[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 13, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1097-H1100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      BUILDING BLOCKS OF STEM ACT

  Mr. KNIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3397) to direct the National Science Foundation to support 
STEM education research focused on early childhood, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3397

       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 ``Building Blocks of STEM 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds the following:
       (1) The National Science Foundation has made the largest 
     financial investment in STEM education of all Federal 
     agencies, and plays a very powerful role in helping to set 
     research and policy agendas.
       (2) Studies have found that children who engage in 
     scientific activities from an early age develop positive 
     attitudes toward science and are more likely to pursue STEM 
     expertise and careers later on.
       (3) However, the majority of current research focuses on 
     increasing STEM opportunities for students in middle school 
     and older.
       (4) Women remain widely underrepresented in the STEM 
     workforce and this gender disparity extends down through all 
     levels of education. Strategic funding of programs is needed 
     in order to understand and address the root cause of this 
     gap.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the National Science Foundation.
       (2) Early childhood.--The term ``early childhood'' applies 
     to children from birth through the age of 10.
       (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
     ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
       (4) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
     agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of 
     the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 USC 
     7801), except that such term also includes preschools, after-
     school programs, and summer programs.
       (5) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' has the meaning given the term 
     in section 2 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 
     2010 (42 U.S.C. 6621 note).
       (6) Young girls.--The term ``young girls'' means female 
     individuals who have not attained the age of 11.

     SEC. 4. SUPPORTING STEM RESEARCH ON EARLY CHILDHOOD.

       In awarding grants under the Discovery Research PreK-12 
     program, the Director shall consider age distribution in 
     order to more equitably allocate funding for research studies 
     with a focus on early childhood.

     SEC. 5. SUPPORTING GIRLS IN STEM EDUCATION AND COMPUTER 
                   SCIENCE.

       (a) Research Grants.--
       (1) In general.--The Director shall award grants, on a 
     competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or 
     nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or 
     organizations), to accelerate research efforts to increase 
     understanding of the factors that contribute to the 
     participation of young girls in STEM activities.
       (2) Research areas.--Research areas funded by a grant under 
     this subsection may include--
       (A) the role of teacher training and professional 
     development, including effective incentive structures to 
     encourage teachers to participate in such training and 
     professional development, in encouraging or discouraging 
     young girls from participating in STEM activities;
       (B) the role of teachers in shaping young girls' 
     perceptions of STEM and discouraging such girls from 
     participating in STEM activities;
       (C) the role of other facets of the learning environment on 
     the willingness of young girls to participate in STEM 
     activities, including learning materials and textbooks, 
     classroom decorations, seating arrangements, use of media and 
     technology, classroom culture, and gender composition of 
     students during group work;
       (D) the role of parents and other caregivers in encouraging 
     or discouraging young girls from participating in STEM 
     activities;
       (E) the types of STEM activities that elicit greater 
     participation by young girls;

[[Page H1098]]

       (F) the role of mentorship and best practices in finding 
     and utilizing mentors;
       (G) the role of informal and out-of-school STEM learning 
     opportunities on girls' perception of and participation in 
     STEM activities; and
       (H) any other activity the Director determines will 
     accomplish the goals of this subsection.
       (3) Grant recipient report.--An entity awarded a grant 
     under this subsection shall report to the Director, at such 
     time and in such manner as the Director may require, on the 
     activities carried out and materials developed using such 
     grant funds.
       (b) Development and Testing of Scalable Models for 
     Increased Engagement.--
       (1) In general.--The Director shall award grants, on a 
     competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or 
     nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or 
     organizations), to develop and evaluate interventions in pre-
     K and elementary school classrooms that increase 
     participation of young girls in computer science activities.
       (2) Partnerships.--In order to be eligible to receive a 
     grant under this subsection, an institute of higher 
     education, nonprofit organization, or consortium, shall enter 
     into a partnership with one or more local educational agency 
     or State in carrying out the activities funded by such grant.
       (3) Uses of funds.--Grants awarded under this subsection 
     shall be used for activities that draw upon the expertise of 
     the partner entities described in paragraph (2) to increase 
     participation of young girls in computer science activities, 
     including--
       (A) offering training and professional development 
     programs, including summer or academic year institutes or 
     workshops, designed to strengthen the capabilities of pre-K 
     and elementary school teachers and to familiarize such 
     teachers with the role of gender bias in the classroom;
       (B) offering innovative preservice and in-service programs 
     that instruct teachers on gender-inclusive practices for 
     teaching computing concepts;
       (C) developing distance learning programs for teachers or 
     students, including developing curricular materials, play-
     based computing activities, and other resources for the in-
     service professional development of teachers that are made 
     available to teachers through the Internet;
       (D) developing a cadre of master teachers who will promote 
     reform and the adoption of gender-inclusive practices in 
     teaching computer science concepts in early childhood 
     education;
       (E) developing tools to evaluate activities conducted under 
     this subsection;
       (F) developing or adapting pre-K and elementary school 
     computer science curricular materials that incorporate 
     contemporary research on the science of learning, 
     particularly with respect to gender inclusion;
       (G) developing and offering gender-inclusive computer 
     science enrichment programs for students, including after-
     school and summer programs;
       (H) providing mentors for girls in person and through the 
     Internet to support such girls in participating in computer 
     science activities;
       (I) engaging parents of girls about the difficulties faced 
     by girls to maintain an interest and desire to participate in 
     computer science activities, and enlisting the help of 
     parents in overcoming these difficulties;
       (J) acquainting girls with careers in computer science and 
     encouraging girls to consider careers in such field; and
       (K) any other activities the Director determines will 
     accomplish the goals of this subsection.
       (4) Grant recipient report.--An entity awarded a grant 
     under this subsection shall report to the Director, at such 
     time and in such manner as the Director may require, on the 
     activities carried out, materials developed using such grant 
     funds, and the outcomes for students served by such grant.
       (5) Evaluation required.--Not later than 4 years after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall evaluate 
     the grant program under this subsection. At a minimum, such 
     evaluation shall--
       (A) use a common set of benchmarks and assessment tools to 
     identify best practices and materials developed and 
     demonstrated by the partnerships described in paragraph (2); 
     and
       (B) to the extent practicable, compare the effectiveness of 
     practices and materials developed and demonstrated by such 
     partnerships with those of partnerships funded by other local 
     or State government or Federal Government programs.
       (6) Dissemination of results.--
       (A) Evaluation results.--The Director shall make publicly 
     available free of charge on an Internet website and shall 
     submit to Congress the results of the evaluation required 
     under paragraph (5).
       (B) Materials.--The Director shall ensure that materials 
     developed under a program funded by a grant under this 
     subsection, that are demonstrated to be effective in 
     achieving the goals of this subsection (as determined by the 
     Director), are made publicly available free of charge on an 
     Internet website, including through an arrangement with an 
     outside entity.
       (7) Annual meeting.--The Director may convene an annual 
     meeting of the partnerships participating in a program funded 
     by a grant under this subsection, for the purpose of 
     fostering greater national collaboration.
       (8) Technical assistance.--At the request of a partnership 
     seeking a grant under this subsection, the Director shall 
     provide the partnership with technical assistance in meeting 
     any requirement of this subsection.

     SEC. 6. COMPUTER SCIENCE IN THE 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 striking ``and mathematics'' each place it appears 
     and inserting ``mathematics, informatics, and computer 
     science'';
       (2) in subsection (a)(3)(B), by striking ``or mathematics'' 
     and inserting ``mathematics, informatics, and computer 
     science'';
       (3) in subsections (b)(1)(D)(i), (c)(1)(A), (d)(1), and 
     (i)(7), by striking ``or mathematics'' each place it appears 
     and inserting ``mathematics, informatics, or computer 
     science''; and
       (4) in subsection (i)(5), by striking ``or mathematics'' 
     and inserting ``mathematics, or computer science''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Knight) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie 
Bernice Johnson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KNIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on H.R. 3397, as amended, the bill now 
under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KNIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on an 
important policy to improve our Nation's STEM education.
  H.R. 3397 is a bipartisan bill that I am proud to sponsor with Ms. 
Rosen, and it fits in with a larger set of education and workforce 
improvement legislation the Science, Space, and Technology Committee 
has recently reported to address critical challenges to our STEM 
workforce.
  Investing in our children and their futures is always an opportunity 
for good. Strategically expanding the reach of our STEM education 
programs to children of all ages will improve more individuals with 
aptitude are engaged and stay on their educational path.
  Research shows that kids as young as 1, 2, or 3 are capable of 
absorbing STEM concepts. And any parent can tell you that shortly after 
kids learn to talk, the questions can be endless. Children have a 
natural curiosity that can be fostered into an interest in science, 
technology, engineering, math, and computer science.
  This bill directs NSF to more equitably allocate funding for research 
in studies that focus on early childhood. Investing in children early 
ensures we are laying the groundwork to develop young innovators in 
STEM.
  I would like to thank Ms. Rosen for her work on the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3397, the Building Blocks of 
STEM Act. I want to thank Ms. Rosen for her leadership on this issue.
  Drawing upon her experience as a girl who codes, Ms. Rosen has been a 
strong champion for creating more opportunities for talented girls and 
women interested in computer science. I commend Ms. Rosen for her 
efforts on this critically important issue.
  The demand for computer science expertise is on the rise in all 
sectors of the economy. To ensure that we have the capacity to meet 
that demand, we must do more to leverage all of our human capital to 
tackle the technological challenges of the future.
  Research shows us that girls as young as 6 years old are adopting 
gender-based stereotypes that discourage them from engaging in STEM 
activities, including computer science.
  H.R. 3397 directs NSF to support research into factors that 
contribute to the early adoption of these stereotypes. The bill also 
directs NSF to support the design, development, and implementation of 
scalable models for intervention to prevent or reverse the effects of 
these negative and false stereotypes.
  I strongly support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support the 
bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KNIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Smith), who is the chairman of the

[[Page H1099]]

Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman 
from California, a member of the Science, Space, and Technology 
Committee, for yielding me time on this particular piece of 
legislation.
  I do support H.R. 3397, the Building Blocks of STEM Act, introduced 
by Representative Jacky Rosen and Representative Steve Knight, the 
Energy Subcommittee vice chairman.
  The bill will help boost our ability to get young people interested 
in STEM subjects. America lags behind many other nations when it comes 
to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. American students 
are ranked 19th in science and 31st in math out of 35 industrialized 
nations, the bottom half in both. This is not the educational record of 
a country that wants to compete globally.
  We must encourage our Nation's youth to study science and engineering 
so they will want to pursue these careers.
  More graduates with STEM degrees means more advanced technologies and 
a more robust economy. A well-educated and trained STEM workforce 
promotes our future economic prosperity.
  These graduates have the potential to develop technologies that could 
save thousands of lives, jump-start a new industry, or even discover 
new worlds.
  H.R. 3397 directs the National Science Foundation to more equitably 
allocate funding for research in studies that focus on early childhood. 
Investing in young students seeks to lay the groundwork to interest 
them in STEM in their formative years.
  The bill also directs the National Science Foundation to develop 
scalable models to increase young girls' participation in computer 
science. Despite representing nearly half of the college-educated and 
total U.S. workforce, women account for less than 25 percent of 
America's STEM workforce.
  In the last Congress, my bill, the STEM Education Act of 2015, was 
signed into law. That bipartisan legislation expanded the Federal 
definition of STEM to include computer science. H.R. 3397 continues the 
bipartisan commitment of the House Science, Space, and Technology 
Committee to promote computer science as a part of STEM by adding 
computer science to the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.

  I thank Representative Jacky Rosen and Representative Steve Knight 
for working together on this bill. I also thank the chairwoman of the 
Research and Technology Subcommittee, Mrs. Comstock, for her work to 
improve the underlying legislation by offering the Supporting Girls in 
STEM Education and Computer Science amendment.
  Including today's five research bills, 20 of the 22 bills the 
Science, Space, and Technology Committee has brought to the House floor 
this Congress have been bipartisan pieces of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support these five bipartisan 
bills.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as 
she may consume to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Rosen).
  Ms. ROSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 
3397, the Building Blocks of STEM Act, which also includes my Code Like 
a Girl Act.
  I first want to thank my Republican colleague, Steve Knight, for 
working with me and co-leading this important legislation and our 
Science, Space, and Technology Committee chairman, Lamar Smith, for 
helping move this bill through committee. I am proud to see both of my 
STEM education proposals come to the floor with wide bipartisan 
support.
  STEM and computer science are central to our country's innovation, 
economic growth, and employment. Across the country, we are continuing 
to see a huge demand for workers in the tech industry, including 
software developers, engineers, and computer programmers like myself.
  I built my career in STEM--a field that has long been dominated by 
men--so I know all too well that the demand for talent in STEM is real.
  In my home State of Nevada, tech companies like Tesla, Switch, and 
Google are leading the way to create the jobs of the future. Even 
across all industries, about 15 percent of jobs in Nevada require a 
high level of knowledge in at least one STEM field.
  Despite these increasing opportunities in STEM careers, not enough 
Americans possess the education and skills necessary to succeed. This 
disparity between computing and scientific talent and employer demand 
really starts as far back as elementary school.
  Studies have found that children who engage in scientific activities 
from an early age will develop positive attitudes toward science and 
are more likely to pursue STEM careers later on. In fact, interviews 
with current graduate students and scientists found that the majority 
of them reported that their interest in science began before middle 
school.

                              {time}  1730

  The bill before us today, the Building Blocks of STEM Act, will 
ensure that we are investing in our children as early as possible by 
directing the National Science Foundation to equitably distribute 
funding across age groups. Specifically, this bill would direct funding 
to include early childhood education in the Discovery Research PreK-12 
program, which seeks to enhance the learning and teaching of STEM and 
address the immediate challenges facing pre-K through 12 STEM 
education.
  Currently, the Discovery Research PreK-12 program focuses the 
majority of its research on students in middle school or older. Since 
having access to hands-on STEM experiences as early as possible is 
important for continued interest, my bill will ensure that NSF focuses 
on engaging our Nation's children in STEM education even younger, 
specifically, those under the age of 11.
  H.R. 3397 also includes the text of another STEM bill of mine, the 
Code Like a Girl Act, which I introduced with the support of my 
Republican colead, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. It is also cosponsored 
by Subcommittee on Research and Technology Chairwoman Barbara Comstock 
and Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Ranking Member Eddie 
Bernice Johnson; and I would like to thank them both for their support.
  This legislation is for our girls, girls like Isabel, an eighth 
grader from my district who loves STEM. She is on her high school 
robotics team. Last year, for a school project, she proposed a new 
monitoring system to accurately assess the fire issues at Yellowstone 
National Park.
  This past summer, I received a letter from Isabel, and in her letter 
to me, she offered an idea on how to increase and improve solar energy 
in Nevada. I wrote back to Isabel and later had the opportunity to meet 
her and her family in person. I thanked her for her advocacy and let 
her know that we will only move forward in this country by inspiring 
young minds to create, innovate, and imagine the future. Isabel is one 
of the young girls we are fighting for today.
  Young girls should know that they are more capable of succeeding in 
STEM and that they can grow up to be the next Grace Hopper or Katherine 
Johnson. This bill will help bridge that divide and close the gender 
gap that, for too long, has deprived young women from achieving their 
full potential. These young, talented minds could be working on our 
Nation's most challenging problems by inventing the next breakthrough 
technology, founding future startup companies, improving access to 
healthcare with computing, and even keeping our Nation safe from cyber 
attacks. The Code Like a Girl Act would create two NSF programs to 
encourage young girls to pursue computer science.
  As we all know, the gender gap in the STEM workforce is widening. 
Women only hold about 26 percent of STEM jobs, even though they make up 
more than half of the U.S. workforce. This gender disparity extends 
down through all levels of education. In 2015, approximately 23 percent 
of AP computer science exam takers were girls.
  And gender stereotypes begin at a very early age. Studies have shown 
that, at around 6 years old, girls develop the belief that brilliance 
is a male characteristic, and this negative stereotype is shown to have 
an immediate effect as girls start to lose their interest in activities 
they perceive as requiring brilliance.
  Another study found that young children, both boys and girls, already 
believe that boys are better than girls at

[[Page H1100]]

robotics and programming. It is unclear where precisely this stereotype 
originates from, but implicit biases can have a negative impact on a 
girl's academic achievement in math and science and on their future 
decisions to enroll in advanced courses in these subjects.
  The Code Like a Girl Act addresses this issue by creating NSF grants 
to increase understanding of the factors that contribute to the 
participation of young girls 10 and younger in STEM and computer 
science activities. This bill also creates a grant program to develop 
and evaluate interventions in pre-K and elementary school classrooms 
with the goal of increasing participation of young girls in computer 
science.
  Some of these activities may include teacher training and 
professional development, classroom programs on gender-inclusive 
teaching practices, and providing mentors for girls to support their 
computer science aspirations. We know that young girls are interested 
in science, math, and computing, but we need to make sure that, as they 
grow older, they stay involved and engaged.
  We also know that knowledge of computer science and use of technology 
is becoming increasingly essential for all individuals, not just those 
planning to work in the technology sector. STEM education cultivates 
students' curiosity, their creativity. It teaches them to work as a 
team and fosters critical thinking skills that are fundamental for 
success in any field.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation will help invest in our students. It 
will help them rise to meet the challenges of a changing economy that 
increasingly relies on highly skilled labor and technology. I am proud 
to stand for our students before this Chamber because, together, we are 
making smart investments that will help our children succeed, smart 
investments so that we can help our communities build more effective 
workforces and a stronger, competitive economy.
  For these reasons, I am proud that my Building Blocks of STEM Act, 
including the text of my Code Like a Girl Act, is being considered 
today. With the passage of these bills, we are one step closer to 
bridging the current gaps in STEM education and workforce training.
  Building the blocks for careers in STEM will prepare Nevadans and all 
Americans for better jobs and help us meet the demands of our 21st 
century economy. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I support the bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KNIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, investing and encouraging early education in STEM are 
needs that we know are here now and even more in the future. I want to 
thank Ms. Rosen for her leadership in this role. It is absolutely 
something that is bipartisan. It is something that Congress is behind.

  I can tell you, just on a personal note, Lancaster High School came 
out with their robotics team more than a decade ago, 100 percent boys. 
Just a short period after that, about 4 or 5 years, they were 50 
percent girls, 50 percent boys, and they were winning awards all over 
the country. That was because we had great teachers there who pushed 
and made sure that girls knew that they could be on the robotics team 
and pulled them in. That is exactly what we are talking about: 
investing and encouraging.
  I urge passage of this good bill. This is bipartisan.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Knight) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3397, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________