A Commitment To America's Future: Responding to the Crisis in Mathematics & Science Education

Overview & Synopsis

This report warns that if current trends continue, the United States will lose is preeminence in science and technology and its leadership position in innovation. In this report, the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) proposes a four-part action plan in which business, higher education, and policy leaders support P-12 education leaders in achieving comprehensive, coordinated, system-level improvement from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary activity in college and into the workplace--a span referred to as "P-16." The four actions of the plan constitute a single agenda--a holistic approach to improving mathematics and science education of all students throughout the United States. For the plan to succeed, therefore, America must undertake all four actions simultaneously during the next five years. The four action plans are: (1) Establish a P-16 Education Council in Each State: (2) Simultaneously Address and Align the Five P-12 System Components; (3) Engage Business and Education in More Effective P-12 Reform Rules; and (4) Implement Coordinated National and State Public Information Systems. A companion toolkit, "Handbook for a Commitment to America's Future," is also available, in which the BHEF provides business, higher education, and policy leaders with background information and proposed procedures for structuring and guiding implementation of the proposed plan. (Contains 63 endnotes.)