U.S. leadership in technology requires a strong program in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education. Of the 20 fastest growing occupations, 10 are associated with at least a bachelor's or associate's degrees (1). But a solid background in mathematics and science is needed for virtually every job (2). Police and emergency response personnel must master complex new equipment and prepare for unprecedented events. Truck drivers work with GPS and just-in-time inventory systems (3). If all Americans are to enjoy the benefits of technical advances, all must have access to first- rate science and engineering education (4).

But the US education system continues to struggle. Only 52 percent of students who enter four-year colleges graduate (5). Women and minorities are badly underrepresented in most occupations requiring a science and engineering background (6).

The Kerry Plan

Kerry has proposed a detailed plan for building the math, science and technology workforce of the future.. Among other things the plan will

• Double National Science Foundation Graduate Scholarships for Math and Science.
• Offer Summer Institutes and Mentors to 50,000 K-12 math and science teachers and $5,000 bonuses for teachers entering these fields.
• Provide $300 Million in Innovation Grants to Encourage 1 Million Girls and Minorities to Pursue Science and Math:
• Fully fund the "Tech Talent" challenge grant program and increasing support for math and science programs at colleges serving a high share of disadvantaged students
• Create a $100 million college completion fund to reward colleges based on their success in increasing the number of Pell grant students they graduate.
• Create a College Opportunity Tax Credit on $4,000 of tuition for all 4 years of college.
• Provide $10 Billion in fiscal relief for states to fund higher education provided they commit to keeping tuition increases no greater than the rate of inflation.
• Modernize Financial Aid Rules to Benefit Working Adults Who Want to Take Advantage of Online Educational Opportunities. Partner with Community Colleges to Develop State-of-the-Art Online Course Offerings.

The Bush Record

The Bush campaign website talks about programs that the President proposes to increase. Many of these proposals have merit - such as enhancing the Pell grant program, eliminating barriers to use of "distance learning", and proposing to provide $269 million for a partnership to improve high school math achievement by providing professional development for teachers (7).

Nonetheless, what the Bush plans fails to mention is that such new programs are largely paid for by cutting existing ones with the net result that federal expenditures for education and training fall below the levels needed. For example, the Bush plan fails to mention is that the Bush FY 2005 Department of Labor Budget doesn't keep pace with inflation and cuts programs in real terms. The administration claims, for example, that it would increase funding for Community Based Job Training Grants, but, in reality, the budget would cut $316 million in Department of Education vocational training funding targeted on the same individuals. These cuts are on top of $1.4 billion in spending reductions President Bush has proposed for job training and vocational education since he took office.¹ The budgets submitted by the Bush administration have proposed $27 billion less than the amount committed under the President's own No Child Left Behind legislation. ²

1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This file represents Table 3, Fastest growing occupations, 2002-2012, in "Occupational employment projections to 2012," published in the February 2004 Monthly Labor Review. Found on their website at http://stats.bls.gov/emp/emptab3.htm
2. A "solid background" could be considered at least elementary level. Associates and bachelors degrees will have extra science and math in them that must be passed, and the others except for two will require some understanding of medical science and technology or some other science or technology to do their jobs every day. As technologies and science change, so will their jobs and they must understand science and technology to know this.
3. Articles about the Emergency Medical Services Personnel having to cope with terrorist gas and biochemical weapons attacks and casualties at unprecedented levels since 9/11 has been in the newspapers and Popular Science/Mechanics magazines. New technologies help treat more victims faster and keep the emergency response personnel safe and contain the damage. All of it requires training and knowledge of advanced technical equipment. Emergency vehicles also use GPS. The knowledge is needed to use AND maintain it. Confirmed by Arlington County Fire Chief James A. Schwartz Office. Truck drivers, couriers and other fleet vehicles have been using GPS to find their way and be found by their dispatchers according to the Aerospace Corporation homepage http://www.aero.org/publications/GPSPRIMER/EvryDyUse.html
4. Nearly every job uses some kind of science and technology. The report on science policy issued by President Clinton and Vice President Gore - Science In the National Interest - underscores this very point. The report opens by saying, "America's future demands investment in our people, institutions, and ideas. Science is an essential part of this investment, an endless and sustainable resource with extraordinary dividends." I helped put the meetings for it together and produce the report.
5. This is confirmed roughly by the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS graduation Rates Survey (www.nces.ed.gov/IPEDS) This does NOT include transfer students, and the number of overall graduates may be significantly higher because of 2-2 programs. If the 2-2 programs are confirmed because of the higher cost of education, it is a statistic in our favor.
6. http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/wmpd/sex.htm at National Science Foundation's Division of Science Resource Statistics website. Other websites and reports confirm this under-representation as a long-time trend that improved during the later Clinton/Gore years and is declining again over the past 4.
7. "Expand the Mathematics and Science Partnership - The President will increase funding to $269 million for a partnership to improve high school math achievement by providing professional development for teachers." Is on the Bush website, however, NSF gets $80 million without an increase in sight, the Department of Education needs to improve their plan, and the actual figure is completely up in the air until congress say yes or no to it and it has not. Also, considering the number of awards and the number of systems in need, 269Million total from what it gets now will be a small drop in the bucket, so I would not give it credence as a fact or give Bush credit for the increase compared to the need. I used to work at the NSF Education and Human Resources Directorate and the $269 million does not fit the need. http://www.georgebush.com.