Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act

IIB 117TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 3588 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JULY 27, 2022 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions AN ACT To coordinate Federal research and development efforts fo- cused on modernizing mathematics in STEM education through mathematical and statistical modeling, including data-driven and computational thinking, problem, project, and performance-based learning and assessment, interdisciplinary exploration, and career connections, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 HR 3588 RFS Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mathematical and Sta- 4 tistical Modeling Education Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. MATHEMATICAL AND STATISTICAL MODELING EDU- 6 CATION. 7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 8 (1) The mathematics taught in schools, includ- 9 ing statistical problem solving and data science, is 10 not keeping pace with the rapidly evolving needs of 11 the public and private sector, resulting in a STEM 12 skills shortage and employers needing to expend re- 13 sources to train and upskill employees. 14 (2) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis- 15 tics, the United States will need 1,000,000 addi- 16 tional STEM professionals than it is on track to 17 produce in the coming decade. 18 (3) The field of data science, which is relevant 19 in almost every workplace, relies on the ability to 20 work in teams and use computational tools to do 21 mathematical and statistical problem solving. 22 (4) Many STEM occupations offer higher 23 wages, more opportunities for advancement, and a 24 higher degree of job security than non-STEM jobs. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 HR 3588 RFS (5) The STEM workforce relies on computa- 1 tional and data-driven discovery, decision making, 2 and predictions, from models that often must quan- 3 tify uncertainty, as in weather predictions, spread of 4 disease, or financial forecasting. 5 (6) Most fields, including analytics, science, eco- 6 nomics, publishing, marketing, actuarial science, op- 7 erations research, engineering, and medicine, require 8 data savvy, including the ability to select reliable 9 sources of data, identify and remove errors in data, 10 recognize and quantify uncertainty in data, visualize 11 and analyze data, and use data to develop under- 12 standing or make predictions. 13 (7) Rapidly emerging fields, such as artificial 14 intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing 15 and quantum information, all rely on mathematical 16 and statistical concepts, which are critical to prove 17 under what circumstances an algorithm or experi- 18 ment will work and when it will fail. 19 (8) Military academies have a long tradition in 20 teaching mathematical modeling and would benefit 21 from the ability to recruit students with this exper- 22 tise from their other school experiences. 23 (9) Mathematical modeling has been a strong 24 educational priority globally, especially in China, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 HR 3588 RFS where participation in United States mathematical 1 modeling challenges in high school and higher edu- 2 cation is orders of magnitude higher than in the 3 United States, and Chinese teams are taking a ma- 4 jority of the prizes. 5 (10) Girls participate in mathematical modeling 6 challenges at all levels at similar levels as boys, while 7 in traditional mathematical competitions girls par- 8 ticipate less and drop out at every stage. Students 9 cite opportunity for teamwork, using mathematics 10 and statistics in meaningful contexts, ability to use 11 computation, and emphasis on communication as 12 reasons for continued participation in modeling chal- 13 lenges. 14 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 15 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 16 the Director of the National Science Foundation. 17 (2) FEDERAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Fed- 18 eral laboratory’’ has the meaning given such term in 19 section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Inno- 20 vation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703). 21 (3) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 22 means the National Science Foundation. 23 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 24 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 HR 3588 RFS meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the 1 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 2 (5) MATHEMATICAL MODELING.—The term 3 ‘‘mathematical modeling’’ has the meaning given the 4 term in the 2019 Guidelines to Assessment and In- 5 struction in Mathematical Modeling Education 6 (GAIMME) report, 2nd edition. 7 (6) OPERATIONS RESEARCH.—The term ‘‘oper- 8 ations research’’ means the application of scientific 9 methods to the management and administration of 10 organized military, governmental, commercial, and 11 industrial processes to maximize operational effi- 12 ciency. 13 (7) STATISTICAL MODELING.—The term ‘‘sta- 14 tistical modeling’’ has the meaning given the term in 15 the 2021 Guidelines to Assessment and Instruction 16 in Statistical Education (GAISE II) report. 17 (8) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means the aca- 18 demic and professional disciplines of science, tech- 19 nology, engineering, and mathematics. 20 (c) PREPARING EDUCATORS TO ENGAGE STUDENTS 21 IN MATHEMATICAL AND STATISTICAL MODELING.—The 22 Director shall provide grants on a merit-reviewed, com- 23 petitive basis to institutions of higher education, and non- 24 profit organizations (or a consortium thereof) for research 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 HR 3588 RFS and development to advance innovative approaches to sup- 1 port and sustain high-quality mathematical modeling edu- 2 cation in schools operated by local education agencies, in- 3 cluding statistical modeling, data science, operations re- 4 search, and computational thinking. The Director shall en- 5 courage applicants to form partnerships to address critical 6 transitions, such as middle school to high school, high 7 school to college, and school to internships and jobs. 8 (d) APPLICATION.—An entity seeking a grant under 9 subsection (c) shall submit an application at such time, 10 in such manner, and containing such information as the 11 Director may require. The application shall include the fol- 12 lowing: 13 (1) A description of the target population to be 14 served by the research activity for which such grant 15 is sought, including student subgroups described in 16 section 1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) of the Elementary and 17 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 18 6311(b)(2)(B)(xi)), and students experiencing home- 19 lessness and children and youth in foster care. 20 (2) A description of the process for recruitment 21 and selection of students, educators, or local edu- 22 cational agencies to participate in such research ac- 23 tivity. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 HR 3588 RFS (3) A description of how such research activity 1 may inform efforts to promote the engagement and 2 achievement of students in prekindergarten through 3 grade 12 in mathematical modeling and statistical 4 modeling using problem-based learning with contex- 5 tualized data and computational tools. 6 (4) In the case of a proposal consisting of a 7 partnership or partnerships with 1 or more local 8 educational agencies and 1 or more researchers, a 9 plan for establishing a sustained partnership that is 10 jointly developed and managed, draws from the ca- 11 pacities of each partner, and is mutually beneficial. 12 (e) PARTNERSHIPS.—In awarding grants under sub- 13 section (c), the Director shall encourage applications that 14 include— 15 (1) partnership with a nonprofit organization or 16 an institution of higher education that has extensive 17 experience and expertise in increasing the participa- 18 tion of students in prekindergarten through grade 19 12 in mathematical modeling and statistical mod- 20 eling; 21 (2) partnership with a local educational agency, 22 a consortium of local educational agencies, or Tribal 23 educational agencies; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 HR 3588 RFS (3) an assurance from school leaders to making 1 reforms and activities proposed by the applicant a 2 priority; 3 (4) ways to address critical transitions, such as 4 middle school to high school, high school to college, 5 and school to internships and jobs; 6 (5) input from education researchers and cog- 7 nitive scientists, as well as practitioners in research 8 and industry, so that what is being taught is up-to- 9 date in terms of content and pedagogy; 10 (6) a communications strategy for early con- 11 versations with parents, school leaders, school 12 boards, community members, employers, and other 13 stakeholders; and 14 (7) resources for parents, school leaders, school 15 boards, community members, and other stakeholders 16 to build skills in modeling and analytics. 17 (f) USE OF FUNDS.—An entity that receives a grant 18 under this section shall use the grant funds for research 19 and development activities to advance innovative ap- 20 proaches to support and sustain high-quality mathe- 21 matical modeling education in public schools, including 22 statistical modeling, data science, operations research, and 23 computational thinking, which may include— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 HR 3588 RFS (1) engaging prekindergarten through grade 12 1 educators in professional learning opportunities to 2 enhance mathematical modeling and statistical prob- 3 lem solving knowledge, and developing training and 4 best practices to provide more interdisciplinary 5 learning opportunities; 6 (2) conducting research on curricula and teach- 7 ing practices that empower students to choose the 8 mathematical, statistical, computational, and techno- 9 logical tools that they will apply to a problem, as is 10 required in life and the workplace, rather than pre- 11 scribing a particular approach or method; 12 (3) providing students with opportunities to ex- 13 plore and analyze real data sets from contexts that 14 are meaningful to the students, which may include— 15 (A) missing or incorrect values; 16 (B) quantities of data that require choice 17 and use of appropriate technology; 18 (C) multiple data sets that require choices 19 about which data are relevant to the current 20 problem; and 21 (D) data of various types including quan- 22 tities, words, and images; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 HR 3588 RFS (4) taking a school or district-wide approach to 1 professional development in mathematical modeling 2 and statistical modeling; 3 (5) engaging rural local agencies; 4 (6) supporting research on effective mathe- 5 matical modeling and statistical modeling teaching 6 practices, including problem- and project-based 7 learning, universal design for accessibility, and ru- 8 brics and mastery-based grading practices to assess 9 student performance; 10 (7) designing and developing pre-service and in- 11 service training resources to assist educators in 12 adopting transdisciplinary teaching practices within 13 mathematics and statistics courses; 14 (8) coordinating with local partners to adapt 15 mathematics and statistics teaching practices to le- 16 verage local natural, business, industry, and commu- 17 nity assets in order to support community-based 18 learning; 19 (9) providing hands-on training and research 20 opportunities for mathematics and statistics edu- 21 cators at Federal laboratories, institutions of higher 22 education, or in industry; 23 (10) developing mechanisms for partnerships 24 between educators and employers to help educators 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 HR 3588 RFS and students make connections between their mathe- 1 matics and statistics projects and topics of relevance 2 in today’s world; 3 (11) designing and implementing professional 4 development courses and experiences, including men- 5 toring for educators, that combine face-to-face and 6 online experiences; 7 (12) addressing critical transitions, such as 8 middle school to high school, high school to college, 9 and school to internships and jobs; and 10 (13) any other activity the Director determines 11 will accomplish the goals of this section. 12 (g) EVALUATIONS.—All proposals for grants under 13 this section shall include an evaluation plan that includes 14 the use of outcome oriented measures to assess the impact 15 and efficacy of the grant. Each recipient of a grant under 16 this section shall include results from these evaluative ac- 17 tivities in annual and final projects. 18 (h) ACCOUNTABILITY AND DISSEMINATION.— 19 (1) EVALUATION REQUIRED.—The Director 20 shall evaluate the portfolio of grants awarded under 21 this section. Such evaluation shall— 22 (A) use a common set of benchmarks and 23 tools to assess the results of research conducted 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Jul 28, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3588.RFS H3588 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 HR 3588 RFS under such grants and identify best practices; 1 and 2 (B) to the extent practicable, integrate the 3 findings of research resulting from the activities 4 funded through such grants with the findings of 5 other research on student’s pursuit of degrees 6 or careers in STEM. 7 (2) REPORT ON EVALUATIONS.—Not later than 8 180 days after the completion of the evaluation 9 under paragraph (1), the Director shall submit to 10 Congress and make widely available to the public a 11 report that includes— 12 (A) the results o [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]