Senator John D. Rockefeller IV
Chairman
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
United States Senate
508 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Ranking Minority Member
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
United States Senate
508 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Rockefeller and Senator Hutchison:
We, the undersigned U.S. companies and business organizations represented by the Tapping America’s Potential (TAP) Coalition, strongly support reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act.
As a business coalition focused on improving U.S. student achievement in math and science, and increasing the number of U.S. students that graduate with bachelors degrees in math, science and engineering, TAP was an early and vocal backer of the original America COMPETES Act because it provided significant resources and incentives for improving U.S. math and science education. We very much appreciate your decisive leadership on enacting that landmark bill.
TAP supports reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act this year because it will provide additional support for scholarship and training programs to recruit new K-12 math and science teachers and enhance the skills of existing teachers. TAP has identified the lack of qualified math and science teachers in America’s public schools as a major impediment to improved U.S. educational achievement in math and science. In 2008, TAP released the report, Gaining Momentum, Losing Ground, which documented how U.S. student achievement in math and science continues to fall short compared with students from our global economic competitors – despite commitments from the White House and Congress to improve U.S. math and science education.
When it comes to innovation, extending and expanding the math and science education provisions of the America COMPETES Act – building on proven programs with a track record of success – is absolutely vital to giving America’s children the preparation they need to succeed in
the 21st century workplace.
Reauthorizing the America COMPETES Act will help create a platform for stable, long-term economic growth and ensure that Americans will have the tools they need to compete and win in the global economy. We look forward to working with you to pass this legislation this year.
Sincerely,
Abbott
Accenture
Aerospace Industries Association
American Chemical Society
American Council on International Personnel
AT&T
Bechtel Corporation
Business Coalition for Educational Excellence at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce
The Business Council of New York State, Inc.
Business Roundtable
Business-Higher Education Forum
Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
Cognizant Technology Solutions
Compete America
Corporate Voices for Working Families
Eastman Kodak Company
Eaton Corporation
Eli Lilly and Company
EMC Corporation
Exxon Mobil Corporation
Greater Phoenix Leadership, Inc.
Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce
IBM Corporation
Illinois Business Roundtable
Iowa Business Council
ITT Corporation
Johnson City/Jonesborough/Washington County TN Chamber of Commerce
Knoxville Chamber
Lubbock Chamber of Commerce
Maryland Business Roundtable for Education
Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education
Massachusetts Business Roundtable
The McGraw-Hill Companies
The Minnesota Business Partnership
Minority Business RoundTable
National Association of Manufacturers
National Math and Science Initiative
National Science Teachers Association
National Venture Capital Association
NDIA
Nevada Manufacturers Assn.
New Mexico Business Roundtable
Oracle
Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce
Partnership for New York City
Pennsylvania Business Council
The Procter & Gamble Co.
Qualcomm
Quality Float Works, Inc.
Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce
Rockwell Automation
Rockwell Collins
SAS
Software & Information Industry Association
TechNet
Technology CEO Council
Texas Instruments Incorporated
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Verizon Communications Inc.
Washington Roundtable