IIB 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4979 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions 

AN ACT 

To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation 

to support STEM education and workforce development 

research focused on rural areas, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural STEM Edu3 cation Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The supply of STEM workers is not keeping 

7 pace with the rapidly evolving needs of the public 

8 and private sector, resulting in a deficit often re9 ferred to as a STEM skills shortage. 

10 (2) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis11 tics, the United States will need one million addi12 tional STEM professionals than it is on track to 

13 produce in the coming decade. 

14 (3) Many STEM occupations offer higher 

15 wages, more opportunities for advancement, and a 

16 higher degree of job security than non-STEM jobs. 

17 (4) The 60,000,000 individuals in the United 

18 States who live in rural settings are significantly 

19 under-represented in STEM. 

20 (5) According to the National Center for Edu21 cation Statistics, nine million students in the United 

22 States—nearly 20 percent of the total K–12 popu23 lation—attend rural schools, and for reasons rang24 ing from teacher quality to shortages of resources, 

25 these students often have fewer opportunities for 


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1 high-quality STEM learning than their peers in the 

2 Nation’s urban and suburban schools. 

3 (6) Rural areas represent one of the most 

4 promising, yet underutilized, opportunities for 

5 STEM education to impact workforce development 

6 and regional innovation, including agriculture. 

7 (7) The study of agriculture, food, and natural 

8 resources involves biology, engineering, physics, 

9 chemistry, math, geology, computer science, and 

10 other scientific fields. 

11 (8) Employment in computer and information 

12 technology occupations is projected to grow 11 per13 cent from 2019 to 2029. To help meet this demand, 

14 it is important rural students have the opportunity 

15 to acquire computing skills through exposure to com16 puter science learning in grades Pre-K through 12 

17 and in informal learning settings. 

18 (9) More than 293,000,000 individuals in the 

19 United States use high-speed broadband to work, 

20 learn, access healthcare, and operate their busi21 nesses, while 19,000,000 individuals in the United 

22 States still lack access to high-speed broadband. 

23 Rural areas are hardest hit, with over 26 percent of 

24 individuals in rural areas in the United States lack25 ing access to high-speed broadband compared to 1.7 


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1 percent of individuals in urban areas in the United 

2 States. 

3 SEC. 3. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RURAL STEM AC4 TIVITIES. 

5 (a) PREPARING RURAL STEM EDUCATORS.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall provide 

7 grants on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to in8 stitutions of higher education or nonprofit organiza9 tions (or a consortium thereof) for research and de10 velopment to advance innovative approaches to sup11 port and sustain high-quality STEM teaching in 

12 rural schools. 

13 (2) USE OF FUNDS.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants awarded under 

15 this section shall be used for the research and 

16 development activities referred to in paragraph 

17 (1), which may include— 

18 (i) engaging rural educators of stu19 dents in grades Pre-K through 12 in pro20 fessional learning opportunities to enhance 

21 STEM knowledge, including computer 

22 science, and develop best practices; 

23 (ii) supporting research on effective 

24 STEM teaching practices in rural settings, 

25 including the use of rubrics and masteryVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979

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1 based grading practices to assess student 

2 performance when employing the 

3 transdisciplinary teaching approach for 

4 STEM disciplines; 

5 (iii) designing and developing pre6 service and in-service training resources to 

7 assist such rural educators in adopting 

8 transdisciplinary teaching practices across 

9 STEM courses; 

10 (iv) coordinating with local partners 

11 to adapt STEM teaching practices to lever12 age local natural and community assets in 

13 order to support in-place learning in rural 

14 areas; 

15 (v) providing hands-on training and 

16 research opportunities for rural educators 

17 described in clause (i) at Federal Labora18 tories, institutions of higher education, or 

19 in industry; 

20 (vi) developing training and best prac21 tices for educators who teach multiple 

22 grade levels within a STEM discipline; 

23 (vii) designing and implementing pro24 fessional development courses and experi25 ences, including mentoring, for rural eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979

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1 cators described in clause (i) that combine 

2 face-to-face and online experiences; and 

3 (viii) any other activity the Director 

4 determines will accomplish the goals of this 

5 subsection. 

6 (B) RURAL STEM COLLABORATIVE.—The 

7 Director may establish a pilot program of re8 gional cohorts in rural areas that will provide 

9 peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research 

10 experiences for rural STEM educators of stu11 dents in grades Pre-K through 12, in order to 

12 build an ecosystem of cooperation among edu13 cators, researchers, academia, and local indus14 try. 

15 (b) BROADENING PARTICIPATION OF RURAL STU16 DENTS IN STEM.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall provide 

18 grants on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to in19 stitutions of higher education or nonprofit organiza20 tions (or a consortium thereof) for— 

21 (A) research and development of program22 ming to identify the barriers rural students face 

23 in accessing high-quality STEM education; and 

24 (B) development of innovative solutions to 

25 improve the participation and advancement of 


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1 rural students in grades Pre-K through 12 in 

2 STEM studies. 

3 (2) USE OF FUNDS.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Grants awarded under 

5 this section shall be used for the research and 

6 development activities referred to in paragraph 

7 (1), which may include— 

8 (i) developing partnerships with com9 munity colleges to offer advanced STEM 

10 course work, including computer science, to 

11 rural high school students; 

12 (ii) supporting research on effective 

13 STEM practices in rural settings; 

14 (iii) implementing a school-wide 

15 STEM approach; 

16 (iv) improving the National Science 

17 Foundation’s Advanced Technology Edu18 cation program’s coordination and engage19 ment with rural communities; 

20 (v) collaborating with existing commu21 nity partners and networks, such as the co22 operative research and extension services 

23 of the Department of Agriculture and 

24 youth serving organizations like 4–H, after 

25 school STEM programs, and summer 


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1 STEM programs, to leverage community 

2 resources and develop place-based pro3 gramming; 

4 (vi) connecting rural school districts 

5 and institutions of higher education, to im6 prove precollegiate STEM education and 

7 engagement; 

8 (vii) supporting partnerships that 

9 offer hands-on inquiry-based science activi10 ties, including coding, and access to lab re11 sources for students studying STEM in 

12 grades Pre-K through 12 in a rural area; 

13 (viii) evaluating the role of broadband 

14 connectivity and its associated impact on 

15 the STEM and technology literacy of rural 

16 students; 

17 (ix) building capacity to support ex18 tracurricular STEM programs in rural 

19 schools, including mentor-led engagement 

20 programs, STEM programs held during 

21 nonschool hours, STEM networks, 

22 makerspaces, coding activities, and com23 petitions; and 


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1 (x) any other activity the Director de2 termines will accomplish the goals of this 

3 subsection. 

4 (c) APPLICATION.—An applicant seeking a grant 

5 under subsection (a) or (b) shall submit an application at 

6 such time, in such manner, and containing such informa7 tion as the Director may require. The application may in8 clude the following: 

9 (1) A description of the target population to be 

10 served by the research activity or activities for which 

11 such grant is sought. 

12 (2) A description of the process for recruitment 

13 and selection of students, educators, or schools from 

14 rural areas to participate in such activity or activi15 ties. 

16 (3) A description of how such activity or activi17 ties may inform efforts to promote the engagement 

18 and achievement of rural students in grades Pre-K 

19 through 12 in STEM studies. 

20 (4) In the case of a proposal consisting of a 

21 partnership or partnerships with one or more rural 

22 schools and one or more researchers, a plan for es23 tablishing a sustained partnership that is jointly de24 veloped and managed, draws from the capacities of 

25 each partner, and is mutually beneficial. 


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1 (d) PARTNERSHIPS.—In awarding grants under sub2 section (a) or (b), the Director shall— 

3 (1) encourage applicants which, for the purpose 

4 of the activity or activities funded through the grant, 

5 include or partner with a nonprofit organization or 

6 an institution of higher education (or a consortium 

7 thereof) that has extensive experience and expertise 

8 in increasing the participation of rural students in 

9 grades Pre-K through 12 in STEM; 

10 (2) encourage applicants which, for the purpose 

11 of the activity or activities funded through the grant, 

12 include or partner with a consortium of rural schools 

13 or rural school districts; and 

14 (3) encourage applications which, for the pur15 pose of the activity or activities funded through the 

16 grant, include commitments from school principals 

17 and administrators to making reforms and activities 

18 proposed by the applicant a priority. 

19 (e) EVALUATIONS.—All proposals for grants under 

20 subsections (a) and (b) shall include an evaluation plan 

21 that includes the use of outcome oriented measures to as22 sess the impact and efficacy of the grant. Each recipient 

23 of a grant under this section shall include results from 

24 these evaluative activities in annual and final projects. 

25 (f) ACCOUNTABILITY AND DISSEMINATION.— 


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1 (1) EVALUATION REQUIRED.—The Director 

2 shall evaluate the portfolio of grants awarded under 

3 subsections (a) and (b). Such evaluation shall— 

4 (A) use a common set of benchmarks and 

5 tools to assess the results of research conducted 

6 under such grants and identify best practices; 

7 and 

8 (B) to the extent practicable, integrate the 

9 findings of research resulting from the activity 

10 or activities funded through such grants with 

11 the findings of other research on rural student’s 

12 pursuit of degrees or careers in STEM. 

13 (2) REPORT ON EVALUATIONS.—Not later than 

14 180 days after the completion of the evaluation 

15 under paragraph (1), the Director shall submit to 

16 Congress and make widely available to the public a 

17 report that includes— 

18 (A) the results of the evaluation; and 

19 (B) any recommendations for administra20 tive and legislative action that could optimize 

21 the effectiveness of the grants awarded under 

22 this section. 

23 (g) REPORT BY COMMITTEE ON EQUAL OPPORTUNI24 TIES IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—As part of the first report 

2 required by section 36(e) of the Science and Engi3 neering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 

4 1885c(e)) transmitted to Congress after the date of 

5 enactment of this Act, the Committee on Equal Op6 portunities in Science and Engineering shall in7 clude— 

8 (A) a description of past and present poli9 cies and activities of the Foundation to encour10 age full participation of students in rural com11 munities in science, mathematics, engineering, 

12 and computer science fields; and 

13 (B) an assessment of trends in participa14 tion of rural students in grades Pre-K through 

15 12 in Foundation activities, and an assessment 

16 of the policies and activities of the Foundation, 

17 along with proposals for new strategies or the 

18 broadening of existing successful strategies to19 wards facilitating the goals of this Act. 

20 (2) TECHNICAL CORRECTION.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—Section 313 of the 

22 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act 

23 (Public Law 114–329) is amended by striking 

24 ‘‘Section 204(e) of the National Science Foun25 dation Authorization Act of 1988’’ and insertVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979

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1 ing ‘‘Section 36(e) of the Science and Engineer2 ing Equal Opportunities Act’’. 

3 (B) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment 

4 made by paragraph (1) shall take effect as if 

5 included in the enactment of section 313 of the 

6 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act 

7 (Public Law 114–329). 

8 (h) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this section, the 

9 Director shall, for purposes of enhancing program effec10 tiveness and avoiding duplication of activities, consult, co11 operate, and coordinate with the programs and policies of 

12 other relevant Federal agencies. 

13 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

14 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director— 

15 (1) $8,000,000 to carry out the activities under 

16 subsection (a) for each of fiscal years 2021 through 

17 2025; and 

18 (2) $12,000,000 to carry out the activities 

19 under subsection (b) for each of fiscal years 2021 

20 through 2025. 

21 SEC. 4. OPPORTUNITIES FOR ONLINE EDUCATION. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall, subject to ap23 propriations, award competitive grants to institutions of 

24 higher education or nonprofit organizations (or a consor25 tium thereof, which may include a private sector partner) 


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1 to conduct research on online STEM education courses for 

2 rural communities. 

3 (b) RESEARCH AREAS.—The research areas eligible 

4 for funding under this subsection shall include— 

5 (1) evaluating the learning and achievement of 

6 rural students in grades Pre-K through 12 in STEM 

7 subjects; 

8 (2) understanding how computer-based and on9 line professional development courses and mentor ex10 periences can be integrated to meet the needs of 

11 educators of rural students in grades Pre-K through 

12 12; 

13 (3) combining computer-based and online 

14 STEM education and training with apprenticeships, 

15 mentoring, or other applied learning arrangements; 

16 (4) leveraging online programs to supplement 

17 STEM studies for rural students that need physical 

18 and academic accommodation; and 

19 (5) any other activity the Director determines 

20 will accomplish the goals of this subsection. 

21 (c) EVALUATIONS.—All proposals for grants under 

22 this section shall include an evaluation plan that includes 

23 the use of outcome oriented measures to assess the impact 

24 and efficacy of the grant. Each recipient of a grant under 


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1 this section shall include results from these evaluative ac2 tivities in annual and final projects. 

3 (d) ACCOUNTABILITY AND DISSEMINATION.— 

4 (1) EVALUATION REQUIRED.—The Director 

5 shall evaluate the portfolio of grants awarded under 

6 this section. Such evaluation shall— 

7 (A) use a common set of benchmarks and 

8 tools to assess the results of research conducted 

9 under such grants and identify best practices; 

10 and 

11 (B) to the extent practicable, integrate 

12 findings from activities carried out pursuant to 

13 research conducted under this section, with re14 spect to the pursuit of careers and degrees in 

15 STEM, with those activities carried our pursu16 ant to other research on serving rural students 

17 and communities. 

18 (2) REPORT ON EVALUATIONS.—Not later than 

19 180 days after the completion of the evaluation 

20 under paragraph (1), the Director shall submit to 

21 Congress and make widely available to the public a 

22 report that includes— 

23 (A) the results of the evaluation; and 

24 (B) any recommendations for administra25 tive and legislative action that could optimize 


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1 the effectiveness of the grants awarded under 

2 this section. 

3 (e) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this section, the 

4 Director shall, for purposes of enhancing program effec5 tiveness and avoiding duplication of activities, consult, co6 operate, and coordinate with the programs and policies of 

7 other relevant Federal agencies. 

8 SEC. 5. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES EVALUATION. 

9 (a) STUDY.—Not later than 12 months after the date 

10 of enactment of this Act, the Director shall enter into an 

11 agreement with the National Academy of Sciences under 

12 which the National Academy agrees to conduct an evalua13 tion and assessment that— 

14 (1) evaluates the quality and quantity of cur15 rent Federal programming and research directed at 

16 examining STEM education for students in grades 

17 Pre-K through 12 and workforce development in 

18 rural areas; 

19 (2) assesses the impact of the scarcity of 

20 broadband connectivity in rural communities has on 

21 STEM and technical literacy for students in grades 

22 Pre-K through 12 in rural areas; 

23 (3) assesses the core research and data needed 

24 to understand the challenges rural areas are facing 


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1 in providing quality STEM education and workforce 

2 development; and 

3 (4) makes recommendations for action at the 

4 Federal, State, and local levels for improving STEM 

5 education for students in grades Pre-K through 12 

6 and workforce development in rural areas. 

7 (b) REPORT TO DIRECTOR.—The agreement entered 

8 into under subsection (a) shall require the National Acad9 emy of Sciences, not later than 24 months after the date 

10 of enactment of this Act, to submit to the Director a re11 port on the study conducted under such subsection, includ12 ing the National Academy’s findings and recommenda13 tions. 

14 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

15 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director to carry 

16 out this section $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2021. 

17 SEC. 6. GAO REVIEW. 

18 Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 

19 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

20 shall conduct a study on the engagement of rural popu21 lations in Federal STEM programs and submit to Con22 gress a report that includes— 

23 (1) an assessment of how Federal STEM edu24 cation programs are serving rural populations; 


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1 (2) a description of initiatives carried out by 

2 Federal agencies that are targeted at supporting 

3 STEM education in rural areas; 

4 (3) an assessment of what is known about the 

5 impact and effectiveness of Federal investments in 

6 STEM education programs that are targeted to 

7 rural areas; and 

8 (4) an assessment of challenges that state and 

9 Federal STEM education programs face in reaching 

10 rural population centers. 

11 SEC. 7. CAPACITY BUILDING THROUGH EPSCOR. 

12 Section 517(f)(2) of the America COMPETES Reau13 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 1862p–9(f)(2)) is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

16 the end; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(C) to increase the capacity of rural com19 munities to provide quality STEM education 

20 and STEM workforce development program21 ming to students, and teachers; and’’. 

22 SEC. 8. NIST ENGAGEMENT WITH RURAL COMMUNITIES. 

23 (a) MEP OUTREACH.—Section 25 of the National 

24 Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 

25 278k) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (c)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘commu3 nity colleges and area career and technical edu4 cation schools’’ and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘secondary schools (as defined in section 8101 

6 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

7 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), community col8 leges, and area career and technical education 

9 schools, including those in underserved and 

10 rural communities,’’; and 

11 (B) in paragraph (7)— 

12 (i) by striking ‘‘and local colleges’’ 

13 and inserting the following: ‘‘local high 

14 schools and local collseges, including those 

15 in underserved and rural communities,’’; 

16 and 

17 (ii) by inserting ‘‘or other applied 

18 learning opportunities’’ after ‘‘apprentice19 ships’’; and 

20 (2) in subsection (d)(3) by striking ‘‘, commu21 nity colleges, and area career and technical edu22 cation schools,’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘and 

23 local high schools, community colleges, and area ca24 reer and technical education schools, including those 

25 in underserved and rural communities,’’. 


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1 (b) RURAL CONNECTIVITY PRIZE COMPETITION.— 

2 (1) PRIZE COMPETITION.—Pursuant to section 

3 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation 

4 Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), the Secretary of 

5 Commerce, acting through the Under Secretary of 

6 Commerce for Standards and Technology (referred 

7 to in this subsection as the ‘‘Secretary’’), shall, sub8 ject to appropriations, carry out a program to award 

9 prizes competitively to stimulate research and devel10 opment of creative technologies in order to deploy 

11 affordable and reliable broadband connectivity to un12 derserved rural communities. 

13 (2) PLAN FOR DEPLOYMENT IN RURAL COMMU14 NITIES.—Each proposal submitted pursuant to para15 graph (1) shall include a plan for deployment of the 

16 technology that is the subject of such proposal in an 

17 underserved rural community. 

18 (3) PRIZE AMOUNT.—In carrying out the pro19 gram under paragraph (1), the Secretary may award 

20 not more than a total of $5,000,000 to one or more 

21 winners of the prize competition. 

22 (4) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the 

23 date on which a prize is awarded under the prize 

24 competition, the Secretary shall submit to the relVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:41 Sep 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4979.RFS H4979

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1 evant committees of Congress a report that describes 

2 the winning proposal of the prize competition. 

3 (5) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the pro4 gram under subsection (a), the Secretary may con5 sult with the heads of relevant departments and 

6 agencies of the Federal Government. 

7 SEC. 9. NITR-D BROADBAND WORKING GROUP. 

8 Title I of the High-Performance Computing Act of 

9 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

10 the end the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 103. BROADBAND RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

12 WORKING GROUP. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish a 

14 broadband research and development working group to ad15 dress national research challenges and opportunities for 

16 improving broadband access and adoption across the 

17 United States. 

18 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—The working group shall identify 

19 and coordinate key research priorities for addressing 

20 broadband access and adoption, including— 

21 ‘‘(1) promising research areas; 

22 ‘‘(2) requirements for data collection and shar23 ing; 


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1 ‘‘(3) opportunities for better alignment and co2 ordination across Federal agencies and external 

3 stakeholders; and 

4 ‘‘(4) input on the development of new Federal 

5 policies and programs to enhance data collection and 

6 research. 

7 ‘‘(c) COORDINATION.—The working group shall co8 ordinate, as appropriate, with the Rural Broadband Inte9 gration Working Group established under section 6214 of 

10 the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 

11 115–334) and the National Institute of Food and Agri12 culture of the Department of Agriculture. 

13 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—The working group shall report to 

14 Congress on their activities as part of the annual report 

15 submitted under section 101(a)(2)(D). 

16 ‘‘(e) SUNSET.—The authority to carry out this sec17 tion shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the 

18 date of enactment of the Rural STEM Education Act.’’. 

19 SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS. 

20 In this Act: 

21 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

22 the Director of the National Science Foundation es23 tablished under section 2 of the National Science 

24 Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1861). 


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1 (2) FEDERAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Fed2 eral laboratory’’ has the meaning given such term in 

3 section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Inno4 vation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703). 

5 (3) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘‘Foundation’’ 

6 means the National Science Foundation established 

7 under section 2 of the National Science Foundation 

8 Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1861). 

9 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

10 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

11 meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the 

12 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

13 (5) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ has the mean14 ing given the term in section 2 of the America COM15 PETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

16 6621 note). 

17 (6) STEM EDUCATION.—The term ‘‘STEM 

18 education’’ has the meaning given the term in sec19 tion 2 of the STEM Education Act of 2015 (42 

20 U.S.C. 6621 note). 

Passed the House of Representatives September 16, 

2020. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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