    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Public Law 116-102
    116th Congress

    An Act

    To direct the National Science Foundation to support STEM education
    research focused on early childhood. <>

    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;

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    ``(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;

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    ``(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.''.

    Approved December 24, 2019.

    LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 737 (H.R. 1665):
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    SENATE REPORTS: No. 116-78 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and
    Transportation).
    CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 165 (2019):
    Sept. 26, considered and passed Senate.
    Dec. 9, considered and passed House.