I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2598 
To establish a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Master 
Teacher Corps program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 20, 2011 
Mr. BISHOP of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math 
(STEM) Master Teacher Corps program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘STEM Master Teacher 
Corps Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Numerous recent reports by national advi-
sory groups, including the President’s Council of Ad-
visors on Science and Technology and National 
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Academies’ committees, have highlighted the need to 
raise student achievement in STEM fields to enable 
the United States to maintain its competitive edge 
in the global economy. 
(2) Nearly all of the top 30 fastest growing oc-
cupations require science, technology, engineering, or 
mathematics skills, according to the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics. 
(3) Recent standardized tests show United 
States students’ mathematics and science perform-
ance is only average or below average compared with 
their international peers. American students placed 
25th in mathematics and 17th in science out of 34 
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Devel-
opment countries in the 2009 Program for Inter-
national Student Assessment. 
(4) Too few American students graduate from 
high school with the interest and the preparation to 
successfully pursue STEM degrees in college. Well 
over half of college students in China and Japan 
major in STEM fields, compared with only a third 
of U.S. students. 
(5) Several researchers, including at Stanford 
University, have found that the effects of well-pre-
pared teachers on student achievement can be 
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stronger than the influences of student background 
factors, such as poverty, language background, and 
minority status. 
(6) The Harvard Graduate School of Education 
report ‘‘Who Stays in Teaching and Why’’ cites re-
search that shows more young people would consider 
teaching if it offered more opportunities for advance-
ment, and that if schools fail to offer teachers these 
opportunities throughout their teaching careers, they 
may risk losing them permanently. It also reports 
that well implemented mentoring and induction pro-
grams provide the support novices need to feel satis-
fied and remain in their schools. 
(7) Researchers at the University of Pennsyl-
vania have found that STEM teachers migrate with-
in the teaching profession to better paying jobs at 
better-funded schools, resulting in local imbalances 
and leaving schools in high-poverty communities 
struggling to find knowledgeable teachers. 
(8) Individuals with strong STEM skills have 
opportunities for more lucrative careers outside of 
teaching. According to the Organisation for Eco-
nomic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the 
United States ranks in the bottom third of OECD 
countries in terms of teacher salary relative to per 
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capita GDP. Furthermore, data from the National 
Association of Colleges and Employers show the me-
dian salary offered to recent college graduates in 
certain STEM-related fields, including physics, com-
puter science, accounting, and engineering, is 
$24,000 higher than that offered to new secondary 
school teachers and $30,000 higher than that of-
fered to new elementary school teachers. 
SEC. 3. STEM MASTER TEACHER CORPS. 
Subpart 5 of part A of title II of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6651 et 
seq.) is amended— 
(1) by inserting before section 2151 the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘CHAPTER A—NATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF 
DEMONSTRATED EFFECTIVENESS’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘CHAPTER B—STEM MASTER TEACHER 
CORPS 
‘‘SEC. 2155. PURPOSE. 
‘‘The purpose of this chapter is to establish a STEM 
Master Teacher Corps program that— 
‘‘(1) elevates the status of the STEM teaching 
profession by recognizing and rewarding outstanding 
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STEM teachers thereby making STEM teaching 
more attractive; 
‘‘(2) attracts and retains effective STEM teach-
ers, particularly in high-need schools, by offering 
them additional compensation, instructional re-
sources, and instructional leadership roles; and 
‘‘(3) creates a network of outstanding STEM 
teacher-leaders who will— 
‘‘(A) share best practices and resources; 
‘‘(B) take on leadership responsibilities in 
their schools, districts, States (if part of the 
participating area), or consortia with the au-
thority to provide professional support to their 
STEM colleagues not participating in the 
STEM Master Teacher Corps; 
‘‘(C) aid in the development and retention 
of beginning teachers by serving as their role 
models and providing them with instructional 
support; and 
‘‘(D) inform the development of STEM 
education policy. 
‘‘SEC. 2156. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this chapter: 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means a consortium of local educational agen-
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cies or 1 or more State educational agencies, acting 
in partnership with 1 or more— 
‘‘(A) institutions of higher education; or 
‘‘(B) nonprofit organizations with a dem-
onstrated record of success in preparing or im-
proving the effectiveness of STEM teachers. 
‘‘(2) HIGH-NEED
SCHOOL.—The term ‘high- 
need school’ means a public school, which may be a 
public charter school, that meets 1 or more of the 
following criteria: 
‘‘(A) Not less than 40 percent of the stu-
dents enrolled at the school— 
‘‘(i) receive or are eligible to receive a 
free or reduced price lunch under the Rich-
ard B. Russell National School Lunch Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.); or 
‘‘(ii) are from low-income families, as 
determined using 1 of the measures of pov-
erty specified under section 1113(a)(5). 
‘‘(B) The school is among the lowest per-
forming 10 percent of schools in the State in 
which it is located. 
‘‘(C) In the case of a public high school, 
the school has a graduation rate of 65 percent 
or less. 
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‘‘(D) In the case of a public school con-
taining middle grades, the school feeds into a 
public high school that has a graduation rate of 
65 percent or less. 
‘‘(3) PARTICIPATING AREA.—The term ‘partici-
pating area’ means— 
‘‘(A) in the case of an eligible entity that 
includes a State educational agency or consor-
tium of State educational agencies, the State or 
States; or 
‘‘(B) in the case of an eligible entity that 
includes a consortium of local educational agen-
cies, the area served by such agencies. 
‘‘(4) STEM.—The term ‘STEM’ means science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
‘‘SEC. 2157. STEM MASTER TEACHER CORPS PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(1) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary, in 
consultation with the Director of the National 
Science Foundation and the heads of other appro-
priate Federal agencies, as determined by the Sec-
retary, shall establish a STEM Master Teacher 
Corps program by awarding, on a competitive basis, 
1 or more grants of not less than $15,000,000 each 
to eligible entities to enable the eligible entities to 
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establish the program, in accordance with section 
2159. 
‘‘(2) PLANNING GRANTS.—The Secretary may 
award planning grants to eligible entities to enable 
the entities to make plans to establish the program, 
in accordance with section 2159. 
‘‘(b) DURATION OF GRANT.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A grant awarded under 
this chapter shall be for a period of 5 years. 
‘‘(2) REVIEW.—The Secretary shall review, 3 
years after an eligible entity is awarded a grant 
under this chapter, the performance of the entity 
during the 3-year period to determine if the entity 
is achieving satisfactory results and to make rec-
ommendations as to whether the program should be 
continued after completion of the 5-year period of 
the pilot project. 
‘‘(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), an eligible entity that receives a grant 
under this chapter shall provide, from non-Federal 
sources, an amount equal to not less than 50 per-
cent of the amount of the grant, which may be pro-
vided in cash or in-kind, to carry out the activities 
supported by the grant. 
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‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
waive the 50-percent matching requirement 
under paragraph (1) for an eligible entity that 
the Secretary determines is unable to meet such 
requirement. The Secretary shall set a match-
ing requirement for such eligible entities ac-
cording to the sliding scale described in sub-
paragraph (B). 
‘‘(B) SLIDING SCALE.—The amount of a 
match under subparagraph (A) shall be estab-
lished based on a sliding fee scale that takes 
into account— 
‘‘(i) the relative poverty of the popu-
lation to be targeted by the eligible entity; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the ability of the eligible entity to 
obtain such matching funds. 
‘‘(3) CONSIDERATION.—The Secretary shall not 
consider an eligible entity’s ability to match funds 
when determining which eligible entities will receive 
grant awards under this chapter. 
‘‘SEC. 2158. APPLICATION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring a 
grant under this chapter shall submit an application to 
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the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—An application submitted under 
this section shall include— 
‘‘(1) a description of the STEM Master Teach-
er Corps program that the eligible entity intends to 
carry out, including the number of Corps members 
the entity intends to select, the intended distribution 
of subjects and grade levels taught, the geographic 
and economic characteristics of the local educational 
agencies that are part of the participating area, such 
as the rural-urban continuum codes and proportion 
of high-need schools served, and the type of activi-
ties proposed for recruitment of Corps members; 
‘‘(2) a description of the roles and responsibil-
ities that each participating local educational agency, 
State, institution of higher education, or nonprofit 
organization, as applicable, will have; 
‘‘(3) a demonstration that the entity has suffi-
cient capacity to carry out the activities described in 
section 2159; 
‘‘(4) a description of the member selection proc-
ess and criteria that the applicant will use to select 
members of the STEM Master Teacher Corps, in ac-
cordance with section 2159(b); 
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‘‘(5) a description of how the eligible entity in-
tends to facilitate networking and sharing of best 
practices and educational resources relating to 
STEM education among Corps members, particu-
larly at rural schools, if applicable, and make a se-
lection of these best practices and resources more 
widely available to other teachers and the STEM 
educational community, including through electronic 
means; 
‘‘(6) a demonstration that the entity has a clear 
plan for— 
‘‘(A) offering research-based professional 
development to Corps members, including train-
ing on instructional leadership, mentoring, en-
gaging and effectively teaching historically 
underachieving or underrepresented groups in 
STEM fields, such as girls, minorities, low-in-
come students, English language learners, and 
students with disabilities, and effective STEM 
teaching methods, such as incorporating hands- 
on STEM projects into their lesson plans; and 
‘‘(B) tracking the effectiveness of such 
professional development; 
‘‘(7) a demonstration that the entity has a clear 
plan for evaluating the impact of the professional 
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‘‘(ii) ability to enhance student en-
gagement in such fields; 
‘‘(iii) record of leadership in the 
teacher’s school and involvement in profes-
sional and outreach activities; 
‘‘(iv) record of teaching students not 
on grade level or not on track to graduate 
college and career ready; and 
‘‘(v) demonstrated ability to facilitate 
student academic achievement growth with 
the students described in clause (iv), where 
such measures are available; and 
‘‘(B) evaluate the teacher’s ability and 
record based on multiple measures, such as— 
‘‘(i) teacher evaluations of pedagogical 
skills; 
‘‘(ii) an assessment of content knowl-
edge; 
‘‘(iii) the performance and improve-
ment of the teacher’s students on tests; 
‘‘(iv) demonstration of practical pro-
fessional experience in the teacher’s dis-
cipline, such as having worked in industry 
or research; 
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Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate, a report that summarizes— 
‘‘(1) the activities assisted under the program 
under this chapter; 
‘‘(2) the outcomes of the program; and 
‘‘(3) any recommendations regarding changes 
to, the termination of, or the continuation and ex-
pansion of the program. 
‘‘SEC. 2161. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this chapter $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 and such 
sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding 
fiscal years.’’. 
Æ 
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