Glenn to Head Education Panel


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	Glenn to Head Education Panel By Kenneth Silber Staff Writer posted: 06:00 pm ET 20 July 1999

Two-time astronaut and former U.S. Senator John Glenn will lead a year-long commission on mathematics and science teaching, the federal Department of Education announced today. The panel will consider ways to improve the recruitment, training and retention of math and science teachers for K-12 classrooms nationwide.

The panel is formally called the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, and is already referred to as the Glenn Commission. Its formation comes at a time of growing concern about the state of U.S. math and science education. The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) indicated that U.S. students score below international levels in math and science by the end of secondary school.

Glenn, 78, became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962, and returned to space last year aboard the shuttle Discovery. The panel has more than 20 members, including Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey, who spent much of his career as a physicist, and Craig Barrett, the president of Intel Corporation.

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