Rep Gordon: Move Forward With COMPETES Act

Rep Bart Gordon (D-TN), the Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, called on the country to prioritize improvements in science and technology education in the name of competitiveness.

"As a nation, we are the frog in the boiling water, our competitiveness is slipping away," Chairman Gordon said. "We know what to do, let's start doing it." His remarks came at a forum held at the Brookings Institution on Sept 13 about science and technology education. Chairman Gordon, who successfully led the House to pass a reauthorization of the COMPETES Act this past spring, urged audience members to push the Senate to do the same. The measure would fund a host of research programs and bolster science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Right now, when it comes to STEM education, "we're not getting a lot of bang for our buck." Part of the problem, Gordon says, is lack of coordination, something the reauthorization of COMPETES will address.

Eric Lander, co-chair of the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology (PCAST), also spoke at the event and gave a preview of recommendations the council will make in a forthcoming report on k-12 STEM education. The first key conclusion of the report, Lander said, is that STEM education must be designed to both prepare and inspire. The two-pronged strategy will undergird all of the recommendations that the report will deliver.