42 U.S.C. § 7381l: National Laboratories…

§7381l National Laboratories Centers of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education

Title 42 › CHAPTER 84 — DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY › SUBCHAPTER XIII — DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS › Part B — Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Programs › subpart 3 — national laboratories centers of excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education › § 7381l

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Each National Laboratory must run a program that supports at least one Center of Excellence in STEM at a high-need public secondary school in the lab’s region. A high-need public secondary school is one where 40 percent or more of students are from low-income families or that has a school locale code of 41, 42, or 43 as set by the Secretary of Education. The chosen school and the National Laboratory must partner with a college or university education program, and they may also include a nonprofit with proven science or math experience. The Secretary will set goals and selection rules, and the labs must pick sites through an open, competitive process. Lab scientists and engineers must help teachers and let them use lab equipment. Centers must give teacher candidates real classroom or internship experience, mentoring, and, when possible, professional development for current teachers. The Director must create an evaluation plan and share results, and the Secretary will use performance results when deciding certain contractor fees. Programs already running on August 9, 2007, are not affected.

Title 42, §7381l

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

(a)Definition of high-need public secondary school

In this section, the term “high-need public secondary school” means a secondary school—

(1)in which 40 percent or more of the students attending the school are children from low-income families; or

(2)designated with a school locale code of 41, 42, or 43, as determined by the Secretary of Education.

(b)Establishment

The Secretary shall establish at each of the National Laboratories a program to support a Center of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (referred to in this section as a “Center of Excellence”) in at least 1 high-need public secondary school located in the region served by the National Laboratory to provide assistance in accordance with subsection (f).

(c)Collaboration

(1)In general

To comply with subsection (g), each high-need public secondary school selected as a Center of Excellence and the National Laboratory shall form a partnership with a school, department, or program of education at an institution of higher education.

(2)Nonprofit entities

The partnership may include a nonprofit entity with demonstrated experience and effectiveness in science or mathematics, as agreed to by other members of the partnership.

(d)Selection

(1)In general

The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall establish criteria to guide the National Laboratories in selecting the sites for Centers of Excellence.

(2)Process

A National Laboratory shall select a site for a Center of Excellence through an open, widely-publicized, and competitive process.

(e)Goals

The Secretary shall establish goals and performance assessments for each Center of Excellence authorized under subsection (b).

(f)Assistance

Consistent with section 7381b and 7381c of this title, the Director shall make available necessary assistance for a program established under this section through the use of scientific and engineering staff of a National Laboratory, including the use of staff—

(1)to assist teachers in teaching a course at a Center of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; and

(2)to use National Laboratory scientific equipment in the teaching of the course.

(g)Special rules

A Center of Excellence in a region shall ensure—

(1)provision of clinical practicum, student teaching, or internship experiences for science, technology, and mathematics teacher candidates as part of the teacher preparation program of the Center of Excellence;

(2)provision of supervision and mentoring for teacher candidates in the teacher preparation program; and

(3)to the maximum extent practicable, provision of professional development for veteran teachers in the public secondary schools in the region.

(h)Evaluation

The Secretary shall consider the results of performance assessments required under subsection (e) in determining the contract award fee of a National Laboratory management and operations contractor.

(i)Plan

The Director shall—

(1)develop an evaluation and accountability plan for the activities funded under this section that objectively measures the impact of the activities; and

(2)disseminate information obtained from those measurements.

(j)No effect on similar programs

Nothing in this section displaces or otherwise affects any similar program being carried out as of August 9, 2007, at any National Laboratory under any other provision of law.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 114–95 substituted “in which 40 percent or more of the students attending the school are children from low-income families” for “with a high concentration of low-income individuals (as defined in section 6537 of title 20)”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of Title 20, Education.