Political Quotes

“I rise to speak about a bill being introduced today by Senator Collins, a bill that would expand loan forgiveness for math, science and special education teachers. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation. At this time, I would like to share with you some startling statistics regarding the status of teaching skills in our country. More than 1 in 4 high school math teachers and nearly 1 in 5 high school science teachers lack even a minor in their main teaching field. About 56 percent of high school students taking physical science are taught by out-of-field teachers, as are 27 percent of those taking math. And these percentages are much greater among high-poverty areas. Among schools with the highest minority enrollments, for example, students have less than a 50 percent chance of getting a science or math teacher who hold both a license and a degree in the field being taught. One survey taken among 40 large urban schools, for instance, showed that more than 90 percent of them had an immediate need for a certified math or science teacher. This shortage of strong math and science teachers is having a direct effect on the performance of our students.”