Rural Stem Education Research Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 210, the Rural STEM Education Research Act, a bill that passed this House with resounding bipartisan support in the 116th Congress, and I hope it will do so again today.

I am pleased to be leading this important bill, and I thank Chairwoman Johnson for her support.

Now more than ever, America's prosperity and security depend on an effective and inclusive science, technology, engineering, math, and computer science workforce, or STEM.

Nationally, 80 percent of the fastest-growing occupations depend upon mastery of STEM skills, and the number of STEM jobs is growing three times faster than non-STEM jobs. Over the next decade, the STEM shortage is anticipated to reach 1 million positions, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To succeed in this job market, our students need to be equipped with solid skills in science and engineering. Meeting this demand starts in the classroom.

Over 9 million students in the United States, nearly 20 percent of the total K-12 population, attend rural schools. In Oklahoma, that number is even higher; one-third of our students attend rural schools.

These students face a number of barriers to accessing high-quality STEM learning, including a shortage of trained science and math teachers, a lack of access to advanced STEM courses, and few local university and industry partners.

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen further proof that rural students are at a disadvantage, given the unreliability or nonexistent broadband access many struggle with while distance learning.

The Rural STEM Education Research Act supports research and development activities to improve our understanding of the challenges rural communities are facing, and it takes steps to address those challenges in providing and sustaining quality STEM education programs.

H.R. 210 helps develop better practices for accessing and using computer-based and online STEM education courses. It will help schools combine online STEM education with hands-on training and apprenticeships to give students both theoretical and practical understanding of math and science skills.

The bill will also take steps to address one of the key obstacles to rural STEM education, a lack of broadband access. Of the 21 million Americans who lack access to broadband, the majority live in rural areas. With the increase in online learning, we need to prioritize connectivity for all students.

This bill directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish a prize competition to stimulate innovations in technologies to deploy broadband connectivity to underserved rural communities.

It also establishes a working group to set key research priorities for improving broadband access so rural communities can enjoy the same connectedness as the rest of the country.

This bill includes a number of provisions to help provide rural educators with the tools they need to be successful, both in the classroom and online. It supports opportunities for rural educators to enhance their own STEM education, such as training in computer science or research opportunities at Federal labs and universities. These experiences will provide rural educators with high-quality STEM skills they can take back to the classrooms and pass on to their students.

Lastly, the major focus of this bill is broadening the participation of rural students in STEM. One way we can do this is by emphasizing place-based learning, which gives students direct access to the STEM knowledge present in their communities and local environment.

Place-based learning connects students to the science that is right outside their doors, whether it is studying animal science with FFA, learning about local ecosystems out on the prairies and in forests, or developing the technological skills required to operate increasingly complex and computerized farm equipment. That direct experience engages students and helps them understand that STEM skills matter to everyone, not just scientists in a white lab coat.

Taken together, the measures in this bill will make great strides to improve rural STEM education. I believe rural areas represent one of the greatest, yet most underutilized, opportunities for talented students to enhance the United States' future STEM workforce.

I am pleased that this bill has been endorsed by a number of stakeholder groups: STEM Education Coalition, Afterschool Alliance, Battelle and STEM-X, National Science Teaching Association, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, American Chemical Society, American Geophysical Union, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Association of American Universities, Microsoft, Girl Scouts of the USA, National FFA Organization, and Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

I again thank Chairwoman Johnson and her staff for working with me on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to better STEM education for America's rural students, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I, once again, thank Chairwoman Johnson for her support of this legislation. Whether you live in Dallas, Texas, or Cheyenne, Oklahoma, every student should have the opportunity to gain STEM skills and to compete for the jobs of the future.

The Rural STEM Education Research Act gives teachers better tools to teach science and math, leverages local resources to engage students in key subjects, and addresses the lack of broadband access in rural communities. This important legislation passed the House with strong bipartisan support last Congress. I hope it will do so again today.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill today, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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