Sec. 509. Informal STEM education
771 words·~4 min read·
/bill/113/s/2757/is/section-509·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Subject to subsections
(h)and (j), the Director shall maintain a grant program to support STEM learning activities in informal educational settings. The purpose of the grant program shall be to improve STEM engagement and outcomes, including among students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. Grants under this section may support— research to identify best practices in informal STEM learning; designing, developing, implementing, evaluating, or expanding innovative or promising informal STEM learning activities, tools, or models; implementing, expanding, or evaluating evidence-based informal STEM learning activities that promote STEM education; developing communities of practice in informal STEM learning; improving the STEM and educational expertise of informal STEM educators; and creating a national network of institutions involved in informal STEM learning. The Director shall award, in supporting the national network under subsection (b), grants to foster partnerships between institutions involved in informal science learning, institutions of higher education, and education research centers. Funded activities may include developing, adapting, and making available informal STEM education activities and educational materials for broad implementation. Within the grant program established under subsection (a), the Director shall support an initiative to engage underrepresented students in kindergarten through the eighth grade in informal STEM education activities. Activities funded through the initiative may include— exposing underrepresented students to role models and near-peer mentors in the STEM fields; providing for underrepresented students to attend STEM-related events, competitions, and programs; providing information regarding STEM career opportunities to underrepresented students and their parents; training informal educators in the use of evidence-based methods for engaging underrepresented students in STEM; engaging girls in STEM, including through single-gender learning environments and hands-on, inquiry-based learning programs; and any other activities described under subsection
(b)that the Director considers relevant to underrepresented students. Grants under this section shall be competitively awarded to organizations that provide informal STEM education activities to students in kindergarten through the twelfth grade, such as— State, local, and nonprofit or nongovernmental educational organizations; institutions of higher education; other education-oriented organizations, as identified by the Director; and consortia of any institutions or organizations listed in paragraphs
(1)through (3). An application for funding under this section shall be submitted at such time and in such manner and contain such information as the Director considers necessary. An application shall include, at a minimum— a description of the student population to be served by the activity; a description of the process for attracting, recruiting, or selecting student participants; a description of how funded activities would support research into engaging students, including underrepresented students, in STEM and into promoting their academic achievement; an evaluation plan consistent with the requirements under subsection (g); a description of the applicant’s experience and expertise in providing informal education activities; and if an application is relevant to the initiative in subsection (d), a description of the applicant’s experience and expertise in increasing the participation of underrepresented students in STEM. The Director shall require each grant recipient under this section to submit an evaluation at the conclusion of each fiscal year during which funds are received under this section. The evaluation shall— include both formative and summative evaluations of the funded activity, using methods appropriate to the programs; be in a form prescribed by the Director; and be submitted to the Director. Each grant under this section shall be relevant to research on student engagement in STEM fields. In ensuring that grants help identify, develop, implement, or propagate best practices in informal STEM education, the Director may establish, as necessary, additional reporting requirements for a grant recipient under this section. The Director may encourage all Foundation research grant recipients, in satisfying the Foundation's Broader Impacts criterion, to dedicate a portion of awarded funds to public engagement activities conducted through sustained collaboration with an informal STEM education organization or initiative. A grant under this section may not be used for construction of infrastructure. In carrying out this section, the Director shall consult with other relevant Federal agencies, and cooperate and coordinate with those Federal agencies, as necessary, to avoid duplication with the programs and policies of those Federal agencies. Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall evaluate the grants under this section and, to the extent practicable, identify any research outputs, best practices, and materials developed or demonstrated. Not later than 180 days after the date the evaluation is complete, the Director shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress and make widely available to the public a report that includes— the results of the evaluation; and any recommendations for improving informal STEM education, STEM engagement, and STEM education outcomes among students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.