1. The innovation division of the department of education is created. The chief administrative officer of the division is the administrator who shall be a highly qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics advocate and shall be appointed by the director.

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Terms Used In Iowa Code 256.111

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Department: means the department of education. See Iowa Code 256.2
  • Director: means the director of the department of education. See Iowa Code 256.2
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • Property: means a tangible object, animate or inanimate, under a museum's care which has intrinsic historic, artistic, scientific, or cultural value. See Iowa Code 305B.2
  • School: means an agency of the state or political subdivision of the state, individual, partnership, company, firm, society, trust, association, corporation, or any combination which meets any of the following criteria:
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" may include the said district and territories. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • State board: means the state board of education. See Iowa Code 256.2
  • Student: means a person who enrolls in or seeks to enroll in a course of instruction offered or conducted by a school. See Iowa Code 261B.2
 2. The administrator shall do all of the following:

 a. Direct and organize the activities of the division, including the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics collaborative initiative created in subsection 3.
 b. Control all property of the division.
 c. Perform other duties imposed by law.
 3. A science, technology, engineering, and mathematics collaborative initiative is established within the innovation division for purposes of supporting activities directly related to recruitment of prekindergarten through grade twelve mathematics and science teachers for ongoing mathematics and science programming for students enrolled in prekindergarten through grade twelve.
 4. The collaborative initiative shall prioritize student interest in achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; reach every student and teacher in every school district in the state; identify, recruit, prepare, and support the best mathematics and science teachers; and sustain exemplary programs. The innovation division shall collaborate with the community colleges to develop science, technology, engineering, and mathematics professional development programs for community college instructors and for purposes of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curricula development.
 5. Subject to an appropriation of moneys by the general assembly, the innovation division shall administer the following:

 a. Regional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics networks for Iowa, the purpose of which is to equalize science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education enrichment opportunities available to learners statewide. The innovation division shall establish six geographically similar regional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics networks across Iowa that complement and leverage existing resources, including extension service assets, area education agencies, state accredited postsecondary institutions, informal educational centers, school districts, economic development zones, and existing public and private science, technology, engineering, and mathematics partnerships. Each network shall be managed by a highly qualified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics advocate positioned at a network hub to be determined through a competitive application process. Oversight for each regional network shall be provided by a regional advisory board. Members of the board shall be appointed by the governor. The membership shall represent prekindergarten through grade twelve school districts and schools, and higher education, business, nonprofit organizations, youth agencies, and other appropriate stakeholders.
 b. A focused array of the best science, technology, engineering, and mathematics enrichment opportunities, selected through a competitive application process, that can be expanded to meet future needs. A limited, focused list of selected exemplary programs shall be made available to each regional network.
 c. Statewide science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programming designed to increase participation of students and teachers in successful learning experiences; to increase the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related teaching majors offered by the state’s universities; to elevate public awareness of the opportunities; and to increase collaboration and partnerships.
 6. The innovation division shall evaluate the effectiveness of programming to document best practices.
 7. The state board shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section.