Pessimism follows federal science initiative announcement

A new federal initiative promises to provide additional sources of funding for teacher education and scientific research, but some UNO students and professors are skeptical of the program.

"The American Competitiveness Initiative commits $5.9 billion in [fiscal year] 2007 to increase investments in research and development, strengthen education and encourage entrepreneurship," according to a White House news release.

The initiative was announced last month during President George W. Bush's annual State of the Union Address. Funding for the initiative is part of the Bush administration's current budget proposal.

"Personally, I think it is a wonderful idea," said Connie O'Brien, coordinator of the NASA Regional Teachers Resource Center.

O'Brien cited remarks made by National Aeronautics and Space Administration Deputy Administrator Shana Dale at the Commercial Space Transportation Conference earlier this month.

"The president's emphasis on this important national priority is quite gratifying, as I believe that leadership in space is an important driver for American competitiveness," Dale said at the conference.

However, not everyone is quite so optimistic.

"I am just looking into it right now," said math education professor Elliott Ostler. "Students have not really been talking about it."

Ostler went on to say that he was concerned about the program because of the lack of the promised funding for the No Child Left Behind Act four years ago, and that he was waiting for "the Administration [to] put their money where [its] mouth is."

A science education professor agreed.

"The No Child Left Behind initiative impacted the [primary and secondary] schools," said Sheryl McGlamery. "It puts the burden of funding those changes on the states and districts. There are some districts that have more tax dollars than others."

McGlamery was not familiar with the initiative specifics either.

Funding for many programs and research projects stems from NSF grants, including the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program conducted by UNO and Metro Community College.

"Not since the Soviet Union's launch of the Sputnik satellite-47 years ago-has the need to improve science and mathematics education in America been as clear and as urgent as it is today," according to a news release by the National Science Foundation.

"The NSF funding derived from the [American Competitiveness Initiative] is expected to support as many as 500 more research grants in 2007 and provide opportunities for upwards of 6,400 additional scientists, students, post-doctorial fellows and technicians to contribute to the innovation enterprise," according to the White House.

"For us, [the money] is going to be in the form of grants," Ostler said. "We really do not know at this point."

The initiative comes at a time when increased attention is being placed on mathematics and science education programs, as the No Child Left Behind program requires schools to begin assessing students on science standards by the next academic year.

"I am personally opposed to most government spending, particularly in the sciences," physics teaching assistant Erica Tesla said. "Government funding frequently comes with a lot of strings attached, many of which are inconvenient at best or crippling at worst. My opposition to government spending in the sciences is not meant to imply that I think the science should be a lower priority than other things-the problem is that spending implies control."

American Competitiveness Initiative Goals

• 300 grants for schools to implement research-based math curricula and interventions;
  
  
  
  



• 10,000 more scientists, students, post-doctoral fellows and technicians provided; opportunities to contribute to the innovation enterprise;
  
  
  
  



• 100,000 highly-qualified math and science teachers by 2015;
  
  
  
  



• 700,000 advanced placement tests passed by low-income students; and
  
  
  
  



• 800,000 workers getting the skills they need for the jobs of the 21st century.

Source: whitehouse.gov.