HR730-119

What This Bill Does

The Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act responds to congressional findings that school mathematics, statistical problem solving, and data science are not keeping pace with workforce needs, that the United States is projected to need 1,000,000 more STEM professionals than it is on track to produce, and that fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, quantum computing, finance, weather prediction, disease modeling, engineering, medicine, marketing, and operations research rely on mathematical and statistical modeling. The bill defines mathematical modeling, statistical modeling, operations research, STEM, federal laboratory, institution of higher education, Director, and Foundation.

The National Science Foundation Director must make merit-reviewed competitive awards to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or consortia for research and development that advances innovative approaches to high-quality mathematical modeling education in schools operated by local educational agencies. Covered education includes statistical modeling, data science, operations research, and computational thinking. NSF must encourage applicants to form partnerships addressing transitions from middle school to high school, high school to college, and school to internships and jobs.

The NSF Director also must seek, within 180 days, an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, or another appropriate entity if NASEM declines, for a study on mathematical and statistical modeling in prekindergarten through grade 12. The study must examine implementation barriers, K-to-workplace pathways, community-based problems, service learning, internships, project-based and performance-based learning, teacher education, and stakeholder communication. At least one public meeting is required, and the report is due within 24 months to NSF, the Education Secretary, and Congress. Funding must come from NSF amounts, and award authority expires September 30, 2029.

Who Benefits and How

K-12 students, girls participating in modeling challenges, students seeking STEM careers, mathematics teachers, statistics teachers, teacher education programs, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, nonprofit education organizations, STEM employers, military academies, data-science employers, artificial-intelligence employers, and National Academies researchers benefit because the bill funds research-based modeling education and creates a national study of how to modernize math pathways from school to careers.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The National Science Foundation, NSF education-program officers, grant applicants, local educational agencies, teacher preparation programs, National Academies study staff, public-meeting organizers, and schools adopting new modeling curricula bear application, study, reporting, curriculum, partnership, and implementation burdens. NSF also carries a budget constraint because the bill requires funding to come from amounts already appropriated or otherwise made available to NSF.

Key Provisions

• Requires NSF merit-reviewed competitive awards for K-12 mathematical and statistical modeling education research and development.
• Authorizes awards to institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, and consortia.
• Requires focus on statistical modeling, data science, operations research, computational thinking, and modeling education in local educational agency schools.
• Requires NSF to encourage partnerships addressing transitions from middle school to high school, high school to college, and school to internships and jobs.
• Requires a National Academies study agreement within 180 days on prekindergarten-through-grade-12 modeling education.
• Requires the study to examine implementation barriers, K-to-workplace pathways, community-based learning, teacher preparation, stakeholder communication, and modernization recommendations.
• Requires at least one public meeting and a report within 24 months to NSF, the Education Secretary, and Congress.
• Limits funding to NSF amounts and expires award authority on September 30, 2029.