,,ii #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #aifh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,october #ag1 #bjag,ms4 ,cortez ,masto 7for herself and ,mrs4 ,capito7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,national ,science ,foundation to award grants to encourage young girls to participate in computer science and other ,,stem activities1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,code ,like a ,girl ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,growth in the ,,stem workforce is dominated by new computing jobs1 and the ,nation needs to leverage all of its human capital to meet the demand4 ,the ,bureau of ,labor ,statistics projects that1 of all the new ,,stem occupations created from #bjad to #bjbd1 nearly #b_/c will be computing jobs4 7#b7 ,more work is needed to ensure women are equally represented in the computer science workforce4 ,according to the ,bureau of ,labor ,statistics1 in #bjaf1 women held more than #ea percent of all professional occupations in the ,united ,states1 but only #bf percent of the computing-related occupations4 ,this is compared with the all-time peak of #bf percent of the computing-related occupations in #aiia4 7#c7 ,the gender disparity in computer science extends down through all levels of education4 ,in #bjaf1 only #bc percent of ,,ap ,computer ,science exam takers were female4 ,the number of computer science degrees awarded to women has steadily declined for bachelor's degree earners from #bi percent in #aiie to just #ah percent in #bjad4 7#d7 ,a #bjaj study funded by the ,national ,science ,foundation found that a majority of both women and men scientists and ,ph4,d4 students became interested in science before middle school4 ,women scientists in this study were more likely than men to mention teachers as the source of their initial interest in science1 substantiating the need for teachers to engage young girls in the classroom4 7#e7 ,gender disparities are also observed at the earliest levels of education4 ,studies have shown that1 at around #f years old1 girls develop the belief that brilliance is a male characteristic4 ,this negative stereotype1 once adopted1 is shown to have an immediate effect1 as girls start to lose interest in activities they perceive as requiring brilliance4 7#f7 ,research into the cause of the early adoption of this stereotype is limited1 but implicit biases held by teachers have been shown to have a negative impact on girls' academic achievement in math and science and on their future decisions to enroll in advanced courses in these subjects4 7#g7 ,while significant work is being done to expand access to high-quality computer science education for female students at the secondary and postsecondary level1 there are few research funding opportunities focused exclusively on girls in early childhood education4 7#h7 ,despite the limited attention being paid to this age group1 research has shown that interventions with girls at an early age can reduce the negative impact of gendered stereotypes4 ,scientists have found that positive experiences with robotics and computing lead to greater interest and self-confidence among girls1 even after gender stereotypes about computing have been adopted4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,director ,the term ,director means the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation4 7#b7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a774 7#c7 ,local educational agency ,the term local educational agency has the meaning given the term in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja71 except that such term also includes preschools1 after-school programs1 and summer programs4 7#d7 ,,stem ,the term ,,stem means science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics1 including computer science4 7#e7 ,young girls ,the term young girls means female individuals who have not attained the age of #aa4 #d4 ,research grants 7a7 ,in general ,the ,director shall award grants on a competitive basis to institutions of higher education1 local educational agencies1 or nonprofit organizations 7or consortia of such institutions1 agencies1 or organizations71 to accelerate research efforts to increase understanding of the factors that contribute to the willingness or unwillingness of young girls to participate in ,,stem activities4 7b7 ,research areas ,research areas funded by a grant under this section may include-- 7#a7 the role of teacher training and professional development1 including effective incentive structures to encourage teachers to participate in such training and professional development1 in encouraging or discouraging young girls from participating in ,,stem activities2 7#b7 the role of implicit bias in the classroom in shaping young girls' perceptions of ,,stem and discouraging such girls from participating in ,,stem activities2 7#c7 the role of other facets of the learning environment on the willingness of young girls to participate in ,,stem activities1 including learning materials and textbooks1 classroom decorations1 seating arrangements1 use of media and technology1 classroom culture1 and gender composition of students during group work2 7#d7 the role of parents and other caregivers in encouraging or discouraging young girls from participating in ,,stem activities2 7#e7 the types of ,,stem activities that encourage greater participation by young girls2 and 7#f7 any other activity the ,director determines will accomplish the goals of this section4 7c7 ,grant recipient report ,an entity awarded a grant under this section shall report to the ,director1 at such time and in such manner as the ,director may require1 on the activities carried out and materials developed using such grant funds4 #e4 ,development and testing of scalable models for increased engagement 7a7 ,in general ,the ,director shall award grants on a competitive basis1 to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations 7or consortia of such institutions or organizations71 to develop and evaluate interventions in pre-,k and elementary school classrooms that seek to increase participation of young girls in computer science activities4 7b7 ,partnerships ,in order to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 an institution of higher education1 nonprofit organization1 or consortium shall enter into a partnership with one or more local educational agencies in carrying out the activities funded by such grant4 7c7 ,uses of funds ,grants awarded under this section shall be used for activities that draw upon the expertise of the partner entities described in subsection 7b7 to increase participation of young girls in computer science activities1 including-- 7#a7 offering training and professional development programs1 including summer or academic year institutes or workshops1 designed to strengthen the capabilities of pre-,k and elementary school teachers and to familiarize such teachers with the role of gender bias in the classroom2 7#b7 offering innovative pre-service and in-service programs that instruct teachers on gender-inclusive practices for teaching computing concepts2 7#c7 developing distance learning programs for teachers or students1 including developing curricular materials1 play-based computing activities1 and other resources for the in-service professional development of teachers that are made available to teachers through the internet2 7#d7 developing a cadre of master teachers who will promote reform and the adoption of gender-inclusive practices in teaching computer science concepts in early childhood education2 7#e7 developing tools to evaluate activities conducted under this section2 7#f7 developing or adapting pre-,k and elementary school computer science curricular materials that incorporate contemporary research on the science of learning1 particularly with respect to gender inclusion2 7#g7 developing and offering gender-inclusive computer science enrichment programs for students1 including after-school and summer programs2 7#h7 providing mentors for girls in person and through the internet to support such girls in participating in computer science activities2 7#i7 educating the parents of girls about the difficulties faced by girls to maintain an interest and desire to participate in computer science activities1 and enlisting the help of parents in overcoming these difficulties2 7#aj7 acquainting girls with careers in computer science and encouraging girls to consider careers in such field2 and 7#aa7 any other activities the ,director determines will accomplish the goals of this section4 7d7 ,grant recipient report ,an entity awarded a grant under this section shall report to the ,director1 at such time and in such manner as the ,director may require1 on the activities carried out and materials developed using such grant funds4 7e7 ,evaluation required ,not later than #d years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and every #c years thereafter1 the ,director shall evaluate the grant program under this section4 ,at a minimum1 such evaluation shall-- 7#a7 use a common set of benchmarks and assessment tools to identify best practices and materials developed and demonstrated by the partnerships described in subsection 7b72 and 7#b7 to the extent practicable1 compare the effectiveness of practices and materials developed and demonstrated by such partnerships with those of partnerships funded by other local or ,state government or ,federal ,government programs4 7f7 ,dissemination of results 7#a7 ,evaluation results ,the ,director shall make publicly available free of charge on an internet website and shall submit to ,congress the results of the evaluation required under subsection 7e74 7#b7 ,materials ,the ,director shall ensure that materials developed under a program funded by a grant under this section1 that are demonstrated to be effective in achieving the goals of this section 7as determined by the ,director71 are made publicly available free of charge on an internet website1 including through an arrangement with an outside entity4 7g7 ,annual meeting ,the ,director shall convene an annual meeting of the partnerships participating in a program funded by a grant under this section1 for the purpose of fostering greater national collaboration4 7h7 ,technical assistance ,at the request of a partnership seeking a grant under this section1 the ,director shall provide the partnership with technical assistance in meeting any requirement of this section1 including providing advice from experts on how to develop a quality application for such a grant4 #f4 ,reporting requirements 7a7 ,annual report ,the ,director shall submit to ,congress an annual report on the grant programs established by sections #d and #e4 7b7 ,report on program expansion ,not later than #d years after the first grant is awarded under the grant programs established by sections #d and #e1 the ,director shall submit to ,congress a report1 based on an analysis of the grant recipient reports submitted to the ,director pursuant to sections #d7;c7 and #e7;d71 that includes a recommendation for how to expand such grant programs4