,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #baei ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #bc1 #bjac ,mr4 ,foster 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,courtney1 ,mrs4 ,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,esty1 ,mr4 ,ryan of ,ohio1 ,ms4 ,eshoo1 ,mr4 ,langevin1 ,mr4 ,kennedy1 ,mrs4 ,negrete ,mc,leod1 and ,mr4 ,mc,govern7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife to direct the ,secretary of ,education to carry out a ,,stem grant program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the #bast ,century ,,stem ,competitive ,jobs ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,harvard ,graduate ,school of ,education's report ,pathways to ,prosperity cites research that shows employers across the country continue to see that young adults are not equipped with the skills and work experience needed to succeed in the #bast century workforce4 ,in addition1 research shows that courses that include a vocational or work-based component best prepare students to succeed in the workplace4 7#b7 ,numerous reports by national advisory groups1 including the ,president's ,council of ,advisors on ,science and ,technology and ,national ,academies' committees1 have highlighted the need to raise student achievement in ,,stem fields to enable the ,united ,states to maintain its competitive edge in the global economy4 7#c7 ,nearly all of the top #cj fastest growing occupations require science1 technology1 engineering1 or mathematics skills1 according to the ,bureau of ,labor ,statistics4 7#d7 ,recent standardized tests show ,united ,states students' mathematics and science performance is only average or below average compared with their international peers4 ,american students placed #beth in mathematics and #agth in science out of #cd ,organisation for ,economic ,co-operation and ,development countries in the #bjji ,program for ,international ,student ,assessment4 7#e7 ,too few ,american students graduate from high school with the interest and the preparation to successfully pursue ,,stem degrees in college4 ,well over half of college students in ,china and ,japan major in ,,stem fields1 compared with only a third of students in ,america4 #c4 ,amendments to the ,,esea 7a7 ,title ,,iv ,title ,,iv of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #gaja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,d ,,stem grant program #ddja4 ,grant program 7a7 ,in general ,from the amounts appropriated under subsection 7f71 the ,secretary shall award grants to local educational agencies to improve the education of students in science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics 7in this section referred to as ,,stem7 and prepare such students to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees and careers in such fields4 7b7 ,application ,to receive a grant under this section1 a local educational agency shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 which shall include a description of-- 7#a7 the local1 regional1 or national employer in a ,,stem field with whom the local educational agency will partner or collaborate to carry out the required activities under subsection 7c77#a77;,a72 and 7#b7 the dual-credit courses the will be carried out with the grant under subsection 7c77#a77;,b74 7c7 ,uses of funds ,a local educational agency receiving a grant under this section-- 7#a7 shall use such funds to-- 7,a7 partner or collaborate with the local1 regional1 or national employer described in the agency's application under subsection 7b7 to-- 7i7 assist students in being placed in internships or apprenticeships with such employers2 and 7ii7 develop the curriculum and metrics of ,,stem coursework2 and 7,b7 collaborate with institutions of higher education to-- 7i7 carry out dual-credit courses that offer both secondary school credit and college credit and incorporate ,,stem education and ,,stem workplace training2 7ii7 assist students in being placed in internships or apprenticeships with the employers described in subparagraph 7,a72 and 7iii7 develop the curriculum and metrics described in subparagraph 7,a77ii72 and 7#b7 may use such funds to-- 7,a7 provide tutoring in ,,stem coursework and mentoring programs for academic advice and assistance in discussing future career opportunities in ,,stem fields2 7,b7 enable students and their teachers to attend ,,stem events outside the classroom2 7,c7 provide after-school and summer ,,stem programs for students2 and 7,d7 purchase education materials or equipment to facilitate ,,stem instruction4 7d7 ,matching requirement 7#a7 ,in general ,each local educational agency that receives a grant under this section shall provide1 from non-,federal sources1 an amount equal to #ej percent of the grant4 ,such non-,federal contribution may be provided in cash or in kind4 7#b7 ,partnership authorized ,a local educational agency may partner with a public and private entity that may assist the local educational agency in meeting the matching requirement under paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,waiver ,the ,secretary may waive all or part of the matching requirement under paragraph 7#a7 for a local educational agency if the local educational agency demonstrates that such requirement would result in a serious financial hardship or a financial inability to carry out the goals of the grant4 7e7 ,supplement1 not supplant ,grant funds provided to a local educational agency under this section shall be used to supplement1 and not supplant1 funds that would otherwise be used for activities authorized under this section4 7f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriate such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section for fiscal year #bjad and each succeeding fiscal year4 4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife is amended by inserting after the item relating to part ,c of title ,,iv of such ,act1 the following new item3 ,part ,d--,,stem grant program ,sec4 #ddja4 ,grant program4 4