The Data Science and Literacy Act of 2026 would create a competitive grant program at the Department of Education to increase access to data literacy, data science, and statistics education for students from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary levels. Grants would fund activities such as curriculum development, teacher training, online learning materials, partnerships with industry and higher education, and student supports. The bill also adds a requirement to collect national statistics on secondary school STEM teachers, including subjects taught, educational backgrounds, and demographics.
If you work for or are part of an eligible State educational agency, local educational agency, Tribal school, institution of higher education, or an eligible consortium, you could apply for these competitive grants. Projects must serve pre-K through postsecondary students, support underrepresented students, and plan for evaluation and continuation after grant funding ends. Grants may be used to hire specialists, develop curricula, expand student access to courses and supports, and form industry and education partnerships. Recipients must report at least twice per year on students served, with data broken down by race, ethnicity, gender, and free or reduced price lunch status. The bill also requires the collection and reporting of statistics on secondary STEM teachers at least once every five years.
The bill authorizes $10,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out the grant program. Up to 2.5 percent of annual funds may be used for the Secretary's administrative expenses, and up to 1 percent may be used for the program evaluation. Individual grants may use no more than 15 percent of funds in a fiscal year to purchase equipment. Grants may run for up to five years.
The bill's findings state that proponents believe data literacy and data science skills are important for careers, citizenship, and personal decisions. The findings say expanding access to these skills will help build the STEM workforce, broaden participation from underrepresented groups, support community colleges, and aid U.S. competitiveness and evidence-based decisionmaking.
No publicly available information.