Sec. 801. Findings; sense of Congress
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Congress finds the following: Many reports over the past decade have found that it is critical to our Nation’s economic leadership and global competitiveness that the United States educates and trains more scientists and engineers. Worldwide demand for STEM-capable workers keeps growing, driven by international opportunities and competition, and by the rapid increases in the number of jobs that require STEM skills, including in lines of work that historically did not require STEM knowledge.
By 2026 science and engineering jobs are predicted to grow by 13 percent compared with 7 percent growth in the overall United States workforce. A recent report by ACT, the scholastic testing service, found that only 20 percent of United States students in the 2016 ACT-tested high school graduating class were ready for first-year STEM college courses. Out of the 79 countries that participate in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment, the United States ranks 18th in science and 37th in mathematics.
The Federal Government spends over $3 billion annually on STEM education related research, programs and activities, but encouraging STEM education activities beyond the scope of the Federal Government is crucial to the future technical and economic competitiveness of the United States. It is the sense of Congress that— the Nation’s future economic and national security relies on building a STEM-capable workforce in order to remain competitive in the global economy, foster greater innovation, and provide a foundation for shared prosperity; the Federal Government plays a key role in developing and sustaining a STEM-capable workforce by working with stakeholders at all levels, including researchers, practitioners, industry, and State and local governments to support and promote evidence-based approaches to modernize elementary, secondary, and post-secondary STEM education, and support the reskilling and upskilling that workers will need throughout their careers; applying a more holistic view of the STEM workforce that moves beyond academic degrees and occupations will highlight the contributions and opportunities for workers at all education levels; increasing the diversity and inclusion in the STEM workforce is needed to help address the STEM skills shortage; supporting an interdisciplinary approach to STEM learning, where academic concepts are coupled with real-world applications and students use STEM in contexts that make connections between school, community, work, and the wider world will improve outcomes for students in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education and for skilled technical workers in different career stages; leveraging private and nonprofit investments in STEM education will be essential to strengthening the Federal STEM portfolio; deepening partnerships between educational institutions and the business sector will be critical in preparing Americans for the industries of the future and support reskilling and upskilling of incumbent workers so that they can better navigate rapid changes in the world of work; and coordinating STEM programs and activities across the Federal Government in order to limit duplication and engage stakeholders in STEM programs and related activities for which objective outcomes can be measured will bolster results of Federal STEM education programs, improve the return on taxpayers’ investments in STEM education programs, and in turn strengthen the United States economy.