1.This Act may be cited as the
Engineering Education for Innovation
Act
or the E2 for Innovation
Act
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)There is a
national concern that the Nation’s preeminence in science and innovation is
eroding. According to the National Science Board’s 2010 Science and Engineering
Indicators, only 5 percent of college graduates in the United States major in
engineering, compared with 12 percent of European students and 20 percent of
those in Asia. The report also notes that the performance of elementary and
secondary school students in the United States lags behind many nations on
international assessments of mathematics and science.
(2)While women earn
58 percent of all bachelor’s degrees, they constitute only 18.5 percent of
bachelor’s degrees awarded in engineering.
(3)African-Americans
earn only 4.6 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded in engineering and
Hispanics earn only 7.2 percent.
(4)The introduction
of engineering education has the potential to improve student learning and
achievement in science and mathematics, increase awareness about what engineers
do and of engineering as a potential career, and boost students' technological
literacy, according to a new report, Engineering in K–12
Education
from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the
National Research Council (NRC).
(5)The report
described in paragraph (4) also identifies the following 3 core principles for
K–12 engineering education:
(A)Emphasize
engineering design process.
(B)Incorporate
important and developmentally appropriate mathematics, science, and technology
knowledge and skills.
(C)Promote
engineering habits of mind including systems thinking, creativity,
collaboration, communication, and attention to ethical considerations.
(6)While exposure to
formal engineering education has increased dramatically over the past 15 years,
reaching several million K–12 students, most students in the United States have
never experienced an engineering course or lesson.
(7)There is also a
lack of diversity in these existing K–12 engineering education opportunities.
The number of girls and underrepresented minorities participating in K–12
engineering education does not correspond to their proportion of the general
population.
(8)Only a handful of
States have integrated engineering into their core academic K–12
standards.
(9)K–12 engineering
education in the United States is supported by a relatively small number of
curricular and teacher professional development programs.
(10)While science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics education is viewed as a national
education policy, often the implementation of policies and initiatives focuses
exclusively on mathematics and science and overlooks the engineering and
technology education components.
(11)Schools, policy
makers, and other stakeholders often narrowly refer to the term
technologically literate as the ability to use educational
technologies. Although educational technology is important, it is far from the
only type of technology we depend on in a modern society. In 2006, the National
Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council's report,
Technically Speaking
, outlined a broader view of
technological literacy
, one more consistent with how scientists,
engineers, and technologists see the world. In this view, technological
literacy includes—
(A)knowledge of
technology, the engineering design process, and impacts on society;
(B)critical thinking
and decisionmaking weighing benefits, risks, costs, and tradeoffs; and
(C)capability to use
a variety of technologies, apply the design process, fix simple technological
problems, and obtain and understand information about technological
issues.
(12)The Standards for
Technological Literacy, developed by the International Technology Education
Association and passed by a formal review by the National Academy of
Engineering and the National Research Council, closely align with the
Academies' concept of technological literacy in paragraph (11).
(13)To support an
innovation economy and maintain our country’s vitality and security, we must
expand students’ understanding of technology and engineering and widen the
pipeline to careers in these fields so that a diverse array of talented
students can pursue them.
(14)The Federal
Government has an interest in expanding K–12 engineering and technology
education. Testing of technological design skills will be assessed as part of
the new National Assessment of Educational Progress Science 2009 assessment to
be given to students throughout the United States. The National Assessment
Governing Board is currently developing a National Assessment of Educational
Progress Technological Literacy probe study to be administered in 2012 that
will assess design and systems, information and communication technology, and
technology and society.
(15)To further expand
K–12 engineering education, this Act seeks to support planning and implementing
grants for educational agencies to invest in programs and activities to
integrate engineering education into K–12 instruction and curriculum and to
fund research on, and evaluation of, such efforts.
3.In this Act:
(1)High-need local
educational agencyThe term high-need local educational
agency means a local educational agency—
(A)(i)that serves not fewer
than 10,000 children from families with incomes below the poverty line;
or
(ii)for which not less than 20 percent
of the children served by the agency are from families with incomes below the
poverty line; and
(B)(i)for which there is a
high percentage of teachers not teaching in the academic subjects or grade
levels that the teachers were trained to teach; or
(ii)for which there is a high
percentage of teachers with emergency, provisional, or temporary certification
or licensing.
(2)The term State educational agency
includes the State educational agency in a State in which the State educational
agency is the sole educational agency for all public schools.
(3)The term
technological literacy—
(A)means the capacity to use, understand, and
evaluate technology as well as to apply concepts and processes to solve
problems and reach one’s goals; and
(B)encompasses the 3 areas of technology and
society, engineering design and systems, and information and communication
technology (as considered by the National Assessment Governing Board in
2010).
4.
(a)
(1)The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the
Director of the National Science Foundation and other relevant heads of Federal
agencies, is authorized to award planning grants to State educational agencies
to enable such agencies to complete comprehensive planning to carry out
activities designed to integrate engineering education into K–12 instruction
and curriculum.
(2)A planning grant awarded under this section shall be for a
period of not more than 2 years.
(3)The
Secretary of Education shall not award a State educational agency more than 1
planning grant under this section.
(4)A planning grant awarded under this section shall not
exceed $1,000,000 over the period of the grant.
(5)Reservation for
small states
(A)Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Secretary of
Education shall reserve not less than 15 percent of the funds appropriated to
carry out this section for each fiscal year to award grants under this section
to States with populations of less than 2,600,000 on the date of enactment of
this Act.
(B)The
Secretary of Education may waive the 15 percent requirement under subparagraph
(A) after notifying Congress of such intention.
(b)
(1)Each State educational agency desiring a planning grant
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary of Education at
such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary
of Education may require.
(2)Each application described in paragraph (1), at a
minimum, shall—
(A)include a
description of how the State educational agency proposes to use the planning
grant funds to develop a plan designed to integrate engineering education into
K–12 instruction and curriculum;
(B)describe the roles
and responsibilities of the partners participating in the planning under this
section;
(C)provide a budget
for the use of the planning grant funds; and
(D)provide such
additional assurances and information as the Secretary of Education determines
to be necessary.
(c)A
State educational agency receiving a planning grant under this section shall
complete comprehensive planning to carry out activities designed to integrate
engineering education into K–12 instruction and curriculum in coordination with
partners, including the following:
(1)The Governor of
the State or the designee of the Governor.
(2)Not less than 1
faculty member from a school of engineering at an institution of higher
education located in the State.
(3)Not less than 1
faculty member from a school of education at an institution of higher education
located in the State.
(4)Not less than 1
public elementary school administrator employed in the State.
(5)Not less than 1
public elementary school teacher employed in the State.
(6)Not less than 1
public secondary school administrator employed in the State.
(7)Not less than 1
public secondary school engineering or technology teacher employed in the
State.
(8)Not less than 1
representative of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
business community in the State.
(9)Not less than 1
representative from an informal science education center, if available, or a
nonprofit organization with a demonstrated history of working in engineering
education.
(10)Not less than 1
representative from a professional engineering society or an academy of science
with a chapter or other presence in the State.
(11)Any additional
representatives identified by the State educational agency who possess an
expertise in developing high-quality K–12 engineering education materials and
resources.
(d)A State educational agency receiving a planning grant
under this section shall use the planning grant funds to carry out each of the
following activities:
(1)The
State educational agency shall review resources and programs across the State
educational agency and its partners that are relevant to the objectives of the
grant, and coordinate any new plans and resources under this section with such
existing resources and programs.
(2)The
State educational agency shall develop an implementation plan to achieve the
objective of integrating engineering education into K–12 instruction and
curriculum. The plan shall include a description of how the State educational
agency will carry out the following:
(A)Set intermediate
and long-term measurable goals.
(B)Develop and
implement a coherent plan for achieving the goals, including the following core
set of activities:
(i)An
analysis of the State's existing K–12 content standards and assessments to
determine—
(I)the extent to
which they address the integration of engineering education into K–12
instruction and curriculum; and
(II)the extent to
which they align with workforce and postsecondary expectations.
(ii)An
analysis of the State's existing K–12 engineering education curricula, which
shall include the development of a baseline analysis of key indicators that
measure—
(I)the number and
diversity of students who are exposed to this curricula, including populations
underrepresented in engineering fields, for example, girls and underrepresented
minorities; and
(II)the effectiveness
of the curricula at improving student learning, including—
- (aa)increasing
understanding of engineering;
- (bb)increasing
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career aspirations;
- (cc)increasing
technological literacy skills; and
- (dd)increasing
student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
subjects for all students.
(iii)An
analysis of the State's K–12 engineering and technology education teaching
workforce, which shall include the development of a baseline analysis of key
indicators that measure—
(I)the number of K–12
teachers who received any certificates or credentials in engineering or
technology education, including the number who received professional
development in engineering education;
(II)the number and
types of pre-service, induction, and professional development engineering and
technology education programs; and
(III)the
effectiveness of the identified preservice, induction, and professional
development engineering and technology education programs as they relate
to—
- (aa)increasing
understanding of engineering;
- (bb)increasing
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics career aspirations;
- (cc)increasing
technological literacy skills; and
- (dd)increasing
student achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
subjects.
(C)Create a plan for
ongoing collection and analysis of data on outcomes, including progress toward
outcomes.
(e)In the event a State educational agency declines or does not
submit an application under this section, the Secretary of Education shall
provide for another entity or consortium, with the capacity to carry out the
activities under this section, in partnership with the partners listed in
subsection (c), in such State, to submit an application.
(f)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this section $12,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2015.
5.
(a)
(1)The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the
Director of the National Science Foundation and other relevant heads of Federal
agencies, is authorized to award grants to State educational agencies to pay
the Federal share of the cost of implementing innovative, integrative
engineering education initiatives into K–12 instruction and curriculum.
(2)A
State educational agency receiving an implementation grant under this section
may partner with such entities (including the entities listed in section 4(c))
that the State chooses in order to carry out the activities described in this
section.
(b)The Secretary of
Education shall award a grant under this section in an amount that is not less
than $10,000,000, or a comparably sufficient amount relative to the amounts
appropriated to carry out this section. Such amount shall be pro-rated over the
period of the grant.
(c)
(1)The
Secretary of Education shall award grants under this section for not more than
4 years.
(2)The
Secretary of Education may renew a grant awarded under this section subject to
the progress of the State educational agency in meeting the benchmarks
described in subsection (h).
(d)
(1)In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary of
Education shall give priority to State educational agencies that submit an
application under subsection (e) that demonstrates—
(A)satisfaction of
the required activities or comparable activities under section 4(d), as
determined by the Secretary;
(B)that a significant
percentage of persons served by the grant will be students from population
underrepresented in engineering fields; and
(C)that the State’s
partners under subsection (a)(2) agree to pay a portion of the non-Federal
share costs, provided in cash or in-kind, of the programs and activities
carried out under the grant.
(2)
(A)In each fiscal year in which a grant is awarded under
this section, the Secretary of Education shall ensure that not less than 1
grant be awarded to a State with a population of less than 2,600,000 on the
date of enactment of this Act.
(B)The
Secretary of Education may waive the requirement under subparagraph (A) after
notifying Congress of such intention.
(e)A State educational agency that desires to
receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary
of Education at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Secretary of Education may require. Each such application shall include a
description of how the State educational agency will integrate engineering
education into K–12 instruction and curriculum through programs and activities
described in subsection (f).
(f)A State educational
agency that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to
pay the Federal share of carrying out the following programs and activities in
collaboration with the State’s partners under subsection (a)(2):
(1)Implementing
challenging academic content standards, achievement standards, and curricula
frameworks that include engineering.
(2)Developing new or
obtaining effective curricula in engineering education.
(3)Designing and
implementing engineering education assessment items and tools.
(4)Developing or
improving elementary and secondary teacher preservice, induction, and
professional development engineering and technology education programs,
including those that lead to a certificate or other credential in engineering
or technology education.
(5)Recruiting
qualified teachers to provide engineering education for high-need local
educational agencies and high-need schools.
(6)Establishing
distance learning modules for teachers or students in engineering
education.
(7)Creating online
engineering education tools that are widely accessible.
(8)Investing in
after-school engineering education programs.
(g)The Secretary of
Education is authorized to reserve not more than 1 percent of the amounts
available to carry out this section to provide technical assistance, directly
or by grant or contract with nonprofit organizations with demonstrated
expertise in designing, implementing, or evaluating relevant programs, in order
to help State educational agencies prepare for, qualify for, apply for, and
maintain a grant under this section.
(h)
(1)Each
State educational agency desiring a grant under this section shall—
(A)develop
quantifiable benchmarks for the activities supported under the grant, which
shall include increasing student achievement in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics subjects, and may include—
(i)increasing student
knowledge and competency of grade-appropriate engineering design skills;
(ii)increasing the
number of students who are taught engineering education;
(iii)increasing the
number of educators who are prepared to teach engineering education; and
(iv)increasing the
number and diversity of students who plan to enroll in postsecondary
engineering courses and pursue an engineering degree; and
(B)submit the
benchmarks for approval to the Secretary of Education in order to receive grant
funds under this section.
(2)Each
State educational agency receiving a grant under this section shall—
(A)annually measure
and report to the Secretary of Education the progress of the State educational
agency in achieving the benchmarks developed under paragraph (1); and
(B)collect and report
data of those served by the grant relating to the student benchmarks,
disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, migrant status,
English proficiency, and status as economically disadvantaged, except that such
disaggregation shall not be required in a case in which the number of students
in a category is insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or
the results would reveal personally identifiable information about an
individual student.
(3)The
Secretary of Education shall provide guidance regarding acceptable data sources
and methodologies for—
(A)establishing
baselines and performance benchmarks; and
(B)measuring progress
by State educational agencies receiving such grants.
(i)Non-Federal
share; supplement, not supplant
(1)
(A)A State educational agency that receives a grant under
this section shall provide the non-Federal share of the costs of the programs
and activities described in subsection (f) that are carried out under the
grant. The amount of the non-Federal share under this section for a fiscal year
shall be not less than 50 percent. The non-Federal share may be in cash or
in-kind, and may be provided from local resources, contributions from private
organizations, contributions from the State’s partners under subsection (a)(2),
or a combination of such sources.
(B)Financial
hardship waiverThe Secretary of Education may waive or reduce
the non-Federal share of a State educational agency that has submitted an
application for a grant under this section if the State educational agency
demonstrates a need for such waiver or reduction due to extreme financial
hardship.
(2)Grant funds provided under this section shall be used to
supplement, and not supplant, any other Federal or State funds otherwise
available to carry out the activities described in this section.
(j)In the event a State
educational agency declines or does not submit an application under this
section, the Secretary of Education shall provide for another entity or a
consortium, with the capacity to carry out the activities under this section in
such State, to submit an application.
(k)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $125,000,000 for each
of fiscal years 2012 through 2015.
6.
(a)The Institute of Education Sciences shall support,
directly or through grants or contracts, research on engineering education and
evaluation of the grants awarded under this Act, including studies and
evaluations that—
(1)assess the
effectiveness of the programs and activities carried out by each State
educational agency receiving a grant under section 5 in—
(A)improving student
achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
subjects;
(B)improving student
understanding of engineering;
(C)enhancing
technological literacy of students;
(D)increasing numbers
and diversity of students with science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics career aspirations; and
(E)increasing the
supply of engineering and technology education teachers;
(2)assess how the
programs and activities carried out by each State educational agency receiving
a grant under section 5 can be replicated by a variety of State educational
agencies and local educational agencies;
(3)assess how the
programs and activities carried out by each State educational agency receiving
a grant under section 5 lead to students developing engineering design ideas,
practices and habits of mind over time, and the types of conditions necessary
to support these developments;
(4)identify and
assess how science inquiry and mathematical reasoning can be connected to
engineering design in K–12 curricula and teacher professional development;
and
(5)include any other
information or assessments the Secretary of Education may require.
(b)The
Secretary of Education shall, based on the results of each evaluation completed
under subsection (a), disseminate information and analysis to the public, and
provide technical assistance to State educational agencies, on best practices
and promising innovations in the field of K–12 engineering education.
(c)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2015.