[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 23, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H7166-H7168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      BUILDING BLOCKS OF STEM ACT

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 1665) to direct the National Science Foundation to 
support STEM education research focused on early childhood.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1665

       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.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The National Science Foundation is a large investor in 
     STEM education and plays a key role in setting research and 
     policy agendas.
       (2) While 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, the majority of current 
     research focuses on increasing STEM opportunities for middle 
     school-aged children and older.
       (3) Women remain widely underrepresented in the STEM 
     workforce, and this gender disparity extends down through all 
     levels of education.

     SEC. 3. SUPPORTING EARLY CHILDHOOD STEM EDUCATION RESEARCH.

       In awarding grants under the Discovery Research PreK-12 
     program, the Director of the National Science Foundation 
     shall consider the age distribution of a STEM education 
     research and development project to

[[Page H7167]]

     improve the focus of research and development on early 
     childhood education.

     SEC. 4. SUPPORTING FEMALE STUDENTS IN PREKINDERGARTEN THROUGH 
                   ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN STEM EDUCATION.

       Section 305(d) of the American Innovation and 
     Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s-5(d)) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) Research.--As a component of improving participation 
     of women in STEM fields, research funded by a grant under 
     this subsection may include research on--
       ``(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 
     female students in prekindergarten through elementary school 
     from participating in STEM activities;
       ``(B) the role of teachers in shaping perceptions of STEM 
     in female students in prekindergarten through elementary 
     school and discouraging such students from participating in 
     STEM activities;
       ``(C) the role of other facets of the learning environment 
     on the willingness of female students in prekindergarten 
     through elementary school 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 female students in 
     prekindergarten through elementary school from participating 
     in STEM activities;
       ``(E) the types of STEM activities that encourage greater 
     participation by female students in prekindergarten through 
     elementary school;
       ``(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 the perception of and participation in STEM 
     activities of female students in prekindergarten through 
     elementary school; and
       ``(H) any other area the Director determines will carry out 
     the goal described in paragraph (1).''.

     SEC. 5. SUPPORTING FEMALE STUDENTS IN PREKINDERGARTEN THROUGH 
                   ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN COMPUTER SCIENCE 
                   EDUCATION.

       Section 310(b) of the American Innovation and 
     Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s-7(b)) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) Uses of funds.--The tools and models described in 
     paragraph (2)(C) may include--
       ``(A) offering training and professional development 
     programs, including summer or academic year institutes or 
     workshops, designed to strengthen the capabilities of 
     prekindergarten and elementary school teachers and to 
     familiarize such teachers with the role of gender bias in the 
     classroom;
       ``(B) offering innovative pre-service 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 or adapting prekindergarten and elementary 
     school computer science curricular materials that incorporate 
     contemporary research on the science of learning, 
     particularly with respect to gender inclusion;
       ``(E) developing and offering gender-inclusive computer 
     science enrichment programs for students, including after-
     school and summer programs;
       ``(F) providing mentors for female students in 
     prekindergarten through elementary school in person and 
     through the Internet to support such students in 
     participating in computer science activities;
       ``(G) engaging female students in prekindergarten through 
     elementary school and their guardians about the difficulties 
     faced by such students to maintain an interest in 
     participating in computer science activities;
       ``(H) acquainting female students in prekindergarten 
     through elementary school with careers in computer science 
     and encouraging such students to consider careers in such 
     field;
       ``(I) developing tools to evaluate activities conducted 
     under this subsection; and
       ``(J) any other tools or models the Director determines 
     will accomplish the aim described in paragraph (2)(C).''.

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


                             General Leave

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous materials on H.R. 1665, the bill now 
under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 1665, the Building Blocks 
of STEM Act.
  Employment in computer and information technology jobs is projected 
to grow faster than any other occupation between the years of 2016 and 
2026.
  Despite the opportunity for good, high-paying jobs when they 
graduate, women earned only 19 percent of undergraduate computer 
science degrees in 2016.
  Disturbingly, the ratio of women to men earning computer science 
degrees actually declined between 2006 and 2016.
  H.R. 1665 devotes resources to ensure girls in prekindergarten and 
elementary school are exposed to STEM activities and encouraged to 
pursue STEM studies from a young age, before many are dissuaded or 
discouraged from doing so.
  The legislation includes a focus on computer science education to 
help ensure we will have the talent to fill the jobs of the future.
  We must act now to increase the participation of women in STEM, and 
it starts with the focus on early childhood education.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleagues, Representatives Stevens 
and Baird, for their leadership in this legislation, and I urge my 
colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, research shows that early exposure to science, 
technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science has positive 
impacts on a broad spectrum of student outcomes. For example, early 
math knowledge not only predicts later math success; it also predicts 
later reading achievement.
  Studies have also found that children who engage in scientific 
activities from an early age develop positive attitudes towards science 
and are more likely to pursue STEM expertise and careers.
  H.R. 1665, the Building Blocks of STEM Act, directs the National 
Science Foundation to support STEM education research focused on early 
childhood and to award grants to encourage young girls to pursue 
computer science learning.
  Across the country, the share of STEM jobs has expanded 
significantly, with STEM employment increasing from 9.7 million to 17.3 
million from 1990 to 2018.
  Data suggests that this trend will continue, and the U.S. is 
struggling to meet that demand. To meet it, we must engage children--
particularly young girls--in STEM in early childhood and sustain that 
interest as they grow.
  More graduates with STEM degrees means more advanced American 
technologies and a more robust economy.
  But it is not just about the economy. STEM graduates have the 
potential to develop technologies that could save thousands of lives, 
jump-start a new industry, or even discover new worlds.
  By supporting more hands-on STEM engagement for younger ages, we are 
supporting and investing in America's future.
  In the 115th Congress, the House passed this legislation unanimously, 
and I hope it will do so again today. I want to thank Representative 
Baird and Representative Stevens for reintroducing this bipartisan bill 
and moving it forward.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).
  Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1665, the 
Building Blocks of STEM Act, which supports STEM education research 
focused on early childhood education.
  There is a lot of discussion about the gender disparity in the STEM 
workforce and the leaky pipeline that widens the gap as women and girls 
continue through school.
  Although women make up half of the U.S. workforce, they make up less 
than a quarter of those employed in STEM occupations.
  The Building Blocks of STEM Act addresses these disparities by 
ensuring an equitable distribution of STEM education research funding 
for projects focused on young children and helping us

[[Page H7168]]

understand why girls are encouraged or discouraged from participating 
in STEM activities.
  It also ensures that the National Science Foundation grants are 
awarded to entities that are working in partnership, such as research 
universities with local education agencies, to increase participation 
in computer science education.
  Computer science is particularly struggling to recruit and retain 
women, who make up less than 18 percent of the computer science 
workforce. The number is trending down, not up.

                              {time}  1415

  This has a ripple effect on our country's ability to fill the high-
skilled jobs of today and tomorrow. We need the next generation of 
young women to pursue STEM degrees, and we are not seeing the numbers 
we need.
  It is critical that we continue to work on STEM opportunities for 
middle-school-aged children and older, but we also need to ensure our 
Federal resources start at the beginning and support research on STEM 
education of younger students, starting at the beginning of their 
educational career.
  We know this all too well in Michigan. We know the structural and 
cultural barriers that exist for women interested in STEM from a very 
young age. Lack of support, unconscious or conscious gender bias, and 
stereotype threats are just a few.
  In several studies, when children were asked to draw a mathematician 
or a scientist, girls were twice as likely to draw a man as they were a 
woman, while boys almost universally drew men, often in a lab coat.
  The science is clear that children who engage in scientific 
activities from an early age, before middle school, develop positive 
attitudes toward science and are more likely to pursue STEM experiences 
and career opportunities later on.
  We need to be working toward interventions to increase the number of 
girls and women in these fields, and that is why I am so proud to 
sponsor this bill.
  I thank Chairwoman Johnson for her leadership on the House Science 
Committee toward increasing STEM opportunities for women, particularly 
for women of color.
  I introduced this bipartisan legislation with my colleague, 
Congressman  Jim Baird, along with our counterparts in the Senate, 
Senators Jacky Rosen and Shelley Moore Capito. I urge my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle and in both Chambers of Congress to support 
this bill and send this important legislation swiftly to the 
President's desk.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Baird).
  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1665, the Building 
Blocks of STEM Act.
  I was proud to join my colleague, the chair of the Research and 
Technology Subcommittee, Representative Haley Stevens, in introducing 
this legislation.
  As one of only two Members of Congress with a Ph.D. in science, I 
understand how important it is to start children off on the right foot 
by teaching STEM concepts and principles at an early age. Research 
shows that kids as young as 1, 2, or 3 are capable of absorbing STEM 
concepts. Children have a natural curiosity that can be fostered into 
an interest in science, technology, engineering, math, and computer 
science.
  Equally important is ensuring that we get more girls involved in the 
STEM fields so that we can have as many people as possible contributing 
to the knowledge base of our society.
  H.R. 1665 directs the NSF to fund research and studies that focus on 
early childhood and young women in STEM at the K-12 level. Investing in 
children early ensures that we are laying the groundwork to develop 
young innovators in STEM.
  Hoosiers know that to grow our Nation, we need everyone involved. 
This bill helps ensure that we are preparing students to fill the jobs 
of the future, continuing America's global leadership in science and 
technology.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to support this bill.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no more requests for time. 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to 
close.
  The love of learning starts young, and the Building Blocks of STEM 
bill promotes this by prioritizing a focus on early childhood STEM 
education. It gives us the opportunity to encourage girls to get and 
stay engaged in STEM, helping us to improve our educational programs 
and diversify the STEM workforce.
  I, again, thank Representative Baird and Representative Stevens for 
reintroducing this bipartisan bill.
  As the House did in 2015, I encourage this body to support and pass 
this legislation unanimously.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member and the Members on both sides 
of the aisle for their support of this bill. I urge its passage, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1665.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________