Group to push math, science education as key to economy

December 5, 2006

By hammersmith

[Source: Matthew Benson, Arizona Republic] — Gov. Janet Napolitano will today announce the formation of a national task force of education, business, and government leaders aimed at readying America for the economy of the future. The 17-member task force, which includes Napolitano and Arizona State University President Michael Crow, will be unveiled as part of a two-day meeting of the National Governors Association at Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix.

Napolitano is chairwoman of the NGA and has made the Innovation America initiative her priority. The hope is to inspire an educational renaissance in math and science that will produce students better able to compete with their counterparts worldwide. She said those students are key to building a workforce that helps the United States, and Arizona, generate technological breakthroughs and lure high-skill employers.

It’s a tall task. But she noted an NGA initiative of two years ago to reform high school education. Virtually every state has since taken on the issue. The innovation economy is perhaps America’s best chance to maintain its advantage over nations such as China and India that are able to mass-produce goods faster and cheaper, said Bill Harris, president of the non-profit Science Foundation Arizona. [Note: click here for Capitol Media Services recap.]