108th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4043
To establish a national leadership initiative to promote and coordinate
knowledge utilization in education, thereby increasing student achievement
consistent with the objectives of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and
for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 25, 2004
Mr. HOLT (for himself, Mrs. CUBIN, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Ms. WOOLSEY,
and Mr. HINOJOSA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To establish a national leadership initiative to promote and coordinate
knowledge utilization in education, thereby increasing student achievement
consistent with the objectives of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and
for other purposes.
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 `Knowledge Utilization in Education Act of 2004'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) Knowledge utilization allows information generated by scientifically
valid research to be available to, and usable by, educators in the classroom.
(2) Limited knowledge utilization has impeded the progress of schools in
increasing academic achievement of students.
(3) Research shows that student achievement increases when education practices
based on scientifically valid research are used by classroom teachers.
(4) To facilitate the coordination and use of research-based practices by
classroom teachers, effective knowledge utilization is essential, including
the development and use of products and strategies based on scientifically
valid research.
(5) The active involvement of teachers, principals, district administrators,
and chief State school officers in knowledge utilization activities is essential
to the effective application of research-based knowledge to policy and practice.
(6) Although the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (which amended the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.)) requires educators
to use instructional practices and innovations supported by scientifically
valid research, such practices and innovations are in short supply and not
widely available and coordinated for use in classrooms.
(7) Given that a significant percentage of public schools in the United
States are not making adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001, steps must be taken to coordinate the use of knowledge utilization
by classroom educators.
(8) Particular subgroups of students are not making adequate yearly progress,
as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, including economically
disadvantaged students, students from major racial and ethnic groups, students
with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency. Such students
require targeted efforts to ensure that they are receiving instruction supported
by scientifically valid research.
(9) More instructional activities and practices supported by scientifically
valid research need to be developed to meet the current and expected demands
of educators in schools.
(10) Although existing federal research, development, dissemination, and
technical assistance programs have been proven to be effective, these programs
need to be brought to national scale and coordinated through a national,
knowledge utilization initiative.
(11) Effective knowledge utilization in education brings together the professional
wisdom of practitioners and the best available empirical evidence generated
through scientifically valid research.
(12) Too often exemplary innovations in teaching, curriculum, and assessment
are demonstrated to be effective, but have minimal impact because they are
not brought to scale.
(13) Educational practices that are supported by scientifically valid research
need to be brought to greater scale in school districts across the country
in order to have broad influence on student achievement.
(14) National leadership is needed to provide targeted initiatives, collaboration,
and coordination of knowledge utilization programs to ensure that classroom
educators have access to, and utilize practices supported by, scientifically
valid research.
(15) A national leadership office intended to coordinate Department of Education
programs and promote knowledge utilization in education will facilitate
the effective implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL LEADERSHIP OFFICE FOR KNOWLEDGE UTILIZATION IN EDUCATION.
(a) Establishment- There shall be in the Department of Education the National
Leadership Office for Knowledge Utilization in Education (in this section
referred to as the `Office'), to be headed by a Director appointed under subsection
(c).
(b) Duties- The duties of the Office shall be the following:
(1) Promoting the use of scientifically valid research in education practice
and innovation.
(2) Providing leadership to the Nation in developing and promoting policies,
practices, and investments that result in the provision of instruction supported
by scientifically valid research to elementary and secondary school students.
(3) Developing and promoting policies, practices, and investments that result
in bringing to scale successful educational practices that are based on
scientifically valid research.
(4) Informing the public about the significance of using scientifically
valid research in education.
(5) Encouraging the use of new technologies in appropriate knowledge utilization
efforts.
(6) Supporting the effective coordination of current federally supported
knowledge utilization programs, including regional educational laboratories,
research and development centers, technical assistance centers and consortia,
national clearinghouses, and other entities involved in research, development,
dissemination, technical assistance, and evaluation.
(7) Administering the partnership established pursuant to subsection (e).
(8) Producing the biennial report required by subsection (f).
(9) Using the expertise of existing knowledge utilization programs to assist
in the implementation of this section.
(1) Appointment- The Secretary of Education shall appoint the Director of
the Office.
(2) Qualifications- The Director of the Office shall be selected from among
individuals who are experts in--
(A) knowledge utilization, including promoting the effective implementation
of the results of research in the classroom; and
(B) managing large institutions or consortia that conduct a broad array
of research applications.
(3) Duties- The Director of the Office shall--
(A) report directly to the Secretary;
(B) be responsible for the duties of the Office described in subsection
(b); and
(C) perform such additional functions as the Secretary may prescribe.
(4) Compensation- Section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, relating
to level IV of the Executive Schedule, is amended by adding at the end of
the list in such section the following new item:
`Director of the National Leadership Office for Knowledge Utilization in
Education.'.
(5) Staff- The Director of the Office may select, appoint, and employ such
officers and employees as may be necessary to carry out the functions of
the Office, subject to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing
appointments in the competitive service, and the provisions of chapter 51
and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such title, relating to classification
and General Schedule pay rates.
(d) Interagency Task Force-
(1) Establishment- To promote coordination and cooperation among Federal
departments and agencies administering knowledge utilization programs and
activities, the Director of the Office shall convene the Interagency Task
Force on Knowledge Utilization in Education (in this subsection referred
to as the `Task Force').
(2) Duties- The Task Force shall--
(A) identify and review Federal programs, activities, and projects with
respect to knowledge utilization in education (including any plans for
such programs, activities, and projects); and
(B) prepare, for inclusion in the biennial report under subsection (f),
recommendations on ways to improve the coordination and collaboration
of such programs, activities, and projects.
(3) Membership- The Task Force shall be composed of the following members:
(A) The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences.
(B) The Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
(C) The Director of the National Science Foundation.
(D) The Director of the Office.
(E) Such Assistant Secretaries and other officials from the Department
of Education as the Secretary may designate.
(F) Such other members as the President, the Secretary, or the Director
of the Office may invite.
(4) Chairperson- The Director of the Office shall serve as the Chairperson
of the Task Force.
(5) Termination- The Task Force shall terminate 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, subject to renewal at the discretion of the Director
of the Office.
(e) Knowledge Utilization Partnership in Education-
(1) Establishment- The Director of the Office shall establish a network
of private and public entities throughout the Nation, to be known as the
Knowledge Utilization Partnership in Education (in this subsection referred
to as the `Partnership').
(2) Purpose- The purpose of the Partnership is to promote and advance knowledge
utilization in education in conjunction with private and public organizations
and entities throughout the Nation.
(3) Duties- The Partnership shall--
(A) encourage private-public venture partnerships for knowledge utilization;
(B) identify needs in relation to knowledge utilization programs, activities,
and projects supported by the Federal Government;
(C) provide general advice to the Office; and
(D) provide ambassadors to the elementary and secondary education community
to encourage the adoption of education practices supported by scientifically
valid research.
(A) Establishment- The Director of the Office may establish a Partnership
Advisory Panel (in this paragraph referred to as the `Panel').
(B) Membership- The Director shall select the members of the Panel from
among individuals who represent entities participating in the Partnership
and have expertise in knowledge utilization.
(C) Duties- The duties of the Panel shall be the following:
(i) To provide advice to the Director regarding the opportunities and
challenges of promoting knowledge utilization activities at the local,
State, and Federal levels through the Partnership.
(ii) To offer suggestions to the Director for promoting knowledge utilization
policies and strategies in the future through the Partnership.
(1) In general- The Director of the Office shall--
(A) conduct a biennial analysis of the state of knowledge utilization
in education practice and innovation; and
(B) submit a report on the results of each such analysis to the Committee
on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.
(2) Contents- Each report submitted under this subsection shall--
(A) include an assessment of efforts to increase the use of education
practices supported by scientifically valid research;
(B) include the recommendations of the Interagency Task Force on Knowledge
Utilization in Education prepared pursuant to subsection (d)(2); and
(C) recommend changes in policies to further promote progress in knowledge
utilization.
(3) Initial report- The Director of the Office shall submit the first report
under this subsection not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act.
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO PROMOTE KNOWLEDGE UTILIZATION IN EDUCATION.
(a) Program Authorized- The Secretary of Education shall make competitive
grants to, and enter into contracts with, eligible entities to support projects
that promote knowledge utilization in education.
(b) Use of Funds- The Secretary may not make a grant to an eligible entity
under this section unless the entity agrees to use the grant for 1 or more
of the following:
(1) Helping educators become more informed consumers of research-based knowledge
utilization programs and services through sustained professional development
activities, including annual conferences, summer teacher academies, on-line
seminars, and school-based workshops.
(2) Creating incentives for States and districts to expand and coordinate
their investments in knowledge utilization initiatives.
(3) Focusing special knowledge utilization efforts on high-need, low-capacity
areas such as rural schools.
(4) Developing a national corps of regionally based research-to-practice
coordinators to work in schools on the effective implementation, utilization,
and dissemination of education practices supported by scientifically valid
research.
(5) Targeting efforts to classroom educators working with subgroups whose
test scores indicate that they need improvement under the adequate yearly
progress calculation required by section 1111(b)(2) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)), including economically
disadvantaged students, students from major racial and ethnic groups, students
with disabilities, and students with limited English proficiency.
(6) Conducting research on knowledge utilization.
(7) Coordinating and enhancing existing federally supported knowledge utilization
programs, including regional educational laboratories, research and development
centers, technical assistance centers and consortia, national clearinghouses,
and other entities involved in research, development, dissemination, technical
assistance, and evaluation.
(8) Supporting efforts to identify and disseminate promising practices in
the implementation of education innovation that are supported by scientifically
valid research.
(9) Promoting entrepreneurship in developing new solutions, innovations,
and choices in education for consumers that are supported by scientifically
valid research.
(10) Establishing fellowship programs to encourage expert capacity in knowledge
utilization.
(11) Using Internet-based technology to enable classroom teachers to access,
in all content areas, instructional practice and innovation that are grounded
in scientifically valid research.
(12) Developing means and methods for making the information from the What
Works Clearinghouse and other clearinghouses available to, and accessible
by, classroom teachers.
(13) Developing strategies to support the use of scientifically valid research
by classroom teachers and school administrators in managing and improving
student behavior and school climate.
(c) Applications- To seek a grant or a contract under this section, an eligible
entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time and in such
manner as the Secretary may reasonably require.
(d) Eligible Entities- In this section, the term `eligible entity'--
(1) means a private or public, for-profit or nonprofit organization, institution,
agency, institution of higher education, or partnership of such entities,
that has demonstrated expertise in knowledge utilization in education; and
(2) includes existing federally supported knowledge utilization programs,
such as regional educational laboratories, research and development centers,
technical assistance centers and consortia, national clearinghouses, and
other entities involved in research, development, dissemination, technical
assistance, and evaluation.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
(1) Applied research- The term `applied research' has the meaning given
to that term in section 102 of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002
(20 U.S.C. 9501).
(2) Knowledge utilization- The term `knowledge utilization'--
(A) means the interactive processes involving research, development, dissemination,
technical assistance, and evaluation in which research-based knowledge
is applied to improving instructional practice; and
(B) includes such activities essential to school improvement as--
(i) development and evaluation of practical applications of research,
such as procedures, policies, practices, programs, materials, and training;
(ii) the use of research-based technical assistance and professional
development for policymakers, practitioners, and other stakeholders;
(iii) collection and dissemination of information, data, and statistics;
(iv) initiatives for building linkages among research, policy, and practice;
and
(v) an infrastructure for increasing capacity for the use of research
and its applications.
(3) Office- The term `Office' means the National Leadership Office for Knowledge
Utilization in Education established by section 3.
(4) Scientifically valid research- The term `scientifically valid research'
has the meaning given to that term in section 102 of the Education Sciences
Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9501).
(5) Secretary- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Education.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry
out this Act for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2008.
END
