[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6104 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6104

 To provide for the coordination of the Nation's science, technology, 
          engineering, and mathematics education initiatives.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 21, 2008

Mr. Honda (for himself, Mr. Boswell, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Davis 
of Illinois, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. 
 Holt, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Langevin, Ms. Lee, Mr. 
Lipinski, Mr. Loebsack, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of California, Mr. Markey, Mrs. 
  McCarthy of New York, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, Mr. McDermott, Mr. 
  McGovern, Mr. McNerney, Mr. Meeks of New York, Mr. George Miller of 
California, Mr. Payne, Mr. Rothman, Ms. Sutton, Mr. Towns, Mr. Udall of 
    Colorado, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Watson, Mr. Wexler, Mrs. Davis of 
 California, Mrs. Capps, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Hare, Mr. Courtney, Mr. 
     Sarbanes, Ms. Clarke, and Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Science and 
Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the coordination of the Nation's science, technology, 
          engineering, and mathematics education initiatives.

    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 ``Enhancing Science, Technology, 
Engineering, and Mathematics Education Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    To coordinate Federal Science, Technology, Engineering, and 
Mathematics (STEM) education efforts and foster cooperation between the 
States and Federal Government by--
            (1) improving coherence of Federal STEM education programs 
        through the President's Office of Science and Technology 
        Policy;
            (2) coordinating STEM education initiatives at the 
        Department of Education;
            (3) providing an incentive to States to align STEM 
        education; and
            (4) improving the dissemination of STEM education research, 
        promising practices, and exemplary programs through the 
        National STEM Education Research Repository.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) To preserve the competitiveness of the United States in 
        the global economy our Nation must continue to combine 
        innovation with technological advances and scientific 
        discovery.
            (2) In 2006, the Committee on Science, Engineering, and 
        Public Policy of the National Academies published ``Rising 
        Above the Gathering Storm'' estimating that in the United 
        States innovations generated by the Science, Technology, 
        Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields account for more than half 
        of the growth in gross domestic product (GDP).
            (3) According to the analysis conducted by the Association 
        of American Universities in 2006, only 15 percent of college 
        graduates receive a diploma in engineering or the natural 
        sciences in the United States as compared with 38 percent in 
        South Korea, 47 percent in France, and 67 percent in Singapore.
            (4) Every student deserves the opportunity to contribute to 
        the long-term prosperity of the United States by acquiring 
        skills that foster critical thinking, inventiveness, and 
        innovation.
            (5) Highly qualified teachers are crucial to instilling 
        students with the values and skills necessary to preserve and 
        improve innovation in the United States and maintain our 
        Nation's leadership in the global knowledge economy.
            (6) Teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher 
        education will enhance the preparation they provide by 
        incorporating promising practices and exemplary programs that 
        foster student learning, problem solving skills, and 
        inventiveness and by aligning STEM education preservice and 
        inservice training among States.
            (7) Women and minorities in the United States employed in 
        STEM fields occupations in proportion to their numbers in 
        population or their enrollment in higher education; efforts 
        must be made to increase diversity in the STEM workforce to 
        improve the range of viewpoints and solutions available to 
        address today's challenges presented by a diverse and global 
        marketplace.
            (8) Many of the Federal Agencies have well-established 
        programs designed to support and improve STEM education 
        including the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of 
        Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, 
        Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of 
        Health and Human Services, Department of the Interior, National 
        Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration, National Science Foundation, the 
        National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute of 
        Standards and Technology.
            (9) According to the Academic Competitiveness Council's 
        (ACC) recent report, in 2006 the United States sponsored 105 
        STEM education programs at a dozen different Federal Agencies. 
        These programs devoted approximately $3,120,000,000 to STEM 
        education activities spanning kindergarten through postgraduate 
        education and outreach. It was shown that many of these 
        Agencies do not share information or work collaboratively on 
        similar programs. The ACC found that ``coordination among 
        agencies could be improved to avoid, for example, grants to 
        numerous projects that support the same sorts of interventions 
        . . . there appears to be a lack of communication among the 
        agencies about the work they are funding and the results that 
        are being generated . . . agencies are often uninformed by the 
        results of earlier projects.''.
            (10) Strengthening partnerships between the Federal and 
        State governments, the private sector, nonprofit organizations, 
        and the education community will improve STEM education in our 
        Nation's schools.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``STEM'' means science, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics.
            (2) The term ``OSTP'' means the Office of Science and 
        Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President.
            (3) The term ``NSERR'' means the National STEM Education 
        Research Repository.
            (4) The term ``Agencies'' or ``Agency'' means the following 
        Federal agencies: Environmental Protection Agency, Department 
        of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, 
        Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of 
        Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, Department of 
        the Interior, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 
        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National 
        Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the 
        National Institute of Standards and Technology, and other 
        Federal agencies with STEM education programs.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT WITHIN THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND 
              TECHNOLOGY POLICY A COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, 
              ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION.

    (a) Establishment of Committee.--The President shall establish, at 
the OSTP, a Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and 
Mathematics Education within the National Science and Technology 
Council, which may be referred to as the Committee on STEM Education.
    (b) Function.--The function of the Committee established under 
subsection (a) shall be--
            (1) to coordinate the efforts of all Federal Agencies that 
        relate to STEM education from the prekindergarten level through 
        the graduate level to avoid unnecessary duplication and ensure 
        coherence among Federal STEM education programs;
            (2) to seek to improve the quality and quantity of the STEM 
        workforce with consideration of increasing participation of 
        individuals identified in section 33 or 34 of the Science and 
        Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b); 
        and
            (3) to ensure that all efforts that relate to STEM 
        education are coordinated through the Committee.
    (c) Structure and Operation.--
            (1) Membership.--The membership of the Committee shall 
        include not less than 1 representative from each of the Federal 
        Agencies and may include outside experts.
            (2) Meetings.--The Committee shall convene at least once 
        quarterly.
            (3) Staff.--The Committee shall be served by--
                    (A) an Assistant Director selected by the members 
                of the Committee with the approval of the Director of 
                the OSTP; and
                    (B) a professional staff of at least two.
    (d) Responsibilities.--The Committee shall have the following 
responsibilities:
            (1) Conducting an ongoing inventory and assessment of the 
        effectiveness and coherence of efforts within Federal agencies 
        that relate to STEM education.
            (2) Coordinating and facilitating the communication and 
        cooperation among all Federal Agencies engaged in efforts that 
        relate to STEM education.
            (3) Developing annual goals and objectives for improving 
        STEM education throughout the Nation in collaboration with 
        relevant Federal Agencies and organizations.
            (4) Not later than 30 days after developing the goals and 
        objectives under paragraph (3)--
                    (A) disseminating the goals and objectives to each 
                Federal Agency engaged in efforts that relate to STEM 
                education;
                    (B) communicating the goals and objectives to the 
                Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and 
                the Committee on Commerce, Justice, and Transportation 
                of the Senate and the Committee on Education and Labor 
                and the Committee on Science and Technology of the 
                House of Representatives, and relevant STEM education 
                organizations; and
                    (C) making the goals and objectives widely 
                available to the public, particularly to stakeholders 
                that represent individuals identified in section 33 or 
                34 of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b).
            (5) Annually evaluating the progress and success of each 
        Federal Agency at achieving the goals and objectives under 
        paragraph (3).
            (6) Consulting with the State Consortium on STEM Education 
        when developing Federal STEM education policy and budgets.
            (7) Proposing a coordinated interagency budget for STEM 
        Education to the Office of Management and Budget aligned with 
        the goals established in paragraph (3).
            (8) Strengthening partnerships between the STEM education 
        community, Federal, State, and local governments, and other 
        countries.
            (9) Implementing the program for Semiannual Science, 
        Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Days as set forth in 
        section 1004 of the America COMPETES Act (Public Law 110-69).
            (10) Hosting an annual meeting on the status of STEM 
        education, including the role of education in meeting the 
        recommendations of the report submitted by and as part of the 
        National Science and Technology Summit required by section 1101 
        of the America COMPETES Act (Public Law 110-69; 121 Stat. 574), 
        in conjunction with--
                    (A) the State Consortium on STEM Education;
                    (B) the Federal Agencies;
                    (C) States, including the District of Columbia, the 
                Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the 
                Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the 
                Virgin Islands, and any other territory or possession 
                of the United States;
                    (D) businesses and industries;
                    (E) institutions of higher education;
                    (F) STEM education professions and teachers from 
                prekindergarten through postbaccalaureate study; and
                    (G) other relevant stakeholders in STEM education 
                including stakeholders that represent individuals 
                identified in section 33 or 34 of the Science and 
                Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 
                1885b).
            (11) Issuing a biennial report to the Nation on the status 
        of STEM education that--
                    (A) specifies the efforts and outcomes of each 
                Federal Agency in improving STEM education; and
                    (B) contains an analysis of the quality, scale, and 
                effectiveness of the efforts of the Federal Government 
                relating to improving STEM education and increasing 
                participation of individuals identified in section 33 
                or 34 of the Science and Engineering Equal 
                Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b).
            (12) Developing, in consultation with the Secretary of 
        Labor, business and industry partners and other appropriate 
        entities, a 5-year projection of the STEM workforce including a 
        demographic breakdown of individuals identified in section 33 
        or 34 of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b).
    (e) Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), but 
        notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person shall be 
        not eligible to receive a grant from any Federal Agency for a 
        project that relates to STEM education research unless the 
        person demonstrates that all reports, proceedings, data sets, 
        online modules, and other products of the project will be 
        submitted by their authors for consideration to be included in 
        the NSERR.
            (2) Copyright.--The Committee and the NSERR shall implement 
        the public access policy under paragraph (1) in a manner 
        consistent with copyright law.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $650,000 to carry out this section for fiscal year 2009 
and each fiscal year thereafter.

SEC. 6. OFFICE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS 
              EDUCATION WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

    (a) Assistant Secretary.--Section 202 of the Department of 
Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3412) is amended in subsection 
(b)(1)--
            (1) in subparagraph (E) by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as (G); and
            (3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following:
                    ``(F) an Assistant Secretary for Science, 
                Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (who 
                may be referred to as the Assistant Secretary for STEM 
                Education); and''.
    (b) Office.--Title II of the Department of Education Organization 
Act is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 221. OFFICE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS 
              EDUCATION.

    ``(a) In General.--There shall be in the Department of Education an 
Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education 
(which may be referred to as the Office of STEM Education), to be 
administered by the Assistant Secretary for STEM Education appointed 
under section 202(b).
    ``(b) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary of STEM Education, 
acting through the Office, shall have the following responsibilities:
            ``(1) Coordinating and overseeing all STEM education 
        efforts within the Department.
            ``(2) Preparing the annual budget for all STEM education 
        programs within the Department.
            ``(3) Managing the following programs: Math and Science 
        Partnerships, Math Now, Math Skills for Secondary Students, 
        Minority Science and Engineering Improvement, Teachers for a 
        Competitive Tomorrow, and all other functions of the Department 
        with a focus on STEM education, including where appropriate the 
        National Science and Mathematics Access Retain Talent (SMART 
        grants), the Teacher Education Assistance for College and 
        Higher Education (TEACH grants), and the Academic 
        Competitiveness grants.
            ``(4) Consulting with other offices within the Department 
        that have a STEM education focus, including those managing the 
        Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education grant programs.
            ``(5) Representing the Department as a member of the STEM 
        Education Committee, established under section 5 of the 
        Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 
        Education Act of 2008, and serving as the principal interagency 
        liaison for STEM education programs at the Department unless 
        otherwise designated by the Assistant Secretary.
            ``(6) Ensuring access to equal educational opportunity for 
        every individual and so as to increase, to the maximum extent 
        possible, the participation and advancement of individuals 
        identified in section 33 or 34 of the Science and Engineering 
        Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b) in the STEM 
        disciplines.
            ``(7) Promoting the development and implementation of 
        quality, scientifically valid STEM teacher preparation and to 
        provide technical assistance to support STEM learning.
            ``(8) Providing support to institutions of higher education 
        and other institutions and organizations with effective 
        informal STEM education programs to improve teacher preparation 
        and teacher professional development by ensuring emphasis on 
        promising practices and exemplary programs in STEM education.
            ``(9) Providing support to local education agencies or to 
        mathematics and science partnerships involving local education 
        agencies, to implement effective STEM education instruction and 
        exemplary programs that employ promising practices.
            ``(10) Consulting regularly with the State Consortium on 
        STEM Education with regard to developing STEM education policy 
        and providing technical support.
            ``(11) Conducting a biennial symposium emphasizing engaging 
        students in STEM disciplines that are identified in section 33 
        or 34 of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act 
        (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b) inviting stakeholders that include, 
        but are not limited to--
                    ``(A) expert STEM teachers;
                    ``(B) State Consortium on STEM Education and 
                additional States;
                    ``(C) business and industry partners;
                    ``(D) institutions of higher education;
                    ``(E) institutions and organizations with an 
                informal STEM education focus; and
                    ``(F) Federal Agencies with STEM education 
                programs.
            ``(12) Providing periodic public statements on the status 
        of STEM education in the Nation.
            ``(13) Informing the Secretary, policymakers, the 
        professional societies of STEM teaching professionals and STEM 
        practitioners about the effectiveness of STEM-related education 
        research and programs operated within the Department.
            ``(14) Sharing scientifically valid education research and 
        promising practices and exemplary programs with the National 
        STEM Education Research Repository.''.
    (c) Evaluation and Report.--The Assistant Secretary for STEM 
Education shall conduct an annual independent evaluation, through grant 
or by contract, of the STEM education programs administered by the 
Department, which shall include--
            (1) conducting an assessment of STEM education activities 
        within the Department by using the annual evaluations and 
        reports of these programs to determine these programs' impact 
        on--
                    (A) the quantity of students seeking STEM degrees 
                disaggregated by subject area and according to section 
                33 or 34 of the Science and Engineering Equal 
                Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b);
                    (B) student academic achievement with consideration 
                of problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, 
                and other higher order thinking skills;
                    (C) improving STEM teacher quality, quantity, and 
                retention; and
                    (D) improving promising teaching practices that 
                show evidence of fostering student innovation; and
            (2) the preparation and submission of an annual report on 
        the results of the evaluation described in paragraph (1) to the 
        Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the 
        Committee on Science of the Senate, the Committee on Education 
        and Labor and the Committee on Science and Technology of the 
        House of Representatives and the Committees on Appropriations 
        of the Senate and House of Representatives.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $1,500,000 to carry out this section for fiscal year 2009 
and such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year thereafter.

SEC. 7. STATE CONSORTIUM ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND 
              MATHEMATICS EDUCATION.

    (a) In General.--From amounts made available to carry out this 
section, the Secretary of Education, acting through the Office of STEM 
Education, shall award a grant to establish one voluntary State 
Consortium on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 
Education (which may be referred to as the State Consortium on STEM 
Education).
    (b) Peer Review and Selection.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) establish a peer-review process to assist in the review 
        and approval of the grant proposal under this section;
            (2) appoint individuals to participate in the peer-review 
        process who are educators and experts in identifying, 
        evaluating, and implementing effective STEM education programs 
        and practices, including areas of teaching and learning, 
        educational standards and assessments, professional 
        development, curriculum, increasing the participation of 
        individuals identified in section 33 or 34 of the Science and 
        Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 10 1885a or 
        1885b), English language learners, and special education 
        including recognized exemplary teachers and school 
        administrators who have been recognized at the state or 
        national level for exemplary work and/or contributions to the 
        STEM education field;
            (3) approve one grant from those submitted under this 
        section not later than 120 days after the date of the 
        submission unless the Secretary determines that the grant 
        proposals submitted do not meet the requirements of this 
        section;
            (4) if only one grant proposal is submitted, not decline to 
        approve the grant proposal before--
                    (A) offering the Consortium an opportunity to 
                revise the Consortium proposal; and
                    (B) providing the Consortium with technical 
                assistance in order to submit a successful application; 
                and
            (5) direct the Inspector General of the Department to 
        review the process used for screening the individuals appointed 
        to the peer-review process so as to avoid both financial 
        conflicts of interest and non-financial interests that would 
        impair objectivity in peer review, as well as the objectivity 
        of process used in reviewing and awarding the grant under this 
        section, and report the findings to Congress.
    (c) Amount of Grant.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided under paragraph (2), 
        the grant awarded to the consortium under this section shall be 
        not more than $20,000,000.
            (2) Additional funds.--For each fiscal year of the grant 
        period, the Secretary of Education shall award to the 
        consortium awarded a grant under this section $2,000,000 for 
        each additional State that is a member of the consortium beyond 
        the minimum 5 States required under subsection (d).
    (d) Eligibility Requirement.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, the consortium shall include at least 5 States 
considering the need to provide an equitable geographic representation 
of the United States, according to the regional divisions used by the 
Bureau of the Census.
    (e) Use of Grant Funds.--The consortium shall use the grant funds 
awarded under this section for the following purposes:
            (1) To establish the State Consortium on STEM Education.
            (2) To convene an Interstate Council on Science, 
        Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (which may 
        be referred to as the Interstate Council on STEM Education) 
        that includes a diverse group of individuals representing a 
        variety of perspectives on STEM education, the STEM 
        disciplines, business, curriculum, assessments, English 
        language learners, and special education, including--
                    (A) representatives from States that shall include 
                not less one State Governor, one Chief State School 
                Officer, and one representative of a State educational 
                agency or their designee;
                    (B) representatives from local educational agencies 
                (LEAs) that shall include not less than one current 
                school administrator, and three expert STEM educators 
                that represent early childhood, elementary, middle, and 
                secondary school perspectives;
                    (C) not less than 4 representatives from STEM 
                education and the STEM fields at institutions of higher 
                education that include community colleges, and public 
                and private four-year institutions of higher education;
                    (D) not less than one representative from a STEM 
                education professional organization, such as but not 
                limited to the National Science Teachers Association, 
                the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics, those 
                representing engineering educators, career and 
                technical education, and organizations that represent 
                underrepresented communities in STEM; and
                    (E) not less than one representative from each of 
                the following categories of relevant STEM related 
                organizations: informal STEM education, business and 
                industry, a STEM disciplinary or professional society, 
                private or corporate foundations, and other relevant 
                organizations.
            (3) To support at least one full-time staff member for each 
        State.
            (4) To share STEM education research, promising practices 
        and exemplary programs, and programs through the NSERR.
    (f) Functions.--The State Consortium on STEM Education--
            (1) shall establish small working groups comprised of 
        members of the State Council on STEM Education and outside 
        experts in appropriate fields consulting widely to address the 
        functions outlined in this subsection;
            (2) shall identify points of weakness and strength among 
        State STEM education efforts, prioritize strategies for 
        addressing problem areas, and communicate State needs to the 
        STEM Education Committee within the OSTP and the Assistant 
        Secretary for STEM Education;
            (3) shall develop rigorous common content standards in STEM 
        education for grades prekindergarten through grade 12 
        reflecting common elements between disciplines with 
        consideration of--
                    (A) established international standards and 21st 
                Century Skills; and
                    (B) the needs of English language learners and 
                special education students;
            (4) shall develop and implement strategies to integrate 
        STEM education into other subject areas, such as language arts, 
        social studies, physical and health education, music and other 
        performing arts, and environmental education;
            (5) shall develop innovative STEM assessment practices that 
        include a substantial proportion of extended constructed 
        response items, such as performance-based measures, that 
        measure higher order thinking skills and understanding, 
        application and transferability knowledge, problem solving, 
        analysis, and synthesis, and include administration through a 
        variety of modalities, such as audio-visual and interactive 
        technology;
            (6) shall identify and utilize, to the maximum extent 
        possible, the expertise and resources of educators, 
        institutions of higher education, business and industry, and 
        Federal agencies in the development and implementation of 
        functions outlined in this subsection;
            (7) shall develop strategies to increase the participation 
        and success of individuals identified in section 33 or 34 of 
        the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 
        1885a or 1885b) in STEM fields with consideration of first 
        generation students;
            (8) shall issue periodic reports on the status of STEM 
        education in the States;
            (9) shall make STEM education research, promising practices 
        and exemplary programs, and effective STEM programs widely 
        available through the NSERR;
            (10) may establish and strengthen partnerships between two-
        year colleges and minority serving institutions and research 
        institutions to provide STEM students at two-year colleges and 
        minority serving institutions (MSIs) expanded degree 
        possibilities and opportunities to access research facilities 
        and mentors including but not limited to--
                    (A) conducting a needs assessment of how to enhance 
                the flow of STEM students from two-year colleges and 
                MSIs to research institutions; and
                    (B) establishing articulation agreements that shall 
                address pathways and credit transfers between the 
                institutions;
            (11) may improve and align STEM preservice teacher training 
        among the member States, including but not limited to 
        developing common--
                    (A) STEM preservice teacher training degree 
                programs;
                    (B) STEM teacher credentials; and
                    (C) alternative pathways to STEM teacher 
                certification;
            (12) may promote and develop curriculum tools and 
        professional development for inservice teachers that foster 
        innovation and inventiveness;
            (13) may evaluate the impact that STEM education 
        professional development organizations have on classroom 
        instruction and student learning in member States;
            (14) may provide technical support to States who are 
        members of the Consortium to establish or strengthen existing 
        P-16 and/or P-20 Councils and to align secondary school 
        graduation requirements with the demands of 21st century 
        postsecondary education endeavors and support P-16 education 
        data systems established by States and in section 6401 of the 
        America COMPETES Act (Public Law 110-69; 121 Stat. 668; 20 
        U.S.C. 9871), and serve as a resource center for the STEM 
        Education efforts of P-16 and/or P-20 Councils;
            (15) may develop STEM Career Awareness Programs in 
        collaboration with school guidance counselors that reflect the 
        projected STEM workforce needs of the 21st century that may 
        include mentoring programs and STEM professional outreach; and
            (16) may develop STEM-related workforce education and 
        training programs to enhance the skills of workers to meet the 
        needs of business and industry.
    (g) Outside Funds.--The State Consortium on STEM Education shall be 
permitted to accept and solicit outside funds.
    (h) Evaluation and Report.--The State Consortium on STEM Education 
shall conduct an annual independent evaluation, by grant or by 
contract, of the State Consortium on STEM Education's effectiveness at 
accomplishing the functions outlined in subsection (e), which shall 
include--
            (1) an assessment of the impact of such activities on STEM 
        teaching and learning; and
            (2) the preparation and submission of an annual report on 
        the results of the evaluation described in paragraph (1) to the 
        Assistant Secretary of STEM Education.
    (i) Prohibitions.--
            (1) In general.--In implementing this section, the 
        Secretary may not--
                    (A) endorse, approve, or sanction any STEM 
                curriculum designed for use in any school; or
                    (B) 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.

SEC. 8. NATIONAL STEM EDUCATION RESEARCH REPOSITORY.

    (a) In General.--From amounts made available to carry out this 
section, the Secretary of Education, acting through the Office of STEM 
Education, shall make a grant to the National Science Digital Library 
for use by the Library to establish a National STEM Education Research 
Repository to coordinate and organize scientifically valid STEM 
education research, and STEM education programs that demonstrate 
promising practices and exemplary programs, among governmental and 
nongovernmental agencies.
    (b) Use of Grant Amounts.--The recipient of the grant under 
subsection (a) shall use the grant to provide basic operational support 
to the NSERR, including content development and maintenance, office 
space, equipment, personnel, and other operational costs.
    (c) Responsibilities.--The NSERR shall have the following 
responsibilities:
            (1) Integrating existing STEM education collections, 
        teacher professional development opportunities and student 
        programs available through the Federal Agencies and including, 
        but not limited to, Science Education Resource Center, Research 
        from Institutions of Higher Education, Regional Education 
        Centers (labs, comprehensive centers, and technical assistance 
        centers), Applied Math and Science Repository, Education 
        Resources Information Center (ERIC), State initiatives, 
        national experts, and others.
            (2) Developing criteria for STEM education research and 
        promising practices and exemplary programs, in collaboration 
        with relevant STEM education experts, for inclusion in the 
        NSERR.
            (3) Publishing, not later than 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the criteria developed under paragraph 
        (2).
            (4) Ensuring that STEM education research, promising 
        practices, have been evaluated by experts, and those and 
        exemplary programs meeting the established minimum criteria in 
        paragraph (2) are made widely available.
            (5) Providing summaries of STEM education research and 
        promising practices and exemplary programs that were submitted 
        and evaluated under paragraph (4), including contact 
        information for questions, an example of successful 
        implementation, and other information that may be beneficial to 
        educators.
    (d) Outside Funds.--The NSERR shall be permitted to accept and 
solicit outside funds.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $1,500,000 to carry out this section for fiscal year 2009 
and such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year thereafter.
                                 <all>