[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 156 (Thursday, September 26, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5760-S5761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      BUILDING BLOCKS OF STEM ACT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 180, S. 737.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 737) to direct the National Science Foundation 
     to support STEM education research focused on early 
     childhood.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I further ask unanimous consent that the Rosen-Capito 
substitute be agreed to, and the bill, as amended, be read a third 
time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 944) in the nature of a substitute was agreed to, 
as follows:

                (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     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 disparity extends down through all levels 
     of education.

     SEC. 3. SUPPORTING EARLY CHILDHOOD AND ELEMENTARY 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 improve the focus of 
     research and development on elementary and prekindergarten 
     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, seating 
     arrangements, use of media and technology, classroom culture, 
     and 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; and
       ``(G) the role of informal and after-school STEM learning 
     opportunities on the perception of and participation in STEM 
     activities of female students in prekindergarten through 
     elementary school.''.

     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 bias against 
     female students in the classroom;
       ``(B) offering innovative pre-service and in-service 
     programs that instruct teachers on female-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 female inclusion;
       ``(E) developing and offering female-inclusive computer 
     science enrichment programs for students, including after-
     school and summer programs;
       ``(F) providing mentors for female students in 
     prekindergarten through elementary school to support such 
     students in participating in computer science activities;
       ``(G) engaging female students in prekindergarten through 
     elementary school, and their guardians (if such communication 
     takes place on school premises during otherwise-scheduled 
     conferences or formal conversations between teachers and 
     guardians) about--
       ``(i) the difficulties faced by female students with regard 
     to maintaining an interest in participating in computer 
     science activities; and
       ``(ii) the potential positive career benefits of engaging 
     in such activities;
       ``(H) acquainting female students in prekindergarten 
     through elementary school with careers in computer science 
     and encouraging such students to consider careers in the 
     computer science field; and

[[Page S5761]]

       ``(I) developing tools to evaluate activities conducted 
     under this subsection, including reports for evaluating the 
     effectiveness of activities under this section.''.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read 
the third time.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. There being no further debate, the bill having 
been read the third time, the question is, Shall the bill pass?
  The bill (S. 737), as amended, was passed.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous consent that 
the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table 
with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________