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‘‘(1) promising research areas; 
‘‘(2) requirements for data collection and shar-
ing; 
‘‘(3) opportunities for better alignment and co-
ordination across Federal agencies and external 
stakeholders; and 
‘‘(4) input on the development of new Federal 
policies and programs to enhance data collection and 
research. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION.—The working group shall co-
ordinate, as appropriate, with the Rural Broadband Inte-
gration Working Group established under section 6214 of 
the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 
115–334) and the National Institute of Food and Agri-
culture of the Department of Agriculture. 
‘‘(d) REPORT.—The working group shall report to 
Congress on their activities as part of the annual report 
submitted under section 101(a)(2)(D). 
‘‘(e) SUNSET.—The authority to carry out this sec-
tion shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the 
date of enactment of the Rural STEM Education Act.’’. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES EVALUATION. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 12 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Director shall enter into an 
agreement with the National Academy of Sciences under 
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which the National Academy agrees to conduct an evalua-
tion and assessment that— 
(1) evaluates the quality and quantity of cur-
rent Federal programming and research directed at 
examining STEM education for students in grades 
Pre-K through 12 and workforce development in 
rural areas; 
(2) assesses the impact of the scarcity of 
broadband connectivity in rural communities has on 
STEM and technical literacy for students in grades 
Pre-K through 12 in rural areas; 
(3) assesses the core research and data needed 
to understand the challenges rural areas are facing 
in providing quality STEM education and workforce 
development; and 
(4) makes recommendations for action at the 
Federal, State, and local levels for improving STEM 
education for students in grades Pre-K through 12 
and workforce development in rural areas. 
(b) REPORT TO DIRECTOR.—The agreement entered 
into under subsection (a) shall require the National Acad-
emy of Sciences, not later than 24 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, to submit to the Director a re-
port on the study conducted under such subsection, includ-
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ing the National Academy’s findings and recommenda-
tions. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Director to carry 
out this section $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2022. 
SEC. 6. GAO REVIEW. 
Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall conduct a study on the engagement of rural popu-
lations in Federal STEM programs and submit to Con-
gress a report that includes— 
(1) an assessment of how Federal STEM edu-
cation programs are serving rural populations; 
(2) a description of initiatives carried out by 
Federal agencies that are targeted at supporting 
STEM education in rural areas; 
(3) an assessment of what is known about the 
impact and effectiveness of Federal investments in 
STEM education programs that are targeted to 
rural areas; and 
(4) an assessment of challenges that state and 
Federal STEM education programs face in reaching 
rural population centers. 
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SEC. 7. CAPACITY BUILDING THROUGH EPSCOR. 
Section 517(f)(2) of the America COMPETES Reau-
thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 1862p–9(f)(2)) is 
amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) to increase the capacity of rural com-
munities to provide quality STEM education 
and STEM workforce development program-
ming to students, and teachers; and’’. 
SEC. 8. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION RURAL STEM RE-
SEARCH ACTIVITIES. 
(a) PREPARING RURAL STEM EDUCATORS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall provide 
grants on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to in-
stitutions of higher education or nonprofit organiza-
tions (or a consortium thereof) for research and de-
velopment to advance innovative approaches to sup-
port and sustain high-quality STEM teaching in 
rural schools. 
(2) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Grants awarded under 
this section shall be used for the research and 
development activities referred to in paragraph 
(1), which may include— 
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(i) engaging rural educators of stu-
dents in grades Pre-K through 12 in pro-
fessional learning opportunities to enhance 
STEM 
knowledge, 
including 
computer 
science, and develop best practices; 
(ii) supporting research on effective 
STEM teaching practices in rural settings, 
including the use of rubrics and mastery- 
based grading practices to assess student 
performance when employing the transdis-
ciplinary teaching approach for STEM dis-
ciplines; 
(iii) designing and developing pre- 
service and in-service training resources to 
assist such rural educators in adopting 
transdisciplinary teaching practices across 
STEM courses; 
(iv) coordinating with local partners 
to adapt STEM teaching practices to lever-
age local natural and community assets in 
order to support in-place learning in rural 
areas; 
(v) providing hands-on training and 
research opportunities for rural educators 
described in clause (i) at Federal Labora-
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