Title: 21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act
This bill directs the Department of Education to make grants to local educational agencies to pay the costs of carrying out STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education activities for girls and underrepresented minorities.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5893 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5893

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
      grants to local educational agencies to encourage girls and 
   underrepresented minorities to pursue studies and careers in STEM 
                                fields.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 5, 2021

  Mrs. Beatty (for herself, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Foster, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. 
  Lynch, Mr. Raskin, and Mr. Swalwell) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
      grants to local educational agencies to encourage girls and 
   underrepresented minorities to pursue studies and careers in STEM 
                                fields.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``21st Century STEM for Girls and 
Underrepresented Minorities Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO PREPARE GIRLS AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES.

    Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``PART G--PREPARING GIRLS AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES FOR THE 21ST 
                                CENTURY

``SEC. 4701. PROGRAM AUTHORITY.

    ``(a) In General.--Beginning not later than 90 days after the date 
of the enactment of this part, the Secretary shall carry out a program 
under which the Secretary makes grants to qualified local educational 
agencies, on a competitive basis, to pay the costs of carrying out STEM 
education activities for girls and underrepresented minorities as 
described in subsection (c).
    ``(b) Application.--
            ``(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this part, a qualified local educational agency shall submit to 
        the Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
        require. At minimum, the application shall include a 
        description of the following:
                    ``(A) The educational program that will be carried 
                out by the local educational agency using the grant, 
                including the content of the program and the research 
                and models used to design the program.
                    ``(B) How elementary and secondary schools served 
                by the agency will collaborate to fulfill goals of the 
                program.
                    ``(C) How the agency will ensure that there is a 
                comprehensive plan to improve STEM education for girls 
                and underrepresented minorities in grades kindergarten 
                through grade 12.
                    ``(D) The process that will be used for the 
                recruitment and selection of students for participation 
                in the program.
                    ``(E) The instructional and motivational activities 
                that will be included as part of the program.
                    ``(F) Any expected collaboration among local, 
                regional, or national institutions and organizations 
                for the purpose of fulfilling the goals of the program.
            ``(2) Priority.--In selecting among applications, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to qualified local educational 
        agencies that partner or coordinate, to the extent practicable, 
        with local, regional, or national institutions and 
        organizations that have extensive experience and expertise in--
                    ``(A) increasing the participation of girls or 
                underrepresented minorities in STEM fields; or
                    ``(B) conducting research on methods to increase 
                such participation.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--A qualified local educational agency that 
receives a grant under this part shall use the grant to carry out a 
STEM education program for girls and underrepresented minorities from 
elementary and secondary schools served by the agency. The program may 
include the following activities:
            ``(1) Preparing girls and underrepresented minorities for 
        careers in STEM fields and the advantages of pursuing careers 
        in such fields.
            ``(2) Educating the parents of girls and underrepresented 
        minorities about the opportunities and advantages of STEM 
        careers.
            ``(3) Enlisting the help of the parents of girls and 
        underrepresented minorities--
                    ``(A) to overcome the obstacles faced by such 
                groups; and
                    ``(B) to encourage their child's continued interest 
                and involvement in STEM subjects.
            ``(4) Providing tutoring and mentoring programs in STEM 
        subjects.
            ``(5) Establishing partnerships and other opportunities 
        that expose girls and underrepresented minorities to role 
        models in the STEM fields.
            ``(6) Enabling female and underrepresented minority 
        students and their teachers to attend events and academic 
        programs in STEM subjects.
            ``(7) Providing after school activities designed to 
        encourage interest and develop the skills of girls and 
        underrepresented minorities in STEM subjects.
            ``(8) Summer programs designed to help girls and 
        underrepresented minorities--
                    ``(A) develop an interest in STEM subjects;
                    ``(B) develop skills in such subjects; and
                    ``(C) understand the relevance and significance of 
                such subjects.
            ``(9) Purchasing--
                    ``(A) educational instructional materials or 
                software designed to help girls and underrepresented 
                minorities develop an interest in STEM subjects; or
                    ``(B) equipment, instrumentation, or hardware for 
                teaching STEM subjects to girls and underrepresented 
                minorities and encouraging their interest in such 
                subjects.
            ``(10) Field trips to locations, including institutions of 
        higher education, to expose girls and underrepresented 
        minorities to STEM activities, encourage their interest in such 
        activities, and acquaint them with careers in STEM fields.
            ``(11) Providing academic advice and assistance in high 
        school course selection to encourage girls and underrepresented 
        minorities to take advanced courses in STEM subjects.
            ``(12) Paying up to 50 percent of the cost of an internship 
        in a STEM discipline for female and underrepresented minority 
        students.
            ``(13) Providing professional development for teachers and 
        other school personnel, including with respect to--
                    ``(A) eliminating gender and racial bias in the 
                classroom;
                    ``(B) sensitivity to gender and racial differences;
                    ``(C) engaging students in the face of gender-based 
                and racial peer pressure and parental expectations;
                    ``(D) creating and maintaining a positive 
                environment; and
                    ``(E) encouraging girls and underrepresented 
                minorities through academic advice and assistance to 
                pursue advanced classes and careers in STEM fields.
            ``(14) Such other STEM-related activities as the local 
        educational agency determines to be appropriate.
    ``(d) Grant Duration and Amount.--
            ``(1) Duration.--Each grant under this section shall be 
        made for a period of 4 years.
            ``(2) Amount.--The amount of each grant under this section 
        shall be $250,000 for each year of the grant period.
    ``(e) Supplement, Not Supplant.--A qualified local educational 
agency that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant 
only to supplement, and not to supplant, other assistance and funds 
made available from non-Federal sources for the activities supported by 
the grant.
    ``(f) Annual Evaluations.--
            ``(1) Evaluation required.--Not later than 30 days after 
        last day of each school year for which a qualified local 
        educational agency receives a grant under this section, the 
        agency shall submit to the Secretary a written evaluation of 
        the program carried out using the grant.
            ``(2) Elements.--The evaluation required under subsection 
        (a) shall include--
                    ``(A) a description of the program and activities 
                carried out using the grant;
                    ``(B) a description of the curriculum and any 
                partnerships developed using the grant;
                    ``(C) the percentage of time that students who 
                participated in the program spent directly engaged in 
                STEM activities;
                    ``(D) an assessment of the academic progress made 
                by such students during the program, which shall be 
                based on an evaluation of each student at the beginning 
                of the program and after the student completes the 
                program; and
                    ``(E) such other information as the Secretary may 
                require.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `STEM' means science, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics.
            ``(2) The term `qualified local educational agency' means a 
        local agency that--
                    ``(A) receives funds under part A of title I of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6311 et seq.); and
                    ``(B) serves a total student population of which 
                not less than 40 percent are children who are eligible 
                for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. 
                Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et 
                seq.).

``SEC. 4702. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025.''.
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