Bill Overview
Title: Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act
Description: This bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to take certain actions to increase mathematical and statistical modeling education in public elementary and secondary schools. First, the NSF must provide competitive grants to institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations for research and development to support high-quality mathematical modeling education (e.g., data science and computational thinking) in schools. In addition, the NSF must seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study and report on mathematical and statistical modeling education in schools.
Sponsors: Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6]
Target Audience
Population: Students and educators in public elementary and secondary schools globally
Estimated Size: 51000000
- The bill focuses on public elementary and secondary schools, which include students in these educational institutions.
- Teachers in these schools will be affected as they may need to be trained or retrained in mathematical and statistical modeling.
- The introduction of such education may influence the curriculum and academic standards within these schools.
- The effort aims at enhancing education systems statewide, hence impacting all students enrolled in public schools.
Reasoning
- The target population for this policy includes approximately 51 million students in the United States' public elementary and secondary schools.
- Teachers are a significant group as they will require training to adapt to the new curriculum focused on mathematical and statistical modeling.
- The policy involves substantial funding, with $150 million allocated for the first year and a total of $1.05 billion over ten years, indicating a serious investment in reshaping education systems.
- Institutions of higher education and nonprofits involved in educational research will also be impacted through grant opportunities, indirectly affecting education systems.
- The wide reach of the policy suggests that direct and indirect effects will be experienced across diverse demographics, but with differing intensities depending on roles within the education system.
Simulated Interviews
High School Student (Austin, Texas)
Age: 15 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think it's cool that we'll be learning more about how math works in the real world.
- It might help me with my future career plans.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 6 |
High School Math Teacher (San Jose, California)
Age: 42 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This initiative will require teachers to upgrade their skills, which is exciting but also time-consuming.
- I hope the policy comes with adequate training resources.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Nonprofit Organization Researcher (Richmond, Virginia)
Age: 28 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Our nonprofit is keen to apply for these grants to enhance our STEM programs.
- This policy can significantly expand opportunities for students in underserved areas.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 8 |
Education Policy Analyst (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Age: 34 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy could bridge gaps in STEM education across different school districts.
- However, implementation and oversight will be crucial to its success.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
School Principal (Miami, Florida)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Adjusting the curriculum to include more math modeling will be challenging initially.
- I foresee potential benefits in students' analytical skills.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
High School Student (New York, New York)
Age: 17 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm not sure how this will affect me. Math isn't my favorite subject.
- It might help if it's more about real-world stuff though.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Parent of school-aged children (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm hopeful this policy will prepare my children better for the future job market.
- However, I'm concerned about teachers' readiness to adapt to changes.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Software Engineer (Chicago, Illinois)
Age: 30 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy resonates with integrating computational thinking in early education.
- I'm interested in how it can prepare students for future tech careers.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
State Education Board Member (Los Angeles, California)
Age: 58 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This is a promising policy for enhancing STEM education.
- Effective administration and monitoring are key.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Graduate Student in Education (Denver, Colorado)
Age: 25 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 20.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This legislation aligns with current educational research trends.
- It could lead to significant academic growth among students.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $150000000 (Low: $130000000, High: $170000000)
Year 2: $150000000 (Low: $130000000, High: $170000000)
Year 3: $150000000 (Low: $130000000, High: $170000000)
Year 5: $150000000 (Low: $130000000, High: $170000000)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- The program relies heavily on NSF's ability to scale grants efficiently and manage educational initiatives across thousands of schools.
- Coordination with higher education and nonprofits is key to successfully implementing and sustaining high-quality educational reforms.
- The capacity of U.S. public schools to integrate these programs and material into existing curricula needs assessment.