Political Quotes

“The Noyce program at the National Science Foundation has up to now required scholarship recipients to teach in high-need schools. H.R. 362 substantially expands the program, scaling it up from fewer than 1,000 pre-service STEM teachers per year to 10,000 per year. The Noyce program is being scaled up by H.R. 362 to address the needs of schools in all parts of the Nation which have large numbers of out-of-field STEM teachers. For example, the percentage of physical science teachers in middle schools with neither a major in the field nor certification is nearly 90 percent. As part of enlarging the program's scale, the bill also removes the requirement that all graduates teach in a high-need school. But the bill also adds in its place an incentive for teachers to serve in high-need schools. The amendment I am proposing makes clear that we are not backing away from our firm commitment to address the requirements of high-need schools. The amendment has two provisions. The first provision requires the NSF to broadly disseminate information about the program, including to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This is to ensure that students in minority schools have improved chances of seeing a minority teacher prepared through a Noyce program.”