42 U.S.C. § 1862q — Informal STEM education

Page 5135 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 1862q (1) creation of multidisciplinary or inter- disciplinary courses or programs for the pur- pose of improved student instruction and re- search in STEM; (2) expansion of graduate STEM research op- portunities to include interdisciplinary re- search opportunities and research opportuni- ties in industry, at Federal laboratories, and at international research institutions or re- search sites; (3) development and implementation of fu- ture faculty training programs focused on im- proved instruction, mentoring, assessment of student learning, and support of under- graduate STEM students; (4) support and training for graduate stu- dents to participate in instructional activities beyond the traditional teaching assistantship, and especially as part of ongoing educational reform efforts, including at pre-K–12 schools, and primarily undergraduate institutions; (5) creation, improvement, or expansion of innovative graduate programs such as science master’s degree programs; (6) development and implementation of sem- inars, workshops, and other professional devel- opment activities that increase the ability of graduate students to engage in innovation, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship; (7) development and implementation of sem- inars, workshops, and other professional devel- opment activities that increase the ability of graduate students to effectively communicate their research findings to technical audiences outside of their own discipline and to nontech- nical audiences; (8) expansion of successful STEM reform ef- forts beyond a single academic unit to other STEM academic units within an institution or to comparable academic units at other institu- tions; and (9) research on teaching and learning of STEM at the graduate level related to the pro- posed reform effort, including assessment and evaluation of the proposed reform activities and research on scalability and sustainability of approaches to reform. (c) Partnership An institution of higher education may part- ner with one or more other nonprofit education or research organizations, including scientific and engineering societies, for the purposes of carrying out the activities authorized under this section. (d) Selection process (1) Applications An institution of higher education seeking a grant under this section shall submit an appli- cation to the Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require. The application shall include, at a minimum— (A) a description of the proposed reform ef- fort; (B) in the case of applications that propose an expansion of a previously implemented reform effort at the applicant’s institution or at other institutions, a description of the previously implemented reform effort; (C) evidence of institutional support for, and commitment to, the proposed reform ef- fort, including long-term commitment to implement successful strategies from the current reform effort beyond the academic unit or units included in the grant proposal or to disseminate successful strategies to other institutions; and (D) a description of the plans for assess- ment and evaluation of the grant proposed reform activities. (2) Review of applications In selecting grant recipients under this sec- tion, the Director shall consider at a min- imum— (A) the likelihood of success in under- taking the proposed effort at the institution submitting the application, including the ex- tent to which the faculty, staff, and adminis- trators of the institution are committed to making the proposed institutional reform a priority of the participating academic unit or units; (B) the degree to which the proposed re- form will contribute to change in institu- tional culture and policy such that a greater value is placed on preparing graduate stu- dents for diverse careers utilizing STEM de- grees; (C) the likelihood that the institution will sustain or expand the reform beyond the pe- riod of the grant; and (D) the degree to which scholarly assess- ment and evaluation plans are included in the design of the reform effort. (Pub. L. 111–358, title V, § 527, Jan. 4, 2011, 124 Stat. 4020.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the America COM- PETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, also known as the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Pro- mote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Reauthorization Act of 2010, and also as part of the Na- tional Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2010, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries DEFINITIONS For definitions of terms used in this section, see sec- tion 2 of Pub. L. 111–358, set out as a note under section 6621 of this title, and section 502 of Pub. L. 111–358, set out as a note under section 1862p of this title. § 1862q. Informal STEM education (a) Grants The Director of the National Science Founda- tion, through the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, shall continue to award com- petitive, merit-reviewed grants to support— (1) research and development of innovative out-of-school STEM learning and emerging STEM learning environments in order to im- prove STEM learning outcomes and engage- ment in STEM; (2) research that advances the field of infor- mal STEM education; Page 5136 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 1862q 1 So in original. Probably should be ‘‘institutions’’. 2 So in original. (3) a national partnership of institutions in- volved in informal STEM learning; and (4) the integration of art and design in STEM educational programs. (b) Uses of funds Activities supported by grants under this sec- tion may encompass a single STEM discipline, multiple STEM disciplines, or integrative STEM initiatives and shall include— (1) research and development that improves our understanding of learning and engagement in informal environments, including the role of informal environments in broadening par- ticipation in STEM; (2) design and testing of innovative STEM learning models, programs, and other re- sources for informal learning environments to improve STEM learning outcomes and in- crease engagement for K–12 students, K–12 teachers, and the general public, including de- sign and testing of the scalability of models, programs, and other resources; (3) fostering on-going partnerships between institutions involved in informal STEM learn- ing, institutions of higher education, and edu- cation research centers; (4) developing, and making available infor- mal STEM education activities and edu- cational materials; and (5) design and testing of programming that integrates art and design in STEM education to promote creativity and innovation. (c) PreK–12 informal STEM (1) In general The Director of the National Science Foun- dation shall make awards, through existing programs where appropriate to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such intuitions 1 or organiza- tions) on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis for research on effective approaches to engag- ing students in PreK–12, including students from groups historically underrepresented in STEM and rural students. (2) Purposes The purposes of this subsection are to— (A) provide effective, compelling, and en- gaging means for teaching and reinforcing fundamental STEM concepts to PreK–12 stu- dents; (B) expand the STEM workforce pipeline by increasing the number of youth in the United States exposed to STEM from an early age and encourage them to pursue ca- reers in STEM-related fields; and (C) broaden participation of groups histori- cally underrepresented in STEM and rural students, in the STEM workforce. (3) Use of funds (A) In general Awards made under this subsection shall support research and development on inno- vative before-school, after-school, out-of- school, or summer activities that are de- signed to encourage interest, engagement, and skills development in STEM, including for students from groups historically under- represented in STEM and rural students. (B) Permitted activities The research and development activities described in subparagraph (A) may include— (i) the provision of programming de- scribed in such subparagraph for the pur- pose of research described in such subpara- graph; (ii) the use of a variety of engagement methods, including cooperative and hands- on learning; (iii) exposure of students to role models in the fields of STEM and near-peer men- tors; (iv) training of informal learning edu- cators, youth-serving professionals, and volunteers who lead informal STEM pro- grams in using evidence-based methods consistent with the target student popu- lation being served; (v) education of students on the rel- evance and significance of STEM careers, provision of academic advice and assist- ance, and activities designed to help stu- dents make real-world connections to STEM content; (vi) the preparation of students to attend events, competitions, and academic pro- grams that provide content expertise and encourage career exposure in STEM, which may include the purchase of parts and sup- plies needed to prepare for participation in such competitions; (vii) activities designed to engage par- ents and families of students in PreK–12 in STEM; (viii) innovative strategies to engage students, such as using leadership skills and outcome measures to impart youth with the confidence to pursue STEM coursework and academic study; (ix) coordination with STEM-rich envi- ronments, including other nonprofit, non- governmental organizations, out-of- 2 classroom settings, institutions of higher education, vocational facilities, corpora- tions, museums, or science centers; and (x) the acquisition of instructional mate- rials or technology-based tools to conduct applicable award activity. (4) Application An applicant seeking funding under this sub- section shall submit an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such in- formation as may be required by the Director. Applications that include or partner with a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that has extensive experience and expertise in in- creasing the participation of students in PreK–12 in STEM are encouraged. At a min- imum, the application shall include the fol- lowing: (A) A description of the target audience to be served by the research activity or activi- ties for which such funding is sought. (B) A description of the process for recruit- ment and selection of students to partici- pate in such activities. Page 5137 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 1862r (C) A description of how such activity or activities may inform programming that en- gages students in PreK–12 in STEM. (D) A description of how such activity or activities may inform programming that promotes student academic achievement in STEM. (E) An evaluation plan that includes, at a minimum, the use of outcome-oriented measures to determine the impact and effi- cacy of programming being researched. (5) Evaluations Each recipient of an award under this sub- section shall provide, at the conclusion of every year during which the award funds are received, a report in a form prescribed by the Director. (6) Encourage applications In making awards under this subsection, the Director shall encourage applications which, for the purpose of the activity or activities funded through the award, are from or include eligible nonprofit programs serving students that attend elementary schools or secondary schools (including high schools) that— (A) are implementing comprehensive sup- port and improvement activities or targeted support and improvement activities under paragraph (1) or (2) of section 6311(d) of title 20; or (B) serve high percentages of students who are eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) (which, in the case of a high school, may be calculated using comparable data from the schools that feed into the high school). (7) Accountability and dissemination (A) Evaluation required The Director shall evaluate the activities established under this subsection. Such eval- uation shall— (i) use a common set of benchmarks and tools to assess the results of research con- ducted under such awards; and (ii) to the extent practicable, integrate the findings of the research resulting from the activity or activities funded through the award with the current research on serving students with respect to the pur- suit of degrees or careers in STEM, includ- ing underrepresented and rural students, in PreK–12. (B) Report on evaluations Not later than 180 days after the comple- tion of the evaluation under subparagraph (A), the Director shall submit to Congress and make widely available to the public a report that includes— (i) the results of the evaluation; and (ii) any recommendations for adminis- trative and legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the program under this subsection. (8) Coordination In carrying out this subsection, the Director shall, for purposes of enhancing program effec- tiveness and avoiding duplication of activities, consult, and coordinate with other relevant Federal agencies. (Pub. L. 114–59, § 3, Oct. 7, 2015, 129 Stat. 540; Pub. L. 114–329, title III, § 311, Jan. 6, 2017, 130 Stat. 3013; Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, §§ 10311(b), 10319(b), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1511, 1536.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, referred to in subsec. (c)(6)(B), is act June 4, 1946, ch. 281, 60 Stat. 230, which is classified generally to chapter 13 (§ 1751 et seq.) of this title. For complete classifica- tion of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 1751 of this title and Tables. CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the STEM Education Act of 2015, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter. AMENDMENTS 2022—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10319(b)(1), added par. (4). Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10319(b)(2), added par. (5). Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10311(b), added subsec. (c). 2017—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 114–329, § 311(a), added par. (3). Subsec. (b)(3), (4). Pub. L. 114–329, § 311(b), added pars. (3) and (4). § 1862r. Research in disabilities education (a) Program Nothing in this section and section 1862r–1 of this title alters the National Science Founda- tion’s Research in Disabilities Education pro- gram for fundamental and implementation re- search about learners (of all ages) with disabil- ities, including dyslexia, in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The Na- tional Science Foundation shall continue to en- courage efforts to understand and address dis- ability-based differences in STEM education and workforce participation, including differences for dyslexic learners. (b) Line item The Director of the National Science Founda- tion shall include the amount requested for the Research in Disabilities Education program in the Foundation’s annual congressional budget justification. (Pub. L. 114–124, § 3, Feb. 18, 2016, 130 Stat. 120.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the Research Excel- lence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act or READ Act, and not as part of the National Science Founda- tion Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries FINDINGS Pub. L. 114–124, § 2, Feb. 18, 2016, 130 Stat. 120, provided that: ‘‘The Congress finds the following: ‘‘(1) As many as 1 out of 6, or 8,500,000, American school children may have dyslexia.