#aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #gcg ,,an ,,act ,to direct the ,national ,science ,foundation to support ,,stem education research focused on early childhood4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,building ,blocks of ,,stem ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,national ,science ,foundation is a large investor in ,,stem education and plays a key role in setting research and policy agendas4 7#b7 ,while studies have found that children who engage in scientific activities from an early age develop positive attitudes toward science and are more likely to pursue ,,stem expertise and careers later on1 the majority of current research focuses on increasing ,,stem opportunities for middle school-aged children and older4 7#c7 ,women remain widely underrepresented in the ,,stem workforce1 and this disparity extends down through all levels of education4 #c4 ,supporting early childhood and elementary ,,stem education research ,in awarding grants under the ,discovery ,research ,pre,k-#ab program1 the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation shall consider the age distribution of a ,,stem education research and development project to improve the focus of research and development on elementary and prekindergarten education4 #d4 ,supporting female students in prekindergarten through elementary school in ,,stem education ,section #cje7;d7 of the ,american ,innovation and ,competitiveness ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ahfbs-#e7;d77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#c7 ,research ,as a component of improving participation of women in ,,stem fields1 research funded by a grant under this subsection may include research on-- 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 female students in prekindergarten through elementary school from participating in ,,stem activities2 7,b7 the role of teachers in shaping perceptions of ,,stem in female students in prekindergarten through elementary school and discouraging such students from participating in ,,stem activities2 7,c7 the role of other facets of the learning environment on the willingness of female students in prekindergarten through elementary school to participate in ,,stem activities1 including learning materials and textbooks1 seating arrangements1 use of media and technology1 classroom culture1 and composition of students during group work2 7,d7 the role of parents and other caregivers in encouraging or discouraging female students in prekindergarten through elementary school from participating in ,,stem activities2 7,e7 the types of ,,stem activities that encourage greater participation by female students in prekindergarten through elementary school2 7,f7 the role of mentorship and best practices in finding and utilizing mentors2 and 7,g7 the role of informal and after-school ,,stem learning opportunities on the perception of and participation in ,,stem activities of female students in prekindergarten through elementary school4 4 #e4 ,supporting female students in prekindergarten through elementary school in computer science education ,section #caj7;b7 of the ,american ,innovation and ,competitiveness ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ahfbs-#g7;b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#c7 ,uses of funds ,the tools and models described in paragraph 7#b77;,c7 may include-- 7,a7 offering training and professional development programs1 including summer or academic year institutes or workshops1 designed to strengthen the capabilities of prekindergarten and elementary school teachers and to familiarize such teachers with the role of bias against female students in the classroom2 7,b7 offering innovative pre-service and in-service programs that instruct teachers on female-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 or adapting prekindergarten and elementary school computer science curricular materials that incorporate contemporary research on the science of learning1 particularly with respect to female inclusion2 7,e7 developing and offering female-inclusive computer science enrichment programs for students1 including after-school and summer programs2 7,f7 providing mentors for female students in prekindergarten through elementary school to support such students in participating in computer science activities2 7,g7 engaging female students in prekindergarten through elementary school1 and their guardians 7if such communication takes place on school premises during otherwise-scheduled conferences or formal conversations between teachers and guardians7 about-- 7i7 the difficulties faced by female students with regard to maintaining an interest in participating in computer science activities2 and 7ii7 the potential positive career benefits of engaging in such activities2 7,h7 acquainting female students in prekindergarten through elementary school with careers in computer science and encouraging such students to consider careers in the computer science field2 and 7,i7 developing tools to evaluate activities conducted under this subsection1 including reports for evaluating the effectiveness of activities under this section4 4 ,passed the ,senate ,september #bf1 #bjai4,secretary