I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3870 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include teacher preparation 
for computer science in elementary and secondary education. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 14, 2021 
Mr. KILMER (for himself, Mr. REED, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. 
SWALWELL, Mr. FITZPATRICK, and Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include 
teacher preparation for computer science in elementary 
and secondary education. 
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 ‘‘Teacher Education for 
Computer Science Act’’ or the ‘‘Teach CS Act’’. 
SEC. 2. TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT. 
(a) PARTNERSHIP GRANTS.—Section 202(d)(5) of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022a) is 
amended— 
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(1) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘com-
puter science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘(includ-
ing computer science, computer engineering, data 
science, information technology, and cybersecurity 
professionals)’’ after ‘‘occupations’’. 
(b) ACCOUNTABILITY
AND EVALUATION.—Section 
204(a)(4) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1022c(a)(4)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘com-
puter science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (G)— 
(A) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘(including 
computational thinking)’’ after ‘‘technology’’; 
and 
(B) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘(including 
computational thinking)’’ after ‘‘technology’’. 
(c) TEACHER DEVELOPMENT.—Section 206(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022e(a)) is 
amended 
by 
inserting 
‘‘computer 
science,’’ 
after 
‘‘science,’’. 
SEC. 3. ENHANCING TEACHER EDUCATION. 
Section 232(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1032a(c)) is amended— 
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(1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘(including 
computer science)’’ after ‘‘technology’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (3)(B), by inserting ‘‘(includ-
ing computer science)’’ after ‘‘technology’’. 
SEC. 4. TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR COMPUTER 
SCIENCE EDUCATION. 
Part B of title II of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 is amended (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 259. TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS FOR COM-
PUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts 
appropriated to carry out this section, the Secretary may 
award competitive grants to eligible institutions to estab-
lish centers of excellence in teacher education programs 
for computer science, that may include computational 
thinking, computing, and computer engineering. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant awarded to an eligible 
institution under this section— 
‘‘(1) shall be used by such institution to ensure 
that current and future teachers meet the applicable 
State certification and licensure requirements in a 
field that will enable them to teach computer science 
in their State at the elementary and secondary 
school levels, by— 
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‘‘(A) creating teacher education programs 
that 
meet 
the 
requirements 
of 
section 
200(6)(A)(iv) and offer, through hands-on and 
classroom teaching activities with in-service 
teachers— 
‘‘(i) doctoral, master’s, or bachelor’s 
degrees in teaching computer science at 
the elementary school and secondary school 
levels; or 
‘‘(ii) teaching endorsements in com-
puter science, in the case of a teacher with 
related State certification and licensure re-
quirements or a student who is pursuing 
certification and licensure requirements in 
related fields, such as mathematics and 
science; 
‘‘(B) ensuring that current and future 
teachers who graduate from such programs 
meet the applicable State certification and li-
censure requirements, including any require-
ments for certification obtained through alter-
native routes to certification, or, with regard to 
special education teachers, the qualifications de-
scribed in section 612(a)(14)(C) of the Individ-
uals with Disabilities Education Act; 
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‘‘(C) recruiting individuals to enroll in 
such programs, including subject matter experts 
and professionals in fields related to computer 
science; and 
‘‘(D) awarding scholarships and fellowships 
based on financial need and to recruit tradition-
ally underrepresented groups in computer 
science to help such students pay the cost of at-
tendance (as defined in section 472); and 
‘‘(2) may be used by such institution to— 
‘‘(A) hire and pay faculty salaries for the 
teacher education programs described in para-
graph (1)(A); 
‘‘(B) conduct research in computer science 
education; and 
‘‘(C) carry out activities to encourage the 
Secretary to partner with other agencies, and 
prioritize funding for computer science edu-
cation research to support teacher preparation. 
‘‘(c) DURATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 
shall be awarded for 5 years, conditional upon a sat-
isfactory report to the Secretary of progress with re-
spect to the program carried out with the grant 
after the first 3-years of the grant period. 
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‘‘(2) REPORT OF PROGRESS.—Such report of 
progress on the program shall include data on the 
number of students and instructors enrolled, infor-
mation on former graduates (including on how many 
earn teaching certification or licensure in a field that 
will enable them to teach computer science in their 
State at the secondary level, or be prepared to teach 
computer science at the elementary level), and data 
on any additional funding (other than Federal 
funds) received to carry out the program. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—An eligible institution desiring 
a grant under this section shall submit an application to 
the Secretary, at such time in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may require, 
which shall include— 
‘‘(1) a demonstration of the need for teachers 
with the certification or licensure requirements that 
enable them to teach computer science at the ele-
mentary and secondary level in the geographic area 
or State in which the institution is located; 
‘‘(2) the plan to ensure the longevity of the pro-
gram after the end of the grant; and 
‘‘(3) the plan to scale up the program (includ-
ing the plan for the number of personnel to be hired, 
a description of their expected qualifications and ti-
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tles, the number of fellowships and scholarships to 
be awarded, the estimated administrative expenses, 
proposed academic advising strategy, and organizing 
and outreach to maintain virtual community of com-
puter science educators). 
‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under 
this section, an eligible entity shall provide, from 
non-Federal sources, an amount that is not less than 
33 percent of the amount of the grant, which may 
be provided in cash or in-kind, to carry out the ac-
tivities supported by the grant. 
‘‘(2) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive all or 
part of the matching requirement described in para-
graph (1) for any fiscal year the Secretary deter-
mines that applying such requirement to the eligible 
institution would result in serious hardship or an in-
ability to carry out the authorized activities de-
scribed in this section. 
‘‘(f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 
after the first grant is awarded under his section and each 
year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
report on the success of the program based on metrics de-
termined by the Secretary, including the number of cen-
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ters established, the number of enrolled students, and the 
number of qualified teachers. 
‘‘(g) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 
use up to 5 percent of the amount appropriated for each 
fiscal year to provide technical assistance to eligible insti-
tutions. 
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi-
ble institution’ means an institution of higher edu-
cation, as defined in section 101, which may be in 
a partnership with a nonprofit organization. 
‘‘(2) COMPUTER
SCIENCE.—The term ‘com-
puter science’ means the study of computers includ-
ing algorithmic processes and engineering principles 
for hardware and software design, development, and 
systems integration, and their impact on society. 
‘‘(3) 
COMPUTING.—The 
term 
‘computing’ 
means any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefit-
ting from, or creating algorithmic processes. 
‘‘(4) COMPUTATIONAL
THINKING.—The term 
‘computational thinking’ means the human ability to 
formulate problems so that their solutions can be 
represented as computational steps or algorithms to 
be executed by a computer and integrated into 
broader networks of systems.’’. 
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SEC. 5. ADJUNCT TEACHER CORPS. 
Section 255 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1035) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘computer 
science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 
(2) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘computer 
science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 
(3) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ‘‘computer 
science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 
(4) in subsection (f)(2)(A)(i), by inserting 
‘‘computer science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 
(5) in subsection (g)(1), by inserting ‘‘computer 
science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; 
(6) in subsection (g)(3), by inserting ‘‘computer 
science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 
(7) in subsection (k)(2), by inserting ‘‘computer 
science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’. 
SEC. 6. GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS TO PREPARE FACULTY 
IN HIGH-NEED AREAS AT COLLEGES OF EDU-
CATION. 
Section 258(d)(2)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1036(d)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting 
‘‘(including computer science)’’ after ‘‘technology’’. 
SEC. 7. TEACH GRANT. 
Section 420N of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1070g–2) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by inserting ‘‘com-
puter science,’’ after ‘‘science,’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)(1)(C)— 
(A) by redesignating clauses (iii) through 
(vii) as clauses (iv) through (viii), respectively; 
and 
(B) by inserting after clause (ii), the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iii) computer science;’’. 
SEC. 8. GRADUATE AND POSTSECONDARY IMPROVEMENT 
PROGRAMS. 
(a) PURPOSE.—Section 700(1)(B)(i) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1133(1)(B)(i)) is 
amended 
by 
inserting 
‘‘computer 
science,’’ 
after 
‘‘science,’’. 
(b) DESIGNATION OF AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED.— 
Section 712(b)(4) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1135a(b)(4)) is amended by inserting before 
the period at the end the following: ‘‘, including the need 
for computer science’’. 
Æ 
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