,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #eigf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #bf1 #bjbj,mr4 ,foster introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and ,labor ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,education to carry out a ,,stem grant program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,partnerships for ,progress and ,prosperity ,act or the ,p#c ,act 4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,as part of their ,blueprint for ,action researchers at ,harvard ,graduate ,school of ,education and the ,pathways to ,prosperity ,network recommend creating programs designed to combine work and academic learning in post-secondary career preparation4 ,in a follow-up study to the original ,pathways to ,prosperity published by ,harvard's ,graduate ,school of ,education in #bjaa1 the same researchers released ,a ,blueprint for ,action in ,june #bjad4 7#b7 ,the ,executive ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy have explicitly stated a goal of strengthening ,america's ,,stem workforce4 7#c7 ,according to a study by the ,manufacturing ,institute1 a national survey of ,united ,states manufacturing executives found that #hc percent of ,american manufacturers reported a moderate or severe shortage of skilled workers4 7#d7 ,the ,american ,enterprise ,institute further states that1 ,according to the ,u4,s4 ,department of ,labor1 the percentage of manufacturing workers aged #ee to #fd and the share of workers older than #fe have both significantly increased since #bjjj4 ,moreover1 they also report that the median age of the manufacturing workforce increased from #dj4e in #bjjj to #dd4a in #bjaa4 ,the ,society of ,manufacturing ,engineers predicts that the shortfall of skilled factory workers could increase to #c million jobs by #bjae due to the aging manufacturing workforce and the resulting retirements of older workers1 at the same time that an anticipated manufacturing rebound will increase demand for skilled workers44 7#e7 ,the #bjab ,program for ,international ,student ,assessment found the ,united ,states below the average score of participating countries in mathematics and science4 ,furthermore1 the ,united ,states has dropped in the rankings for mathematics achievement from #beth in #bjji to #cfth in #bjab4 7#f7 ,,nae1 along with other peer-reviewed publications and studies from universities around the country have examined the benefits of partnerships between schools and outside organizations4 ,partnerships for ,progress and ,prosperity ,act programs as well as experiential learning play an important role in training students for the jobs of the future4 #c4 ,grant program 7a7 ,in general ,from the amounts appropriated under subsection 7h71 the ,secretary of ,education shall award grants to eligible entities 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 an eligible entity 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 which the eligible entity will partner or collaborate to carry out activities under subsection 7c77#b72 and 7#b7 the activities the eligible entity will carry out under subsection 7c77#b7 with the grant4 7c7 ,uses of funds 7#a7 ,partnership or collaboration ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall carry out at least one of the activities described in paragraph 7#b7 in partnership or collaboration with-- 7,a7 the local1 regional1 or national employer described in the agency's application under subsection 7b77#a72 and 7,b7 an institution of higher education1 in the case of an eligible entity that is a local educational agency1 or a local educational agency1 in the case of an eligible entity that is an institution of higher education4 7#b7 ,activities ,the activities referred to in paragraph 7#a7 are as follows3 7,a7 ,assist students in being placed in internships or apprenticeships with the employers with whom the eligible entity is partnering or collaborating under paragraph 7#a77;,a74 7,b7 ,develop the curriculum and metrics of ,,stem coursework4 7,c7 ,carry out dual-credit courses that offer both secondary school credit and college credit1 and incorporate ,,stem education and ,,stem workplace training4 7,d7 ,provide tutoring in ,,stem coursework and mentoring programs for academic advice and assistance in discussing future career opportunities in ,,stem fields4 7,e7 ,enable students and their teachers to attend ,,stem events outside the classroom4 7,f7 ,provide after-school and summer ,,stem programs for students4 7,g7 ,purchase education materials or equipment to facilitate ,,stem instruction4 7d7 ,awarding of grants ,in awarding grants under this section1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 carry out a rigorous evaluation of each eligible entity's application under subsection 7b7 being considered for a grant under this section to determine whether the eligible entity demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluation that the activity proposed to be funded with the grant is likely to improve student outcomes or other relevant outcomes2 and 7#b7 give special consideration to eligible entities that-- 7,a7 promote in-classroom engagement between ,,stem professionals and students1 creating co-teaching and guest-teaching opportunities2 7,b7 use technology-based instructional materials and content2 7,c7 pair mentors and tutors with students struggling to meet curriculum benchmarks2 7,d7 in the case of eligible entities that are local educational agencies1 serve schools in which the majority of students are eligible to receive free or reduced price lunch under the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agea et seq472 and 7,e7 propose to use the grant to target interventions for populations that are traditionally underrepresented in ,,stem fields1 including women1 minorities1 and low-income students4 7e7 ,matching requirement 7#a7 ,in general ,each eligible entity 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 ,an eligible entity may partner with a public and private entity that may assist the eligible entity 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 an eligible entity if the entity demonstrates that such requirement would result in a serious financial hardship or a financial inability to carry out the goals of the grant4 7f7 ,supplement1 not supplant ,grant funds provided to an eligible entity under this section shall be used to supplement1 and not supplant1 funds that would otherwise be used for activities authorized under this section4 7g7 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means a local educational agency or an institution of higher education4 7#b7 ,,esea terms ,the terms local educational agency1 poverty line1 secondary school1 ,secretary1 and ,state have the meanings given the terms in section #haja of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74 7#c7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section #ajb of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajjb74 7#d7 ,low-income student ,the term low-income student means a student whose family's taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed #aej percent of the poverty line4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section for fiscal year #bjbj and each succeeding fiscal year4