathe13 matics, science, or education. 

14 (B) GRANTS TO PARTNER INSTITU15 TIONS.—A partner institution that receives a 

16 grant under this section— 

17 (i) shall use the grant funds to pay 

18 the tuition and fees at such institution of 

19 individuals receiving MSTC Fellowships 

20 under this section; and 

21 (ii) may use not more than 10 percent 

22 of the grant funds for overhead costs in23 curred by the partner institution in admin24 istering the grant. 
12 

•S 2248 IS

1 (3) TEACHING, MENTORING, AND PROFES2 SIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—An individual who receives 

3 a MSTC Fellowship under this section— 

4 (A) shall, for 4 years, teach mathematics 

5 or science in a secondary school served by a 

6 participating local educational agency; 

7 (B) shall, for such 4 years, participate in 

8 induction programs offered by the participating 

9 local educational agency; 

10 (C) shall, for such 4 years, receive a sti11 pend that is equal to— 

12 (i) for the first year of teaching de13 scribed in subparagraph (A), $11,000; 

14 (ii) for the second year of teaching de15 scribed in subparagraph (A), $14,000; 

16 (iii) for the third year of teaching de17 scribed in subparagraph (A), $17,000; and 

18 (iv) for the fourth year of teaching de19 scribed in subparagraph (A), $20,000; and 

20 (D) if the school in which the individual is 

21 teaching is determined by the Director to be a 

22 hard-to-staff school, may receive enhanced sti23 pends, of a uniform amount determined by the 

24 Director, in each year of teaching as described 

25 in subparagraph (A). 
13 

•S 2248 IS

1 (4) GRANTS TO PARTICIPATING LOCAL EDU2 CATIONAL AGENCIES.—A participating local edu3 cational agency that receives a grant under this sec4 tion— 

5 (A) shall use the grant funds to pay the 

6 expenses associated with facilitating the induc7 tion and professional development services for 

8 individuals receiving fellowships under this Act; 

9 and 

10 (B) may not reduce the salary of an indi11 vidual who receives a MSTC Fellowship under 

12 this section and is employed in a secondary 

13 school served by such agency below the salary 

14 normally paid for an individual with a similar 

15 background and experience solely because such 

16 individual receives a stipend under paragraph 

17 (3). 

18 (f) REPORTS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

20 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 

21 submit a report to Congress that evaluates the effec22 tiveness of the program under this section. 

23 (2) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—The Director 

24 shall submit an updated report every 5 years after 
14 

•S 2248 IS

1 the date the first report is submitted under para2 graph (1). 

3 (g) REPAYMENT.—In the event that an individual re4 ceiving a MSTC Fellowship under this section does not 

5 complete the activities described in subsection (e), the Di6 rector shall require repayment of the stipends granted to 

7 the individual under this section according to the regula8 tions established by the Math and Science Teaching 

9 Corps. 

10 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

11 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

12 $137,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, $410,000,000 for fis13 cal year 2008, $683,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, 

14 $956,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and $1,092,000,000 

15 for fiscal year 2011. 

16 SEC. 6. MATH AND SCIENCE TEACHING CORPS FELLOW17 SHIPS FOR EXPERIENCED TEACHERS. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall carry out 

19 a program in which the Director awards Math and Science 

20 Teaching Corps Fellowships for Experienced Teachers (re21 ferred to in this part as ‘‘MSTC Master Fellowships’’) to 

22 eligible individuals. 

23 (b) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—In this section, the term 

24 ‘‘eligible individual’’ means an individual who— 
15 

•S 2248 IS

1 (1) has been teaching mathematics or science in 

2 a public secondary school for not less than 3 years; 

3 (2) possessed certification in the field and level 

4 in which the individual primarily taught during the 

5 3 years preceding the year for which the determina6 tion is made; and 

7 (3) is employed as a full-time, secondary mathe8 matics or science teacher in a participating local 

9 educational agency. 

10 (c) APPLICATIONS.—An eligible individual who de11 sires to receive a MSTC Master Fellowship under this sec12 tion shall submit an application to the Director at such 

13 time, in such manner, and accompanied by such informa14 tion as the Director may require. 

15 (d) RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF MSTC MAS16 TER FELLOWS.— 

17 (1) RECRUITMENT.—The Director shall recruit 

18 eligible individuals for MSTC Master Fellowships. 

19 (2) SELECTION.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall es21 tablish criteria to ensure that individuals who 

22 receive MSTC Master Fellowships under this 

23 section— 
16 

•S 2248 IS

1 (i) demonstrate expertise in mathe2 matics or science content by taking a 

3 standardized test; 

4 (ii) demonstrate mastery of mathe5 matics or science pedagogy and have a 

6 strong record of positively affecting aca7 demic achievement, as demonstrated by ob8 servations from supervisors, student data 

9 (as available), or other information as de10 termined by the Director; and 

11 (iii) demonstrate other attributes that 

12 are linked to effective teaching. 

13 (e) ACTIVITIES.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible individual who 

15 receives a MSTC Master Fellowship under this sec16 tion— 

17 (A) shall— 

18 (i) continue to teach mathematics or 

19 science in a public secondary school in a 

20 participating local educational agency for 

21 not less than an additional 5 years during 

22 the subsequent 7 years after receiving such 

23 a MSTC Master Fellowship under this sec24 tion; 
17 

•S 2248 IS

1 (ii) serve as a leader within the indi2 vidual’s department and school; 

3 (iii) mentor MSTC Fellows, as appro4 priate; 

5 (iv) receive a stipend of $20,000 for 

6 each year the eligible individual continues 

7 to teach, as described in clause (i), but for 

8 not more than 5 years; and 

9 (v) attend lectures, seminars, or work10 shops on content area knowledge or peda11 gogy provided by the participating local 

12 educational agency that employs such eligi13 ble individual; and 

14 (B) if the school in which the individual is 

15 teaching is determined by the Director to be a 

16 hard-to-staff school, may receive enhanced sti17 pends, of a uniform amount determined by the 

18 Director, in each year of teaching as described 

19 in subparagraph (A)(i). 

20 (f) RENEWAL OF MSTC MASTER FELLOWSHIPS.— 

21 An individual who has received a MSTC Fellowship or 

22 MSTC Master Fellowships and has completed the require23 ments associated with such fellowship may re-apply for a 

24 MSTC Master Fellowship (or apply for a MSTC Master 

25 Fellowship in the case of an individual who has received 
18 

•S 2248 IS

1 a MSTC Fellowship) if such individual is an eligible indi2 vidual under this section. 

3 (g) REPAYMENT.—In the event that an individual re4 ceiving a MSTC Master Fellowship under this section does 

5 not complete the activities described in subsection (e), the 

6 Director shall require repayment of the stipends granted 

7 to the individual under this section according to the regu8 lations established by the Math and Science Teaching 

9 Corps. 

10 (h) REPORTS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

12 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 

13 submit a report to Congress that evaluates the effec14 tiveness of the program under this section. 

15 (2) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—The Director 

16 shall submit an updated report every 5 years after 

17 the date the first report is submitted under para18 graph (1). 

19 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

20 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, 

21 $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, $300,000,000 for fis22 cal year 2008, $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, 

23 $700,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and $800,000,000 for 

24 fiscal year 2011. 

Æ