Rural STEM Education Act

IIB 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 4979 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions AN ACT To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation to support STEM education and workforce development research focused on rural areas, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 HR 4979 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural STEM Edu- 2 cation Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 4 Congress finds the following: 5 (1) The supply of STEM workers is not keeping 6 pace with the rapidly evolving needs of the public 7 and private sector, resulting in a deficit often re- 8 ferred to as a STEM skills shortage. 9 (2) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis- 10 tics, the United States will need one million addi- 11 tional STEM professionals than it is on track to 12 produce in the coming decade. 13 (3) Many STEM occupations offer higher 14 wages, more opportunities for advancement, and a 15 higher degree of job security than non-STEM jobs. 16 (4) The 60,000,000 individuals in the United 17 States who live in rural settings are significantly 18 under-represented in STEM. 19 (5) According to the National Center for Edu- 20 cation Statistics, nine million students in the United 21 States—nearly 20 percent of the total K–12 popu- 22 lation—attend rural schools, and for reasons rang- 23 ing from teacher quality to shortages of resources, 24 these students often have fewer opportunities for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 HR 4979 RFS high-quality STEM learning than their peers in the 1 Nation’s urban and suburban schools. 2 (6) Rural areas represent one of the most 3 promising, yet underutilized, opportunities for 4 STEM education to impact workforce development 5 and regional innovation, including agriculture. 6 (7) The study of agriculture, food, and natural 7 resources involves biology, engineering, physics, 8 chemistry, math, geology, computer science, and 9 other scientific fields. 10 (8) Employment in computer and information 11 technology occupations is projected to grow 11 per- 12 cent from 2019 to 2029. To help meet this demand, 13 it is important rural students have the opportunity 14 to acquire computing skills through exposure to com- 15 puter science learning in grades Pre-K through 12 16 and in informal learning settings. 17 (9) More than 293,000,000 individuals in the 18 United States use high-speed broadband to work, 19 learn, access healthcare, and operate their busi- 20 nesses, while 19,000,000 individuals in the United 21 States still lack access to high-speed broadband. 22 Rural areas are hardest hit, with over 26 percent of 23 individuals in rural areas in the United States lack- 24 ing access to high-speed broadband compared to 1.7 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 HR 4979 RFS percent of individuals in urban areas in the United 1 States. 2 SEC. 3. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RURAL STEM AC- 3 TIVITIES. 4 (a) PREPARING RURAL STEM EDUCATORS.— 5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall provide 6 grants on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to in- 7 stitutions of higher education or nonprofit organiza- 8 tions (or a consortium thereof) for research and de- 9 velopment to advance innovative approaches to sup- 10 port and sustain high-quality STEM teaching in 11 rural schools. 12 (2) USE OF FUNDS.— 13 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants awarded under 14 this section shall be used for the research and 15 development activities referred to in paragraph 16 (1), which may include— 17 (i) engaging rural educators of stu- 18 dents in grades Pre-K through 12 in pro- 19 fessional learning opportunities to enhance 20 STEM knowledge, including computer 21 science, and develop best practices; 22 (ii) supporting research on effective 23 STEM teaching practices in rural settings, 24 including the use of rubrics and mastery- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 HR 4979 RFS based grading practices to assess student 1 performance when employing the 2 transdisciplinary teaching approach for 3 STEM disciplines; 4 (iii) designing and developing pre- 5 service and in-service training resources to 6 assist such rural educators in adopting 7 transdisciplinary teaching practices across 8 STEM courses; 9 (iv) coordinating with local partners 10 to adapt STEM teaching practices to lever- 11 age local natural and community assets in 12 order to support in-place learning in rural 13 areas; 14 (v) providing hands-on training and 15 research opportunities for rural educators 16 described in clause (i) at Federal Labora- 17 tories, institutions of higher education, or 18 in industry; 19 (vi) developing training and best prac- 20 tices for educators who teach multiple 21 grade levels within a STEM discipline; 22 (vii) designing and implementing pro- 23 fessional development courses and experi- 24 ences, including mentoring, for rural edu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 HR 4979 RFS cators described in clause (i) that combine 1 face-to-face and online experiences; and 2 (viii) any other activity the Director 3 determines will accomplish the goals of this 4 subsection. 5 (B) RURAL STEM COLLABORATIVE.—The 6 Director may establish a pilot program of re- 7 gional cohorts in rural areas that will provide 8 peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research 9 experiences for rural STEM educators of stu- 10 dents in grades Pre-K through 12, in order to 11 build an ecosystem of cooperation among edu- 12 cators, researchers, academia, and local indus- 13 try. 14 (b) BROADENING PARTICIPATION OF RURAL STU- 15 DENTS IN STEM.— 16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall provide 17 grants on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to in- 18 stitutions of higher education or nonprofit organiza- 19 tions (or a consortium thereof) for— 20 (A) research and development of program- 21 ming to identify the barriers rural students face 22 in accessing high-quality STEM education; and 23 (B) development of innovative solutions to 24 improve the participation and advancement of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 HR 4979 RFS rural students in grades Pre-K through 12 in 1 STEM studies. 2 (2) USE OF FUNDS.— 3 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants awarded under 4 this section shall be used for the research and 5 development activities referred to in paragraph 6 (1), which may include— 7 (i) developing partnerships with com- 8 munity colleges to offer advanced STEM 9 course work, including computer science, to 10 rural high school students; 11 (ii) supporting research on effective 12 STEM practices in rural settings; 13 (iii) implementing a school-wide 14 STEM approach; 15 (iv) improving the National Science 16 Foundation’s Advanced Technology Edu- 17 cation program’s coordination and engage- 18 ment with rural communities; 19 (v) collaborating with existing commu- 20 nity partners and networks, such as the co- 21 operative research and extension services 22 of the Department of Agriculture and 23 youth serving organizations like 4–H, after 24 school STEM programs, and summer 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 HR 4979 RFS STEM programs, to leverage community 1 resources and develop place-based pro- 2 gramming; 3 (vi) connecting rural school districts 4 and institutions of higher education, to im- 5 prove precollegiate STEM education and 6 engagement; 7 (vii) supporting partnerships that 8 offer hands-on inquiry-based science activi- 9 ties, including coding, and access to lab re- 10 sources for students studying STEM in 11 grades Pre-K through 12 in a rural area; 12 (viii) evaluating the role of broadband 13 connectivity and its associated impact on 14 the STEM and technology literacy of rural 15 students; 16 (ix) building capacity to support ex- 17 tracurricular STEM programs in rural 18 schools, including mentor-led engagement 19 programs, STEM programs held during 20 nonschool hours, STEM networks, 21 makerspaces, coding activities, and com- 22 petitions; and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 HR 4979 RFS (x) any other activity the Director de- 1 termines will accomplish the goals of this 2 subsection. 3 (c) APPLICATION.—An applicant seeking a grant 4 under subsection (a) or (b) shall submit an application at 5 such time, in such manner, and containing such informa- 6 tion as the Director may require. The application may in- 7 clude the following: 8 (1) A description of the target population to be 9 served by the research activity or activities for which 10 such grant is sought. 11 (2) A description of the process for recruitment 12 and selection of students, educators, or schools from 13 rural areas to participate in such activity or activi- 14 ties. 15 (3) A description of how such activity or activi- 16 ties may inform efforts to promote the engagement 17 and achievement of rural students in grades Pre-K 18 through 12 in STEM studies. 19 (4) In the case of a proposal consisting of a 20 partnership or partnerships with one or more rural 21 schools and one or more researchers, a plan for es- 22 tablishing a sustained partnership that is jointly de- 23 veloped and managed, draws from the capacities of 24 each partner, and is mutually beneficial. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 HR 4979 RFS (d) PARTNERSHIPS.—In awarding grants under sub- 1 section (a) or (b), the Director shall— 2 (1) encourage applicants which, for the purpose 3 of the activity or activities funded through the grant, 4 include or partner with a nonprofit organization or 5 an institution of higher education (or a consortium 6 thereof) that has extensive experience and expertise 7 in increasing the participation of rural students in 8 grades Pre-K through 12 in STEM; 9 (2) encourage applicants which, for the purpose 10 of the activity or activities funded through the grant, 11 include or partner with a consortium of rural schools 12 or rural school districts; and 13 (3) encourage applications which, for the pur- 14 pose of the activity or activities funded through the 15 grant, include commitments from school principals 16 and administrators to making reforms and activities 17 proposed by the applicant a priority. 18 (e) EVALUATIONS.—All proposals for grants under 19 subsections (a) and (b) shall include an evaluation plan 20 that includes the use of outcome oriented measures to as- 21 sess the impact and efficacy of the grant. Each recipient 22 of a grant under this section shall include results from 23 these evaluative activities in annual and final projects. 24 (f) ACCOUNTABILITY AND DISSEMINATION.— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 HR 4979 RFS (1) EVALUATION REQUIRED.—The Director 1 shall evaluate the portfolio of grants awarded under 2 subsections (a) and (b). Such evaluation shall— 3 (A) use a common set of benchmarks and 4 tools to assess the results of research conducted 5 under such grants and identify best practices; 6 and 7 (B) to the extent practicable, integrate the 8 findings of research resulting from the activity 9 or activities funded through such grants with 10 the findings of other research on rural student’s 11 pursuit of degrees or careers in STEM. 12 (2) REPORT ON EVALUATIONS.—Not later than 13 180 days after the completion of the evaluation 14 under paragraph (1), the Director shall submit to 15 Congress and make widely available to the public a 16 report that includes— 17 (A) the results of the evaluation; and 18 (B) any recommendations for administra- 19 tive and legislative action that could optimize 20 the effectiveness of the grants awarded under 21 this section. 22 (g) REPORT BY COMMITTEE ON EQUAL OPPORTUNI- 23 TIES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 HR 4979 RFS (1) IN GENERAL.—As part of the first report 1 required by section 36(e) of the Science and Engi- 2 neering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 3 1885c(e)) transmitted to Congress after the date of 4 enactment of this Act, the Committee on Equal Op- 5 portunities in Science and Engineering shall in- 6 clude— 7 (A) a description of past and present poli- 8 cies and activities of the Foundation to encour- 9 age full participation of students in rural com- 10 munities in science, mathematics, engineering, 11 and computer science fields; and 12 (B) an assessment of trends in participa- 13 tion of rural students in grades Pre-K through 14 12 in Foundation activities, and an assessment 15 of the policies and activities of the Foundation, 16 along with proposals for new strategies or the 17 broadening of existing successful strategies to- 18 wards facilitating the goals of this Act. 19 (2) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.— 20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Section 313 of the 21 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act 22 (Public Law 114–329) is amended by striking 23 ‘‘Section 204(e) of the National Science Foun- 24 dation Authorization Act of 1988’’ and insert- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 13 HR 4979 RFS ing ‘‘Section 36(e) of the Science and Engineer- 1 ing Equal Opportunities Act’’. 2 (B) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment 3 made by paragraph (1) shall take effect as if 4 included in the enactment of section 313 of the 5 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act 6 (Public Law 114–329). 7 (h) COORDINATION.—In carrying [Text truncated for display. 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