H.R. 5351
NSF AI Education Act of 2025
Sponsor: Vince Fong · 28 cosponsors
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Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
NSF AI Education Act of 2025
This bill establishes, or authorizes the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish, various scholarship, fellowship, and grant programs to promote education and professional development related to artificial intelligence (AI).
The bill authorizes NSF to award scholarships and fellowships to college students focusing their studies on AI. NSF may also support AI-related professional development fellowships for (1) students and faculty, (2) K-12 teachers and school professionals, and (3) industry professionals seeking short-term appointments to teach AI.
NSF must also establish up to eight centers of AI excellence at community colleges or area career and technical education schools. Designated centers must develop best practices for AI research and education, integrating AI into the classroom, and facilitating partnerships with the private sector, among other topics. This program must be administered in coordination with the Department of Commerce Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program.
NSF may make merit-based grants to eligible entities, including institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations, for research on AI teaching models, integration of AI in the classroom, and AI’s impact on educational outcomes for students through grade 12. Awards must be used to (1) prepare K-12 teachers to integrate AI into their classrooms; and (2) research, test, and implement AI-related instructional materials, teaching models, and professional development for teachers.
Finally, NSF may establish a pilot program through which regional cohorts will provide AI-related peer support, mentoring, and research experiences to K-12 teachers and school leaders.
Text of the bill
(a) In general. Section 5401 of the National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 (15 U.S.C. 9451; enacted as part of title LIV of division E of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283)) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (i); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new subsections:
(g) Awards for research on artificial intelligence in education
(1) Eligible entity defined. In this subsection, the term eligible entity means any of the following:
(A) An institution of higher education.
(B) A nonprofit organization.
(C) A consortium of one or more institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations and one or more private sector entities.
(2) Awards
(A) In general. The Director of the National Science Foundation may make awards, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to eligible entities, to enable such eligible entities to promote research regarding teaching models, tools, and materials for artificial intelligence, its integration into the classroom, teaching, and learning for pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students, and its impacts on educational and learning outcomes.
(B) Method. The Director of the National Science Foundation may carry out subparagraph (A) by making awards through new or existing programs.
(3) Application
(A) In general. An eligible entity that desires to receive an award under this subsection shall submit to the Director of the National Science Foundation an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Director may require.
(B) Contents. An application under subparagraph (A) may include the following:
(i) A description of any regional partnerships the eligible entity plans to utilize to carry out the award.
(ii) With respect to an application that concerns the use or integration of artificial intelligence, a description of potential ethical concerns and implications of teacher, faculty, and student interactions with artificial intelligence.
(iii) A description of how proposed research on teaching models, tools, and materials were developed in consultation with other educators, academia, industry, government entities, or civil society organizations.
(iv) Such other information as the Director may require.
(4) Use of award funds. Awards described in paragraph (2)(A) shall be used by the recipient to carry out the following:
(A) Emphasize preparing incoming K–12 teachers to integrate artificial intelligence into their classrooms in beneficial and innovative ways.
(B) Support research to develop, pilot, fully implement, or test topics, such as the following:
(i) Instructional materials and high-quality learning opportunities for teaching artificial intelligence.
(ii) Models for the preparation of new teachers who will teach artificial intelligence.
(iii) Scalable models of professional development and ongoing support for teachers.
(iv) Tools and models for teaching and learning aimed at supporting student success.
(v) Evaluations of the effect of different approaches to teaching artificial intelligence on students’ educational and learning outcomes.
(5) Partnerships. In making awards under this subsection, the Director of the National Science Foundation shall carry out the following:
(A) Encourage applicants which, for the purpose of the proposed activity or activities funded through such award, include or partner with a nonprofit organization or an institution of higher education (or a consortium thereof) that has extensive experience and expertise in integrating artificial intelligence into K–12 classrooms.
(B) Encourage applicants which, for the purpose of such proposed activity or activities funded through such award, include or partner with a consortium of schools, institutions of higher education, school districts, non-profit organizations, or other State and local government entities.
(C) Encourage applicants which, for the purpose of such proposed activity or activities funded through such award, include commitments from school principals, other school leaders, or administrators to make a priority reforms and activities proposed by the applicant.
(h) Artificial intelligence collaborative
(1) In general. The Director of the National Science Foundation may establish a pilot program of regional cohorts that will provide peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research experiences for educators, principals, and other school leaders of students in kindergarten through grade 12, in order to build a network allowing educators, principals, other school leaders to carry out the following:
(A) Engage with one another on educational efforts related to teaching and using artificial intelligence and evaluating its effects on students’ educational and learning outcomes.
(B) Interact with researchers, academia, and local industry involved in artificial intelligence.
(2) Method. The Director of the National Science Foundation may carry out this subsection by making awards through new or existing programs, including the pilot program authorized under section 10511(a)(2)(B) of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19172; enacted as part of title V of division B of Public Law 117–167).