March 2008 — News
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Gates to Congress: Improve Math, Science Education
Extra Credit In his testimony before Congress, Bill Gates said that information technology can play a key role in improving education. "In education, information technology can help us eliminate some of the barriers that prevent us from providing a high-quality education to everyone; barriers such as lack of access to great educational content and relevant curricula, a shortage of effective teachers, and a paucity of data that would help us improve student performance." More Information --D. Nagel |
In testimony before the Committee on Science and Technology at the United States House of Representatives Wednesday morning, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates implored Congress and the President to "act decisively" to ensure that the country maintain its global leadership position in technology innovation. Gates's testimony focused on three key themes: education, research, and immigration.
Fueling K-12 and Post-Secondary Education
Gates said the United States faces a crippling shortfall in scientists and engineers and that the private sector alone can't solve the problem. He said the legislature must follow through on the America COMPETES Act of 2007 ("America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science") to fund the educational initiatives of the law because only the government has the resources needed "to effect change on a broad scale," according to a statement released by Microsoft. He added, "If we don't reverse these trends, our competitive advantage will continue to erode. Our ability to create new high-paying jobs will suffer."
The America COMPETES Act contains provisions for training new teachers in STEM subjects and to provide additional resources to science, technology, engineering, and teachers through the National Science Foundation.
"Like many others, I have deep misgivings about the state of education in the United States," Gates told Congress. "Too many of our students fail to graduate from high school with the basic skills they will need to succeed in the 21st Century economy, much less prepared for the rigors of college and career. Although our top universities continue to rank among the best in the world, too few American students are pursuing degrees in science and technology. Compounding this problem is our failure to provide sufficient training for those already in the workforce."
