[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 196 (Monday, December 9, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H9362-H9363]
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 (S. 737) 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:
S. 737
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 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
``(I) developing tools to evaluate activities conducted
under this subsection, including reports for evaluating the
effectiveness of activities under this section.''.
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 material on S. 737, the bill 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 in support of S. 737, the Building Blocks
of STEM Act.
The demand for computer science skills is on the rise across all
sectors of the economy. To ensure that we have the capacity to meet
that demand, we must attract more students to study computer science. A
major challenge for increasing the number of computer science graduates
is the low participation of women.
[[Page H9363]]
Even as access to high school computer science courses increases,
female participation remains low. At high schools offering advanced
placement courses in computer science, only 23 percent of the students
taking the exam are girls.
Research shows us that interventions at the high school level may
come too late. Girls as young as 6 years old are internalizing gender-
based stereotypes that discourage them from engaging in STEM
activities, including computer science.
The Building Blocks of STEM Act directs the National Science
Foundation to support research into factors that contribute to the
early adoption of these stereotypes. The bill also directs the National
Science Foundation to support the development of models for
intervention to prevent or reverse the effects of these negative and
false stereotypes.
I thank my colleagues Representatives Stevens and Baird and Senators
Rosen and Capito for their leadership on this legislation, and I urge
my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
How appropriate that today the House is taking up S. 737, the
Building Blocks of STEM Act, just as the Nation kicks off a celebration
of Computer Science Education Week.
S. 737, the Building Blocks of STEM Act, is important, bipartisan
legislation to improve science, technology, engineering, mathematics,
and computer science, or STEM, education. It directs the National
Science Foundation to support STEM research focused on early childhood
education and to award grants to encourage young girls to pursue
computer science learning. 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.
Across the country, the share of STEM jobs has expanded
significantly, with STEM employment nearly doubling over the last 30
years. Currently, there are over half a million open computing jobs in
the United States, in every industry and in every State. This demand is
projected to grow at twice the rate of any other field, and America is
failing to meet it.
We can succeed, though, and we can do it by encouraging children,
particularly young girls, in STEM in early childhood and sustaining
that interest as they grow.
More students 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
can save thousands of lives, jump-start a new industry, or even
discover new worlds.
It has been shown that female students who learn computer science
before college are 10 times more likely to major in it. By supporting
more hands-on STEM engagement at younger ages, we are supporting and
investing in America's future.
I thank Representative Baird and Representative Stevens for their
leadership on this bill. The House previously passed this legislation
in July and sent it to the Senate for consideration. We are considering
it again today with some minor changes from our Senate colleagues.
I encourage my colleagues to again support this legislation and send
it to the President's desk for his signature.
Mr. Speaker, 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 involved and stay engaged in STEM, helping us improve our
educational programs and diversify the STEM workforce.
Again, I thank Representative Baird and Representative Stevens for
leading this bipartisan bill. As the House did in July, I encourage
this body to again support and unanimously pass this legislation and
send it to the President's desk for his signature.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my
appreciation for the leadership of Representatives Stevens and Baird;
Senators Rosen and Capito; and the ranking member, Mr. Lucas. I urge
that we pass this important piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 737, 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
the House version of this legislation, which unanimously passed this
Chamber in July, and am pleased to be speaking today on the nearly
identical Senate version of the bill.
As one of only two members of Congress with a PhD in science, I
understand the importance of teaching STEM concepts and principles at
an early age.
Fostering the natural curiosity that children possess is critical to
expanding their interests in science, technology, engineering, and
math. Research confirms that kids as young as one, two, or three are
capable of absorbing STEM concepts.
Equally important is ensuring that we get more girls involved in the
STEM fields, so that we have as many people as possible contributing to
the knowledge base of our society.
Like the House version, S. 737 directs NSF to fund research and
grants that focus on early childhood and young women in STEM at the K
through 12 level.
This bill helps ensure we are preparing our future workforce to fill
the jobs of the future.
By passing this important legislation we will continue America's
global leadership in science and technology.
I ask my colleagues to support the bill and send it to the
President's desk for his signature.
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, S. 737.
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.
____________________