42 USC 6621 – Coordination of Federal STEM education
(a) Establishment
The Director shall establish a committee under the National Science and Technology Council, including the Office of Management and Budget, with the responsibility to coordinate Federal programs and activities in support of STEM education, including at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Education, and all other Federal agencies that have programs and activities in support of STEM education.
(b) Responsibilities
Terms Used In 42 USC 6621
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
The committee established under subsection (a) shall—
(1) coordinate the STEM education activities and programs of the Federal agencies;
(2) coordinate STEM education activities and programs with the Office of Management and Budget;
(3) encourage the teaching of innovation and entrepreneurship as part of STEM education activities;
(4) review STEM education activities and programs to ensure they are not duplicative of similar efforts within the Federal government;
(5) develop, implement through the participating agencies, and update once every 5 years a 5-year STEM education strategic plan, which shall—
(A) specify and prioritize annual and long-term objectives;
(B) specify the common metrics that will be used to assess progress toward achieving the objectives;
(C) describe the approaches that will be taken by each participating agency to assess the effectiveness of its STEM education programs and activities; and
(D) with respect to subparagraph (A), describe the role of each agency in supporting programs and activities designed to achieve the objectives;
(6) establish, periodically update, and maintain an inventory of federally sponsored STEM education programs and activities, including documentation of assessments of the effectiveness of such programs and activities and rates of participation by women, underrepresented minorities, and persons in rural areas in such programs and activities;
(7) collaborate with the STEM Education Advisory Panel established under section 303 of the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act and other outside stakeholders to ensure the engagement of the STEM education community;
(8) review the measures used by a Federal agency to evaluate its STEM education activities and programs;
(9) request and review feedback from States on how the States are utilizing Federal STEM education programs and activities; and
(10) recommend the reform, termination, or consolidation of Federal STEM education activities and programs, taking into consideration the recommendations of the STEM Education Advisory Panel.
(c) Responsibilities of OSTP
The Director shall encourage and monitor the efforts of the participating agencies to ensure that the strategic plan under subsection (b)(5) is developed and executed effectively and that the objectives of the strategic plan are met.
(d) Reports
The Director shall transmit a report annually to Congress at the time of the President’s budget request describing the plan required under subsection (b)(5). The annual report shall include—
(1) a description of the STEM education programs and activities for the previous and current fiscal years, and the proposed programs and activities under the President’s budget request, of each participating Federal agency;
(2) the levels of funding for each participating Federal agency for the programs and activities described under paragraph (1) for the previous fiscal year and under the President’s budget request;
(3) an evaluation of the levels of duplication and fragmentation of the programs and activities described under paragraph (1);
(4) except for the initial annual report, a description of the progress made in carrying out the implementation plan, including a description of the outcome of any program assessments completed in the previous year, and any changes made to that plan since the previous annual report;
(5) a description of how the participating Federal agencies will disseminate information about federally supported resources for STEM education practitioners, including teacher professional development programs, to States and to STEM education practitioners, including to teachers and administrators in schools that meet the criteria described in subsection (c)(1)(A) and (B) of section 7381j of this title;
(6) a description of all consolidations and terminations of Federal STEM education programs and activities implemented in the previous fiscal year, including an explanation for the consolidations and terminations;
(7) recommendations for reforms, consolidations, and terminations of STEM education programs or activities in the upcoming fiscal year;
(8) a description of any significant new STEM education public-private partnerships 1
(9) an account of Federal research agency investments in HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, including, to the degree practicable, data on the level of participation of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs as prime recipients, contractors, subrecipients, or subcontractors of an award, or reasonable estimates thereof; and
(10) a description of material changes to the implementation of section 10522 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act.