§ 6-17-2701 - Legislative intent. - Arkansas Statutes

6-17-2701. Legislative intent.

The General Assembly finds:

(1) Achievement and enthusiasm of Arkansas students in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math is a critical step in preparing the State of Arkansas for a workforce with the skills necessary to compete economically in the twenty-first century workplace and to prepare the children of this state for high-paying competitive jobs;

(2) Currently more than fifty percent (50%) of Arkansas students who go straight to college require remedial courses in both math and English;

(3) In fiscal year 2003-2004, Arkansas expended over forty-eight million dollars ($48,000,000) on student remediation;

(4) In 2005, of the five thousand four hundred thirty-four (5,434) students who took math and science Advanced Placement (AP) courses, only twenty-six and six-tenths percent (26.6%) of those students received a passing score while nationally, passage rates ranged between fifty-six percent (56%) for chemistry to eighty percent (80%) for calculus;

(5) Students' completion of high school math courses beyond Algebra II significantly increases the probability that the student will earn a bachelor's degree;

(6) Approximately four thousand (4,000) of the seven thousand four hundred thirty-three (7,433) certified teachers in Arkansas are actively teaching science, technology, engineering, and math-related courses and may qualify for the science, technology, engineering, and math supplemental income grant; and

(7) Because of the significant difference in income between science, technology, engineering, and math teachers and what they can make in industry, it is essential to:

(A) Reduce the loss of science, technology, engineering, and math teachers to industry;

(B) Entice science, technology, engineering, and math teachers back to the classroom; and

(C) Encourage students to enter the science, technology, engineering, and math teaching professions by supplying supplemental grant income to science, technology, engineering, and math teachers.