Educating Tomorrow's Engineers Act

Summary: Educating Tomorrow's Engineers Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to incorporate engineering design skills and practices into their academic content standards and academic achievement standards and assessments in science by the 2016-2017 school year. Requires states to reserve 10% of the grant they receive under the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund program to award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations and other entities with expertise in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to develop and provide professional development and instructional materials for STEM education in their state.  Changes current references to the mathematics and science partnerships program to references to the STEM partnerships program, which provides funding to states, institutions of higher education, and high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit and train STEM teachers and improve STEM curricula. Amends the 21st century community learning centers program to include STEM activities (currently, mathematics and science activities) within the before- and after-school activities funded under that program. Amends the rural and low-income school program to include professional development in engineering education among the uses of the funds provided to rural LEAs. Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to require the National Center for Education Research to sponsor and conduct research geared toward improving STEM, rather than just mathematics and science, teaching and learning. Directs the Secretary of Education to support research on engineering education and use that research to provide information to the public, and technical assistance to states, on best practices and promising innovations in kindergarten through grade 12 engineering education.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Educating Tomorrow's Engineers 
Act''.

 TITLE I--AMENDMENTS TO THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF 
                                  1965

             PART A--ENGINEERING STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS

SEC. 111. ACADEMIC STANDARDS, ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS, AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

    Section 1111(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(G) Integration of engineering skills and 
                practices into science standards.--By not later than 
                the 2016-2017 school year, each State plan shall 
                demonstrate that the State has incorporated engineering 
                design skills and practice into the State science 
                challenging academic content standards and student 
                academic achievement standards that are required under 
                this paragraph.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3)(C)(v)(II), by inserting ``(including, 
        beginning not later than the 2016-2017 school year, engineering 
        design skills and practices)'' after ``science''.

SEC. 112. GRANTS FOR STATE ASSESSMENTS AND RELATED ACTIVITIES.

    Section 6111(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7301(1)) is amended by inserting ``, including the 
integration of engineering concepts into science assessments,'' before 
``and standards''.

      PART B--PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

SEC. 121. TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL TRAINING AND RECRUITING FUND.

    Section 2113 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 6613) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``95'' and 
                inserting ``85'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' after the 
                semicolon;
                    (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
                (4); and
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) reserve 10 percent of the funds made available 
        through the grant to make subgrants in accordance with 
        subsection (e); and'';
            (2) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections 
        (f) and (g), respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after subsection (d) the following:
    ``(e) STEM Professional Development and Instructional Materials 
Grants.--A State educational agency that receives a grant under this 
part shall use the funds described in subsection (a)(3) to award 
grants, on a competitive basis, to nonprofit organizations, and other 
entities, with expertise and a demonstrated record of success in STEM 
fields to enable such organizations and entities to develop and provide 
professional development and instructional materials for STEM in the 
State.''.

SEC. 122. STEM PARTNERSHIPS.

    Part B of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6661 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in the part heading, by striking ``mathematics and 
        science partnerships'' and inserting ``stem partnerships'';
            (2) in section 2201--
                    (A) by striking ``mathematics and science'' each 
                place the term appears and inserting ``STEM''; and
                    (B) in subsection (a)(4), by striking 
                ``engineering, mathematics, and science'' and inserting 
                ``STEM'';
            (3) in section 2202--
                    (A) in the section heading, by striking 
                ``mathematics and science'' and inserting ``stem'';
                    (B) in subsection (b)(2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``mathematics and science'' and inserting 
                        ``STEM'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
                        ``student academic achievement in mathematics 
                        and science'' and inserting ``student academic 
                        achievement in STEM''; and
                            (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
                        ``mathematics and science'' and inserting 
                        ``STEM''; and
                    (C) in subsection (c)--
                            (i) in each of paragraphs (1) and (2), by 
                        striking ``mathematics and science'' and 
                        inserting ``STEM'';
                            (ii) in paragraph (3), in the matter 
                        preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``mathematics and science'' each place the term 
                        appears and inserting ``STEM'';
                            (iii) in paragraph (4)--
                                    (I) in the matter preceding 
                                subparagraph (A), by striking 
                                ``mathematics, engineering, and science 
                                majors'' and inserting ``individuals 
                                with a baccalaureate degree in a STEM 
                                field'';
                                    (II) in each of subparagraphs (A) 
                                and (C), by striking ``mathematics, 
                                engineering, or science'' each place 
                                the term appears and inserting ``a STEM 
                                field'';
                                    (III) in subparagraph (B), by 
                                striking ``mathematics and science'' 
                                and inserting ``STEM''; and
                                    (IV) in subparagraph (D), by 
                                striking ``mathematics, engineering, or 
                                science backgrounds'' and inserting 
                                ``backgrounds in STEM fields'';
                            (iv) in paragraph (5), by striking 
                        ``mathematics and science curricula'' each 
                        place the term appears and inserting ``STEM 
                        curricula'';
                            (v) in paragraph (6), by striking 
                        ``mathematics and science'' and inserting 
                        ``STEM'';
                            (vi) in paragraph (7), by striking 
                        ``mathematics or science'' each place the term 
                        appears and inserting ``STEM'';
                            (vii) in paragraph (8)--
                                    (I) by striking ``mathematics and 
                                science'' and inserting ``STEM'';
                                    (II) by striking ``and engineers'' 
                                and inserting ``engineers, and other 
                                professionals in STEM fields''; and
                                    (III) by striking ``science and 
                                mathematics'' and inserting ``STEM'';
                            (viii) in paragraph (9), by striking 
                        ``mathematics and science'' and inserting 
                        ``STEM''; and
                            (ix) in paragraph (10)--
                                    (I) by striking ``mathematics and 
                                science teachers'' and inserting ``STEM 
                                teachers''; and
                                    (II) by striking ``mathematics and 
                                science careers (including engineering 
                                and technology)'' and inserting 
                                ``careers in STEM fields'';
                    (D) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ``mathematics 
                and science teaching'' and inserting ``STEM teaching''; 
                and
                    (E) in subsection (e)(2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``mathematics and science'' and inserting 
                        ``STEM'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
                        ``and a strategy for integrating engineering 
                        into the science assessments in accordance with 
                        section 1111(b)(3)'' before the semicolon at 
                        the end; and
                            (iii) in subparagraph (C)--
                                    (I) in clause (i), by striking 
                                ``mathematics and science'' and 
                                inserting ``STEM'';
                                    (II) in clause (ii), by striking 
                                ``in mathematics, engineering, or the 
                                sciences'' and inserting ``in a STEM 
                                field''; and
                                    (III) in clause (iii)--
                                            (aa) by striking 
                                        ``mathematics and science'' and 
                                        inserting ``STEM subjects''; 
                                        and
                                            (bb) by striking 
                                        ``mathematics, engineering, and 
                                        science'' and inserting ``a 
                                        STEM field''.

                     PART C--AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS

SEC. 131. 21ST CENTURY LEARNING CENTERS.

    Section 4205(a)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7175(a)(2)) is amended by striking ``mathematics and 
science'' and inserting ``STEM''.

                        PART D--RURAL EDUCATION

SEC. 141. RURAL AND LOW-INCOME SCHOOL PROGRAM.

    Section 6222(a)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6351a(a)(2)) is amended by inserting ``and professional 
development in the area of engineering education'' before the period at 
the end.

                       PART E--GENERAL PROVISIONS

SEC. 151. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 7801) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (37) through (43) as 
        paragraphs (38) through (44), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (37) the following:
            ``(38) STEM.--The term `STEM' means--
                    ``(A) science, technology, engineering, and 
                mathematics; and
                    ``(B) other academic subjects that build on the 
                subjects described in subparagraph (A), such as 
                computer science.''.

    TITLE II--AMENDMENTS TO THE EDUCATION SCIENCE REFORM ACT OF 2002

SEC. 201. NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH.

    The Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.) 
is amended--
            (1) in section 131(b)(1)(C) (20 U.S.C. 9531(b)(1)(C)), by 
        striking ``mathematics, science,'' and inserting ``STEM (as 
        defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)),''; and
            (2) in section 133(a)(11) (20 U.S.C. 9533(a)(11)) by 
        striking ``mathematics and science'' and inserting ``STEM (as 
        defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801))''.

SEC. 202. RESEARCH ON ENGINEERING EDUCATION.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Education, acting through the 
Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall support, 
directly or through grants or contracts, research on engineering 
education, including studies and evaluations that--
            (1) identify and assess how science inquiry and 
        mathematical reasoning can be connected to engineering design 
        in kindergarten through grade 12 curricula and teacher 
        professional development;
            (2) identify best practices and promising innovations in 
        the field of kindergarten through grade 12 engineering 
        education; and
            (3) include any other information or assessments the 
        Secretary of Education may require.
    (b) Dissemination.--The Secretary of Education shall, based on the 
results of the research described in subsection (a), disseminate 
information and analysis to the public, and provide technical 
assistance to State educational agencies, on best practices and 
promising innovations in the field of kindergarten through grade 12 
engineering education.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018.