State of ___________ ___
General Assembly
Regular Session, 2002
By: _____________________

A Bill

For An Act To Be Entitled

"AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE STATE SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS
EDUCATION COMPETITIVENESS ACT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."

Subtitle

"TO ESTABLISH THE STATE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION COMPETITIVENESS ACT."

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE:

SECTION 1. TITLE. This act shall be known and may be cited as the state "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Competitiveness Act."

SECTION 2. LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS. The General Assembly finds that: (a) Educating tomorrow's scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians is of critical importance to the state's economy and that public policy is needed to address effective science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education at all levels. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, in concert with scientific research, entrepreneurship, and business formation, is the foundation for economic growth and development.

(b) There appears to be a logical educational continuum within which the knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is cumulative. This implies that, without a strong and vibrant K-12 educational system, the potential educational and economic impact of universities is severely diminished. Yet the strands of middle and high school mathematics and science education do not weave seamlessly into college and university degree programs and the cumulative benefits of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are less than they could be.

(c) The American Society of Mechanical Engineers sponsored a state action program: "Educating Tomorrow's Engineers," in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 29, 2002. The participants identified the following nineteen (19) critical issues for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education community to address:

(1) Financing student internships at universities,

(2) Establishing high expectations for student performance,

(3) Developing a relevant curriculum,

(4) Connecting and integrating strategies for collaboration,

(5) Establishing a statewide STEM organization,

(6) Providing good mentoring,

(7) Developing enthusiastic, energetic, and skilled teachers,

(8) Fostering cooperation among the many stakeholders interested in improving STEM education,

(9) Encouraging industry involvement, including internships and co-operative education experiences,

(10) Urging parental support for high achievement in STEM,

(11) Encouraging peer mentoring (i.e., kid-to-kid),

(12) Overcoming stereotypes,

(13) Preparing a common language throughout the STEM community,

(14) Establishing vertical teaming relationships among STEM educators at all educational levels,

(15) Putting technology in classrooms - requiring computer training for teachers in pre-service,

(16) Establishing a one-stop resource place,

(17) Demonstrating and encouraging committed leadership,

(18) Setting clear goals for STEM education, and

(19) Adopting outcome measures and using them for accountability.

An important recurring theme in the 19 issues listed above that must be notated is the special attention needed to make the STEM community attractive to minority and women students; this is a task that falls primarily to the STEM community. [These issues are each addressed elsewhere in this bill and can be identified as a critical issue by the red, bold face font (e.g., font)].

(d) Educational improvement must go beyond minor adjustments to the way the educational system educates students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; it should encompass the breadth and range of transformation that has washed through virtually every sector of the economy. The premise for each proposed improvement should be that its implementation would transform education in a significant and measurable way, making the educational enterprise a more effective and efficient 21st Century learning organization.

(e) Therefore, it is the intent of the state Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Competitiveness Act to focus on students; increase the number and quality of math, science, technology, and pre-engineering teachers; establish and coordinate partnerships that strengthen and promote the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics continuum and encourage students to consider science, engineering, and technology careers; and build 21st Century educational infrastructure, organizations, and communities.

SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS.

"Department" means the state Department of Education.

"K-12" means kindergarten through the twelfth grade.

"Public education" means education in public schools in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12).

"STEM" means science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"Technology" means the processes and mechanisms used to modify and control our
environment; technology includes chemical, structural, mechanical, electrical and electronic systems of which computers and information technology is only a small segment.

SECTION 4. STUDENTS. It is the intent of the state Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Competitiveness Act to place students at the center of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics competitiveness. The success of teachers, schools, schools districts, and state education agencies will be measured in terms of student competitiveness. Public education and its partnerships with other organizations shall have as priorities:

(a) Maintaining students' early natural curiosity about science and technology by emphasizing incremental, "clinically" tested improvements in STEM curricula,

(b) Building cumulative STEM competencies in students by building on the foundation of knowledge established at each level of education, from elementary grades where students have innate curiosity about their world and how it works through middle school, high school, and beyond,

(c) Providing students with hands-on, open-ended, real-world problem solving experiences which are linked to the curriculum; using science, engineering, and technology modules; and grouping such experiences and modules by discipline and level of difficulty,

(d) Promoting hands on activities for students, including research-oriented classes or student-centered (as opposed to credit-centered) science fairs in middle school grades, making high school science fairs more appealing to students through authentic research projects that emphasize the use of mathematics in reporting results, and promoting engineering and technology competitions in high school,

(e) Recognizing and rewarding students who excel in academics,

(f) Supporting undergraduate, as well as graduate, students of STEM,

(g) Connecting university research in science and engineering to undergraduate, high school, and middle school students statewide, and

(h) Illustrating STEM careers for students at all levels, including for entering first-year college students.

SECTION 5. TEACHERS. There is no better instructional delivery mechanism than having a master teacher in the classroom. Two significant ways to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teaching are to increase the number and quality of STEM teachers. The Department of Education shall develop policies and programs to:

(a) Increase the number of STEM teachers by establishing:

(1) Scholarships for pre-service teachers,

(2) Student loan forgiveness for graduate STEM teachers who are working in the classroom; accelerate loan forgiveness for teachers in geographical areas of greatest need,

(3) Salary bonuses for teachers of STEM, and (4) Tax incentives for STEM teachers.

(b) Increase the quality of STEM teachers by:

(1) Increasing STEM coursework for pre-service teachers, including authentic research experiences through research classes, internships, and externships, and

(2) Training pre-service and in-service teachers on 21st Century information technology,

(3) Offering an effective alternate certification and transition to teaching assistance for non-teaching scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and other technically trained professionals who are qualified and wish to teach STEM,

(4) Establishing differential (higher) pay for STEM teachers,

(5) Improving in-service training about how students learn,

(6) Improving professional development by focusing on the STEM curricula, and

(7) Providing opportunities for mentoring of teachers by master teachers who understand what teachers do, what teachers should do well, and what teachers do that they should not be doing at all.

SECTION 6. INFRASTRUCTURE. Twenty-First Century organizations, especially schools, must have access to 21st Century infrastructure. School districts shall prepare strategic plans, which when implemented will:

(a) Deploy current computer technology in classrooms throughout school buildings.

(b) Require computer training for teachers in pre-service and support in-service training of teachers to use current technology effectively in the classroom,

(c) Provide effective teaching materials, including those for hands-on activities and access to on-line teaching and learning resources.

SECTION 7. SCHOOL DISTRICTS. School districts must benchmark and assess their current efforts in STEM education with the goal of establishing a culture of excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. School districts shall:

(a) Establish a culture of effective teaching methods, based on research about what works and what does not,

(b) Strengthen the supportive climate that positively affects female and minority student interest and self confidence in STEM,

(c) Reward enthusiastic, energetic, and skilled teachers, and

(d) Recognize innovative teachers who develop best practices in teaching STEM.

SECTION 8. STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. The mission of the Department of Education is to provide the highest quality of leadership, service, and support to school districts and schools in order that they may provide equitable, quality education for all students in the public schools. In the area of STEM education, the department shall prepare a report, to be submitted to the Governor, and the education committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives, concerning the status of, and plans to:

(a) Adopt pre-engineering content standards and a pre-engineering curriculum,

(b) Support regional STEM high schools that effectively emphasize STEM content for a diverse student population and provide a supportive culture of excellence that positively affects all students', and especially women and minority students', interest and self confidence in STEM.

(c) Use partnerships with private sector and non-governmental organizations to assist in setting STEM content standards, curricula, and high performance standards,

(d) Monitor research on STEM teaching and learning,

(e) Propose and evaluate best practices in teaching STEM in accordance with content standards,

(f) Disseminate best practices to school districts,

(g) Maintain on-line STEM content standards and curricula,

(h) Maintain a centralized web site as a one-stop resource for teachers,

(i) Employ an adequate number of science coordinators at the department so that they are readily available to all school districts,

(j) Provide public outreach and parental educational materials,

(k) Stress the importance of education in general and four-year college degrees in particular,

(l) Support high performance standards and resist lowering standards when student performance is low,

(m) Develop better student assessment mechanisms and other outcome measures to be used to establish accountability,

(n) Use current funds more efficiently and redirect cost savings to support academic areas of need,

(o) Address discontinuities between what exists in public education and what should exist in order to meet the current educational needs of students. When students graduate from high school they should be thoughtful and contributing citizens, able to collaborate in an ambiguous, open-ended environment. Students should be forward looking and results-oriented, and they should focus on creating knowledge,

(p) Have and articulate clear goals and set high expectations for typical students who can do extraordinary things,

(q) Make the STEM curriculum relevant; address linkages between direct instruction, and independent and interdependent (i.e., peer - kid-to-kid - mentoring) learning styles, and

(r) Develop procedures for incrementally improving the STEM content standards and curricula.

SECTION 9. PARTNERSHIPS. Partnerships have always been important to public education. While it is sometimes difficult to measure the effects, partnerships are even more important in the new economy because it is apparent that public education alone cannot improve STEM education in a timely fashion. Partnerships need to focus on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics organizations that have something tangible to contribute to the education of the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians.

(a) There is a clear need to develop partnerships with public education that:

(1) Provide a source of real-world problems for students to address,

(2) Mentor high school students,

(3) Illustrate the pipeline/continuum/jumping-the-gap issues that exist between middle school, high school, college, university, and graduate school, and between education at every level and the workplace,

(4) Underscore the importance of four-year college degrees, especially in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and

(5) Promote and share best partnership practices.

(b) Partnerships have the potential to do even more. They could:

(1) Provide leadership in doing a better job honoring students who excel at academics,

(2) Recognize and reward partnership involvement,

(3) Provide support or incentives for partnerships between schools and:

(A) Universities that

(i) Provide liaison with local high schools,

(ii) Offer summer research experiences for teachers and students,

(iii) Convert existing math and science centers at universities to include engineering, and

(iv) Improve colleges of education;

(B) Companies that:

(i) Adopt a local school,

(ii) Offer summer externships to teachers,

(iii) Provide training, financial support, and equipment donations,

(iv) Identify industry mentors and assure that they have the time to mentor, and

(v) Sponsor science and math recognition days for high-achieving STEM students; and

(C) Non-Governmental Organizations that:

(i) Work with teachers, schools, and students,

(ii) Host seminars for minority and women students, sponsor university tours, industry tours, support internships, and scholarships,

(iii) Reach minority students by enhancing the effectiveness of community-based organizations in providing STEM activities, and

(iv) Sponsor and support STEM competitions at the high school level.

SECTION 10. STATEWIDE ORGANIZATION. Partnerships, however, are sporadic and there is a need for a statewide organization to facilitate, support, coordinate, and recognize partnerships with public education. Therefore, there is established a statewide organization with a mission focused exclusively on STEM education at all levels. The role of the organization is to foster, facilitate, and recognize partnerships to enhance the education of the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians. The scope of the organization is to:

(a) Provide committed leadership for partnerships in support of STEM education at all levels,

(b) Coordinate partnerships that bring industry involvement in internships and co-op experiences and coordinate activities among funding organizations, including financing at universities of partnership activities,

(c) Connect and integrate strategies for collaboration and partnerships among interested organizations statewide and beyond, including three-way partnerships among education, industry, and engineering and science organizations; and among government, industry, and education,

(d) Foster cooperation and cooperative partnership efforts,

(e) Encourage vertical teaming among STEM educators at all educational levels,

(f) Define and prepare a common language regarding STEM educational partnerships,

(g) Describe, monitor, and enhance the logical continuum of STEM education from lower grades to higher grades, from K-12 to colleges and universities, and from universities to graduate studies. The partnership effort to improve the continuum should address the gaps in the continuum to make STEM education more inclusive, efficient, and effective. For instance, high school education in science, in environmental and spatial technology, and in pre-engineering should flow smoothly into undergraduate science, technology, and engineering degree programs. Where gaps exist between high school and college, partnerships should be established to help high school students make the transition to college or university studies. The assistance would perhaps give students either pre-engineering experiences on the university campus during the summer before beginning the critical freshman year of engineering classes or offer introductory engineering courses to non-engineering students. At a higher level, efforts might be made to educate appropriate role models to fill tenure track faculty positions in recognition that professors are not born but are made at universities, and

(h) In all of the subsections of Section 10 above, support the effort of schools and school districts to provide a supportive climate and culture that positively affects students', and especially women and minority students', interest and self confidence in STEM.

SECTION 11. RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS. The statewide organization established in Section 10 above has the authority to enhance the research experience of students at all levels. These efforts might include, but are not limited to:

(a) Supporting science fairs, where students explain their observations by using math, at the middle- and high-school level,

(b) Supporting technology competitions, where students use various information technology and software programs to address community issues, at the middle- and high-school level,

(c) Supporting pre-engineering competitions, where students engage in robotic competitions, at the middle- and high-school level,

(d) Establishing summer science, technology, and engineering research experiences at four-year universities for teachers and high school students, to increase research competencies,

(e) Supporting science, technology, and engineering students in undergraduate and graduate research,

(f) Encouraging graduate students to apply their research in public education settings, and

(g) Coordinating good mentoring of students at all levels to overcome stereotypes of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians.

SECTION 12. COMMUNITIES. Communities have an important role in enhancing STEM education because of the traditional part that communities play in economic development and social capital formation. Communities can strengthen STEM education by emphasizing education as a family and community value, showcasing STEM professionals in the community as role models for students, encouraging partnership formation at the local level, encouraging parental support for high achievement in STEM, and communicating the value of retaining (and recruiting back to the community) some of the community's best and brightest students as knowledge workers.

SECTION 13. GENERAL AND PERMANENT NATURE. All provisions of this act of a general and permanent nature.

SECTION 14. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this act or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the act which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this act are declared to be severable.

SECTION 15. LAWS REPEALED. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed.

SECTION 16. EMERGENCY. It is hereby found and determined by the General Assembly that this act should go into effect immediately in order to make the laws compatible as soon as possible. Therefore, an emergency is declared to exist and this act being immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety shall become effective on the date of its approval by the Governor. If the bill is neither approved nor vetoed by the Governor, it shall become effective on the expiration of the period of time during which the Governor may veto the bill. If the bill is vetoed by the Governor and the veto is overridden, it shall become effective on the date the last house overrides the veto.