II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 444 

To support afterschool and out-of-school-time science, technology, engineering, 

and mathematics programs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 10, 2015 

Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself, Mrs. BOXER, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. HEINRICH, 

Mr. MERKLEY, and Mr. WYDEN) introduced the following bill; which was 

read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

and Pensions 

A BILL 

To support afterschool and out-of-school-time science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Supporting Afterschool 

5 STEM Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Numerous authoritative studies document 

9 that the proficiency of students in the United States 


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1 in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

2 (‘‘STEM’’) will have a major impact on the Nation’s 

3 future economic competitiveness and on the pre4 eminence of the United States in scientific inquiry 

5 and technological innovation. 

6 (2) Results from the National Assessment of 

7 Educational Progress, the Trends in International 

8 Mathematics and Science Study, the Programme for 

9 International Science Assessment, and other sources 

10 show that students in the United States are not 

11 demonstrating sufficient achievement in the STEM 

12 subjects and are not keeping pace with students in 

13 other countries. 

14 (3) Research demonstrates the importance of 

15 afterschool programs in engaging students in STEM 

16 fields and building STEM-relevant skills and pro17 ficiencies, especially for girls, students from popu18 lations traditionally underrepresented in STEM 

19 fields, and students from low socioeconomic cir20 cumstances. 

21 (4) A National Research Council consensus 

22 study confirmed the importance of learning that oc23 curs in out-of-school-time settings such as after24 school programs and science centers, and proposed 

25 a set of ‘‘strands of science learning’’ framework 


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1 that articulated capabilities fostered by informal 

2 learning environments. 

3 (5) According to a 2013 study entitled ‘‘Defin4 ing Youth Outcomes for STEM Learning in After5 school’’, the afterschool field is confident in its abil6 ity to help young people develop interest in STEM 

7 and STEM learning activities, develop capacities to 

8 productively engage in such activities, and come to 

9 value them. The afterschool field is also confident 

10 that it can impact skills such as problem-solving 

11 abilities, demonstrating STEM skills, career aware12 ness, and 21st century skills, such as teamwork, 

13 that are important to the workforce and national 

14 economic goals. 

15 (6) The Federal Government should use its re16 sources as effectively as possible to increase opportu17 nities for students to be exposed to STEM subjects 

18 outside of the school day and to build a balanced 

19 kindergarten through grade 12 STEM education 

20 portfolio that fosters learning in school as well as in 

21 out-of-school-time programs. 

22 (7) Afterschool programs have long partnered 

23 with other youth-serving and community organiza24 tions to meet the needs of students. Cross-sector col25 laborations between afterschool programs, schools, 


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1 science centers, institutions of higher education, 

2 businesses, and other entities are yielding great ben3 efits for engaging young people in STEM fields. 

4 (8) As interest and momentum grows around 

5 STEM programming in afterschool, more and better 

6 partnerships across Federal agencies become in7 creasingly important to leverage resources and offer 

8 high-quality, hands-on STEM experiences for youth. 

9 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

10 The purposes of this Act are— 

11 (1) to enhance America’s economic competitive12 ness by strengthening STEM education through fos13 tering interest and success in STEM subjects among 

14 certain student populations in kindergarten through 

15 grade 12; 

16 (2) to engage Federal agencies and foster inter17 agency collaboration in STEM education afterschool 

18 program investments; 

19 (3) to recognize the important role that after20 school programs offered by nonprofit and commu21 nity-based organizations, science centers, museums, 

22 libraries, and other such entities, play in STEM edu23 cation and to support their efforts; 


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1 (4) to involve institutions of higher education as 

2 partners in such efforts and foster increased collabo3 ration; and 

4 (5) to inspire young people to study and work 

5 in STEM subjects. 

6 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) AFTERSCHOOL OR STEM NETWORK.—The 

9 term ‘‘afterschool or STEM network’’ means a coali10 tion that fosters partnerships and provides support 

11 to afterschool program providers and STEM edu12 cation providers to develop and sustain quality edu13 cation programming for children and youth in after14 school programs. 

15 (2) AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM.—The term 

16 ‘‘afterschool program’’ means a structured program 

17 offered for elementary school, middle school, or sec18 ondary school students when school is not in session, 

19 such as before or after school, on the weekend, or 

20 during the summer. 

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

22 the Director of the National Science Foundation. 

23 (4) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘elemen24 tary school’’ has the meaning given the term in secVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:26 Feb 18, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S444.IS S444

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1 tion 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu2 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

3 (5) MIDDLE SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘middle 

4 school’’ means a nonprofit institutional day or resi5 dential school, including a public charter school, that 

6 provides middle grades education, as determined 

7 under State law. 

8 (6) SECONDARY SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘sec9 ondary school’’ has the meaning given the term in 

10 section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu11 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

12 (7) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

14 meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 

15 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

16 (8) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means science, 

17 technology, engineering, or mathematics, and in18 cludes the fields of computer science and robotics. 

19 SEC. 5. AFTERSCHOOL STEM SUPPORT GRANT PROGRAM. 

20 (a) GOALS OF PROGRAM.—The goals of the after21 school STEM grant program carried out under this Act 

22 are— 

23 (1) to support the development and delivery of 

24 high-quality STEM education to populations under25 represented in STEM fields; 


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1 (2) to leverage the expertise and infrastructure 

2 available to afterschool programs that include 

3 STEM content through afterschool or STEM net4 works; 

5 (3) to leverage existing Federal STEM edu6 cation investments, as of the date of enactment of 

7 this Act, in order to encourage STEM-focused grant 

8 recipients to lend their time and expertise to after9 school programs that include STEM content; and 

10 (4) to provide hands-on learning and exposure 

11 to STEM research facilities and businesses through 

12 in-person or virtual distance-learning experiences. 

13 (b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appropriated 

15 to carry out this Act and not reserved under para16 graph (4), the Director shall award grants, on a 

17 competitive basis, to afterschool or STEM net18 works— 

19 (A) to support afterschool programs that 

20 include STEM content through the activities 

21 described in subsection (e); and 

22 (B) to carry out the goals described in sub23 section (a). 


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1 (2) DURATION.—Each grant awarded under 

2 this Act shall be for a period of not more than 3 

3 years. 

4 (3) AMOUNTS.—The Director shall ensure that 

5 each grant awarded under this Act is in an amount 

6 that is sufficient to carry out the goals described in 

7 subsection (a). 

8 (4) RESERVATION.—From the amounts appro9 priated for this grant, the Director shall reserve 20 

10 percent of such funds to develop and support new 

11 afterschool or STEM networks in States or areas 

12 where such networks do not exist. 

13 (c) APPLICATION.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—An afterschool or STEM 

15 network desiring a grant under subsection (b)(1) 

16 shall submit an application at such time, in such 

17 manner, and containing such information that the 

18 Director may require. 

19 (2) CONTENTS.—The application described in 

20 paragraph (1) shall, at a minimum, include— 

21 (A) a description of the status of after22 school STEM programming in the State or area 

23 in which the afterschool or STEM network is 

24 located, including— 


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1 (i) the number of afterschool pro2 grams in the State or area; 

3 (ii) the number of such afterschool 

4 programs focused on STEM subjects and 

5 activities; 

6 (iii) the number of students served by 

7 existing afterschool programs, as of the 

8 date of the application, in the State or 

9 area; 

10 (iv) the number of students served by 

11 existing afterschool programs that include 

12 STEM content in the State or area; 

13 (v) the unmet demand for afterschool 

14 programs in the State or area; and 

15 (vi) the unmet demand for afterschool 

16 programs focused on STEM subjects and 

17 activities in the State or area; 

18 (B) an analysis of existing and needed re19 sources that identifies areas and populations 

20 most in need of opportunities for high-quality 

21 afterschool programs that include STEM con22 tent; 

23 (C) a description of the current and past 

24 work carried out by the afterschool or STEM 

25 network to support the needs of afterschool proVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:26 Feb 18, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S444.IS S444

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1 gram providers in the State or area served by 

2 the network; 

3 (D) a detailed plan that describes initia4 tives that shall be undertaken to— 

5 (i) support and grow afterschool pro6 grams that include STEM content; and 

7 (ii) leverage existing Federal invest8 ments in afterschool programs and STEM 

9 education, as of the date of the application; 

10 (E) a description of financial and other 

11 commitments that support expanded afterschool 

12 STEM programming in the State or area 

13 served by the network; and 

14 (F) a description of any confirmed or po15 tential partners that will work with the after16 school or STEM network to carry out the ac17 tivities under the grant. 

18 (d) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under subsection 

19 (b)(1), the Director shall give priority to applications from 

20 afterschool or STEM networks that— 

21 (1) demonstrate a clear understanding of the 

22 afterschool programs and settings, and the status of 

23 afterschool programs that include STEM content, in 

24 the State or area to be served by the grant; 


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1 (2) have established working relationships with 

2 afterschool program and STEM education stake3 holders in the State or area; 

4 (3) are working to advance the availability of 

5 high-quality afterschool programs that include 

6 STEM content for underserved populations and pop7 ulations underrepresented in STEM fields, including 

8 girls; and 

9 (4) are leveraging Federal or other public in10 vestments in STEM education or afterschool pro11 gramming. 

12 (e) USES OF FUNDS.—An afterschool or STEM net13 work that receives a grant under subsection (b)(1) may 

14 use grant funds to carry out any of the following activities: 

15 (1) Develop quality standards for STEM pro16 gramming in afterschool programs and provide tech17 nical assistance to afterschool programs to imple18 ment such standards. 

19 (2) Work with State education stakeholders to 

20 define and promote appropriate measurable out21 comes for afterschool programs that include STEM 

22 content. 

23 (3) Provide technical assistance to afterschool 

24 programs to start or grow their afterschool STEM 


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1 efforts and define appropriate learning outcomes for 

2 such efforts. 

3 (4) Coordinate professional development for 

4 afterschool program educators by— 

5 (A) identifying training programs that are 

6 available, as of the time of the identification, 

7 for afterschool program educators; 

8 (B) working with partners to allow joint 

9 professional development with teachers at ele10 mentary schools, middle schools, and secondary 

11 schools, as appropriate; and 

12 (C) partnering with teacher training pro13 grams to utilize afterschool programs for 

14 practicum experiences, employment placements, 

15 and other opportunities. 

16 (5) Help afterschool program providers form 

17 strategic partnerships as needed to advance STEM 

18 learning in afterschool programs, including partner19 ships with elementary schools, middle schools, sec20 ondary schools, institutions of higher education (in21 cluding community colleges and programs and 

22 schools of education), businesses, research facilities, 

23 national laboratories, science centers, and other ap24 propriate entities. 


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1 (6) Create and disseminate tool kits to after2 school programs wanting to form partnerships and 

3 incorporate STEM professionals as mentors and role 

4 models that— 

5 (A) provide technical assistance and guid6 ance, including assistance in connecting after7 school program providers with STEM research8 ers and professionals who may be able to assist 

9 in STEM-focused activities; 

10 (B) include— 

11 (i) examples of strong afterschool pro12 grams that have incorporated such part13 nerships to serve as models; 

14 (ii) a list of potential partners that 

15 could assist in STEM-focused activities; 

16 and 

17 (iii) guidance on how to engage 

18 STEM professionals, mentors, and role 

19 models in the program; and 

20 (C) identify federally supported STEM 

21 education programs and research in the State 

22 or area served by the grant. 

23 (7) Provide technical assistance to federally 

24 funded STEM researchers and professionals who 


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1 wish to engage with afterschool programs that, at a 

2 minimum, includes— 

3 (A) examples of partnerships between 

4 afterschool programs and institutions rich in 

5 STEM resources; 

6 (B) a resource that provides a description 

7 of the afterschool program setting, the opportu8 nities for engagement in afterschool programs, 

9 and the constraints of which the researchers or 

10 professionals need to be aware; 

11 (C) how to find an afterschool program 

12 provider with which the researcher or profes13 sional would like to engage; 

14 (D) how to ensure an effective and produc15 tive partnership with the afterschool provider 

16 through mutually beneficial engagement, and 

17 engage in a productive conversation with the 

18 afterschool provider to determine if the partner19 ship will be productive; 

20 (E) how to craft a mutually beneficial en21 gagement and partnership; and 

22 (F) guidance on how to measure appro23 priate outcomes for afterschool programs and 

24 afterschool programs that include STEM con25 tent. 


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1 (8) Any other activity, as proposed in the appli2 cation and determined appropriate by the Director. 

3 (f) REPORT.—Each afterschool or STEM network re4 ceiving a grant under subsection (b)(1) shall submit an 

5 annual report to the Director regarding the progress of 

6 the grant. 

7 SEC. 6. FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP WITH AFTERSCHOOL PRO8 GRAMS. 

9 Beginning not later than 180 days after the date of 

10 enactment of this Act, the Director shall provide informa11 tion, to each recipient of a STEM research grant under 

12 the authority of the Director, on opportunities to engage 

13 with students in out-of-school-time programs, such as 

14 through mentorships. Such information shall include— 

15 (1) a listing of all afterschool or STEM pro16 gram networks in the region of the recipient; 

17 (2) a toolkit that provides guidance to federally 

18 funded STEM researchers on how to engage and 

19 partner with afterschool STEM program providers 

20 and lend their time and expertise in afterschool pro21 grams that include STEM content; 

22 (3) information regarding how to create oppor23 tunities to have students visit laboratories; and 

24 (4) guidance regarding how to create age-ap25 propriate research projects for students. 


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1 SEC. 7. REPORT. 

2 By not later than 180 days after the date of enact3 ment of this Act, the Director shall prepare and submit 

4 to Congress a report on Federal STEM investments in 

5 afterschool programs and the best practices for afterschool 

6 programs incorporating STEM subjects into their pro7 grams. 

Æ 


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