Sponsors (3)
The bill invests modest federal resources to improve K–12 mathematics, statistics, and data‑science instruction and to produce evidence-based recommendations, but it risks uneven access, adds modest budgetary and administrative costs, and leaves programs vulnerable to funding uncertainty unless renewed.
K–12 students (including underrepresented and low-income students) will have increased access to higher‑quality mathematics, statistics, and data science instruction and clearer links from coursework to workplace and postsecondary STEM pathways, improving readiness for further education and careers.
Teachers and teacher-preparation programs will receive resources, professional learning, and evidence-based recommendations to strengthen pre-service and in-service instruction in modeling, statistics, and data science.
Federal research funding and studies (authorized funds and NSF-supported work) will produce sustained, publicly available evidence, evaluations, and recommendations to guide curriculum, training, and policy decisions.
Under-resourced and rural districts with limited grant-writing capacity risk being left out of competitive awards, potentially widening existing educational access and achievement gaps.
The bill authorizes additional federal spending (roughly $10M/year plus $1M/year in authorizations), which—while modest—adds to budgetary pressures and could require trade-offs with other discretionary priorities.
Schools and districts may face new administrative burdens to form partnerships, provide assurances, comply with evaluation/reporting, and manage grants—diverting staff time and potentially funds away from classroom instruction.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to colleges, universities, and nonprofit organizations to research and develop K–12 mathematical and statistical modeling education, with a focus on inclusion, real-world problem solving, teacher supports, and evaluation. It also directs NSF to contract with the National Academies (or another entity) to study how modeling is implemented in pre-K–12 schools and to recommend best practices and policy actions. The bill sets funding authorizations ($10 million/year for grant activity and $1 million/year for the study for FY2026–FY2030), requires outcome-focused evaluations and public reporting, specifies eligible uses of grant funds, asks for attention to disadvantaged and underrepresented students, and includes a sunset for award authority on September 30, 2029.
Introduced January 24, 2025 by Christina Houlahan · Last progress March 25, 2025