[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.

                          ____________________