Teach CS Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 3040 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include teacher preparation for computer science in elementary and secondary education. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES DECEMBER 12, 2019 Ms. ROSEN (for herself, Mr. WICKER, Ms. HASSAN, and Mr. ROMNEY) intro- duced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Com- mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 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 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •S 3040 IS (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 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •S 3040 IS (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 ‘‘Subpart 6—Teacher Education Programs for 10 Computer Science Education 11 ‘‘SEC. 259. TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR COM- 12 PUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION. 13 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts 14 appropriated to carry out this section, the Secretary may 15 award competitive grants to eligible institutions to estab- 16 lish centers of excellence in teacher education programs 17 for computer science, that may include computational 18 thinking, computing, and computer engineering. 19 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant awarded to an eligible 20 institution under this section— 21 ‘‘(1) shall be used by such institution to ensure 22 that current and future teachers meet the applicable 23 State certification and licensure requirements in a 24 field that will enable them to teach computer science 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •S 3040 IS in their State at the elementary and secondary 1 school levels, by— 2 ‘‘(A) creating teacher education programs 3 that meet the requirements of section 4 200(6)(A)(iv) and offer, through hands-on and 5 classroom teaching activities with in-service 6 teachers— 7 ‘‘(i) doctoral, master’s, or bachelor’s 8 degrees in teaching computer science at 9 the elementary school and secondary school 10 levels; or 11 ‘‘(ii) teaching endorsements in com- 12 puter science, in the case of a teacher with 13 related State certification and licensure re- 14 quirements or a student who is pursuing 15 certification and licensure requirements in 16 related fields, such as mathematics and 17 science; 18 ‘‘(B) ensuring that current and future 19 teachers who graduate from such programs 20 meet the applicable State certification and li- 21 censure requirements, including any require- 22 ments for certification obtained through alter- 23 native routes to certification, or, with regard to 24 special education teachers, the qualifications de- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •S 3040 IS scribed in section 612(a)(14)(C) of the Individ- 1 uals with Disabilities Education Act; 2 ‘‘(C) recruiting individuals to enroll in 3 such programs, including subject matter experts 4 and professionals in fields related to computer 5 science; and 6 ‘‘(D) awarding scholarships and fellowships 7 based on financial need and to recruit tradition- 8 ally underrepresented groups in computer 9 science to help such students pay the cost of at- 10 tendance (as defined in section 472); and 11 ‘‘(2) may be used by such institution to— 12 ‘‘(A) hire and pay faculty salaries for the 13 teacher education programs described in para- 14 graph (1)(A); 15 ‘‘(B) conduct research in computer science 16 education; and 17 ‘‘(C) carry out activities to encourage the 18 Secretary to partner with other agencies, and 19 prioritize funding for computer science edu- 20 cation research to support teacher preparation. 21 ‘‘(c) DURATION.— 22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 23 shall be awarded for 5 years, conditional upon a sat- 24 isfactory report to the Secretary of progress with re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •S 3040 IS spect to the program carried out with the grant 1 after the first 3-years of the grant period. 2 ‘‘(2) REPORT OF PROGRESS.—Such report of 3 progress on the program shall include data on the 4 number of students and instructors enrolled, infor- 5 mation on former graduates (including on how many 6 earn teaching certification or licensure in a field that 7 will enable them to teach computer science in their 8 State at the secondary level, or be prepared to teach 9 computer science at the elementary level), and data 10 on any additional funding (other than Federal 11 funds) received to carry out the program. 12 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.— 13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible institution de- 14 siring a grant under this section shall submit an ap- 15 plication to the Secretary, at such time in such man- 16 ner, and containing such information as the Sec- 17 retary may require, which shall include— 18 ‘‘(A) a demonstration of the need for 19 teachers with the certification or licensure re- 20 quirements that enable them to teach computer 21 science at the elementary and secondary level in 22 the geographic area or State in which the insti- 23 tution is located; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •S 3040 IS ‘‘(B) the plan to ensure the longevity of 1 the program after the end of the grant; and 2 ‘‘(C) the plan to scale up the program (in- 3 cluding the plan for the number of personnel to 4 be hired, a description of their expected quali- 5 fications and titles, the number of fellowships 6 and scholarships to be awarded, the estimated 7 administrative expenses, proposed academic ad- 8 vising strategy, and organizing and outreach to 9 maintain virtual community of computer science 10 educators). 11 ‘‘(2) EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.—The Sec- 12 retary shall award grants under this section in a 13 manner that ensures an equitable distribution of 14 grants— 15 ‘‘(A) to rural and urban eligible institu- 16 tions; 17 ‘‘(B) to eligible institutions that qualify for 18 a waiver under subsection (e)(2); and 19 ‘‘(C) to eligible institutions that are located 20 in areas where there is a need for increasing 21 computer science education opportunities. 22 ‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under 24 this section, an eligible entity shall provide, from 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •S 3040 IS non-Federal sources, an amount that is not less than 1 25 percent of the amount of the grant, which may 2 be provided in cash or in-kind, to carry out the ac- 3 tivities supported by the grant. 4 ‘‘(2) WAIVER.—The Secretary shall waive all or 5 part of the matching requirement described in para- 6 graph (1) for any fiscal year the Secretary deter- 7 mines that applying such requirement to the eligible 8 institution would result in serious hardship or an in- 9 ability to carry out the authorized activities de- 10 scribed in this section. 11 ‘‘(f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 12 after the first grant is awarded under his section and each 13 year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 14 report on the success of the program based on metrics de- 15 termined by the Secretary, including the number of cen- 16 ters established, the number of enrolled students, and the 17 number of qualified teachers. 18 ‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 19 use up to 5 percent of the amount appropriated for each 20 fiscal year to provide technical assistance to eligible insti- 21 tutions. 22 ‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 23 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi- 24 ble institution’ means an institution of higher edu- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •S 3040 IS cation, as defined in section 101, which may be in 1 a partnership with a nonprofit organization. 2 ‘‘(2) COMPUTER SCIENCE.—The term ‘com- 3 puter science’ means the study of computers includ- 4 ing algorithmic processes and engineering principles 5 for hardware and software design, development, and 6 systems integration, and their impact on society. 7 ‘‘(3) COMPUTING.—The term ‘computing’ 8 means any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefit- 9 ting from, or creating algorithmic processes. 10 ‘‘(4) COMPUTATIONAL THINKING.—The term 11 ‘computational thinking’ means the human ability to 12 formulate problems so that their solutions can be 13 represented as computational steps or algorithms to 14 be executed by a computer and integrated into 15 broader networks of systems.’’. 16 SEC. 5. ADJUNCT TEACHER CORPS. 17 Section 255 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 18 U.S.C. 1035) is amended— 19 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘computer 20 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 21 (2) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘computer 22 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 23 (3) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ‘‘computer 24 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:25 Dec 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •S 3040 IS (4) in subsection (f)(2)(A)(i), by inserting 1 ‘‘computer science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 2 (5) in subsection (g)(1), by inserting ‘‘computer 3 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 4 (6) in subsection (g)(3), by inserting ‘‘computer 5 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 6 (7) in subsection (k)(2), by inserting ‘‘computer 7 science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’. 8 SEC. 6. GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS TO PREPARE FACULTY 9 IN HIGH-NEED AREAS AT COLLEGES OF EDU- 10 CATION. 11 Section 258(d)(2)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 12 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1036(d)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting 13 ‘‘(including computer science)’’ after ‘‘technology’’. 14 SEC. 7. TEACH GRANT. 15 Section 420N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 16 (20 U.S.C. 1070g–2) is amended— 17 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B)(i), by inserting 18 ‘‘computer science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 19 (2) in subsection (b)(1)(C)— 20 (A) by redesignating clauses (iii) through 21 (vii) as clauses (iv) through (viii), respectively; 22 and 23 (B) by inserting after clause (ii), the fol- 24 lowing: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •S 3040 IS ‘‘(iii) computer science;’’. 1 SEC. 8. GRADUATE AND POSTSECONDARY IMPROVEMENT 2 PROGRAMS. 3 (a) PURPOSE.—Section 700(1)(B)(i) of the Higher 4 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1133(1)(B)(i)) is 5 amended by inserting ‘‘computer science,’’ after 6 ‘‘science,’’. 7 (b) DESIGNATION OF AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED.— 8 Section 712(b)(4) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 9 (20 U.S.C. 1135a(b)(4)) is amended by inserting before 10 the period at the end the following: ‘‘, including the need 11 for computer science’’. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:49 Dec 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S3040.IS S3040 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS