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 en-
gage in scientific activities from an early age develop 
positive attitudes toward science and are more likely 
to pursue STEM expertise and careers later on. 
(3) However, the majority of current research 
focuses on increasing STEM opportunities for stu-
dents 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 under-
stand and address the root cause of this gap. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the National Science Foundation.
(2) EARLY
CHILDHOOD.—The term ‘‘early 
childhood’’ applies to children from birth through 
the age of 10. 
(3) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning 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 U.S.C. 7801), ex-
cept that such term also includes preschools, after- 
school programs, and summer programs. 
(5) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ has the mean-
ing 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. 
SEC. 4. SUPPORTING STEM RESEARCH ON EARLY CHILD-
HOOD. 
In awarding grants under the Discovery Research 
PreK–12 program, the Director shall consider age dis-
tribution 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 
higher education or nonprofit organizations (or con-
sortia of such institutions or organizations), to accel-
erate research 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 
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 care-
givers 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 prac-
tices 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 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 
MODELS FOR INCREASED ENGAGEMENT.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Director shall award 
grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of 
higher education or nonprofit organizations (or con-
sortia of such institutions or organizations), to de-
velop and evaluate interventions in pre-K and ele-
mentary school classrooms that increase participa-
tion 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 de-
velopment programs, including summer or aca-
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 
classroom; 
(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 Inter-
net; 
(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
on the science of learning, particularly with re-
spect to gender inclusion; 
(G) developing and offering gender-inclu-
sive computer science enrichment programs for 
students, including after-school and summer 
programs; 
(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 
activities, and enlisting the help of parents in 
overcoming 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, materials developed using such grant funds, and 
the outcomes for students served by such grant. 
(5) EVALUATION REQUIRED.—Not later than 4 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Director shall evaluate the grant program under this 
subsection. At a minimum, such evaluation shall— 
(A) use a common set of benchmarks and 
assessment tools to identify best practices and 
materials developed and demonstrated by the 
partnerships described in paragraph (2); and 
(B) to the extent practicable, compare the 
effectiveness of practices and materials devel-
oped and demonstrated by such partnerships 
with those of partnerships funded by other local 
or State government or Federal Government 
programs. 
(6) DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS.— 
(A) EVALUATION RESULTS.—The Director 
shall make publicly available free of charge on 
an Internet website and shall submit to Con-
gress the results of the evaluation required 
under paragraph (5). 
(B) MATERIALS.—The Director shall en-
sure that materials developed under a program 
funded by a grant under this subsection, that
are demonstrated to be effective in achieving 
the goals of this subsection (as determined by 
the Director), are made publicly available free 
of charge on an Internet website, including 
through an arrangement with an outside entity. 
(7) ANNUAL MEETING.—The Director may con-
vene an annual meeting of the partnerships partici-
pating in a program funded by a grant under this 
subsection, for the purpose of fostering greater na-
tional collaboration. 
(8) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—At the request of 
a partnership seeking a grant under this subsection, 
the Director shall provide the partnership with tech-
nical assistance in meeting any requirement of this 
subsection. 
SEC. 6. COMPUTER SCIENCE IN THE ROBERT NOYCE 
TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 
Section 10 of the National Science Foundation Au-
thorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n–1) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and mathematics’’ each place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘mathematics, informatics, 
and computer science’’;
(2) in subsection (a)(3)(B), by striking ‘‘or 
mathematics’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘mathematics, 
informatics, and computer science’’; 
(3) in subsections (b)(1)(D)(i), (c)(1)(A), 
(d)(1), and (i)(7), by striking ‘‘or mathematics’’ 
each place it appears and inserting ‘‘mathematics, 
informatics, or computer science’’; and 
(4) in subsection (i)(5), by striking ‘‘or mathe-
matics’’ and inserting ‘‘mathematics, or computer 
science’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives February 13, 
2018. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3397 
AN ACT 
To direct the National Science Foundation to sup-
port STEM education research focused on early 
childhood.