20 U.S.C. § 9801 - Findings

(1) A well-educated population is essential to retaining Americas competitiveness in the global economy.

(2) The United States needs to build on and expand the impact of existing programs by taking additional, well-coordinated steps to ensure that all students are able to obtain the knowledge the students need to obtain postsecondary education and participate successfully in the workforce or the Armed Forces.

(3) The next steps must be informed by independent information on the effectiveness of current programs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and critical foreign language education, and by identification of best practices that can be replicated.

(4) Teacher preparation and elementary school and secondary school programs and activities must be aligned with the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) and the requirements of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.).

(5) The ever increasing knowledge and skill demands of the 21st century require that secondary school preparation and requirements be better aligned with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education and the workforce, and States need better data systems to track educational achievement from prekindergarten through baccalaureate degrees.