[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):
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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.