To provide for national digital school districts.

August 2, 2001

Ms. CANTWELL introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

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.

(2) FISCAL YEAR 2003-

(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