Date: 1999-04-20
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I want to also express my appreciation for having the opportunity to visit scientists from New Zealand on a recent trip. I appreciate the gentlemans leadership in looking to see what other places around the world might be doing so that we can better understand what we need to be doing. I thank the gentleman very much. Mr. Speaker. I do want to do some final closing remarks by reading a portion of the statements of the gentleman from California . ranking member of the full committee. an outstanding Member of this Congress. who knows full well what we are talking about here. He is not able to be here this evening. but he sent his statement. In part. it reads: "The importance of science and math education to the Nations future wellbeing is without question. "The postindustrial society will have an ever growing need for highly trained individuals in science and technology. Clearly. we must ensure a full pipeline of students moving towards careers in these fields. if we are to compete successfully with our Major economic competitors in the 21st century. To meet the demand. the Nation must take advantage of the human resource potential of all the people. "But there is an equally important reason for effective science and math education in all parts of the Nation. Technology now infuses more and more aspects of daily life. Most workplaces are becoming increasingly technological. This means that all citizens need a basic grounding in science and math to function in an increasingly complex world and to lead fulfilling lives. "The situation is complicated by the uneven quality of educational opportunities across the broad diverse Nation. We are running the risk of a widening gulf between those with the training to thrive in this new work environment and those lacking the basic skills to qualify for the hightech workplace. "It is important to find ways to spur the interest and encourage the study of science and math by students at all levels of ability. The growing reality is that a strong back and a strong work ethic will not be enough to ensure a good job in the 21st century. "In addition to mastering the three Rs. students must learn as much as they can about science and technology. because such knowledge will be a key to their future. Efforts to reform science and math education must seek to engage and cultivate the interest of all children. "There is much evidence that young children are naturally interested in science and thatgrade school students in the U.S. perform well in science and math. This was shown to be the case in the recent results of the Third International Math and Science Study. known as TIMSS. U.S. students at the fourthgrade level were near the top in the international comparison. "However. the picture changes for the worse as students move through the school system. By middle school. again from the TIMSS findings. U.S. students have drifted down to the average performance level of the international comparisons. and well below most of our major economic competitors. And by the terminal year of high school. U.S. students are near the bottom of the rankings in math and science performance. "There are no simple answers for reversing this dismal situation. Many interrelated factors are involved. Engaging curriculum materials coupled with a handson. inquirybased approach to teaching have promise for improving student outcomes in science and math. This will require curriculum development and teacher professional development." But we also must be motivated. and our children must be motivated and excited. "An excellent example of an educational program that has a proven record for providing such excitement is the JASON Project. The brainchild of worldfamous explorer Dr. Robert Ballard. JASON is a yearround scientific expedition designed to engage students in science and technology through live satellite and Internet broadcasts. "For 2 Weeks. students at interactive network sites in the U.S. and other countries can watch the txpedition live. interact with scientists. control livefeed video cameras. The JASON network now reaches over 2 million students. "The tenth expedition in this series this past march focused on a comparative study of temperate. tropical and fossil rainforests. with the live segment originating from the Peru tropical rainforest." The gentleman from California had the opportunity to spend a day participating in this exploration at one of the JASON network downlink sites located at the A.B. Miller High School in Fontana. in his district. This is currently the only JASON downlink site in Southern California. "JASON is helping to change how science is taught in the classroom and will help to reverse the harmful decline of students interest in science and technology." The gentleman from California has been a JASON supporter since its inception. and is pleased to see its expansion and continuing excellence.