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From the Office of Utah Congressman Jim Matheson

MATHESON NEWS
Second Congressional District

For Further Information
Alyson Heyrend: (801) 455-5593 (cell)
www.house.gov/matheson

April 24, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Matheson Supports Bill to Encourage More Math, Science, Technology Teachers

Washington DC-Congressman Jim Matheson said the nation's urgent need for K-12 math, science and technology teachers will begin to be addressed by legislation passed by the House today-the "10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds" Science and Math Scholarship Act (H.R. 362).

"We want to do just what the title of the bill says-increase by 10,000 annually the number of excellent math and science teachers in our elementary and secondary schools," said Matheson. "Ask any scientist or engineer that you know what prompted that career choice and the answer is usually that a teacher provided the inspiration. It is the cornerstone to preparing our kids for the jobs of the 21st century and maintaining our nation's competitive edge."

Matheson said H.R. 362 will:

  • Create thousands of new teachers through the Noyce scholarship program at the National Science Foundation. The Noyce program provides funding to colleges and universities for students majoring in math and science education.
  • Create summer institutes and graduate programs that provide sustained, content-oriented professional development to teachers through Math Science Partnerships at NSF.
  • Create centers for improvement of undergraduate education in STEM (science, technology, education, and math) fields via the STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP) at NSF.

Matheson said the legislation is endorsed by a broad range of groups including the Business Roundtable, the Council on Competitiveness, the College Board, the Semiconductor Industry Association and the Business Software Alliance.

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Alyson Heyrend
Communications Director
240 East Morris Ave. #235
South Salt Lake, UT 84115
(801) 486-1236 (phone)
(801) 455-5593 (cell)
(801) 486-1417 (fax)