,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #beib ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #bh1 #bjac ,mr4 ,honda 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mr4 ,lowenthal1 ,mr4 ,mc,dermott1 ,mrs4 ,napolitano1 ,mr4 ,polis1 ,mr4 ,sires1 and ,mr4 ,langevin7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,secretary of ,education to make grants for the establishment of ,state ,networks on ,science1 ,technology1 ,engineering1 and ,mathematics ,education4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,stem ,innovation ,networks ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,state ,networks and ,consortia on ,science1 ,technology1 ,engineering1 and ,mathematics ,education 7,,stem7 ,innovation ,networks 7a7 ,in general ,from amounts made available to carry out this section1 the ,secretary of ,education shall make grants to eligible networks to expand ,,stem education and ,,stem educator development4 7b7 ,eligible network defined ,in this section1 the term eligible network means a ,state-based ,,stem network or similar organization1 which-- 7#a7 may include the participation of ,state officials1 local educational agencies1 educators1 administrators1 afterschool providers1 out of school time educators1 parents1 industry leaders1 philanthropists1 and representatives from the ,,stem communities in partnership with institutions of higher education1 nonprofit organizations1 other public agencies1 and businesses2 7#b7 aims to increase the number of students who are effectively prepared for postsecondary education and careers in ,,stem fields2 7#c7 aims to increase student achievement and experiences in the ,,stem disciplines at the elementary schools and secondary schools in its ,state1 and out of school programs and particularly for students with a high concentration of historically underrepresented students and at rural schools 7within the meaning of part ,b of title ,,vi of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fbja et seq4772 and 7#d7 aims to increase the number of quality afterschool programs offering ,,stem learning opportunities1 particularly for students from populations traditionally underrepresented in the ,,stem fields4 7c7 ,eligible network application 7#a7 ,in general ,an eligible network seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may reasonably require4 7#b7 ,matching requirement ,in order to receive a grant under this section1 an eligible network shall agree to provide1 either directly or through private contributions1 non-,federal matching funds equal to not less than #cj percent of the amount of the grant4 7d7 ,uses of funds ,each eligible network receiving a grant under this section shall use the funds to carry out one or more of the following3 7#a7 ,testing1 validating1 sharing1 and scaling up ,,stem education research1 promising practices1 and exemplary programs among members of the network and with other eligible networks receiving grants under this section4 7#b7 ,identifying points of weakness and strength among ,state ,,stem education efforts1 prioritizing strategies for addressing problem areas1 and communicating ,state needs to the ,secretary4 7#c7 ,assisting in the implementation of rigorous career and college ready standards in ,,stem education for grades prekindergarten through grade #ab that reflect and take into consideration-- 7,a7 career and college ready standards in ,,stem disciplines2 7,b7 established international standards and #bast century skills that include critical thinking1 problem solving1 communication1 collaboration1 creativity1 and innovation2 7,c7 the needs of ,english language learners and special education students2 and 7,d7 the need to increase ,,stem literacy of prekindergarten through grade #ab students4 7#d7 ,assisting the development of innovative ,,stem assessments that measure interest1 engagement1 and content proficiency4 7#e7 ,supporting the implementation of ,,stem assessments that measure career and college ready standards4 7#f7 ,promoting and developing rigorous undergraduate pre-service teacher programs in institutions of higher education that emphasize ,,stem content with emphasis on the elementary educator4 7#g7 ,promoting and developing curriculum tools and professional development for ,,stem educators both in school and out of school4 7#h7 ,developing ,,stem career pathways that reflect the projected ,,stem workforce needs of the #bast century that may include mentoring programs and ,,stem professional outreach4 7#i7 ,developing ,,stem-related education and workforce training programs in secondary schools and community colleges to reflect the needs of the local community4 7#aj7 ,developing systems for the implementation of expanded learning opportunities on school sites to enhance ,,stem education inside and outside of the classroom4 7#aa7 ,promoting1 supporting1 and designing programs that develop ,,stem content coaches and master educators in order to strengthen core competencies of the classroom practitioner4 7e7 ,evaluation and report ,not later than #b years after receiving a grant under this section1 each eligible network receiving such a grant shall-- 7#a7 conduct periodic independent evaluations1 by grant or by contract1 of the eligible network's effectiveness at accomplishing the activities described in this section1 which shall include an assessment of the impact of such activities on ,,stem teaching and learning2 and 7#b7 prepare and submit a report on the results of each evaluation described in paragraph 7#a7 to the ,secretary and make for dissemination to other ,,stem ,networks4 7f7 ,prohibitions ,in implementing this section1 the ,secretary may not-- 7#a7 endorse1 approve1 or sanction any ,,stem curriculum designed for use in any elementary school1 secondary school1 or institution of higher education2 or 7#b7 engage in oversight1 technical assistance1 or activities that will require the adoption of a specific ,,stem program or instructional materials by a ,state1 local educational agency1 or school4 7g7 ,total amount of grants ,the total amount of grants made under this section in any fiscal year may not exceed #bj1jjj1jjj4 7h7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,the terms elementary school1 local educational agency1 secondary school1 and ,state educational agency have the meanings given such terms in section #iaja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#b7 ,the term high concentration of low-income students has the meaning given such term in section #agjg of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fecg74 7#c7 ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given such term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja74 7#d7 ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,education4 7#e7 ,the term ,state means each of the several ,states of the ,united ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico1 ,guam1 the ,commonwealth of the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 ,american ,samoa1 and the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands4 7#f7 ,the term ,,stem means science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics4 7#g7 ,the term ,,stem education means the subjects of science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics1 including other academic subjects that build on these disciplines1 such as computer science1 and other academic subjects that a ,state identifies as important to the workforce of the ,state4 7#h7 ,the term #bast century readiness initiative means any initiative that-- 7,a7 embeds core academic subjects with critical skills2 and 7,b7 is focused on ensuring that students are prepared for postsecondary education and careers1 upon graduation from secondary school4