* The nation ranks 14th among developed countries in terms of students' ability to perform advanced algebra.
* Korean schoolchildren solve complex math problems four times faster than do U.S. pupils.
* A survey of college-bound U.S. high school students revealed that a mere 1 percent were planning to major in math or the physical sciences.
* Meanwhile, the National Science Foundation, in a controversial report, has predicted that within two decades the U.S. will be suffering a shortage of more than 600,000 scientists.
Such statistics have convinced Massachusetts state senator Arthur E. Chase that--especially in a state known for its high concentration of technology-based industry--something must be done to alter the bleak predictions for the scientific future of the U.S. His response will take shape in September with the opening of the Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science, a state-funded public high school that will be located on the ...
