(Washington, DC) – Today, the Obama Administration announced the President’s plan to create a national science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Master Teacher Corps. The plan is based on a key recommendation in the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology’s (PCAST) report, Prepare and Inspire, on how to recognize and help retain America’s most talented STEM teachers, build a community of practice among them, raise the profile of the STEM teaching profession, and leverage excellent teachers to collaborate with their peers to strengthen STEM education in America’s public school.
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said,
“As a longtime advocate of STEM education, I applaud the President’s plan. We have a STEM education crisis in this country and we must do something about it if we hope to compete in the 21st century global economy. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. will see over 1.2 million STEM jobs open up by the year 2018 yet there is a serious shortage of qualified college graduates to fill them. If we want those jobs to stay in the U.S., we must continue to invest in STEM education for our future workforce. The Committee has long been active in trying to improve STEM education in the U.S. Advancing STEM education was a major component of the America COMPETES Act of 2007 and its reauthorization in 2010. For teachers in particular, we expanded the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program at the National Science Foundation to encourage more talented STEM majors and professionals to become K-12 mathematics and science teachers. Effective and inspiring teachers are essential to improving our students’ participation and success in STEM subjects and I look forward to seeing how the Master Teacher Corps helps us meet this goal.”
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