[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 611 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 611

 To amend part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
   Act of 1965 to improve and refocus civic education, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2001

     Mr. Kildee (for himself, Mr. Castle, and Mr. George Miller of 
 California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the 
 Committee on International Relations, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
   Act of 1965 to improve and refocus civic education, 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 ``Education for Democracy Act''.

SEC. 2. CIVIC EDUCATION.

    Part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 8141 et seq.) is amended to read as follows:

                       ``PART F--CIVIC EDUCATION

``SEC. 10601. SHORT TITLE.

    ``This part may be cited as the `Education for Democracy Act'.

``SEC. 10602. FINDINGS.

    ``The Congress finds that--
            ``(1) college freshmen surveyed in 1999 by the Higher 
        Education Research Institute at the University of California at 
        Los Angeles demonstrated higher levels of disengagement, both 
        academically and politically, than any previous entering class 
        of students;
            ``(2) college freshmen in 1999 demonstrated the lowest 
        levels of political interest in the 20-year history of surveys 
        conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the 
        University of California at Los Angeles;
            ``(3) United States secondary school students expressed 
        relatively low levels of interest in politics and economics in 
        a 1999 Harris survey;
            ``(4) the 32d Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of 2000 
        indicated that preparing students to become responsible 
        citizens was the most important purpose of public schools;
            ``(5) Americans surveyed by the Organization of Economic 
        Cooperation and Development indicated that only 59 percent had 
        confidence that schools have a major effect on the development 
        of good citizenship;
            ``(6) teachers too often do not have sufficient expertise 
        in the subjects that they teach, and half of all secondary 
        school history students in America are being taught by teachers 
        with neither a major nor a minor in history;
            ``(7) secondary school students correctly answered less 
        than half of the questions on a national test of economic 
        knowledge in a 1999 Harris survey;
            ``(8) the 1998 National Assessment of Educational Progress 
        indicated that students have only superficial knowledge of, and 
        lacked a depth of understanding regarding, civics;
            ``(9) civic and economic education are important not only 
        to developing citizenship competencies in the United States but 
        also are critical to supporting political stability and 
        economic health in other democracies, particularly emerging 
        democratic market economies;
            ``(10) more than three quarters of Americans surveyed by 
        the National Constitution Center in 1997 admitted that they 
        knew only some or very little about the Constitution of the 
        United States; and
            ``(11) the Constitution of the United States is too often 
        viewed within the context of history and not as a living 
        document that shapes current events.

``SEC. 10603. PURPOSE.

    ``It is the purpose of this part--
            ``(1) to improve the quality of civics and government 
        education by educating students about the history and 
        principles of the Constitution of the United States, including 
        the Bill of Rights;
            ``(2) to foster civic competence and responsibility; and
            ``(3) to improve the quality of civic education and 
        economic education through cooperative civic education and 
        economic education exchange programs with emerging democracies.

``SEC. 10604. GENERAL AUTHORITY.

    ``(a) Grants and Contracts.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to award 
        grants to or enter into contracts with--
                    ``(A) the Center for Civic Education to carry out 
                civic education activities under sections 10605 and 
                10606; and
                    ``(B) the National Council on Economic Education to 
                carry out economic education activities under section 
                10606.
            ``(2) Consultation.--The Secretary shall award the grants 
        and contracts under section 10606 in consultation with the 
        Secretary of State.
    ``(b) Distribution.--The Secretary shall use not more than 50 
percent of the amount appropriated under section 10607(b) for each 
fiscal year to carry out economic education activities under section 
10606.

``SEC. 10605. WE THE PEOPLE PROGRAM.

    ``(a) The Citizen and the Constitution.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Center for Civic Education shall use 
        funds awarded under section 10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The 
        Citizen and the Constitution program in accordance with this 
        subsection.
            ``(2) Educational activities.--The Citizen and the 
        Constitution program--
                    ``(A) shall continue and expand the educational 
                activities of the `We the People . . . The Citizen and 
                the Constitution' program administered by the Center 
                for Civic Education;
                    ``(B) shall enhance student attainment of 
                challenging content standards in civics and government;
                    ``(C) shall provide a course of instruction on the 
                basic principles of our Nation's constitutional 
                democracy and the history of the Constitution of the 
                United States and the Bill of Rights;
                    ``(D) shall provide, at the request of a 
                participating school, school and community simulated 
                congressional hearings following the course of study;
                    ``(E) shall provide an annual national competition 
                of simulated congressional hearings for secondary 
                school students who wish to participate in such a 
                program; and
                    ``(F) shall provide--
                            ``(i) advanced sustained and ongoing 
                        training of teachers about the Constitution of 
                        the United States and the political system the 
                        United States created;
                            ``(ii) materials and methods of 
                        instruction, including teacher training, 
that utilize the latest advancements in educational technology; and
                            ``(iii) civic education materials and 
                        services to address specific problems such as 
                        the prevention of school violence and the abuse 
                        of drugs and alcohol.
            ``(3) Availability of program.--The education program 
        authorized under this subsection shall be made available to 
        public and private elementary schools and secondary schools, 
        including Bureau funded schools, in the 435 congressional 
        districts, and in the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American 
        Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
    ``(b) Project Citizen.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Center for Civic Education shall use 
        funds awarded under section 10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The 
        Project Citizen program in accordance with this subsection.
            ``(2) Educational activities.--The Project Citizen 
        program--
                    ``(A) shall continue and expand the educational 
                activities of the `We the People . . . Project Citizen' 
                program administered by the Center for Civic Education;
                    ``(B) shall enhance student attainment of 
                challenging content standards in civics and government;
                    ``(C) shall provide a course of instruction at the 
                middle school level on the roles of State and local 
                governments in the Federal system established by the 
                Constitution of the United States;
                    ``(D) shall provide an annual national showcase or 
                competition; and
                    ``(E) shall provide--
                            ``(i) optional school and community 
                        simulated State legislative hearings;
                            ``(ii) advanced sustained and ongoing 
                        training of teachers on the roles of State and 
                        local governments in the Federal system 
                        established by the Constitution of the United 
                        States;
                            ``(iii) materials and methods of 
                        instruction, including teacher training, that 
                        utilize the latest advancements in educational 
                        technology; and
                            ``(iv) civic education materials and 
                        services to address specific problems such as 
                        the prevention of school violence and the abuse 
                        of drugs and alcohol.
            ``(3) Availability of program.--The education program 
        authorized under this subsection shall be made available to 
        public and private middle schools, including Bureau funded 
        schools, in the 50 States of the United States, the District of 
        Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States 
        Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of 
        the Northern Mariana Islands.
    ``(c) Definition of Bureau Funded School.--In this section the term 
`Bureau funded school' has the meaning given the term in section 1146 
of the Education Amendments of 1978.

``SEC. 10606. COOPERATIVE CIVIC EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC EDUCATION 
              EXCHANGE PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) Cooperative Education Exchange Programs.--The Center for 
Civic Education and the National Council on Economic Education shall 
use funds awarded under section 10604(a)(1) to carry out Cooperative 
Education Exchange programs in accordance with this section.
    ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Cooperative Education Exchange 
programs provided under this section shall be to--
            ``(1) make available to educators from eligible countries 
        exemplary curriculum and teacher training programs in civics 
        and government education, and economics education, developed in 
        the United States;
            ``(2) assist eligible countries in the adaptation, 
        implementation, and institutionalization of such programs;
            ``(3) create and implement civics and government education, 
        and economic education, programs for students that draw upon 
        the experiences of the participating eligible countries;
            ``(4) provide a means for the exchange of ideas and 
        experiences in civics and government education, and economic 
        education, among political, educational, governmental, and 
        private sector leaders of participating eligible countries; and
            ``(5) provide support for--
                    ``(A) independent research and evaluation to 
                determine the effects of educational programs on 
                students' development of the knowledge, skills, and 
                traits of character essential for the preservation and 
                improvement of constitutional democracy; and
                    ``(B) effective participation in and the 
                preservation and improvement of an efficient market 
                economy.
    ``(c) Avoidance of Duplication.--The Secretary shall consult with 
the Secretary of State to ensure that--
            ``(1) activities under this section are not duplicative of 
        other efforts in the eligible countries; and
            ``(2) partner institutions in the eligible countries are 
        creditable.
    ``(d) Activities.--The Cooperative Education Exchange programs 
shall--
            ``(1) provide eligible countries with--
                    ``(A) seminars on the basic principles of United 
                States constitutional democracy and economics, 
                including seminars on the major governmental and 
                economic institutions and systems in the United States, 
                and visits to such institutions;
                    ``(B) visits to school systems, institutions of 
                higher education, and nonprofit organizations 
                conducting exemplary programs in civics and government 
                education, and economic education, in the United 
                States;
                    ``(C) translations and adaptations regarding United 
                States civic and government education, and economic 
                education, curricular programs for students and 
                teachers, and in the case of training programs for 
                teachers translations and adaptations into forms useful 
                in schools in eligible countries, and joint research 
                projects in such areas; and
                    ``(D) independent research and evaluation 
                assistance to determine--
                            ``(i) the effects of the Cooperative 
                        Education Exchange programs on students' 
                        development of the knowledge, skills, and 
                        traits of character essential for the 
                        preservation and improvement of constitutional 
                        democracy; and
                            ``(ii) effective participation in and the 
                        preservation and improvement of an efficient 
                        market economy;
            ``(2) provide United States participants with--
                    ``(A) seminars on the histories, economies, and 
                systems of government of eligible countries;
                    ``(B) visits to school systems, institutions of 
                higher education, and organizations conducting 
                exemplary programs in civics and government education, 
                and economic education, located in eligible countries;
                    ``(C) assistance from educators and scholars in 
                eligible countries in the development of curricular 
                materials on the history, government, and economy of 
                such countries that are useful in United States 
                classrooms;
                    ``(D) opportunities to provide onsite 
                demonstrations of United States curricula and pedagogy 
                for educational leaders in eligible countries; and
                    ``(E) independent research and evaluation 
                assistance to determine--
                            ``(i) the effects of the Cooperative 
                        Education Exchange programs on students' 
                        development of the knowledge, skills, and 
                        traits of character essential for the 
                        preservation and improvement of constitutional 
                        democracy; and
                            ``(ii) effective participation in and 
                        improvement of an efficient market economy; and
            ``(3) assist participants from eligible countries and the 
        United States to participate conferences on civics and 
        government education, and economic education, for educational 
        leaders, teacher trainers, scholars in related disciplines, and 
        educational policymakers.
    ``(e) Participants.--The primary participants in the Cooperative 
Education Exchange programs assisted under this section shall be 
educational leaders in the areas of civics and government education, 
and economic education, including teachers, curriculum and teacher 
training specialists, scholars in relevant disciplines, and educational 
policymakers, and government and private sector leaders from the United 
States and eligible countries.
    ``(f) Definition.--For the purpose of this section, the term 
`eligible country' means a Central European country, an Eastern 
European country, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the independent states of 
the former Soviet Union as defined in section 3 of the FREEDOM Support 
Act (22 U.S.C. 5801), and may include the Republic of Ireland, the 
province of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, and any developing 
country, as defined in section 209(d) of the Education for the Deaf 
Act, that has a democratic form of government as determined by the 
Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of State.

``SEC. 10607. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) Section 10605.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out section 10605, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such sums 
as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2003 through 2006.
    ``(b) Section 10606.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out section 10606, $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such sums 
as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2003 through 2006.''.

SEC. 3. REPEAL.

    Title VI of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (20 U.S.C. 5951 et 
seq.) is repealed.
                                 <all>