IB 
Union Calendar No. 420 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3397 
[Report No. 115–558] 
To direct the National Science Foundation to support STEM education 
research focused on early childhood. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2017 
Ms. ROSEN (for herself, Mr. KNIGHT, Mr. EVANS, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. TONKO, 
Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. BEYER, Ms. ESTY of Connecticut, Mr. CRIST, Ms. 
SLAUGHTER, and Mr. SOTO) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
FEBRUARY 13, 2018 
Additional sponsors: Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. 
LIPINSKI, Mr. PETERS, Ms. NORTON, Miss RICE of New York, Mrs. 
MURPHY of Florida, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. 
TED LIEU of California, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. JACKSON 
LEE, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. BERA, 
Ms. JAYAPAL, and Mr. FASO 
FEBRUARY 13, 2018 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 25, 2017] 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:13 Feb 14, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H3397.RH
H3397
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
A BILL 
To direct the National Science Foundation to support STEM 
education research focused on early childhood. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:13 Feb 14, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6652
E:\BILLS\H3397.RH
H3397
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
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 ‘‘Building Blocks of 
STEM Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The National Science Foundation has made 
the largest financial investment in STEM education 
of all Federal agencies, and plays a very powerful 
role in helping to set research and policy agendas. 
(2) Studies have found that children who engage 
in scientific activities from an early age develop posi-
tive attitudes toward science and are more likely to 
pursue STEM expertise and careers later on. 
(3) However, the majority of current research fo-
cuses on increasing STEM opportunities for students 
in middle school and older. 
(4) Women remain widely underrepresented in 
the STEM workforce and this gender disparity ex-
tends down through all levels of education. Strategic 
funding of programs is needed in order to understand 
and address the root cause of this gap. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:13 Feb 14, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3397.RH
H3397
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means the 
Director of the National Science Foundation. 
(2) EARLY CHILDHOOD.—The term ‘‘early child-
hood’’ applies to children from birth through the age 
of 10. 
(3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 101(a) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
(4) LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCY.—The term 
‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 USC 7801), except 
that such term also includes preschools, after-school 
programs, and summer programs. 
(5) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 2 of the America COM-
PETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 6621 
note). 
(6) YOUNG
GIRLS.—The term ‘‘young girls’’ 
means female individuals who have not attained the 
age of 11. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:13 Feb 14, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3397.RH
H3397
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
SEC. 4. SUPPORTING STEM RESEARCH ON EARLY CHILD-
HOOD. 
In awarding grants under the Discovery Research 
PreK–12 program, the Director shall consider age distribu-
tion in order to more equitably allocate funding for research 
studies with a focus on early childhood. 
SEC. 5. SUPPORTING GIRLS IN STEM EDUCATION AND COM-
PUTER SCIENCE. 
(a) RESEARCH GRANTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Director shall award 
grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of high-
er education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia 
of such institutions or organizations), to accelerate re-
search efforts to increase understanding of the factors 
that contribute to the participation of young girls in 
STEM activities. 
(2) RESEARCH AREAS.—Research areas funded 
by a grant under this subsection may include— 
(A) the role of teacher training and profes-
sional development, including effective incentive 
structures to encourage teachers to participate in 
such training and professional development, in 
encouraging or discouraging young girls from 
participating in STEM activities; 
(B) the role of teachers in shaping young 
girls’ perceptions of STEM and discouraging 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:13 Feb 14, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3397.RH
H3397
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
such girls from participating in STEM activi-
ties; 
(C) the role of other facets of the learning 
environment on the willingness of young girls to 
participate in STEM activities, including learn-
ing materials and textbooks, classroom decora-
tions, seating arrangements, use of media and 
technology, classroom culture, and gender com-
position of students during group work; 
(D) the role of parents and other caregivers 
in encouraging or discouraging young girls from 
participating in STEM activities; 
(E) the types of STEM activities that elicit 
greater participation by young girls; 
(F) the role of mentorship and best practices 
in finding and utilizing mentors; 
(G) the role of informal and out-of-school 
STEM learning opportunities on girls’ percep-
tion of and participation in STEM activities; 
and 
(H) any other activity the Director deter-
mines will accomplish the goals of this sub-
section. 
(3) GRANT
RECIPIENT
REPORT.—An entity 
awarded a grant under this subsection shall report to 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:13 Feb 14, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3397.RH
H3397
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
the Director, at such time and in such manner as the 
Director may require, on the activities carried out 
and materials developed using such grant funds. 
(b) DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF SCALABLE MOD-
ELS FOR INCREASED ENGAGEMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Director shall award 
grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of high-
er education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia 
of such institutions or organizations), to develop and 
evaluate interventions in pre-K and elementary school 
classrooms that increase participation of young girls 
in computer science activities. 
(2) PARTNERSHIPS.—In order to be eligible to 
receive a grant under this subsection, an institute of 
higher education, nonprofit organization, or consor-
tium, shall enter into a partnership with one or more 
local educational agency or State in carrying out the 
activities funded by such grant. 
(3) USES
OF
FUNDS.—Grants awarded under 
this subsection shall be used for activities that draw 
upon the expertise of the partner entities described in 
paragraph (2) to increase participation of young girls 
in computer science activities, including— 
(A) offering training and professional devel-
opment programs, including summer or aca-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:13 Feb 14, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3397.RH
H3397
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
demic year institutes or workshops, designed to 
strengthen the capabilities of pre-K and elemen-
tary school teachers and to familiarize such 
teachers with the role of gender bias in the class-
room; 
(B) offering innovative preservice and in- 
service programs that instruct teachers on gen-
der-inclusive practices for teaching computing 
concepts; 
(C) developing distance learning programs 
for teachers or students, including developing 
curricular materials, play-based computing ac-
tivities, and other resources for the in-service 
professional development of teachers that are 
made available to teachers through the Internet; 
(D) developing a cadre of master teachers 
who will promote reform and the adoption of 
gender-inclusive practices in teaching computer 
science concepts in early childhood education; 
(E) developing tools to evaluate activities 
conducted under this subsection; 
(F) developing or adapting pre-K and ele-
mentary school computer science curricular ma-
terials that incorporate contemporary research 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:13 Feb 14, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3397.RH
H3397
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS
on the science of learning, particularly with re-
spect to gender inclusion; 
(G) developing and offering gender-inclusive 
computer science enrichment programs for stu-
dents, including after-school and summer pro-
grams; 
(H) providing mentors for girls in person 
and through the Internet to support such girls in 
participating in computer science activities; 
(I) engaging parents of girls about the dif-
ficulties faced by girls to maintain an interest 
and desire to participate in computer science ac-
tivities, and enlisting the help of parents in over-
coming these difficulties; 
(J) acquainting girls with careers in com-
puter science and encouraging girls to consider 
careers in such field; and 
(K) any other activities the Director deter-
mines will accomplish the goals of this sub-
section. 
(4) GRANT
RECIPIENT
REPORT.—An entity 
awarded a grant under this subsection shall report to 
the Director, at such time and in such manner as the 
Director may require, on the activities carried out, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:13 Feb 14, 2018
Jkt 079200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H3397.RH
H3397
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with BILLS