Part B—Rural STEM Education Research
§19171. Definition
In this part, the term "Director" means the Director of the National Science Foundation.
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§19172. National Science Foundation rural STEM activities
(a) Preparing rural STEM educators
(1) In general
The Director shall make awards on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or a consortium thereof) for research and development activities to advance innovative approaches to support and sustain high-quality STEM teaching in rural schools.
(2) Use of funds
(A) In general
Awards made under this subsection shall be used for the research and development activities referred to in paragraph (1), which may include—
(i) engaging rural educators, principals, or other school leaders of students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in professional learning opportunities to enhance STEM knowledge, including computer science, and develop best practices;
(ii) supporting research on effective STEM teaching and school leadership practices in rural settings, including the use of rubrics and mastery- based grading practices to assess student performance when employing the transdisciplinary teaching approach for STEM disciplines;
(iii) designing and developing pre-service and in-service training resources to assist such rural educators, principals, and other school leaders in adopting transdisciplinary teaching practices across STEM courses;
(iv) coordinating with local partners to adapt STEM teaching practices to leverage local, natural, and community assets in order to support in-place learning in rural areas;
(v) providing hands-on training and research opportunities for rural educators described in clause (i) at Federal laboratories or institutions of higher education, or in industry;
(vi) developing training and best practices for educators who teach multiple grade levels within a STEM discipline;
(vii) designing and implementing professional development courses and experiences, including mentoring, for rural educators, principals, and other school leaders described in clause (i) that combine face-to-face and online experiences; and
(viii) any other activity the Director determines will accomplish the goals of this paragraph.
(B) Rural stem collaborative
The Director shall establish a pilot program of regional cohorts in rural areas that will provide peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research experiences for rural STEM educators, principals, and other school leaders of students in prekindergarten through grade 12, in order to build an ecosystem of cooperation among educators, principals, other school leaders, researchers, academia, and local industry.
(b) Broadening participation of rural students in STEM
(1) In general
The Director shall make awards on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or a consortium thereof) for—
(A) research and development of programming to identify the barriers rural students face in accessing high-quality STEM education; and
(B) development of innovative solutions to improve the participation and advancement of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in STEM studies.
(2) Use of funds
(A) In general
Awards made under this subsection shall be used for the research and development activities referred to in paragraph (1), which may include—
(i) developing partnerships with community colleges to offer advanced STEM course work, including computer science, to rural high school students;
(ii) supporting research on effective STEM practices in rural settings;
(iii) implementing a school-wide STEM approach, including preparation and support for principals and other school leaders;
(iv) improving the Foundation's Advanced Technology Education program's coordination and engagement with rural communities;
(v) collaborating with existing community partners and networks, such as the Cooperative Extension System services and extramural research programs of the Department of Agriculture and youth serving organizations like 4-H, after school STEM programs, and summer STEM programs, to leverage community resources and develop place-based programming;
(vi) connecting rural school districts and institutions of higher education, to improve precollegiate STEM education and engagement;
(vii) supporting partnerships that offer hands-on inquiry-based science activities, including coding, and access to lab resources for students studying STEM in prekindergarten through grade 12 in a rural area;
(viii) evaluating the role of broadband connectivity and its associated impact on the STEM and technology literacy of rural students;
(ix) building capacity to support extracurricular STEM programs in rural schools, including mentor-led engagement programs, STEM programs held during non-school hours, STEM networks, makerspaces, coding activities, and competitions;
(x) creating partnerships with local industries and local educational agencies to tailor STEM curricula and educational experiences to the needs of a particular local or regional economy; and
(xi) any other activity the Director determines will accomplish the goals of this paragraph.
(c) Application
An applicant seeking an award under subsection (a) or (b) shall submit an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require. The application may include the following:
(1) A description of the target population to be served by the research activity or activities for which such award is sought.
(2) A description of the process for recruitment and selection of students, educators, principals, and other school leaders, or schools from rural areas to participate in such activity or activities.
(3) A description of how such activity or activities may inform efforts to promote the engagement and achievement of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in STEM studies.
(4) In the case of a proposal consisting of a partnership or partnerships with one or more rural schools and one or more researchers, a plan for establishing a sustained partnership that is jointly developed and managed, draws from the capacities of each partner, and is mutually beneficial.
(d) Partnerships
In making awards under subsection (a) or (b), the Director shall—
(1) encourage applicants which, for the purpose of the activity or activities funded through the award, include or partner with a nonprofit organization or an institution of higher education (or a consortium thereof) that has extensive experience and expertise in increasing the participation of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in STEM;
(2) encourage applicants which, for the purpose of the activity or activities funded through the award, include or partner with a consortium of rural schools or rural school districts; and
(3) encourage applications which, for the purpose of the activity or activities funded through the award, include commitments from school principals, other school leaders, and administrators to making reforms and activities proposed by the applicant a priority.
(e) Evaluations
All proposals for awards under subsections (a) and (b) shall include an evaluation plan that includes the use of outcome-oriented measures to assess the impact and efficacy of the award. Each recipient of an award under this subsection shall include results from these evaluative activities in annual and final projects.
(f) Accountability and dissemination
(1) Evaluation required
The Director shall evaluate the portfolio of awards made under subsections (a) and (b). Such evaluation shall—
(A) use a common set of benchmarks and tools to assess the results of research conducted under such awards and identify best practices; and
(B) to the extent practicable, integrate the findings of research resulting from the activity or activities funded through such awards with the findings of other research on rural students' pursuit of degrees or careers in STEM.
(2) Report on evaluations
Not later than 180 days after the completion of the evaluation under paragraph (1), the Director shall submit to Congress and make widely available to the public a report that includes—
(A) the results of the evaluation; and
(B) any recommendations for administrative and legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the awards made under this subsection.
(g) Report by Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering
As part of the first report required by
(1) a description of past and present policies and activities of the Foundation to encourage full participation of students in rural communities in science, mathematics, engineering, and computer science fields;
(2) an assessment of trends in participation of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in Foundation activities; and
(3) an assessment of the policies and activities of the Foundation, along with proposals for new strategies or the broadening of existing successful strategies towards facilitating the goal of increasing participation of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in Foundation activities.
(h) Coordination
In carrying out this subsection, the Director shall, for purposes of enhancing program effectiveness and avoiding duplication of activities, consult, cooperate, and coordinate with the programs and policies of other relevant Federal agencies.
(i) Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director—
(1) $8,000,000 to carry out the activities under subsection (a) for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027; and
(2) $12,000,000 to carry out the activities under subsection (b) for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
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§19173. Opportunities for online education
(a) In general
The Director shall make competitive awards to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or a consortium thereof, which may include a private sector partner) to conduct research on online STEM education courses for rural communities.
(b) Research areas
The research areas eligible for funding under this subsection shall include—
(1) evaluating the learning and achievement of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12 in STEM subjects;
(2) understanding how computer-based and online professional development courses and mentor experiences can be integrated to meet the needs of educators, principals, and other school leaders of rural students in prekindergarten through grade 12;
(3) combining computer-based and online STEM education and training with mentoring and other applied learning arrangements;
(4) leveraging online programs to supplement STEM studies for rural students that need physical and academic accommodation; and
(5) any other activity the Director determines will accomplish the goals of this subsection.
(c) Evaluations
All proposals for awards under this section shall include an evaluation plan that includes the use of outcome-oriented measures to assess the impact and efficacy of the award. Each recipient of an award under this subsection shall include results from these evaluative activities in annual and final projects.
(d) Accountability and dissemination
(1) Evaluation required
The Director shall evaluate the portfolio of awards made under this subsection. Such evaluation shall—
(A) use a common set of benchmarks and tools to assess the results of research conducted under such awards and identify best practices; and
(B) to the extent practicable, integrate findings from activities carried out pursuant to research conducted under this section, with respect to the pursuit of careers and degrees in STEM, with those activities carried out pursuant to other research on serving rural students and communities.
(2) Report on evaluations
Not later than 180 days after the completion of the evaluation under paragraph (1), the Director shall submit to Congress and make widely available to the public a report that includes—
(A) the results of the evaluation; and
(B) any recommendations for administrative and legislative action that could optimize the effectiveness of the awards made under this section.
(e) Coordination
In carrying out this section, the Director shall, for purposes of enhancing program effectiveness and avoiding duplication of activities, consult, cooperate, and coordinate with the programs and policies of other relevant Federal agencies.
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§19174. NIST engagement with rural communities
(a) Prize competition
Pursuant to
(b) Plan for deployment in rural communities
Each proposal submitted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include a proposed plan for deployment of the technology that is the subject of such proposal.
(c) Prize amount
In carrying out the program under subsection (a), the Secretary may award not more than a total of $5,000,000 to one or more winners of the prize competition.
(d) Report
Not later than 60 days after the date on which a prize is awarded under the prize competition, the Secretary shall submit to the relevant committees of Congress a report that describes the winning proposal of the prize competition.
(e) Consultation
In carrying out the program under this section, the Secretary shall consult with the Federal Communications Commission and the heads of relevant departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
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