21st Century National Defense Education Act or NDEA-21 - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a grant program to promote science, technology, engineering, and math education (STEM fields) in kindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a loan forgiveness program for students who have obtained undergraduate degrees in a STEM field and are employed full-time as elementary or secondary school teachers in a STEM field or by the federal government in a position that requires training or education in a STEM field.
Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation to establish (1) a program to promote professional development to ensure effective STEM instruction; (2) Centers of Excellence to develop STEM curricula; (3) a program to promote research experiences for undergraduates in a STEM field; (4) professional science Master's programs at institutions of higher education for national security and economic competitiveness; and (5) support programs for STEM students studying in foreign countries that have languages of critical strategic importance to the United States.
Establishes: (1) a national STEM Teaching Fellowship program to encourage teaching careers in STEM fields; (2) a STEM Revitalization Task Force to evaluate and promote STEM programs; and (3) a National STEM Advisor.
Establishes: (1) the Office of Teaching Another Language to Kids within the Department of Education to improve foreign language education from kindergarten through 12th grade; (2) the National Foreign Language Coordinating Council in the Executive Office of the President; and (3) the position of National Foreign Language Advisor to find solutions to achieving national foreign language and cultural competency.
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