HR 565 114th Congress House Education Academic performance and assessments Department of Education Education programs funding Educational technology and distance education Elementary and secondary education Employment and training programs Executive agency funding and structure Higher education Performance measurement Research and development Rural conditions and development Science and engineering education Teaching, teachers, curricula Vocational and technical education

Stepping Up to STEM Education Act

Introduced: January 27, 2015 See on congress.gov

Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps

Introduced

In committee

Reported out

Passed House

Passed Senate

To President

Became law

Apr 29, 2015

Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

Apr 29, 2015

Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.

Jan 27, 2015

Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Jan 27, 2015

Introduced in House

Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Stepping Up to STEM Education Act

Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education within the Department of Education to pursue breakthrough research and development in educational technology and to facilitate the effective use of that technology to improve student achievement.

Directs the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to state-based science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science (STEM) networks or similar organizations of STEM stakeholders to increase students' achievement in the STEM disciplines in elementary and secondary schools and in out of school and afterschool programs.

Includes among grant uses:

testing, sharing, and scaling up STEM education research, promising practices, and exemplary programs;
identifying state STEM education weaknesses and prioritizing strategies to address them;
implementing rigorous career and college ready standards in STEM education;
developing and implementing innovative STEM assessments that measure student progress toward those career and college ready standards;
promoting and developing pre- and in-service STEM teacher training;
developing STEM career pathways and workforce education and training programs that reflect 21st century workforce needs;
facilitating the implementation of expanded STEM learning opportunities on school sites; and
promoting, supporting, and designing programs that develop STEM content coaches and master educators in order to strengthen core competencies of the classroom practitioner.

Requires grantees to conduct periodic independent evaluations of their effectiveness in accomplishing those activities.

Prohibits the Secretary from: (1) endorsing or approving any STEM curriculum designed for use in an elementary school, secondary school, or institution of higher education; or (2) requiring a state, local educational agency, or school to adopt a specific STEM program or instructional materials.

What's happening now April 29, 2015

Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.

Committees of jurisdiction 3