Teach CS Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3808 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include teacher preparation for computer science in elementary and secondary education. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 17, 2019 Mr. KILMER (for himself, Mr. REED, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio, Mr. RYAN, Mr. RIGGLEMAN, Mr. MORELLE, Ms. KUSTER of New Hamp- shire, and Mr. CASTEN of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include teacher preparation for computer science in elementary and secondary education. 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 ‘‘Teacher Education for 4 Computer Science Act’’ or the ‘‘Teach CS Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT. 6 (a) PARTNERSHIP GRANTS.—Section 202(d)(5) of 7 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022a) is 8 amended— 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3808 IH (1) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘com- 1 puter science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 2 (2) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘(includ- 3 ing computer science, computer engineering, data 4 science, information technology, and cybersecurity 5 professionals)’’ after ‘‘occupations’’. 6 (b) ACCOUNTABILITY AND EVALUATION.—Section 7 204(a)(4) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8 1022c(a)(4)) is amended— 9 (1) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘com- 10 puter science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 11 (2) in subparagraph (G)— 12 (A) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘(including 13 computational thinking)’’ after ‘‘technology’’; 14 and 15 (B) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘(including 16 computational thinking)’’ after ‘‘technology’’. 17 (c) TEACHER DEVELOPMENT.—Section 206(a) of the 18 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022e(a)) is 19 amended by inserting ‘‘computer science,’’ after 20 ‘‘science,’’. 21 SEC. 3. ENHANCING TEACHER EDUCATION. 22 Section 232(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 23 (20 U.S.C. 1032a(c)) is amended— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3808 IH (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘(including 1 computer science)’’ after ‘‘technology’’; and 2 (2) in paragraph (3)(B), by inserting ‘‘(includ- 3 ing computer science)’’ after ‘‘technology’’. 4 SEC. 4. TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR COMPUTER 5 SCIENCE EDUCATION. 6 Part B of title II of the Higher Education Act of 7 1965 is amended (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) by adding at 8 the end the following: 9 ‘‘SEC. 259. TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR COM- 10 PUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION. 11 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts 12 appropriated to carry out this section, the Secretary may 13 award competitive grants to eligible institutions to estab- 14 lish centers of excellence in teacher education programs 15 for computer science, that may include computational 16 thinking, computing, and computer engineering. 17 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant awarded to an eligible 18 institution under this section— 19 ‘‘(1) shall be used by such institution to ensure 20 that current and future teachers meet the applicable 21 State certification and licensure requirements in a 22 field that will enable them to teach computer science 23 in their State at the elementary and secondary 24 school levels, by— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3808 IH ‘‘(A) creating teacher education programs 1 that meet the requirements of section 2 200(6)(A)(iv) and offer, through hands-on and 3 classroom teaching activities with in-service 4 teachers— 5 ‘‘(i) doctoral, master’s, or bachelor’s 6 degrees in teaching computer science at 7 the elementary school and secondary school 8 levels; or 9 ‘‘(ii) teaching endorsements in com- 10 puter science, in the case of a teacher with 11 related State certification and licensure re- 12 quirements or a student who is pursuing 13 certification and licensure requirements in 14 related fields, such as mathematics and 15 science; 16 ‘‘(B) ensuring that current and future 17 teachers who graduate from such programs 18 meet the applicable State certification and li- 19 censure requirements, including any require- 20 ments for certification obtained through alter- 21 native routes to certification, or, with regard to 22 special education teachers, the qualifications de- 23 scribed in section 612(a)(14)(C) of the Individ- 24 uals with Disabilities Education Act; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3808 IH ‘‘(C) recruiting individuals to enroll in 1 such programs, including subject matter experts 2 and professionals in fields related to computer 3 science; and 4 ‘‘(D) awarding scholarships and fellowships 5 based on financial need and to recruit tradition- 6 ally underrepresented groups in computer 7 science to help such students pay the cost of at- 8 tendance (as defined in section 472); and 9 ‘‘(2) may be used by such institution to— 10 ‘‘(A) hire and pay faculty salaries for the 11 teacher education programs described in para- 12 graph (1)(A); 13 ‘‘(B) conduct research in computer science 14 education; and 15 ‘‘(C) carry out activities to encourage the 16 Secretary to partner with other agencies, and 17 prioritize funding for computer science edu- 18 cation research to support teacher preparation. 19 ‘‘(c) DURATION.— 20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 21 shall be awarded for 5 years, conditional upon a sat- 22 isfactory report to the Secretary of progress with re- 23 spect to the program carried out with the grant 24 after the first 3-years of the grant period. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3808 IH ‘‘(2) REPORT OF PROGRESS.—Such report of 1 progress on the program shall include data on the 2 number of students and instructors enrolled, infor- 3 mation on former graduates (including on how many 4 earn teaching certification or licensure in a field that 5 will enable them to teach computer science in their 6 State at the secondary level, or be prepared to teach 7 computer science at the elementary level), and data 8 on any additional funding (other than Federal 9 funds) received to carry out the program. 10 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution desiring 11 a grant under this section shall submit an application to 12 the Secretary, at such time in such manner, and con- 13 taining such information as the Secretary may require, 14 which shall include— 15 ‘‘(1) a demonstration of the need for teachers 16 with the certification or licensure requirements that 17 enable them to teach computer science at the ele- 18 mentary and secondary level in the geographic area 19 or State in which the institution is located; 20 ‘‘(2) the plan to ensure the longevity of the pro- 21 gram after the end of the grant; and 22 ‘‘(3) the plan to scale up the program (includ- 23 ing the plan for the number of personnel to be hired, 24 a description of their expected qualifications and ti- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3808 IH tles, the number of fellowships and scholarships to 1 be awarded, the estimated administrative expenses, 2 proposed academic advising strategy, and organizing 3 and outreach to maintain virtual community of com- 4 puter science educators). 5 ‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under 7 this section, an eligible entity shall provide, from 8 non-Federal sources, an amount that is not less than 9 33 percent of the amount of the grant, which may 10 be provided in cash or in-kind, to carry out the ac- 11 tivities supported by the grant. 12 ‘‘(2) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive all or 13 part of the matching requirement described in para- 14 graph (1) for any fiscal year the Secretary deter- 15 mines that applying such requirement to the eligible 16 institution would result in serious hardship or an in- 17 ability to carry out the authorized activities de- 18 scribed in this section. 19 ‘‘(f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 20 after the first grant is awarded under his section and each 21 year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 22 report on the success of the program based on metrics de- 23 termined by the Secretary, including the number of cen- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3808 IH ters established, the number of enrolled students, and the 1 number of qualified teachers. 2 ‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 3 use up to 5 percent of the amount appropriated for each 4 fiscal year to provide technical assistance to eligible insti- 5 tutions. 6 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 7 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi- 8 ble institution’ means an institution of higher edu- 9 cation, as defined in section 101, which may be in 10 a partnership with a nonprofit organization 11 ‘‘(2) COMPUTER SCIENCE.—The term ‘com- 12 puter science’ means the study of computers includ- 13 ing algorithmic processes and engineering principles 14 for hardware and software design, development, and 15 systems integration, and their impact on society. 16 ‘‘(3) COMPUTING.—The term ‘computing’ 17 means any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefit- 18 ting from, or creating algorithmic processes. 19 ‘‘(4) COMPUTATIONAL THINKING.—The term 20 ‘computational thinking’ means the human ability to 21 formulate problems so that their solutions can be 22 represented as computational steps or algorithms to 23 be executed by a computer and integrated into 24 broader networks of systems.’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3808 IH SEC. 5. ADJUNCT TEACHER CORPS. 1 Section 255 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 2 U.S.C. 1035) is amended— 3 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘computer 4 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 5 (2) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘computer 6 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 7 (3) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ‘‘computer 8 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 9 (4) in subsection (f)(2)(A)(i), by inserting 10 ‘‘computer science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 11 (5) in subsection (g)(1), by inserting ‘‘computer 12 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 13 (6) in subsection (g)(3), by inserting ‘‘computer 14 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 15 (7) in subsection (k)(2), by inserting ‘‘computer 16 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’. 17 SEC. 6. GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS TO PREPARE FACULTY 18 IN HIGH-NEED AREAS AT COLLEGES OF EDU- 19 CATION. 20 Section 258(d)(2)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 21 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1036(d)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting 22 ‘‘(including computer science)’’ after ‘‘technology’’. 23 SEC. 7. TEACH GRANT. 24 Section 420N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 25 (20 U.S.C. 1070g–2) is amended— 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3808 IH (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by inserting ‘‘com- 1 puter science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 2 (2) in subsection (b)(1)(C)— 3 (A) by redesignating clauses (iii) through 4 (vii) as clauses (iv) through (viii), respectively; 5 and 6 (B) by inserting after clause (ii), the fol- 7 lowing: 8 ‘‘(iii) computer science;’’. 9 SEC. 8. GRADUATE AND POSTSECONDARY IMPROVEMENT 10 PROGRAMS. 11 (a) PURPOSE.—Section 700(1)(B)(i) of the Higher 12 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1133(1)(B)(i)) is 13 amended by inserting ‘‘computer science,’’ after 14 ‘‘science,’’. 15 (b) DESIGNATION OF AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED.— 16 Section 712(b)(4) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 17 (20 U.S.C. 1135a(b)(4)) is amended by inserting before 18 the period at the end the following: ‘‘, including the need 19 for computer science’’. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:44 Jul 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3808.IH H3808 dlhill on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with BILLS