HR 2049 IH
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2049
To authorize the National Science Foundation to undertake certain
activities in support of research on learning.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 5, 2001
Mr. SMITH of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Science
A BILL
To authorize the National Science Foundation to undertake certain
activities in support of research on learning.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that--
(1) in virtually every sector of society--health, defense,
transportation, agriculture, etc- research is used to guide policy
choices;
(2) in education, however, research has not been effectively utilized as
a tool for informing policy and guiding reform, with less than 0.03 percent
of the $647,800,000,000 spent on elementary and secondary education invested
in research of what educational techniques actually work and on ways to
improve teaching;
(3) the 1997 President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology
(PCAST) report entitled `The Use of Technology to Strengthen K-12 Education
in the United States' recommended that our education research investment be
increased to 0.5 percent and that educational hypotheses be subjected to
appropriately rigorous evaluation;
(4) a significant body of research and knowledge on the science of
learning currently exists; however, educational materials and practices are
rarely aligned to this knowledge, and new education theories are often
incorporated in classrooms on the basis of only tenuously supported
data;
(5) a cultural divide between education researchers and education
practitioners--such as teachers--currently exists;
(6) an expert panel convened by the National Research Council
recommended in 1999 that more education research be focused on issues of
importance to education practitioners and be conducted by teams of both
traditional researchers and teachers and other education
practitioners;
(7) the education research effort to date is typified by a largely
scattershot approach, with little coordination of the research effort or
focus on particularly compelling questions; and
(8) a 1999 report from the National Research Council entitled `Improving
Student Learning' recommended the adoption of a national, strategic
education research program that would focus efforts on a limited number of
the most critically important research questions.
SEC. 2. RESEARCH ON LEARNING.
(a) IN GENERAL- For the purpose of integrating scientific disciplines in
relation to research on learning, and gaining a better understanding of how
such research and educational practice can be reconciled, the National Science
Foundation shall continue to support research on learning, focusing on the
following 4 areas:
(1) Brain research as a foundation for research on human learning.
(2) Behavioral, cognitive, affective, and social aspects of human
learning.
(3) Science, mathematics, engineering, and technological learning in
formal and informal educational settings.
(4) Learning in complex educational systems.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for carrying out this section
$29,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, $33,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, and
$37,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.
SEC. 3. RESEARCH ON LEARNING CENTERS.
(a) DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH PRIORITIES- The Director of the National
Science Foundation (in this Act referred to as the `Director'), in
consultation with the National Academy of Sciences, shall review past research
on learning, assess current research efforts, and not later than 120 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act develop a set of specific
education research priorities to provide the strategic focus of the Centers
established under subsection (b). The Director shall ensure that the
development of such priorities is informed by the most pressing needs of the
education system.
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTERS- The Director shall make grants for the
establishment of not more than 5 Centers of Research on Learning. The purpose
of these Centers shall be to integrate the work of multidisciplinary teams of
researchers, education practitioners, and policymakers to support the research
priorities developed under subsection (a), and to facilitate the incorporation
of the results of that research into educational practice. Grant awards under
this subsection shall be made through an open, peer-reviewed competition.
(c) STRATEGIC FOCUS OF CENTERS- Each Center shall focus on addressing one
of the specific education research priorities developed by the Director under
subsection (a).
(d) ACTIVITIES OF CENTERS- The Centers shall promote active collaborations
among physical, biological, and social science researchers, education
practitioners, and policymakers. The Centers shall be responsible for--
(1) evaluating existing research and designing, conducting, or
coordinating research that addresses the Center's strategic focus;
(2) stimulating research in relevant areas within the larger research
community and synthesizing the findings from among this community;
(3) planning future research;
(4) facilitating the dissemination of research results to education
practitioners and the incorporation of those research results into the
education system; and
(5) assessing the impact of the incorporation of research results
described in paragraph (4) on student performance.
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for carrying out this section
$3,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, and
$6,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.
SEC. 4. EDUCATION RESEARCH TEACHER FELLOWSHIPS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Director shall establish a program to award grants
to institutions of higher education or scientific research institutions (or
consortia thereof) to provide fellowships to elementary and secondary teachers
for participation in research programs at such institutions under the guidance
of and in collaboration with researchers at the institutions. Such programs
shall be aimed at giving fellowship recipients a better understanding of the
behavioral, cognitive, affective, and social aspects of human learning. The
purpose of fellowships under this section shall be to provide the fellowship
recipients with an opportunity to gain knowledge in research on learning in
order to better facilitate the transfer of the results of that research into
the elementary and secondary education systems.
(b) PROGRAM COMPONENTS- Grant recipients under this section--
(1) shall recruit and select teachers and provide such teachers with
opportunities to conduct research in the fields of--
(A) brain research as a foundation for research on human
learning;
(B) behavioral, cognitive, affective, and social aspects of human
learning;
(C) science and mathematics learning in formal and informal
educational settings; or
(D) learning in complex educational systems;
(2) shall ensure that fellowship recipients have mentors and other
programming support to ensure that their research experience will contribute
to their understanding of the science of learning;
(3) shall provide programming, guidance, and support to ensure that
fellowship recipients disseminate information about the current state of
education research and its implications on classroom practice to other
elementary and secondary educators;
(4) shall provide fellowship recipients with a scholarship stipend;
and
(5) may provide room and board for residential programs.
(c) USE OF FUNDS- Not more than 25 percent of the funds provided under a
grant under this section may be used for programming support for fellowship
recipients. The Director shall issue guidelines specifying the minimum or
maximum amounts of stipends grant recipients may provide to teachers under
this section.
(d) DURATION- A teacher may participate in research under the program
under this section for up to 1 calendar year or 2 sequential summers.
(e) APPLICATION- An institution of higher education or scientific research
institution (or a consortium thereof) seeking funding under this section shall
submit an application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Director may require. The application shall
include, at a minimum--
(1) a description of the research opportunities that will be made
available to elementary and secondary school teachers by the
applicant;
(2) a description of how the applicant will recruit teachers to
participate in the program, and the criteria that will be used to select the
participants;
(3) a description of the number, types, and amounts of the scholarships
that the applicant intends to offer to participating teachers; and
(4) a description of the programming support that will be provided to
participating teachers to enhance their research experience and to enable
them to educate their peers about the value, findings, and implications of
education research.
(f) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS- In evaluating the applications submitted under
subsection (e), the Director shall consider--
(1) the ability of the applicant to effectively carry out the proposed
program;
(2) the extent to which the applicant is committed to making the program
a central organizational focus; and
(3) the likelihood that the research experiences and programming to be
offered by the applicant will improve elementary and secondary
education.
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for carrying out this section
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2004.
SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY EDUCATION RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation
for participation in the Interagency Education Research Initiative,
$28,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, $31,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, and
$33,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.
END