I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2253 
To establish within the Department of Education the Innovation Inspiration 
school grant program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 21, 2011 
Mr. BASS of New Hampshire introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish within the Department of Education the Innova-
tion Inspiration school grant program, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) According to the National Science Board’s 
2008 Science and Engineering Indicators, only 5 
percent of American college graduates major in engi-
neering, compared with 13 percent of European stu-
dents and 20 percent of students in Asia. 
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(2) Although United States fourth graders 
score well against international competition, United 
States students fall near the bottom or dead last by 
12th grade in mathematics and science, respectively. 
(3) Admissions requirements for undergraduate 
engineering schools include a solid background in 
mathematics (algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and 
calculus) and science (biology, chemistry, and phys-
ics), in addition to courses in English, social studies, 
and humanities. 
(4) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis-
tics, overall engineering employment is expected to 
grow by 11 percent over the 2008 through 2018 dec-
ade, and, as a group, engineers earn some of the 
highest average starting salaries among individuals 
holding bachelor’s degrees. 
(5) According to the Department of Labor, en-
gineers should be creative, inquisitive, analytical, 
and detail-oriented. Engineers should be able to 
work as part of a team and to communicate well, 
both orally and in writing. Communication abilities 
are becoming increasingly important as engineers 
interact more frequently with specialists in a wide 
range of fields outside engineering. 
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(6) Exposure to project- and problem-based 
learning, in a competitive team environment, gives 
9th through 12th graders the skills the students 
need to be successful in engineering programs of 
study and engineering careers. 
(7) According to Brandeis University’s Center 
for Youth and Communities, participants in FIRST 
Robotics (a nonprofit organization that inspires 
young people to be science and technology leaders by 
engaging the young people in mentor-based pro-
grams)— 
(A) are more likely to attend college full- 
time than nonparticipants (88 percent versus 
53 percent); 
(B) are nearly 2 times as likely to major 
in a science or engineering field; and 
(C) are more than 3 times as likely to have 
majored specifically in engineering. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) a local educational agency; or 
(B) if a local educational agency chooses 
not to apply for a grant under this Act, a sec-
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ondary school served by the nonapplying local 
educational agency. 
(2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 
‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(3) POVERTY LINE.—The term ‘‘poverty line’’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965. 
(4) SECONDARY
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘sec-
ondary school’’ has the meaning given the term in 
section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
(6) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means science, 
technology, engineering, or mathematics. 
SEC. 3. INNOVATIVE INSPIRATION SCHOOL GRANT PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) GOALS OF PROGRAM.—The goals of the Innova-
tion Inspiration grant program are— 
(1) to provide opportunities for eligible entities 
to support non-traditional STEM education teaching 
methods; 
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(2) to support the participation of students in 
nonprofit robotics or STEM competitions; 
(3) to foster innovation and broaden interest in 
and access to careers in the STEM fields by invest-
ing in programs supported by teachers and profes-
sional mentors who receive hands-on training and 
ongoing communications that strengthen the inter-
actions of the teachers and mentors with— 
(A) students on competitive robotics or 
STEM teams; and 
(B) other students in the STEM class-
rooms and communities of the teachers and 
mentors; and 
(4) to encourage the collaboration among stu-
dents, engineers, and professional mentors to design, 
build, program, and compete in challenges with so-
phisticated robots. 
(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized 
to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 
entities to enable the eligible entities— 
(A) to promote STEM in secondary 
schools; 
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(B) to support the participation of sec-
ondary school students in robotics or STEM 
competitions; and 
(C) to broaden secondary school students’ 
access to careers in STEM. 
(2) DURATION.—The Secretary shall award 
each grant under this Act for a period of not more 
than 5 years. 
(3) AMOUNTS.—The Secretary shall award a 
grant under this Act in an amount that is sufficient 
to carry out the goals of this Act. 
(c) APPLICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity desiring 
a grant under this Act shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may 
reasonably require. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The application shall, at a 
minimum, include a description of how the eligible 
entity will— 
(A) carry out each of the elements of a ro-
botics or STEM competition described in sub-
paragraphs (B) through (F) of subsection 
(d)(1); 
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(B) establish robotics or STEM competi-
tion programs to inspire students in grades 9 
through 12 to become innovators in STEM; 
(C) identify and recruit mentors for the 
programs described in subparagraph (B) and 
the participants in the programs; 
(D) support teachers who lead the pro-
grams and participants in the programs 
through stipends or other incentives; 
(E) recruit young women and individuals 
from populations traditionally underrepresented 
in the STEM fields to participate in the pro-
grams; 
(F) identify public and private partners 
that can support the programs with cash or in- 
kind contributions; 
(G) plan for sustaining the programs fi-
nancially beyond the grant period; and 
(H) evaluate the grant project and the re-
sults of the grant project among participating 
students, including— 
(i) comparing students who partici-
pate in the grant project to similar stu-
dents who do not so participate; and 
(ii) evaluating— 
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(I) secondary school graduation 
rates; 
(II) college-going rates; 
(III) the number of students tak-
ing advanced STEM related secondary 
school classes; and 
(IV) the ability of students par-
ticipating in the grant project to part-
ner with professional mentors. 
(3) PREFERENCE.—In developing the criteria 
for grant awards under this Act, the Secretary shall 
give preference to an application that addresses the 
needs of— 
(A) a rural or urban school; 
(B) a low-performing school or school dis-
trict; or 
(C) a local educational agency or school 
that serves— 
(i) not fewer than 10,000 children 
from families with incomes below the pov-
erty line; or 
(ii) a student population not less than 
20 percent of whom are from families with 
incomes below the poverty line. 
(d) USES OF FUNDS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under this Act may use the grant 
funds for the following: 
(A) STEM EDUCATION AND CAREER AC-
TIVITIES.—Promotion of STEM education and 
career activities. 
(B) PURCHASE OF PARTS.—The purchase 
of parts required to support participation in 
team robotics or STEM competitions. 
(C) 
TEACHER
INCENTIVES
AND
STI-
PENDS.—Incentives and stipends for teachers 
involved in robotics or STEM competitions. 
(D) SUPPORT
AND
EXPENSES.—Support 
and expenses for participation in regional and 
national robotics or STEM competitions. 
(E) ADDITIONAL
MATERIALS
AND
SUP-
PORT.—Additional materials and support, such 
as equipment, facility use, and other expenses, 
directly associated with robotics or STEM com-
petitions. 
(F) EVALUATION.—Carrying out the eval-
uation described in subsection (c)(2)(H). 
(2) NONPROFIT COMPETITIONS.—Grant funds 
made available under this Act for robotics or STEM 
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competitions shall only be used to support participa-
tion in nonprofit robotics or STEM competitions. 
(3) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Each eligible en-
tity that receives a grant under this Act may use not 
more than 2 percent of the grant funds for adminis-
trative costs related to the administration of the 
project supported by the grant. 
(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
each eligible entity that receives a grant under this 
Act shall secure, toward the cost of the activities as-
sisted under the grant, from non-Federal sources, an 
amount equal to 50 percent of the grant. The non- 
Federal contribution may be provided in cash or in 
kind. 
(2) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive all or 
part of the matching requirement described in para-
graph (1) for an eligible entity if the Secretary de-
termines that applying the matching requirement 
would result in a serious financial hardship or a fi-
nancial inability to carry out the goals of the grant 
project. 
(f) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Grant funds 
provided to an eligible entity under this Act shall be used 
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to supplement, and not supplant, funds that would other-
wise be used for activities authorized under this Act. 
(g) SECRETARY’S ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) COMMUNICATIONS
AND
OUTREACH
PRO-
GRAM.—From amounts appropriated to carry out 
this Act for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall estab-
lish a communications and outreach program to pub-
licize— 
(A) non-traditional teaching methods appli-
cable to STEM; and 
(B) the availability and application proce-
dure for the grant program established by this 
Act. 
(2) GRANT EVALUATION PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary shall establish an evaluation program to de-
termine the efficacy of the grant program estab-
lished by this Act, which shall include assessing the 
impact, of student participation in the grant project 
assisted under this Act, on future course-taking and 
postsecondary study, by comparing students so par-
ticipating to similar students who do not so partici-
pate. 
(3) STEM EVALUATION PROGRAM.— 
(A) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall 
evaluate existing Federal STEM education pro-
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grams to determine whether there are any du-
plicative programs. 
(B) REPORTS.—Upon completing the eval-
uation— 
(i) the Secretary shall submit to Con-
gress, a report on the results of the evalua-
tion, including recommendations on con-
solidating existing, duplicative Federal 
STEM education programs; and 
(ii) the Director of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget shall submit to Con-
gress, a report on the savings resulting 
from carrying out the Secretary’s rec-
ommendations under clause (i). 
(h) FUNDING.—This Act shall be revenue neutral. 
Æ 
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