HR 1109 | GENIUS Act | U.S. House Bill | Global Education Nexus in U.S. Act

HR 1109

112th CONGRESS
1st Session

H. R. 1109

To raise achievement in international education in elementary schools and secondary schools through grants to improve teacher competency and to support programs in international education that supplement core curricula in such schools, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 16, 2011

Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

A BILL

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Global Education Nexus in U.S. Act' or the `GENIUS Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

(a) Findings- Congress finds the following:

(1) A host of growing challenges--international security, global markets, immigration, world health, the environment, and the emerging educational and material aspirations of the world's poorest people--are fundamentally altering the international landscape.

(2) Rapid technological advances and the information age are shrinking the world, exponentially enlarging access of all peoples to essential knowledge, concepts, and ideas, and connecting Americans to their counterparts across the globe.

(3) The diversity of American workplaces, schools, and communities increasingly parallels the world's diversity.

(4) Americans, in the performance of their citizenship roles, are required to make informed judgments about the role of the United States in the world, as well as the impact of other nations and world regions on the United States.

(5) The place of the United States in the world will depend on whether teachers, citizens, and policymakers of the United States understand how international events shape the lives, politics, economics, and security of the Nation.

(6) American-based multinational corporations, as well as small businesses, increasingly need employees with knowledge of foreign languages and cultures to market products to customers domestically and around the globe, and to work effectively with foreign employees and partners in other countries.

(7) It is the primary function of the Nation's schools to prepare America's students to meet the requirements of the workplace and to perform citizenship roles in dynamic and rapidly changing domestic and global communities.

(8) Recent surveys consistently demonstrate the illiteracy of young Americans in geography, economics, and world history, as well as the low priority university students give to learning about other countries and cultures.

(9) Only rarely do American high school or university students elect to study geography, world history, international relations, or global issues, or to obtain fluency in a foreign language.

(10) School curricula and university programs of study are not adequately aligned to new international and global realities.

(11) State educational agencies and local educational agencies must be encouraged to include international education competency as part of teacher credentialing and licensing.

(b) Purposes- The purposes of this Act are--

(1) to raise student achievement in world history and cultures, international and global studies, and foreign languages by increasing the international education competence and literacy of elementary school and secondary school teachers; and

(2) to support programs that supplement student educational achievement in world history, international and global studies, and foreign languages.

SEC. 3. DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INTERNATIONAL AND FOREIGN LANGUAGE EDUCATION.

Section 205 of the Department of Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3415) is amended--

(1) in subsection (b)--

(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting `elementary, secondary,' after `affecting';

(B) in paragraph (2), by striking `and' at the end;

(C) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and inserting `, national nonprofit educational organizations or consortiums of nonprofit educational organizations, State educational agencies, local educational agencies, and other nonprofit organizations;'; and

(D) by adding at the end the following:

`(4) assist the Secretary in administering the grant program under section 4 of the Global Education Nexus in U.S. Act; and

`(5) develop an international education research repository and make available the information contained in such repository to any State educational agency and local educational agency.'; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

`(c) Definitions- As used in this section--

`(1) the term `institution of higher education' has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001);

`(2) the term `international education' means educational subject matter related to world history, regions, cultures, and geography, as well as foreign languages, contemporary world issues, international relations, international economics, humanitarian law, international and non-governmental organizations, and the technology and communication mediums related to such subject matter.

`(3) the term `international education research repository' means a research repository containing scientifically valid education research, promising and exemplary practices related to international education, including foreign language education, as well as any other information related to international education that the Secretary determines would be beneficial for State educational agencies and local educational agencies in--

`(A) the professional development of teachers of international education, including foreign language education;

`(B) the implementation of international education programs, including foreign language programs; and

`(C) improving the international education competency, including foreign language competency, of elementary school and secondary school students;

`(4) the term `national nonprofit educational organizations or consortiums of nonprofit educational organizations' means national nonprofit educational organizations or consortiums of nonprofit educational organizations that have as their primary purpose the improvement of student competency in international education, including foreign language competency, through effective international education instruction, including foreign language instruction, in elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education; and

`(5) the terms `local educational agency', `elementary school', `secondary school', and `State educational agency' have the meanings given such terms in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).'.

SEC. 4. INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION GRANTS.

(a) Grants Authorized- From the funds appropriated under section 6, the Secretary, acting through the Deputy Assistant Secretary, shall award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to promote international education instruction in elementary schools and secondary schools in accordance with subsection (c) by--

(1) increasing teacher competency with respect to international education subject matter; and

(2) implementing supplemental international education services.

(b) Grant Eligibility-

(1) APPLICATION- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(2) PRIORITY- The Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--

(A) are eligible for assistance under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.);

(B) offer professional development in international education to all teachers and encourage the inclusion of international education in core elementary school and secondary school curricula; and

(1) 50 percent of such grant funds to develop, implement, and strengthen programs to teach international education within core elementary school and secondary school curricula, which shall include programs with respect to international education subject matter that--

(A) improve the quality of instruction; and

(B) provide professional development and teacher education activities; and

(2) 50 percent of such grant funds to supplement core academic subjects through supplemental international education services outside of normal instruction hours, such as--

(A) Model United Nations;

(B) geography bees; and

(C) any other service or program deemed beneficial to the development of student international education competency by the Secretary.

SEC. 5. EVALUATION AND REPORT.

(a) Evaluation- From the funds appropriated under section 6, the Secretary shall conduct, through grant or by contract, a biennial independent evaluation of the international education programs administered by eligible entities under section 4 that--

(1) quantifies student academic achievement in international education; and

(2) describes promising and exemplary practices of preparing teachers to teach international education topics and providing international education to students.

(b) Report- From the funds appropriated under section 6, the Secretary shall prepare, through grant or by contract, and submit to each House of Congress, an annual independent report that includes--

(1) the total amount of grant funds awarded under section 4, and the geographic distribution of such awards;

(2) the results of the evaluation conducted under subsection (a); and

(3) any other information deemed appropriate by the Deputy Assistant Secretary or the Secretary.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated $200,000,000 to carry out this Act for fiscal year 2012 and such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year thereafter.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:

(1) DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY- The term `Deputy Assistant Secretary' means the Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education in the Office of Postsecondary Education of the Department of Education.

(2) ELEMENTARY SCHOOL- The term `elementary school' has the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY- The term `eligible entity' means--

(A) a local educational agency; or

(B) a partnership consisting of--

(i) a local educational agency; and

(ii) a private organization or institution of higher education that provides such local educational agency with funding to carry out the activities described in section 4(c).

(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION- The term `institution of higher education' has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).

(5) INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION- The term `international education' means educational subject matter related to world history, regions, cultures, and geography, as well as foreign languages, contemporary world issues, international relations, international economics, humanitarian law, international and non-governmental organizations, and the technology and communication mediums related to such subject matter.

(6) INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION RESEARCH REPOSITORY- The term `international education research repository' means a research repository containing scientifically valid education research, promising and exemplary practices related to international education, including foreign language education, as well as any other information related to international education that the Secretary determines would be beneficial for State educational agencies and local educational agencies in--

(A) the professional development of teachers of international education, including foreign language education;

(B) the implementation of international education programs, including foreign language programs; and

(C) improving the international education competency, including foreign language competency, of elementary school and secondary school students.

(7) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY- The term `local educational agency' has the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(8) NATIONAL NONPROFIT EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OR CONSORTIUMS OF NONPROFIT EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS- The term `national nonprofit educational organizations or consortiums of nonprofit educational organizations' means national nonprofit educational organizations or consortiums of nonprofit educational organizations that have as their primary purpose the improvement of student competency in international education, including foreign language competency, through effective international education instruction, including foreign language instruction, in elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education.

(9) SECONDARY SCHOOL- The term `secondary school' has the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(10) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Education.

END