Separate Partners

doi:10.1126/science.298.5594.721c

Account Information

Guest Alerts | Access Rights | My Account | Sign In

Site Navigation

Article Views

Summary
Full Text (PDF)

Article Tools

My Science

More Information

More in Collections

Science 25 October 2002:
Vol. 298. no. 5594, p. 721
DOI: 10.1126/science.298.5594.721c

Prev | Table of Contents | Next

ScienceScope

Congressional negotiators have stripped controversial language on how to manage a $160 million education program from a bill (H.R. 4664) to reauthorize the National Science Foundation (NSF). Legislators last week agreed to eliminate a Senate provision that would have given each state a predetermined amount of money for the fledgling math and science education partnerships program, leaving intact NSF's traditional system of awarding competitive grants through peer review (Science, 27 September, p. 2187).

The deletion represents a victory for backers of merit review and for the education lobby, which saw the Senate proposal as a threat to a similar, smaller program run by the Department of Education. "We're very pleased that NSF will be allowed to continue to develop model programs. That's what they do best," says Gerry Wheeler, president of the National Science Teachers Association. The Education Department grants are a better way to serve all U.S. students, he says, adding that the $12.5 million program needs to grow to at least $100 million a year to achieve its goals. Congress must still approve the reauthorization bill, which has been stalled by budget politics (see p. 719).