Posted on March 12, 2007

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Bill Gates Urges Congress to Raise Educational Standards

Appearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions last week, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates called for comprehensive reform of the nation's education system to boost graduation rates and provide students with the math and science skills they need to enter college and the job market, the Associated Press reports.

Gates, whose foundation has awarded more than $3 billion for educational programs and scholarships since 1999, said that about 30 percent of U.S. ninth-graders fail to graduate on time, a trend that threatens the United States' status as a global economic leader. He also called on lawmakers to allocate more resources to improving the teaching of math and science, both of which are essential to many jobs in the knowledge economy.

A federal study released last month found that about a third of high school students fail to take a standard-level curriculum of at least four credits of English and three credits each of social studies, math, and science. Another recent federal study found that 40 percent of high school seniors failed to perform at the basic level on a national math test. And on a national science test, half the twelfth-graders who took the test lacked basic skills. To address the problem, bipartisan legislation now moving through the Senate seeks to encourage more people to become math and science teachers, improve their training, and direct more qualified teachers to poor schools. If passed, the legislation would result in grants to states to better align what is taught with what students need to know to succeed in college and at work.

Though Gates also expressed opposition to repealing the federal estate tax and limiting visas for scientists, engineers, and other professionals, his focus on U.S. education was paramount. "We simply cannot sustain an economy based on innovation unless our citizens are educated in math, science, and engineering," he said. "As a nation, we should start with this goal: Every child in the United States graduating from high school."

Zuckerbrod, Nancy. “Bill Gates Pushes for Better Schools.” Associated Press 3/07/07.

Primary Subject: Education
Secondary Subject(s): Public Affairs
Location(s): Seattle, Washington

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