President Clinton plans to veto the bill in its current form. It underfunds after-school programs and such important efforts as the GEAR UP mentoring program, education technology, and adult literacy. National Techies Day is a national event honoring the achievements of U.S. technology professionals. The celebration encourages students to pursue technology careers, and also seeks to draw attention to the chronic shortage of trained technology workers plaguing American business. In addition, the teacher-training program will benefit an additional 3,502 students this year.
Students submit entries that sharpen their inquiry, problem solving and creative writing skills.
The program provides connections to national standards, state frameworks and local school curriculum. NSIP is more than a competition, providing an inquiry-based approach to science, math, technology and geography education. New this year is the Flight Opportunity competition for high school students. Winners' experiments will be flown on a NASA Space Shuttle or sounding rocket. Supporters of the initiative predict the centers will help improve students' academic achievement, further adults' education, and help community members develop workforce and technology skills.