Last month, when visiting STEM academies at Waipahu High School and Kihei Charter School, I witnessed firsthand the great work being done to give Hawai'i's students better educational opportunities. These academies promote learning in the STEM fields of science, math, engineering, and technology — critical subjects that fuel our new knowledge economy. Through the STEM Academy program, Gov. Linda Lingle is leading the effort to help more of Hawai'i's students understand the relevance and importance of math and science.

Waipahu and Kihei are great models of what can be accomplished through local partnerships, standards-based math and science curriculum, and hands-on learning. For example, at Kihei Charter School, thanks to partnerships with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and local business, students are able to hone their math and science skills by working on Maui's coastline alongside NOAA scientists.

To help more students realize the benefit of subject matter experts, President Bush has proposed an Adjunct Teacher Corps that would encourage qualified professionals in the STEM fields to share their expertise in the classroom and help more students master these critical subjects.

Building math and science skills has never been more important. Businesses in today's global economy need creative problem-solvers with strong math and science backgrounds. To gain an edge in the 21st century, America's high school students need these skills whether they are proceeding to college or going directly into the workforce.

Unfortunately, today less than half of our 17-year-old students have the basic math skills to land a production job at a modern automobile plant, and America's 15-year-olds ranked 24th out of 29 developed nations in mathematics literacy and problem-solving on the 2003 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test. And less than half of America's high school graduates are prepared for college-level math and science.

Clearly, we must do more to improve the way we teach math and science. To that end, President Bush created the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. This panel of 20 experts advises the president and the secretary of education on the best use of scientifically based research on the teaching and learning of mathematics.

In addition, this past August, Congress passed and the president signed the America COMPETES Act, which includes $95 million to help states implement the National Math Panel's recommendations. The bill also will help implement the president's Math Now program that promotes proven math instruction to prepare elementary students for more advanced math in middle and high school. Math Now also aims to help older students who have fallen behind and provides the intensive instruction they need to get back on track.

This fall, as we work with Congress to strengthen the No Child Left Behind Act, the president's plan for reauthorization calls for strengthened instruction in math and science, as well as more access to advanced classes.

Enacted in 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act has been a driving force in education reform, setting a clear expectation that every child can reach grade-level proficiency in reading and math. Thanks to the law's emphasis on standards and by holding schools accountable for reaching those standards, we've seen tremendous results.

The law is working in the earliest grades as academic progress grows and the achievement gap continues to close. According to the latest Nation's Report Card, math scores for whites, blacks and Hispanics reached all-time highs.

It's now imperative that we duplicate those gains in our higher grades so that more students are prepared to succeed in college and the workforce.

We must provide today's students with tools for tomorrow — through the public-private partnerships and hard work in places such as Hawai'i, and through good policy like No Child Left Behind. Let's keep moving forward, to close achievement gaps and to provide children — in Hawai'i and across the nation - with the skills they need to be globally competitive.

Tori Hatada is the secretary of education's deputy regional representative for the U.S. Department of Education, Region IX, based in San Francisco. She wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.