Bath-erience testimony

non-legislative, no-cost prescription is that all teachers, and not just those teaching math and science, encourage at every grade level and in every way possible, growing girls to not only perceive themselves as just as able to do math and science as growing boys, but to consider these fields in their career plans. At least part of the teacher gap in math and science is a serious gender gap. Closely related, and strongly to be encouraged, are current collegiate efforts, Barnard College comes to mind, to prescribe numerical literacy as necessary to the education of all college students.

particular concerns of private education about math-science legislation:

We are very pleased that almost all the legislation that has been proposed includes the equitable treatment of all teachers and potential teachers and institutions, for private schools are inextricably involved in the circumstances which impel these legislative initiatives. We are experiencing a shortage of math-science teachers (our major teacher recruitment agencies report a ratio of jobs to applicants of 5 to 1 for math teachers and 24 to 1 for science teachers). Many of our teachers needs retraining and/or opportunities to further their knowledge and skills. Many of our schools can't afford the hardware and materials necessary to keep current in science and technology.

legislative proposals have limited teacher eligiblity to "certified teachers". Private schools uniformly employ well qualified teachers, However, the use of the term "certified" if interpreted to mean state certified, would disqualify a great number of private school teachers who are not required to be stata certified in order to teach. The private school teacher must be

math-science testimony

page seven

qualified because those who pay his salary, the school and the school
parents, must insist on his competence.

3.

We would urge you to include strong and clear language requiring equitable participation of administrators and teachers from private schools at every stage of community cooperative efforts.

And finally, we assume that any legislation approved by this Committee will incorporate the necessary provisions to ensure fair and equitable participation by the private school sector. We specifically recommend the basic ECIA Chapter II provisions, as incorporated in the House passed bill, as a good

model.

Once again, Mr. Chairman, we thank you for this opportunity to testify on this critical national concern. We hope our testimony will be useful.

Robert L. Smith
Executive Director

Senator PELL. Thank you very much, Dr. Smith.

Now, we have Dr. Joan Parent, first vice president of the National School Boards Association.

Dr. PARENT. My name is Joan Parent. I am first vice president of the National School Boards Association, and a member of the National Science Board's Commission on Pre-College Education in Math, Science and Technology.

I would like to summarize by saying there is a critical need to upgrade the quality and scope of elementary and secondary course offerings in math, science, foreign languages, and technology. This demand springs from a national recognition that education is at the core of our Nation's future economic success, its defense and its international position, both politically and economically.

Yet, across the United States, school districts do not have the capacity to deliver at the level now being demanded. When a result of a decade-long, lowered, national priority for education by all levels of government is coupled with the negative impact which current economic conditions have had on State and local revenue capacity, an immediate, broad-based response by those levels of government will be haphazard at best.

Clearly, the stage is set for a major policy initiative at the Federal level. In crafting legislation, we urge the committee to deal with

two main points. First, the scope of activity should be broad, clearly defined, and supported by adequate funding.

Second, the legislation should recognize those activities that are best performed by each level of government and include the neces sary safeguards to insure that happening.

NSBA is supporting the National Education Economic Development Act, called the NEED bill, which we believe offers the best delivery system from the standpoint of local school boards.

The ingredients of the bill which we find attractive are as follows First, at $1 billion, the funding level is responsible. In our view, anything less than that for elementary and secondary education will promise more than it can deliver.

Second, because 85 percent of the funds will flow to local school districts on a local formula basis, local control and flexibility will be retained. Grantsmanship, bureaucracy, and paperwork will be minimized, as distinguished from project grants.

Third, in describing the kinds of activities to be funded at the local level, it defines the scope of the solution by including funding for inservice training of teachers in math and science; inservice training of teachers in the use of computers as instructional aids; school district planning, and this is particularly important because the pressure is on local school boards and administrators to spend vast sums of money on hardware, software, lab equipment, more teachers, new textbooks, and other modernized classroom materiais; and a variety of innovative techniques which utilize the resources of business, libraries, museums, universities, and peer review by other local school districts.

Fourth, the role at the State level is recognized by including such features as information on manpower trends; the evaluation of hardware and software programs; technical assistance for local planning and in-service training; the forging of new relationships between the public school community and businesses, libraries, museums, et cetera; improved standards and certification requirements for teachers; the funding of basic and applied research; and making grants to local school districts for innovation and special needs

Fifth, we believe there should be proper recognition of the Federal role. We believe this is particularly important because most bills have overlooked the importance of the Federal role. To a great measure, the Federal Government should do at the national level what we hope the States will be doing at their level.

The Federal Government should make grants and contracts with universities and other appropriate educational agencies for the development and evaluation of curriculum models, instructional approaches, and program innovations.

Senator, I would ask that my written testimony be included in the record, and I would be happy to answer any questions I am able to.

[The prepared statement of Dr. Parent follows:]

NSBA

FEDERAL RELATIONS

Rayma C. Page

President

Thomas A. Shannon

Executive Director

August W. Steinhilber

Associate Executive Director

Michael A. Resnick

Assistant Executive Director

Gwendolyn H. Gregory

Deputy Legal Counsel

TESTIMONY

on behalf of the

NATIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION

on

THE EDUCATION FOR ECONOMIC SECURITY ACT,

THE NATIONAL EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACT (NEED B111),
AND RELATED MATH AND SCIENCE LEGISLATION

NATIONAL SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION 1055 Thomas Jefferson Street. N W. Suite 600 Washington, DC 20007/(202) 337-7666 serving Amencan education through school board leadership

Introduction

My name is Dr. Joan Parent and I am First Vice President of the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and a member of the National Science Foundation's Commission on Pre-College Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology. NSPA is the only major education organization representing local school board members. Throughout the nation, approximately 90,000 of these individuals, through their state organizations, are association members. They are responsible for the education of more than ninety-five percent of the nation s public school children.

Currently marking its forty-second year of service, NSBA is a federation state school boards associations with direct local school board affiliates, constituted to strengthen local lay control of education and to work for the rovement of education. Most school board members are elected public officials. Accordingly, they are politically accountable to their constituents for both education policy and fiscal management. As lay. unsalaried individuals, school board members are in the rather unique position of being able to judge legislative programs purely from the standpoint of Bub to education, without consideration to their personal professional interests.

NBA believes that a major legislative initiative in mathematics, science. reign languages, and technology should be a top legislative priority in the

Congress. We are pleased that a number of bills have been introduced, luding the NSBA sponsored National Education and Economic Development Act the WEED bill of 1983 H.R. 659/Senate introduction pending.)