42 U.S.C. § 18991 — PreK–12 STEM education

(a) National Academies study. Within 120 days of August 9, 2022, the Director must enter an agreement with the National Academies to conduct a study that: (1) reviews research and identifies gaps about the factors that help or hurt successful implementation of promising, evidence-based PreK-12 STEM education innovations locally, regionally, and nationally; (2) presents a compendium of promising, evidence-based PreK-12 STEM education practices, models, programs, and technologies; (3) identifies barriers to widespread and sustained implementation of these innovations; and (4) recommends to the Foundation, the Department of Education, a national science and technology STEM education committee, state and local educational agencies, and other relevant stakeholders, measures to address those barriers. (b) Omitted. (c) National STEM Teacher Corps pilot. (1) Purpose: to elevate the STEM teaching profession by establishing a National STEM Teacher Corps pilot program that recognizes outstanding STEM teachers, rewards them for their accomplishments, elevates their public profile, and creates rewarding career paths — both to prepare future STEM researchers and to build a scientifically literate public. (2) Definitions: (A) "Administrator" means the Administrator of the National STEM Teacher Corps. (B) "Eligible entity" means a college or university, or a consortium of one plus a state or local educational agency, an education nonprofit association, a cross-sector STEM organization, or a private entity including a STEM-related business. (C) "High-need school" has the meaning given in section 6631(b) of title 20. (D) "Professional development" has the meaning given in section 7801 of title 20. (E) "Corps Alliance" means a regionally or topically based award under this subsection. (F) "National STEM Teacher Corps Advisory Board" means the board established under paragraph (5). (3) Establishment: subject to available funding, the Director may establish, within the Foundation, a National STEM Teacher Corps 10-year pilot program, administered by an Administrator the Director appoints. The Director may use existing NSF programs to establish and run it. (4) Duties of the Administrator: (A) create a process and standards for selecting members, including: (i) uniform selection criteria covering deep STEM content and pedagogy knowledge, passion for STEM and dedication to teaching plus leadership potential and career growth, and demonstrated success raising STEM achievement and participation, particularly for rural and high-need schools; and (ii) a uniform selection process with a comprehensive application including recommendations and other professional information; (B) promote the Corps and elevate its best practices to a national audience; (C) evaluate how the Corps Alliances operate and how effective they are; and (D) evaluate the Corps' overall and long-term impact, by (i) documenting, monitoring, and assessing outcomes for participants' STEM careers, and (ii) documenting, monitoring, and assessing outcomes for the STEM education profession nationwide, particularly for rural and high-need schools. (5) National STEM Teacher Corps Advisory Board: (A) This Board is established to advise the Director on Corps matters for the pilot's duration. (B) Its membership must: (i) be appointed by the Director; (ii) include a representative from each of: school leaders, STEM researchers, STEM education researchers, business leaders, PreK-12 STEM educators, and students pursuing a postsecondary STEM degree; and (iii) be geographically diverse. The Director may instead assign the Board's duties to an existing Foundation advisory committee. (6) Duties of the Corps alliances: subject to available funding, the Administrator may make competitive, merit-reviewed awards to establish Corps alliances at eligible entities. Their activities must include: (A) engaging local partners — which may include local educational agencies, colleges, STEM organizations, or education nonprofits — to develop and serve the Corps community in their region or topic area, coordinate professional development including member-led activities, connect members with existing mentoring programs, involve non-member teachers in activities, and build partnerships with existing education organizations and state and local agency programs; (B) recruiting eligible applicants, focusing on diverse STEM educators across race, ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, age, disability, geography, and language; (C) screening, interviewing, and selecting members using the Administrator's procedures and standards; (D) coordinating the online network supporting members in the region or topic area; (E) convening occasional member meetings; (F) creating professional growth opportunities focused on raising STEM achievement and participation, particularly for rural and high-need schools; and (G) supporting members' retention and success. (7) Duties of members: a selected applicant must: (A) serve a 4-year term, with a possibility of reappointment; (B) receive an annual stipend of at least $10,000; and (C) have substantial responsibilities, including (i) working with other members to develop and improve innovative teaching practices such as inquiry-based learning, (ii) participating in professional development on innovative teaching methods and mentorship, and (iii) continuing to excel teaching the member's own students, with a focus on advancing equity by spending extra time teaching and coaching underserved students, particularly in rural and high-need schools. (8) Evaluation: after the pilot's third year, the Director, acting through the Administrator, must submit a report to Congress that includes: (A) an assessment, drawing on the Administrator's evaluations under paragraph (4)(C) and (D) and other information, of how effective the pilot was at recruiting and retaining high-quality STEM teachers in the selected regions or topic areas, particularly at high-need and rural schools; and (B) if deemed effective, a proposal to Congress for permanent implementation. (9) Sunset: the authority to carry out this subsection ends 15 years after August 9, 2022. (10) Authorization of appropriations: Congress authorized $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2032 to carry out this subsection.