H.R. 10347 — Data Science and Literacy Act of 2026

This section establishes a competitive grant program under which the Secretary awards grants to eligible entities for projects that increase access to data literacy education, improve data reasoning skills for students from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary levels, and serve as models for national data science and data literacy education.

This section requires eligible entities seeking grants under this title to submit applications to the Secretary describing plans to increase access to data literacy, data science, and statistics education and to expand access to rigorous STEM classes by using data literacy to boost student interest and reduce enrollment and opportunity gaps for underrepresented students. It also requires continuous assessment and evaluation of funded activities during the grant period and plans to sustain activities afterward, including the planned duration of continuation. Grants are limited to terms of not more than 5 years.

This section requires eligible entities receiving grants to use funds for at least two of eight listed activities, including developing curricula in data literacy, data science, and statistics; expanding access to learning materials and support; creating plans to increase STEM access and reduce gaps for underrepresented students; providing evidence-based educator training; collaborating with industry or higher education partners; hiring specialists; sustaining activities after the grant; and disseminating effective practices. Non-institutions of higher education may also fund pre-kindergarten through middle school preparation and teacher support, while institutions of higher education may provide financial aid and mentorship, and two-year institutions may assess local jobs, form industry partnerships, update curricula, and create articulation agreements for student transitions. No more than 15 percent of funds may cover equipment purchases.

This section requires grant recipients to submit semiannual reports on fund use that include student data disaggregated by race (using decennial census categories for Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students), ethnicity, gender, and free or reduced-price lunch eligibility. It directs the Secretary to submit to Congress and publish, within 5 years of the first grant, an analysis of those reports with recommendations for program expansion, and requires the Institute of Education Sciences to evaluate and publish the grants' effects on data science curricula access, student skills, educator recruitment, and national equitable access.

This section defines terms used throughout the title, including data literacy as the ability to understand and communicate claims derived from data; data science as the interdisciplinary use of statistics, mathematics, and computer science to analyze data; data science education covering analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and related subjects; and eligible entities such as state and local educational agencies, Tribal schools, and institutions of higher education.

This section authorizes $10 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out the title. It limits administrative expenses, including technical assistance and dissemination of required reports and evaluations, to 2.5 percent of funds and program evaluation to 1 percent.

This section requires the Statistics Center to collect and report data on the number of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) teachers in secondary schools in each State, including subjects taught, educational backgrounds, and demographics disaggregated by race, ethnicity, and gender. It limits such collection and reporting to no more than once every 5 years, effective 1 year after enactment.