Al Franken: “I rise to talk about a matter that is very important to our country, to Minnesota, and to me, which is science…”

“I rise to talk about a matter that is very important to our country, to Minnesota, and to me, which is science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education or STEM education for short. As I have traveled around Minnesota, I have heard from many of our high-tech businesses. They fear our students will not be ready to take on the jobs waiting for them when they graduate and, as a result, these jobs will go unfilled and our economy will founder. This is not just true in Minnesota, of course, but across the country--in Pennsylvania, the State of the Presiding Officer, and everywhere in our Nation. That is why I am addressing our need for a well-trained STEM workforce through the STEM Master Teacher Corps Act, which has been cosponsored by my colleagues, Senators Lieberman and Shaheen. We have been hearing concern about the state of STEM education in our country for over a decade now. In 2000, a 25-member commission, headed by former Senator John Glenn, published a report called ``Before It's Too Late,'' which addressed the pressing need for high-quality math and science teaching. Five years later, another report--``Rising Above the Gathering Storm''--presented the findings and recommendations of a National Academies commission, chaired by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine, concerning the deteriorating condition of STEM education and basic research.…”