107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1337
To provide for national digital school districts.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 2, 2001
Ms. CANTWELL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred
to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To provide for national digital school districts.
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 `National Digital School Districts Act'.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL DIGITAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS.
(a) PURPOSES- The purposes of this section are--
(1) to address the important role that technology and the Internet can
play in enhancing and improving education in the schools of the United
States when resources are allocated strategically and effectively;
(2) to assist State and local school administrators in the United States
in effectively devoting resources on proven methods to incorporate the use
of high technology and the Internet in educational curricula;
(3) to encourage the development of innovative strategic approaches to
the appropriate and effective use of technology in teaching, learning, and
managing elementary schools and secondary schools;
(4) to evaluate and assess the various strategies described in paragraph
(3) and provide models for the innovative use of technology in schools in
the United States; and
(5) to encourage partnerships between educational institutions and the
private sector relating to the use of technology described in paragraph (3)
in schools in the United States.
(b) DEFINITIONS- In this section:
(1) ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL; STATE AND LOCAL EDUCATIONAL
AGENCIES- The terms `elementary school', `secondary school', State
educational agency' and `local educational agency' have the meanings given
such terms in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
6301 et seq.).
(2) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of
Education.
(3) STATE- The term `State' means 1 of the several States of the United
States and the District of Columbia.
(4) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY- The term `State educational agency' means
the State educational agency of a State.
(c) GRANTS TO STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES-
(1) FISCAL YEAR 2002- For fiscal year 2002, the Secretary shall award 1
grant to each State educational agency to make subgrants to local
educational agencies to create national digital school districts.
(A) IN GENERAL- For fiscal year 2003, the Secretary shall award 1
grant to each State educational agency to pay for the Federal share of the
cost of making subgrants to local educational agencies to create national
digital school districts.
(B) FEDERAL SHARE- The Federal share of the cost referred to in
subparagraph (A) is 50 percent.
(3) STATE APPLICATIONS- To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, a State educational agency shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Secretary may reasonably require.
(d) SUBGRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES-
(1) SUBGRANTS- A State educational agency that receives a grant under
subsection (c) shall use not less than 95 percent of the funds made
available through the grant to make subgrants, on a competitive basis, to
local educational agencies.
(2) NOTICE- The State educational agency shall provide notice to all
local educational agencies in the State of the availability of subgrants
under this subsection and of the requirements for applying for the
subgrants.
(3) LOCAL APPLICATIONS- To be eligible to receive a subgrant under this
section, a local educational agency shall submit an application to the State
educational agency at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the State educational agency may reasonably require.
(4) USE OF SUBGRANTS- A local educational agency that receives a
subgrant under this subsection may use the funds made available through the
subgrant to create a national digital school district by--
(A) acquiring technology;
(B) providing teacher mentoring; and
(C) carrying out other efforts to achieve the purposes of this
section.
(e) ACADEMIC RESEARCH- The Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive
basis, for fiscal year 2004 to institutions of higher education, to conduct
research on the effectiveness of the technology used in national digital
school districts.
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL EVALUATION OF TECHNOLOGY PLANS.
Not later than 36 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary, in consultation with other Federal departments or agencies, State
and local educational practitioners, and policy makers, including teachers,
principals and superintendents, and experts in technology and the application
of technology to education, shall report to Congress on best practices in
implementing technology effectively. The report shall include recommendations
for the purpose of establishing best practices that can be widely implemented
by State and local educational agencies.
END