[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5358 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5358

 To authorize programs relating to science, mathematics, engineering, 
  and technology education at the National Science Foundation and the 
    Department of Energy Office of Science, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 11, 2006

Mr. Schwarz of Michigan (for himself, Mr. Boehlert, Mr. Smith of Texas, 
 Mr. Calvert, Mr. Ehlers, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Inglis of South Carolina, 
   and Mr. McCaul of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was 
                  referred to the Committee on Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize programs relating to science, mathematics, engineering, 
  and technology education at the National Science Foundation and the 
    Department of Energy Office of Science, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Science and Mathematics Education 
for Competitiveness Act''.

SEC. 2. ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

    Section 10 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 
2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-1) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``Teacher'' after ``Noyce'' in the section 
        heading and each place it appears in the text;
            (2) in subsection (c)(3)--
                    (A) by striking ``$7,500'' and inserting 
                ``$10,000''; and
                    (B) by striking ``of scholarship support'' and 
                inserting ``of scholarship support, unless the Director 
                establishes a policy by which part-time students may 
                receive additional years of support'';
            (3) in subsection (c)(4), by inserting ``with a maximum 
        service requirement of 4 years'' after ``was received'';
            (4) in subsection (d)(3), by striking ``1 year'' and 
        inserting ``16 months'';
            (5) in subsection (d)(4), by striking ``for each year a 
        stipend was received'';
            (6) in subsection (g)(2)(A)--
                    (A) by striking ``Treasurer of the United States,'' 
                and inserting ``Treasurer of the United States.''; and
                    (B) by striking ``multiplied by 2.''
            (7) in subsection (i)(3), by inserting ``or had a career 
        in'' after ``is working in''; and
            (8) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--Except as provided in 
subsection (k), there are authorized to be appropriated to the Director 
for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program--
            ``(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, of which at least 
        $7,500,000 shall be used for capacity building activities 
        described in subsection (a)(3)(A)(ii) and (iii) and (B)(ii) and 
        (iii);
            ``(2) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, of which at least 
        $10,500,000 shall be used for capacity building activities 
        described in subsection (a)(3)(A)(ii) and (iii) and (B)(ii) and 
        (iii);
            ``(3) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, of which at least 
        $13,500,000 shall be used for capacity building activities 
        described in subsection (a)(3)(A)(ii) and (iii) and (B)(ii) and 
        (iii);
            ``(4) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, of which at least 
        $13,500,000 shall be used for capacity building activities 
        described in subsection (a)(3)(A)(ii) and (iii) and (B)(ii) and 
        (iii); and
            ``(5) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2011, of which at least 
        $13,500,000 shall be used for capacity building activities 
        described in subsection (a)(3)(A)(ii) and (iii) and (B)(ii) and 
        (iii).
    ``(k) Exception.--For any fiscal year for which the funding 
allocated for activities under this section is less than $50,000,000, 
the amount of funding available for capacity building activities 
described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (j) shall not 
exceed 15 percent of the allocated funds.''

SEC. 3. SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHER TRAINING PARTNERSHIPS.

    (a) In General.--Section 9 of the National Science Foundation 
Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n) is amended to read as 
follows:

``SEC. 9. SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS TEACHER TRAINING PARTNERSHIPS 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--
            ``(1) In general.--(A) The Director shall carry out a 
        program to award grants to institutions of higher education or 
        eligible nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such 
        institutions or organizations) to establish science and 
        mathematics teacher training partnership programs to improve 
        elementary and secondary science and mathematics instruction.
            ``(B) Grants shall be awarded under this subsection on a 
        competitive, merit-reviewed basis.
            ``(2) Partnerships.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
        under this subsection, an institution of higher education 
        through 1 or more of its departments in science, mathematics, 
        or engineering or an eligible nonprofit organization (or a 
        consortium thereof) shall enter into a partnership with 1 or 
        more local educational agencies that may also include 1 or more 
        businesses.
            ``(3) Required uses of funds.--Grants awarded under this 
        subsection shall be used for activities that draw upon the 
        expertise of the partners to improve teacher content knowledge 
        in science or mathematics at the elementary or secondary 
        levels, such as conducting--
                    ``(A) intensive, content-specific teacher 
                institutes, which may include the provision of stipends 
                or expenses for participants;
                    ``(B) model induction programs for teachers in 
                their first 2 years of teaching; and
                    ``(C) programs to expand the knowledge of existing 
                teachers through sustained, content-specific 
                professional development programs.
            ``(4) Additional uses of funds.--Grants awarded under this 
        subsection may also be used to conduct--
                    ``(A) programs to train, in both content and 
                pedagogy, teacher leaders who will be granted 
                sufficient nonclassroom time to serve as mentor 
                teachers, as demonstrated by assurances their employing 
                school has provided to the Director, in such time and 
                such manner as the Director may require;
                    ``(B) programs to train teachers to incorporate new 
                technologies into their classroom; and
                    ``(C) programs to train teachers to incorporate 
                laboratory experiences into their lesson plans.
    ``(b) Selection Process.--
            ``(1) Application.--An institution of higher education or 
        eligible nonprofit organization seeking funding under 
        subsection (a) shall submit an application to the Director at 
        such time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
        the Director may require. The application shall include, at a 
        minimum--
                    ``(A) a description of the partnership and the role 
                that each member will play in implementing the 
                proposal;
                    ``(B) a description of the activities to be carried 
                out, including--
                            ``(i) the number of teachers to be served;
                            ``(ii) how such activities will be aligned 
                        with State science and mathematics achievement 
                        standards;
                            ``(iii) how such activities will increase 
                        the number or percentage of science and 
                        mathematics teachers who are highly qualified 
                        teachers, as defined in section 9101 of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
                        (20 U.S.C. 7801); and
                            ``(iv) how such activities will reduce the 
                        attrition of science and mathematics teachers;
                    ``(C) a description of the need for qualified 
                science and mathematics teachers in the area to be 
                served;
                    ``(D) a description of the manner in which the 
                partnership will be continued after assistance under 
                this program concludes; and
                    ``(E) a description of how the partnership will 
                evaluate the impact of the program.
            ``(2) Review of applications.--In evaluating the 
        applications submitted under paragraph (1), the Director shall 
        consider, at a minimum--
                    ``(A) the ability of the partners to effectively 
                carry out the proposed programs;
                    ``(B) the extent to which effective practices can 
                be identified and replicated; and
                    ``(C) the extent to which the evaluation described 
                in paragraph (1)(E) will be independent and based on 
                objective measures.
            ``(3) Awards.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
        Director shall give priority consideration to applications in 
        which the partnership includes a high-need local educational 
        agency and to applications that include activities described in 
        subsection (a)(4)(A).
            ``(4) Maximum grant.--A grant awarded under this section 
        shall not be less than $75,000 or greater than $2,000,000 for 
        any fiscal year.
    ``(c) Accountability and Dissemination.--
            ``(1) Assessment required.--Not later than 2 years after 
        the date of enactment of this section, the Director shall 
        establish a common set of benchmarks and assessment tools to 
        allow for the comparison of practices across grantees.
            ``(2) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
        enactment of this section, the Director shall perform an 
        assessment of the effectiveness of the Science and Mathematics 
        Teacher Training Partnerships Program established by this 
        section in improving elementary and secondary science and 
        mathematics instruction. Not later than 5 years after the date 
        of enactment of this section, the Director shall transmit a 
        report describing the results of this assessment to the 
        Committee on Science and the Committee on Education and the 
        Workforce of the House of Representatives and to the Committee 
        on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on 
        Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate. Such 
        reports shall be made widely available to the public.
    ``(d) Authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
the National Science Foundation for the purpose of this section 
$50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2011.''.
    (b) Definitions.--Section 4 of the National Science Foundation 
Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n note) is amended--
            (1) by amending paragraph (6) to read as follows:
            ``(6) Eligible nonprofit organization.--The term `eligible 
        nonprofit organization' means a nonprofit organization, such as 
        a museum or science center, involved in the preparation, 
        training, or certification of science and mathematics 
        teachers.'';
            (2) by amending paragraph (8) to read as follows:
            ``(8) High-need local educational agency.--The term `high-
        need local educational agency' means a local educational agency 
        that--
                    ``(A) is receiving grants under title I of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6301 et seq) as a result of having within its 
                jurisdiction concentrations of children from low income 
                families; and
                    ``(B) is experiencing a shortage of highly 
                qualified teachers, as defined in section 9101 of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 7801), in the fields of science, mathematics, or 
                engineering.''; and
            (3) in paragraph (11) by striking ``master teacher'' and 
        inserting ``teacher leader'' each place it appears.
    (c) Continuing Grants.--This section shall not be construed to 
terminate any Mathematics and Science Partnership awards made prior to 
the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS TALENT 
              EXPANSION PROGRAM.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the 
National Science Foundation for the Science, Technology, Engineering, 
and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program, $40,000,000 for fiscal year 
2007, $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, $50,000,000 for fiscal year 
2009, $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 
2011.

SEC. 5. INTEGRATIVE GRADUATE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH TRAINEESHIP 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) Funding.--For each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2011, the 
Director of the National Science Foundation shall allocate at least 1.5 
percent of funds appropriated for Research and Related Activities to 
the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program.
    (b) Coordination.--The Director shall coordinate with Federal 
departments and agencies, as appropriate, to expand the 
interdisciplinary nature of the Integrative Graduate Education and 
Research Traineeship program.
    (c) Authority to Accept Funds From Other Agencies.--The Director is 
authorized to accept funds from other Federal departments and agencies 
to carry out the Integrative Graduate Education and Research 
Traineeship program.

SEC. 6. ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTERS FOR UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN 
              SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, AND ENGINEERING.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--(A) The Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall carry out a program to award grants to 
        departments of science, mathematics, or engineering at 
        institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) to 
        establish Centers for Undergraduate Education in Science, 
        Mathematics, and Engineering. The program shall be designed to 
        promote the development of curriculum, teaching methods, and 
        teacher training methods to improve the quality of 
        undergraduate science, mathematics, and engineering courses and 
        increase the number of students taking such courses, including 
        nonmajors.
            (B) The grants shall be made jointly through the Education 
        and Human Resources Directorate and at least 1 research 
        directorate of the National Science Foundation.
            (C) Grants under this section shall be awarded on a 
        competitive, merit-reviewed basis.
            (D) Grants awarded under this section shall be for 5 years. 
        The Director may extend a grant under this section for up to 2 
        additional 3-year periods.
            (2) Activities.--Grants awarded under this section may be 
        used to--
                    (A) create model curricula and laboratory programs;
                    (B) develop and demonstrate research-based 
                instructional methods and technologies;
                    (C) develop methods to train graduate students and 
                faculty to be more effective teachers;
                    (D) conduct programs to disseminate curricula, 
                instructional methods, or training methods to faculty 
                at the grantee institutions and at other institutions; 
                and
                    (E) conduct any other activities the Director 
                determines will accomplish the goals described in 
                paragraph (1)(A).
    (b) Selection Process.--
            (1) Application.--A department of science, mathematics, or 
        engineering of an institution of higher education (or 
        consortium thereof) seeking funding under this section shall 
        submit an application to the Director at such time, in such 
        manner, and containing such information as the Director may 
        require. At a minimum, the application shall include--
                    (A) a description of the activities to be carried 
                out by the Center;
                    (B) a plan for disseminating programs related to 
                the activities carried out by the Center to faculty at 
                the grantee institution and at other institutions;
                    (C) an estimate of the number of faculty, graduate 
                students, and undergraduate students who be affected by 
                the activities carried out by the Center; and
                    (D) a plan for assessing the effectiveness of the 
                Center at accomplishing the goals described in 
                subsection (a)(1)(A).
            (2) Review of applications.--In evaluating the applications 
        submitted under paragraph (1), the Director shall consider, at 
        a minimum--
                    (A) the ability of the applicant to effectively 
                carry out the proposed activities, including the 
                dissemination activities described in subsection 
                (a)(2)(D); and
                    (B) the extent to which the faculty, staff, and 
                administrators of the applicant institution are 
                committed to improving undergraduate science, 
                mathematics, and engineering education.
            (3) Awards.--In awarding grants under the program, the 
        Director shall endeavor to ensure that a wide variety of 
        science, mathematics, and engineering fields and types of 
        institutions of higher education, including 2-year colleges, 
        are covered, and that--
                    (A) at least 1 center is housed at a Doctoral/
                Research University as defined by the Carnegie 
                Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; and
                    (B) at least 1 center is focused on improving 
                undergraduate education in an interdisciplinary area.
    (c) Annual Conference.--The Director shall convene an annual 
meeting of the Centers to foster collaboration among the Centers and to 
further disseminate the results of the Centers' activities.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for the purpose of this 
section $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2007 and $10,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2008 through 2011.

SEC. 7. EVALUATION OF PROFESSIONAL SCIENCE MASTERS.

    Not earlier than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Director of the National Science Foundation shall enter into an 
agreement with an appropriate party to assess the impact of the 
Professional Science Master's (PSM) degree at a variety of 
institutions, including the extent to which the degree is 
interdisciplinary and targeted to emerging fields, the ability of 
graduates to obtain employment in industry relative to those who 
receive traditional science master's degrees, salary ranges for 
graduates relative to traditional science masters graduates, the extent 
to which the degree is terminal or graduates go on to continue their 
education, and the success of the degree in attracting traditionally 
underrepresented populations, including women and minorities. The 
results of such study, together with any recommendations for Federal 
support for Professional Science Master's programs, shall be submitted 
to the Congress not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act.

SEC. 8. REPORT ON BROADER IMPACTS CRITERION.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Director of the National Science Foundation shall submit to Congress a 
report on the impact of the broader impacts grant criterion used by the 
National Science Foundation. The report shall---
            (1) identify the criteria that each division and 
        directorate of the Foundation uses to evaluate the broader 
        impacts aspects of research proposals;
            (2) provide a breakdown of the types of activities by 
        division that awardees have proposed to carry out to meet the 
        broader impacts criterion;
            (3) provide any evaluations performed by the National 
        Science Foundation to assess the degree to which the broader 
        impacts aspects of research proposals were carried out and how 
        effective they have been at meeting the goals described in the 
        research proposals;
            (4) describe what national goals, such as improving 
        undergraduate science, mathematics, and engineering education, 
        improving K-12 science and mathematics education, promoting 
        university-industry collaboration and technology transfer, and 
        broadening participation of underrepresented groups, the 
        broader impacts criterion is best suited to promote; and
            (5) describe what steps the National Science Foundation is 
        taking and should take to use the broader impacts criterion to 
        improve undergraduate science, mathematics, and engineering 
        education.

SEC. 9. EDUCATION PROGRAMS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.

    (a) Authorization of Education Programs.--The Secretary of Energy 
shall carry out education programs and activities in fields related to 
the Department's mission, which may include awarding scholarships or 
fellowships for study and research, providing research experiences at 
National Laboratories for undergraduates, and operating summer 
institutes to improve the content knowledge of science and mathematics 
teachers.
    (b) Inventory and Evaluation.--
            (1) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall transmit a 
        report to the Congress which shall contain--
                    (A) an inventory of existing education programs and 
                activities at the Department and at the National 
                Laboratories, which shall include a description of each 
                education program or activity supported by the 
                Department or the National Laboratories, a description 
                of the intended beneficiaries, and the amount of 
                Federal funding used to support it; and
                    (B) a schedule for conducting independent 
                evaluations of the education programs and activities 
                identified under subparagraph (A) to assess the impact 
                of such programs and activities on the intended 
                beneficiaries and the larger mission of the Department 
                that shall result in all evaluations of the programs 
                being completed not later than 4 years after the date 
                of enactment of this Act.
            (2) Implementation of schedule.--The Secretary shall 
        implement the schedule provided under paragraph (1)(B) and 
        shall transmit each evaluation to the Congress as it is 
        completed, along with a description of any actions the 
        Secretary intends to take as a result of the evaluation.
    (c) National Laboratories.--The Secretary shall include the conduct 
of education programs at the National Laboratories and the results of 
any evaluations of such programs as a factor in the annual setting of 
the performance and other incentive fees for a National Laboratories 
management and operations contractor.

SEC. 10. DEFINITION.

    In this Act, the term ``institution of higher education'' has the 
meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
                                 <all>