Supporting After-School STEM Educators Act
Sponsored By: Senator Jeanne Shaheen
Introduced
Summary
Strengthen the STEM educator workforce by funding intermediaries that give professional development scholarships and coaching to after-school, summer, and other out-of-school-time educators. The program also creates statewide centralized databases and peer networks to support training and streamline reporting and evaluation.
Show full summary
- Educators: Grants fund professional development scholarships and coaching, and can cover staff time, substitute costs, travel, and activities that help educators bring STEM into programs.
- Program providers: Providers apply for competitive subgrants that last up to five years; an intermediary may fund up to 25 providers and must advertise opportunities to all organizations, including smaller groups.
- Intermediaries and states: The Secretary of Labor awards five-year grants to intermediaries, with preference for those that provide at least 25 percent non-Federal matching funds and partner with colleges, workforce boards, foundations, or local agencies. Intermediaries must build an online statewide PD database, run peer networks, evaluate educator and student outcomes, and publicly share final reports.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Federal grants for after-school STEM educators
This bill would direct the Labor Secretary to create competitive grants for intermediaries to support after-school, summer, and other out-of-school STEM educators. Grants would normally run for five years and usually only one would be awarded per State unless extra funds allow another. The bill would limit subgrant eligibility to nonprofit out-of-school time program providers. Intermediaries would give priority to programs in rural or historically underinvested communities and those serving students underrepresented in STEM.
Grants to pay educator training costs
If enacted, intermediaries that get federal grants could make competitive subgrants to nonprofit program providers to pay for professional development scholarships. Subgrant funds could pay for on-site or off-site training, staff time to attend PD, substitute staff, travel, and time to share and implement training. Subgrants would be made annually for up to five years and an intermediary could fund no more than 25 program providers. Administrative costs would be capped at 15 percent of each grant or subgrant.
Preference for intermediaries with matching funds
The bill would allow the Secretary to give extra preference to intermediaries that identify a partner providing non-Federal matching funds each year equal to at least 25 percent of the annual grant payment. Acceptable partners could include companies, foundations, colleges, local workforce boards, or state education and workforce agencies. This preference could favor intermediaries with strong private or public partners when awards are competitive.
Required reporting and central training database
If enacted, program providers getting subgrants would do annual evaluations of training, measuring educator confidence, how training is used, and student and parent satisfaction. Intermediaries would compile annual summaries and submit them to the Secretary. Intermediaries must also create and maintain a centralized electronic database of PD opportunities and run peer networks and events. These rules would add reporting work but also create shared resources and public reports at the end of each five-year grant.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Jeanne Shaheen
NH • D
Cosponsors
Angela Alsobrooks
MD • D
Sponsored 3/10/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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