Officials Heed Call to Stop Slide in Science and Math

By KAREN W. ARENSON
Published: January 6, 2006

Gov. George E. Pataki's call, in his State of the State address on Wednesday, for new math and science high schools and scholarships for future math and science teachers, puts New York into the center of a national quest to reverse decades of decline in the study of science and engineering, officials say.


Twenty years ago, nearly 10,000 New York college students earned bachelor's degrees in mathematics, engineering or the physical sciences. By last year, the figure had fallen by about one-third, even as total bachelor's degrees rose. The decline, which many policy experts say threatens America's prosperity, is being played out across the country. - New York Times
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This is another good sign, that someone is trying to do something to actually improve US schools. Good for Pataki.
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In a related story, state officials in Kansas have said that they, too, will address the national decline in science learning by announcing that all science classes in Kansas will get new Bibles. "We won't be left ahead!" said one Kansas official.