Data Science and Literacy Act of 2026

Schools and colleges could apply for new federal grants to teach data science, once Congress agrees to fund them.

More about this bill

Most people would see no direct effect from this bill. It sets up permission to spend up to $10 million a year from 2027 through 2031 on a new grant program. But permission is not the same as money. Congress would still have to approve the actual funding later, in a separate bill. School districts, state agencies, tribal schools, colleges, and groups of them together could apply for grants. Winners could use the money for new data-science classes, teacher training, or equipment, for students from pre-kindergarten through college. Equipment cannot use more than 15% of a grant. Schools that get a grant would report twice a year on the students they serve. They would break down the data by race, gender, and whether students qualify for free lunch. The Department of Education would publish a report on how well the program worked, within five years of the first grant. The bill also tells the government to start counting, every five years, how many science and math teachers each state's high schools employ.