Austin American-Statesman
COMMENTARY: Tom Luce, CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative

Thursday, April 24, 2008

OK, I admit it: I was obviously a bit naïve.

I consider myself a rather seasoned political observer, but I confess to being surprised — no, actually a bit shocked — at how little the issue of education has been a part of the presidential campaign season.

Yet here we are, well into the spring of one of the most exciting political seasons in memory, and we have heard precious little about how the candidates will address the growing gaps in math and science education that jeopardize our ability to compete in the global marketplace.

This looming crisis is real, and we ignore it at our peril.

America now graduates more sports exercise majors than electrical engineers.

There were twice as many physics graduates in 1956, before the Sputnik challenge, than there were in 2004.

U.S. students recently finished 15th in reading, 19th in math and 14th in science in the ranking of 31 countries by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Not only that, nearly 60 percent of the patents filed in the field of information technology now originate in Asia, not America. The result is that the U.S. imports more high technology products today than it produces.

Americans are concerned about our nation's long-term competitive position. They want to know what actions their leaders will take to ensure that America remains the leader in the world economy. They care less about abstract discussions of free trade or fair trade as they do about making sure future generations will be able to ply a good trade. They know their child's job opportunities are a mouse click away from being transferred to Argentina, Prague, Bangalore or Shanghai.

The solution is to dramatically raise the expectations of our K-12 system. Tomorrow's problems — energy, health care, water, declines in our standard of living — will be solved by technology. These problems can be solved in China, India or a host of other countries — or they can be solved with American ingenuity, creating American jobs and prosperity.

Political candidates can sidestep it with sound bites, dodge it with deftness or avoid it with anecdotes, but the issue will not go away. We must make our nation more competitive in the global economy.

The good news is that realistic, proven solutions exist. The private sector already is taking these solutions to every state while our federal government takes baby steps.

The National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI) was created last January by leaders in business and education to help America maintain global leadership in technology and innovation. Our strategy is to expand programs that improve math and science education — like the University of Texas' UTeach program for training math and science teachers, or like the training and incentives for students to take Advanced Placement courses, an effort that is proving successful in school districts such as Austin and Pflugerville.

With $140 million contributed by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Exxon Mobil Corp., we have "seeded" the program in seven states and 14 universities with five-year grants totaling $120 million. The grant recipients have committed to matching $120 million from other sources. If the federal government matched these investments, we could seed 14 more states.

Indeed, if we simply redirected $1 billion from money being spent on unproven programs, we could significantly improve math and science education in 50 states and 100 universities. In five years, we could train 10,000 new teachers, 100,000 current teachers and 10 million youngsters to ensure the United States remains No. 1 in the world-wide economy.

Let's formally ask everyone who would represent us in the White House or Congress this simple question: Are you willing to commit to a workable plan to ensure the competitiveness of the United States in the 21st century?

Luce, a Texas attorney, is CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative and former assistant secretary of education for planning, evaluation and policy development.