[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2050 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2050
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. 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.
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