[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2592 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2592
To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants for the
establishment of State Networks on Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics Education.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 28, 2013
Mr. Honda (for himself, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr.
McDermott, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Polis, Mr. Sires, and Mr. Langevin)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants for the
establishment of State Networks on Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics Education.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``STEM Innovation Networks Act of
2013''.
SEC. 2. STATE NETWORKS AND CONSORTIA ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (STEM) INNOVATION
NETWORKS.
(a) In General.--From amounts made available to carry out this
section, the Secretary of Education shall make grants to eligible
networks to expand STEM education and STEM educator development.
(b) Eligible Network Defined.--In this section, the term ``eligible
network'' means a State-based STEM network or similar organization,
which--
(1) may include the participation of State officials, local
educational agencies, educators, administrators, afterschool
providers, out of school time educators, parents, industry
leaders, philanthropists, and representatives from the STEM
communities in partnership with institutions of higher
education, nonprofit organizations, other public agencies, and
businesses;
(2) aims to increase the number of students who are
effectively prepared for postsecondary education and careers in
STEM fields;
(3) aims to increase student achievement and experiences in
the STEM disciplines at the elementary schools and secondary
schools in its State, and out of school programs and
particularly for students with a high concentration of
historically underrepresented students and at rural schools
(within the meaning of part B of title VI of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.)); and
(4) aims to increase the number of quality afterschool
programs offering STEM learning opportunities, particularly for
students from populations traditionally underrepresented in the
STEM fields.
(c) Eligible Network Application.--
(1) In general.--An eligible network seeking a grant under
this section shall submit an application at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may
reasonably require.
(2) Matching requirement.--In order to receive a grant
under this section, an eligible network shall agree to provide,
either directly or through private contributions, non-Federal
matching funds equal to not less than 30 percent of the amount
of the grant.
(d) Uses of Funds.--Each eligible network receiving a grant under
this section shall use the funds to carry out one or more of the
following:
(1) Testing, validating, sharing, and scaling up STEM
education research, promising practices, and exemplary programs
among members of the network and with other eligible networks
receiving grants under this section.
(2) Identifying points of weakness and strength among State
STEM education efforts, prioritizing strategies for addressing
problem areas, and communicating State needs to the Secretary.
(3) Assisting in the implementation of rigorous career and
college ready standards in STEM education for grades
prekindergarten through grade 12 that reflect and take into
consideration--
(A) career and college ready standards in STEM
disciplines;
(B) established international standards and 21st
century skills that include critical thinking, problem
solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and
innovation;
(C) the needs of English language learners and
special education students; and
(D) the need to increase STEM literacy of
prekindergarten through grade 12 students.
(4) Assisting the development of innovative STEM
assessments that measure interest, engagement, and content
proficiency.
(5) Supporting the implementation of STEM assessments that
measure career and college ready standards.
(6) Promoting and developing rigorous undergraduate pre-
service teacher programs in institutions of higher education
that emphasize STEM content with emphasis on the elementary
educator.
(7) Promoting and developing curriculum tools and
professional development for STEM educators both in school and
out of school.
(8) Developing STEM career pathways that reflect the
projected STEM workforce needs of the 21st century that may
include mentoring programs and STEM professional outreach.
(9) Developing STEM-related education and workforce
training programs in secondary schools and community colleges
to reflect the needs of the local community.
(10) Developing systems for the implementation of expanded
learning opportunities on school sites to enhance STEM
education inside and outside of the classroom.
(11) Promoting, supporting, and designing programs that
develop STEM content coaches and master educators in order to
strengthen core competencies of the classroom practitioner.
(e) Evaluation and Report.--Not later than 2 years after receiving
a grant under this section, each eligible network receiving such a
grant shall--
(1) conduct periodic independent evaluations, by grant or
by contract, of the eligible network's effectiveness at
accomplishing the activities described in this section, which
shall include an assessment of the impact of such activities on
STEM teaching and learning; and
(2) prepare and submit a report on the results of each
evaluation described in paragraph (1) to the Secretary and make
for dissemination to other STEM Networks.
(f) Prohibitions.--In implementing this section, the Secretary may
not--
(1) endorse, approve, or sanction any STEM curriculum
designed for use in any elementary school, secondary school, or
institution of higher education; or
(2) engage in oversight, technical assistance, or
activities that will require the adoption of a specific STEM
program or instructional materials by a State, local
educational agency, or school.
(g) Total Amount of Grants.--The total amount of grants made under
this section in any fiscal year may not exceed $20,000,000.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The terms ``elementary school'', ``local educational
agency'', ``secondary school'', and ``State educational
agency'' have the meanings given such terms in section 9101 of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7801).
(2) The term ``high concentration of low-income students''
has the meaning given such term in section 1707 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
6537).
(3) The term ``institution of higher education'' has the
meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
(4) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Education.
(5) The term ``State'' means each of the several States of
the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth
of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands.
(6) The term ``STEM'' means science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics.
(7) The term ``STEM education'' means the subjects of
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including
other academic subjects that build on these disciplines, such
as computer science, and other academic subjects that a State
identifies as important to the workforce of the State.
(8) The term ``21st century readiness initiative'' means
any initiative that--
(A) embeds core academic subjects with critical
skills; and
(B) is focused on ensuring that students are
prepared for postsecondary education and careers, upon
graduation from secondary school.
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