Sec. 2210. Rural STEM Education Act

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In this section: The term Federal laboratory has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 ( 15 U.S.C. 3703 ). The term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001(a) ). The term STEM has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 ( 42 U.S.C. 6621 note). The term STEM education has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the STEM Education Act of 2015 ( 42 U.S.C. 6621 note).

The Director shall provide grants on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or a consortium thereof) for research and development to advance innovative approaches to support and sustain high-quality STEM teaching in rural schools. Grants awarded under this paragraph shall be used for the research and development activities referred to in subparagraph (A), which may include— engaging rural educators of students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in professional learning opportunities to enhance STEM knowledge, including computer science, and develop best practices; supporting research on effective STEM teaching practices in rural settings, including the use of rubrics and mastery-based grading practices to assess student performance when employing the transdisciplinary teaching approach for STEM disciplines; designing and developing pre-service and in-service training resources to assist such rural educators in adopting transdisciplinary teaching practices across STEM courses; coordinating with local partners to adapt STEM teaching practices to leverage local, natural, and community assets in order to support in-place learning in rural areas; providing hands-on training and research opportunities for rural educators described in subclause

(I)at Federal laboratories or institutions of higher education, or in industry; developing training and best practices for educators who teach multiple grade levels within a STEM discipline; designing and implementing professional development courses and experiences, including mentoring, for rural educators described in subclause

(I)that combine face-to-face and online experiences; and any other activity the Director determines will accomplish the goals of this paragraph. The Director shall establish a pilot program of regional cohorts in rural areas that will provide peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research experiences for rural STEM educators of students in prekindergarten through grade 12, in order to build an ecosystem of cooperation among educators, researchers, academia, and local industry. The Director shall provide grants on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or a consortium thereof) for— research and development of programming to identify the barriers rural students face in accessing high-quality STEM education; and development of innovative solutions to improve the participation and advancement of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in STEM studies. Grants awarded under this paragraph shall be used for the research and development activities referred to in subparagraph (A), which may include— developing partnerships with community colleges to offer advanced STEM course work, including computer science, to rural high school students; supporting research on effective STEM practices in rural settings; implementing a school-wide STEM approach; improving the Foundation’s Advanced Technology Education program’s coordination and engagement with rural communities; collaborating with existing community partners and networks, such as the Cooperative Extension System services and extramural research programs of the Department of Agriculture and youth serving organizations like 4–H, after school STEM programs, and summer STEM programs, to leverage community resources and develop place-based programming; connecting rural school districts and institutions of higher education, to improve precollegiate STEM education and engagement; supporting partnerships that offer hands-on inquiry-based science activities, including coding, and access to lab resources for students studying STEM in prekindergarten through grade 12 in a rural area; evaluating the role of broadband connectivity and its associated impact on the STEM and technology literacy of rural students; building capacity to support extracurricular STEM programs in rural schools, including mentor-led engagement programs, STEM programs held during nonschool hours, STEM networks, makerspaces, coding activities, and competitions; and any other activity the Director determines will accomplish the goals of this paragraph. An applicant seeking a grant under paragraph

(1)or

(2)shall submit an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require. The application may include the following: A description of the target population to be served by the research activity or activities for which such grant is sought. A description of the process for recruitment and selection of students, educators, or schools from rural areas to participate in such activity or activities. A description of how such activity or activities may inform efforts to promote the engagement and achievement of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in STEM studies. In the case of a proposal consisting of a partnership or partnerships with one or more rural schools and one or more researchers, a plan for establishing a sustained partnership that is jointly developed and managed, draws from the capacities of each partner, and is mutually beneficial. In awarding grants under paragraph

(1)or (2), the Director shall— encourage applicants which, for the purpose of the activity or activities funded through the grant, include or partner with a nonprofit organization or an institution of higher education (or a consortium thereof) that has extensive experience and expertise in increasing the participation of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in STEM; and encourage applicants which, for the purpose of the activity or activities funded through the grant, include or partner with a consortium of rural schools or rural school districts. All proposals for grants under paragraphs

(1)and

(2)shall include an evaluation plan that includes the use of outcome-oriented measures to assess the impact and efficacy of the grant. Each recipient of a grant under this subsection shall include results from these evaluative activities in annual and final projects. The Director shall evaluate the portfolio of grants awarded under paragraphs

(1)and (2). Such evaluation shall— assess the results of research conducted under such grants and identify best practices; and to the extent practicable, integrate the findings of research resulting from the activity or activities funded through such grants with the findings of other research on rural students' pursuit of degrees or careers in STEM. Not later than 180 days after the completion of the evaluation under subparagraph (A), the Director shall submit to Congress and make widely available to the public a report that includes— the results of the evaluation; and any recommendations for administrative and legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the grants awarded under this subsection. As part of the first report required by section 36(e) of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1885c(e) ) transmitted to Congress after the date of enactment of this division, the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering shall include— a description of past and present policies and activities of the Foundation to encourage full participation of students in rural communities in science, mathematics, engineering, and computer science fields; and an assessment of the policies and activities of the Foundation, along with proposals for new strategies or the broadening of existing successful strategies towards facilitating the goal of increasing participation of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in Foundation activities. In carrying out this subsection, the Director shall, for purposes of enhancing program effectiveness and avoiding duplication of activities, consult, cooperate, and coordinate with the programs and policies of other relevant Federal agencies. The Director shall award competitive grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or a consortium thereof, which may include a private sector partner) to conduct research on online STEM education courses for rural communities. The research areas eligible for funding under this subsection shall include— evaluating the learning and achievement of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in STEM subjects; understanding how computer-based and online professional development courses and mentor experiences can be integrated to meet the needs of educators of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12; combining computer-based and online STEM education and training with apprenticeships, mentoring, or other applied learning arrangements; leveraging online programs to supplement STEM studies for rural students that need physical and academic accommodation; and any other activity the Director determines will accomplish the goals of this subsection. All proposals for grants under this subsection shall include an evaluation plan that includes the use of outcome-oriented measures to assess the impact and efficacy of the grant. Each recipient of a grant under this subsection shall include results from these evaluative activities in annual and final projects. The Director shall evaluate the portfolio of grants awarded under this subsection. Such evaluation shall— use a common set of benchmarks and tools to assess the results of research conducted under such grants and identify best practices; and to the extent practicable, integrate findings from activities carried out pursuant to research conducted under this subsection, with respect to the pursuit of careers and degrees in STEM, with those activities carried out pursuant to other research on serving rural students and communities. Not later than 180 days after the completion of the evaluation under subparagraph (A), the Director shall submit to Congress and make widely available to the public a report that includes— the results of the evaluation; and any recommendations for administrative and legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the grants awarded under this subsection. In carrying out this subsection, the Director shall, for purposes of enhancing program effectiveness and avoiding duplication of activities, consult, cooperate, and coordinate with the programs and policies of other relevant Federal agencies. Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this division, the Director shall enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine under which the National Academies agree to conduct an evaluation and assessment that— evaluates the quality and quantity of current Federal programming and research directed at examining STEM education for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and workforce development in rural areas; in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission, assesses the impact that the scarcity of broadband connectivity in rural communities, and the affordability of broadband connectivity, have on STEM and technical literacy for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in rural areas; assesses the core research and data needed to understand the challenges rural areas are facing in providing quality STEM education and workforce development; makes recommendations for action at the Federal, State, and local levels for improving STEM education, including online STEM education, for students in prekindergarten through grade 12 and workforce development in rural areas; and makes recommendations to inform the implementation of programs in subsections (a), (b), and (c). The agreement entered into under paragraph

(1)shall require the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of this division, to submit to the Director a report on the study conducted under such paragraph, including the National Academies' findings and recommendations. Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this division, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on the engagement of rural populations in Federal STEM programs and submit to Congress a report that includes— an assessment of how Federal STEM education programs are serving rural populations; a description of initiatives carried out by Federal agencies that are targeted at supporting STEM education in rural areas; an assessment of what is known about the impact and effectiveness of Federal investments in STEM education programs that are targeted to rural areas; and an assessment of challenges that State and Federal STEM education programs face in reaching rural population centers. Section 517(f)(2) of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 ( 42 U.S.C. 1862p–9(f)(2) ) is amended— in subparagraph (A), by striking and at the end; and by adding at the end the following: to increase the capacity of rural communities to provide quality STEM education and STEM workforce development programming to students and teachers; and . Section 25 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act ( 15 U.S.C. 278k ) is amended— in subsection (c)— in paragraph (6), by striking community colleges and area career and technical education schools and inserting the following: secondary schools (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( ; and 20 U.S.C. 7801 )), community colleges, and area career and technical education schools, including those in underserved and rural communities, in paragraph (7)— by striking and local colleges and inserting the following: local high schools and local colleges, including those in underserved and rural communities, ; and by inserting or other applied learning opportunities after apprenticeships ; and in subsection (d)(3), by striking , community colleges, and area career and technical education schools, and inserting the following: and local high schools, community colleges, and area career and technical education schools, including those in underserved and rural communities, . Pursuant to section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 ( 15 U.S.C. 3719 ), the Secretary of Commerce shall carry out a program to award prizes competitively to stimulate research and development of creative technologies to support the deployment of affordable and reliable broadband connectivity in rural communities, including unserved rural communities. Each proposal submitted pursuant to subparagraph

(A)shall include a proposed plan for deployment of the technology that is the subject of such proposal. In carrying out the program under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may award not more than a total of $5,000,000 to one or more winners of the prize competition. Not later than 60 days after the date on which a prize is awarded under the prize competition, the Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report that describes the winning proposal of the prize competition. In carrying out the program under this paragraph, the Secretary shall consult with the Federal Communications Commission and the heads of relevant departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

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