America's Math and Science Excellence Act

Summary: (Sec. 4) Authorizes the NSF Director to award grants to secondary schools and institutions of higher education to establish student information technology internships. Limits the duration of such grants to three years. Requires the Director to ensure that: (1) any internship assisted by such a grant is conducted at a private sector entity; and (2) matching funds from the private sector are available in an amount equal to that of such grant funds. Authorizes appropriations.
(Sec. 5) Requires the NSF Director to make grants to States to provide supplementary scholarships to students for study leading to a graduate degree in science, math, engineering, or a related field. Requires such scholarships to be awarded by the State higher education system, the State scholarship commission, or an equivalent State entity. Requires States to provide: (1) at least one-half of the scholarship program cost; and (2) assurances that at least two-thirds of the scholarships will be awarded to students who are members of families with a family income that is not more than 200 percent of the poverty line. Authorizes appropriations.
(Sec. 6) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a Twenty-First Century Teacher Enhancement Program within NIST to provide for professional development of mathematics and science teachers for elementary, middle, and secondary schools. Requires such program to: (1) provide math and science teaching strategies, self-confidence in math and science, and understanding of math and science and their impact on commerce and the economy; (2) focus on specified and other appropriate areas of NIST expertise; (3) be conducted annually during the summer months; and (4) provide for teachers' participation in activities at NIST laboratory facilities or use other means of accomplishing program goals. Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This section may be cited as the ``American's Math and Science 
Excellence Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Science Foundation.
            (2) Elementary school; secondary school.--The terms 
        ``elementary school'' and ``secondary school'' have the 
        meanings given the terms in section 14101 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965.
            (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the same meaning given 
        it in section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1201(a)).
            (4) Charter school.--The term ``charter school'' has the 
        same meaning given it in section 10310(g) of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8060(g)).
            (5) Internship.--The term ``internship'' means a program of 
        personal service by an individual, other than an employee, for 
        a specified period of time under which the service is primarily 
        for the educational experience of the individual.

SEC. 3. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TEACHER TRAINING GRANTS.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--The Director, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Education, is authorized to award grants, on a competitive 
basis, to support professional development in the use of information 
technology as it pertains to enhanced student learning for teachers who 
teach in elementary schools, secondary schools, or charter schools.
    (b) Duration.--Grants awarded under this section--
            (1) to individuals shall be awarded for a period of not 
        more than 1 year; and
            (2) to educational institutions shall be awarded for a 
        period of not more than 3 years.
    (c) Applications.--
            (1) In general.--To receive a grant under this section, an 
        individual, secondary school, or other educational institution 
        shall submit an application to the Director at such time, in 
        such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 
        Director may require.
            (2) Requirements.--In awarding grants under this section, 
        the Director shall not require applications for the grants to 
        be submitted by computer or Internet-based routes, although 
        such applications may be submitted by such routes.
            (3) Uses of funds.--Grant funds awarded under this section 
        may be used for--
                    (A) substitute teacher pay or teacher salary;
                    (B) fees for attendance at workshops, seminars, 
                conferences, classes, or training sessions;
                    (C) developing a compensation system based on merit 
                that supports teachers who become increasingly expert 
                in subject areas underpinning information technology, 
                and demonstrate high levels of teaching performance, 
                resulting from the use of information technology tools, 
                measured against professional teaching standards; or
                    (D) other reasonable expenses related to 
                professional development in information technology for 
                elementary school, secondary school, or charter school 
                teachers.
            (4) Recipients.--Grants under this subsection may be 
        awarded to individual elementary school, secondary school, or 
        charter school teachers, to elementary schools, secondary 
        schools, or charter schools, or to organizations supporting 
        professional development in information technology areas for 
        elementary school, secondary school, or charter school 
        teachers.
            (5) Factors.--Among the factors the Director shall consider 
        in awarding grants under this subsection, are the following:
                    (A) Whether the grant will benefit elementary 
                schools, secondary schools, and charter schools that 
                are at or below the 25th percentile for academic 
                performance of schools in the respective State.
                    (B) Whether matching funds are available for the 
                private sector.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Science Foundation to carry out this 
section $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $30,000,000 for fiscal year 
2002, $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, and $35,000,000 for fiscal year 
2004.

SEC. 4. TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY WORKFORCE INTERNSHIP GRANTS.

    (a) Grants Authorized.--The Director, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Education, is authorized to award grants to secondary 
schools and institutions of higher education to establish student 
information technology internships.
    (b) Applications.--
            (1) In general.--To receive a grant under this section, an 
        individual, secondary school, or institution of higher 
        education shall submit an application to the Director at such 
        time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as 
        the Director may require.
            (2) Form.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
        Director shall not require applications for the grants to be 
        submitted by computer or Internet-based routes, although such 
        applications may be submitted by such routes.
    (c) Uses of Funds.--Grants awarded under this section may be used 
for--
            (1) internships designed to strengthen the science, 
        mathematics, and engineering preparation of technicians for the 
        high-performance workforce; and
            (2) internships to offer students hands-on opportunities in 
        the private sector to apply their education to information 
        technology, manufacturing, or information security.
    (d) Duration.--Grants awarded under this section shall be awarded 
for a period of not more than 3 years.
    (e) Other Requirements.--The Director shall ensure that--
            (1) any internship assisted by a grant made under this 
        section is conducted at a private sector entity; and
            (2) matching funds from the private sector are available in 
        an amount equal to the amount of grant funds provided under 
        this subsection.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to the 
National Science Foundation to be appropriated to carry out this 
section $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 
2002, $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, and $25,000,000 for fiscal year 
2004.

SEC. 5. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the National Science Foundation, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Education, shall make grants to 
States to provide supplementary scholarships to students for study 
leading to a graduate degree in science, math, engineering, or a 
related field. The scholarships shall be awarded by the State higher 
education system, the State scholarship commission, or an equivalent 
State entity.
    (b) Eligibility.--
            (1) In general.--A scholarship awarded under subsection (a) 
        may be applied to any technology-related degree program offered 
        at an accredited institution of higher learning, including a 
        college, university, community college, or vocational-training 
        institution.
            (2) Maximum amount.--A scholarship awarded under subsection 
        (a) may not, when combined with other sources of financial 
        assistance, exceed the cost of tuition and related expenses of 
        the qualified degree program of the recipient.
    (c) Matching.--The Director may not make a grant to a State under 
subsection (a) unless the State provides not less than one-half of the 
cost of the program for which the grant is provided from State funds.
    (d) Distribution.--The Director may not make a grant to a State 
under subsection (a) unless the State provides assurances that at least 
two-thirds of the scholarships awarded using grant funds will be 
awarded to students who are members of families with a family income 
that is not more than 200 percent of the poverty line.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Science Foundation a total of $50,000,000 
for grants under this section for fiscal years 2001 through 2004.

SEC. 6. TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY TEACHER ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 19A of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278g-2a) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 19A. TEACHER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director shall establish within the 
Institute a Twenty-First Century Teacher Enhancement Program.
    ``(b) Purpose and Goals.--The purpose of the program established 
under this section is to provide for professional development of 
mathematics and science teachers for elementary, middle, and secondary 
schools. The goals of the program are to provide--
            ``(1) math and science teaching strategies;
            ``(2) self-confidence in math and science; and
            ``(3) the understanding of math and science and their 
        impact on commerce and the economy.
    ``(c) Focus.--In carrying out the program under this section, the 
Director shall focus on the areas of--
            ``(1) scientific measurements;
            ``(2) tests and standards development;
            ``(3) industrial competitiveness and quality;
            ``(4) manufacturing;
            ``(5) technology transfer; and
            ``(6) any other area of expertise of the Institute that the 
        Director determines to be appropriate.
    ``(d) Selection Procedures and Criteria.--The Director shall 
develop and issue procedures and selection criteria for participants in 
the program. Each such participant shall be a teacher described in 
subsection (b).
    ``(e) Summer Program.--The program established under this section 
shall be conducted on an annual basis during the summer months, during 
the period of time when a majority of elementary, middle, and secondary 
schools have not commenced a school year.
    ``(f) Strategies.--The program shall provide for teachers' 
participation in activities at the Institute laboratory facilities or 
shall utilize other means of accomplishing the goals of the program, 
which may include use of the Internet, video conferencing and 
recording, workshops, and conferences.''.
    ``(b) Availability of Funds.--The following amounts of funds 
appropriated to the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
shall be used to carry out the Twenty-First Century Teacher Enhancement 
Program under section 19A of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology Act added by subsection (a) of this section:
            (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2001.
            (2) $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2002.
            (3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2003.
            (4) $6,500,000 for fiscal year 2004.