PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The National Science Foundation must expand its work to strengthen science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and training, with special focus on associate-degree (2-year) colleges. Congress says the United States faces strong foreign competition, needs a better-prepared workforce for a high-tech global economy, and must boost productivity by improving STEM education at the 2-year level. Shortages of skilled technical workers are best fixed by partnerships between community colleges and industry, and the NSF already does work that makes a bigger role appropriate. The goals are to improve STEM education at associate-degree colleges, upgrade secondary and postsecondary STEM courses, create clear transfer plans between 2-year and 4-year schools to help students move on, and reach out to high schools to raise the quality of STEM teaching.

Title 42, §1862h

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Findings

The Congress finds that—

(1)the position of the United States in the world economy faces great challenges from highly trained foreign competition;

(2)the workforce of the United States must be better prepared for the technologically advanced, competitive, global economy;

(3)the improvement of our work force’s productivity and our international economic position depend upon the strengthening of our educational efforts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM, especially at the associate-degree level;

(4)shortages of scientifically and technically educated trained workers in a wide variety of fields will best be addressed by collaboration among the Nation’s associate-degree-granting colleges and private industry to produce skilled, advanced technicians; and

(5)the National Science Foundation’s traditional role in developing model curricula, disseminating instructional materials, enhancing faculty development, and stimulating partnerships between educational institutions and industry, makes an enlarged role for the Foundation in STEM education and training particularly appropriate.

(b)Purposes

It is the purpose of sections 1862h to 1862j of this title to—

(1)improve science and technical education at associate-degree-granting colleges;

(2)improve secondary school and postsecondary curricula in STEM fields;

(3)improve the educational opportunities of postsecondary students by creating comprehensive articulation agreements and planning between 2-year and 4-year institutions; and

(4)promote outreach to secondary schools to improve STEM instruction.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Sections 1862h to 1862j of this title, referred to in subsec. (b), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 102–476, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2297, known as the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992, which enacted this section and section 1862i and 1862j of this title and amended section 1862 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

of 1992 Amendment note set out under section 1861 of this title and Tables. Codification Section was enacted as part of the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter.

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(A)(i), substituted “science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM” for “science, mathematics, and technology”. Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(A)(ii), inserted “educated” before “trained”. Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(A)(iii), substituted “STEM education and training” for “scientific and technical education and training”. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(B)(i), substituted “STEM fields” for “mathematics and science”. Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(B)(ii), substituted “STEM instruction” for “mathematics and science instruction”.

§1862h Congressional Statement of Findings and Declaration of Purposes Respecting Scientific and Technical Education and Training