Congressman Michael Honda Introduces Legislation to Transform Today’s Students into Tomorrow’s Innovators

Contact: Jack d’Annibale
Communications Director, Congressman Michael Honda 202.225.3327 Jack.Dannibale@mail.house.gov

Congressman Michael Honda Introduces Legislation to Transform
Today’s Students into Tomorrow’s Innovators

Friday, 4 November 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Rep. Honda introduced the STEM Education Innovation Act of 2011 to champion science, technology, engineering and math education to train a cutting edge workforce that bolsters America’s position as a global leader in innovation and industry.

Achieving the American Dream begins with a great education. The American public school system must be the equalizer of economic opportunity throughout the United States, elevating a child’s creativity, skills and thought, allowing her to be a competitive player on the world scene.

As our nation’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce heads toward retirement, too few students are equipped to serve as the next generation of innovators. Programme for International Student Assessment comparisons in 2006 show American students ranking 21st out of 30 in science literacy, and 25th out of 30 in math literacy, among students from developed countries.

These numbers are a crisis. These numbers are an urgent call to action. Congressman Michael Honda (CA-15) is answering that call by introducing the STEM Education Innovation Act of 2011.

“We must foster another age of boundless American ingenuity. We must bring back the America of the 1960s where we put men on the moon and founded what would eventually become the Internet,” Rep. Honda said. “The STEM Act is what we need today to guarantee American innovation and greatness tomorrow. The STEM Act is how we inspire students today so they become the Sally Ride or Steve Jobs of tomorrow.”

American students consistently display lower scores on most STEM-related assessments than their peers in countries across the world. The US National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that from 2004 to 2008, 41 percent of 17-year-olds do not have a basic understanding of medium-difficulty math procedures.

“For our nation to remain a leader in scientific advancement and technological innovation, we must equip and train the scientists and engineers of tomorrow,” Rep. Honda said. “This bill provides the education and skills necessary for students to compete in today’s global economy and to understand increasingly complex issues. We must provide students with the resources and curriculum they need to succeed.”

The crisis facing our country goes to the heart of our nation’s ability to win the global competitiveness race. The school children of America must take giant leaps toward innovation and creativity to push the boundaries of science, engineering, mathematics and technology research and study. Giant leaps toward good paying wages after obtaining an undergraduate degree in STEM related fields. Giant leaps toward a dynamic and creative workforce that will win the global competiveness race.

Congressman Honda’s bill will:

Create an Office of STEM Education in the Department of Education. The Assistant Secretary of STEM Education will integrate, coordinate and improve the Department’s K-12 and higher education STEM educational efforts and regularly consult with stakeholders, research professionals, industry and businesses in STEM-related fields to ensure a competitive American workforce is being developed.

Institute a State Consortium on STEM Education to develop consortia to take the lead in shaping best practices in the STEM arena. The consortia can also develop strategies to increase participation of underrepresented populations in STEM disciplines. With the creation of the Common Core Standards in Mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), state consortia can lead the effort and bring STEM excellence to their local and regional communities.

Establish the Education Innovation Project, which will promote the development of transformational technologies for the classroom by providing grant funding to outside entities—including for-profit companies, foundations, nonprofits and institutions of higher learning—to develop educational technology innovations that will be paramount for STEM education and the greater educational community.

STEM Education is a right and a necessity. It is essential for the youth of America, so they can once again be competitive with their international peers and attain their share of the American Dream through good paying jobs and lifelong careers. It is essential so that American "Job Creators" will be able to find future employees with the right skill sets to meet their needs right here at home.

Supporters of the STEM Education Innovation Act of 2011

Intel: Mr. Eric Weaver, Director of Education and Workforce Policy

“We know that a chronic shortage of engineering students threaten America’s role as the world’s leading innovator and continues to impede our nation’s fragile economic recovery. We support the leadership of Congressman Honda on this critical issue that is so important to the competitiveness of our country.”

Agilent Technologies: Mr. Jim Gigrich, Director of Government Relations and National Security Solutions

“Our nation’s economy will rise or fall largely based on the ability of today’s students to create tomorrow’s breakthroughs in science and technology. We appreciate your work in Congress to ensure that we are preparing our young people to thrive in a scientifically sophisticated 21st century.”

Association for Career and Technical Education: Ms. Janet Bray, Executive Director

“Representative Honda’s bill will ensure that STEM is a priority so that more students receive preparation for the many 21st century careers that will require a highly skilled, technologically savvy workforce.”

The Triangle Coalition for Technology and Science Education: Mr. Vance Ablott, Executive Director

“The future of our country’s economic competitiveness depends greatly on our how well our students perform in STEM fields. If we are to keep up with our global competitors, we must step up our investments in STEM education. This bill will directly address critical shortfalls in the current system with practical solutions to facilitate improved communication and focus resources on best practice.”

STEM Education Coalition: Mr. James Brown, Executive Director

"In this economic environment, we have to get the most out of federal investments in STEM education. We can be doing a much better job of coordinating federal STEM programs and ensuring we are supporting innovation and best practices.”

The National Science Teachers Association: Dr. Francis Eberle, Executive Director

“The STEM Education Innovation Act will allow states to develop consortiums where all stakeholders can work together to identify and disseminate best practices and will provide much needed technological innovations in the classroom. The National Science Teachers Association supports this legislation and we commend Representative Honda for leadership in this area.”

Lynbrook High School: Ms. Amanda Alonzo, STEM Coordinator

“STEM initiatives at our school have created an environment of real excitement pushing our students to higher and higher levels of knowledge in STEM disciplines. The number one asset gained from high school STEM studies is the opportunity for student research. I believe that Lynbrook students are and will continue to be problem solvers for local and world problems because of the resources and collaboration that the STEM disciplines provide.”

Bay Area Council: Mr. Jim Wunderman, President & CEO

“In order to stimulate innovation, the economy, and create good jobs we must focus on strategic and systemic approaches to STEM education. Key steps will be to create and identify what works, scale up the best, align programs and curriculum, and consistently provide support over time.”

California STEM Learning Network: Mr. Chris Roe, CEO

“CSLNet is pleased to support the STEM Education Innovation Act that will jumpstart innovative work being undertaken in California and nearly every state to advance STEM education. With the implementation of common core standards in math and now science, it is more critical than ever that states work together with partners from business and industry and with federal agencies to leverage scarce resources and ensure coordination and scaling of best practices, which this legislation will enable.”

Synopsys: Ms. Erin Brennock, Director, Corporate Affairs

“Special attention needs to be paid to underserved populations and school districts with achievement gaps. Through our work at Synopsys, we want to ensure all students can compete on a level playing field.”

Silicon Valley Education Foundation: Muhammed Chaudhry, CEO

“STEM education is critically important because we need to prepare more students for 21st century jobs and the innovation economy, which requires strong math and science knowledge and critical thinking skills. Not enough students are following this path to replace the generation of innovators who are moving on. Our future workforce must be prepared to take on the technological and business challenges that lie ahead and to ensure the U.S. remains at the center of innovation and global competitiveness.”

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics: Kichoon Yang, Executive Director, Executive Director

“The creation of an Office for STEM Education within the Department of Education will help give STEM education the policy prominence it deserves while also raising public awareness of the importance of STEM education.”

Museum of Science, Boston: Patti Curtis, Managing Director

“We know that even our youngest students are able to integrate STEM subjects via engineering design challenges. This bill will help states and schools develop creative, integrative K-12 STEM education programs that will lead to a STEM-capable and innovative workforce.”

MentorNet: David Porush, CEO

“We have been supporting the persistence and degree completion of students in STEM at colleges and universities, with a special focus on women and underrepresented minorities in these fields. This bill continues to build capacity and scalability of our collective STEM efforts.”

Additional Background

The STEM Education Innovation Act of 2011 builds upon the legislative success of the Enhancing STEM Education (E-STEM) Act and the America Competes Reauthorization, which has changed the way the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) coordinates STEM efforts across federal agencies. A practical result of this legislation will be the release in the coming weeks of an inventory report and strategic plan chronicling STEM programs across federal agencies.

The STEM Education Innovation Act draws upon the recommendations of the National Science Board and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) to improve state and federal coordination and collaboration for coherence of STEM educational initiatives. The national STEM community has provided suggestions for elevating national STEM priorities that will manifest themselves in practical ways. This collaboration between the business, educational, and non-profit worlds has critical implications for the American workforce: to champion STEM educational initiatives that result in educating and training a dynamic, competitive workforce that champions America’s position as a global leader in innovation and excellence.

American students consistently display lower scores on most STEM-related assessments than their peers in countries across the world. The US National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that from 2004 to 2008, 41 percent of 17-year-olds do not have a basic understanding of medium-difficulty math procedures.

Rep. Michael Honda is Silicon Valley’s Congressman, representing California’s 15th Congressional District. In Congress, Rep. Honda is a member of the House Appropriations and Budget Committees, Chair Emeritus of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Co-chair of the Democratic Caucus’ New Media Working Group, and the House Democratic Senior