[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 604 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 604
To amend title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 to provide for digital education partnerships.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 23, 2001
Mr. Cochran (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Warner) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 to provide for digital education partnerships.
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 ``Ready to Learn, Ready to Teach Act
of 2001''.
SEC. 2. REVISION OF PART C OF TITLE III.
Part C of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6921 et seq.) is amended to read as follows:
``PART C--READY-TO-LEARN DIGITAL TELEVISION
``SEC. 3301. FINDINGS.
``Congress makes the following findings:
``(1) In 1994, Congress and the Department collaborated to
make a long-term, meaningful and public investment in the
principle that high quality preschool television programming
will help children be ready to learn by the time the children
entered first grade.
``(2) The Ready to Learn Television Program through the
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and local public television
stations has proven to be an extremely cost-effective national
response to improving early childhood cognitive development and
helping parents, caregivers, and professional child care
providers learn how to use television as a means to help
children learn and develop social skills and values.
``(3) Independent research shows that parents who
participate in Ready to Learn workshops are more selective of
the programs that they choose for their children, limit the
number of hours of television viewing of their children, and
use the television programs as a catalyst for learning.
``(4) The Ready to Learn (RTL) Television Program is
supporting and creating commercial-free broadcast programs for
young children that are of the highest possible educational
quality.
``(5) Through the Nation's 350 local public television
stations, these programs and other programming elements reach
tens of millions of children, their parents, and caregivers
without regard to their economic circumstances, location, or
access to cable. Public television is a partner with Federal
policy to make television an instrument of preschool children's
education and early development.
``(6) The Ready to Learn Television Program supports
thousands of local workshops organized and run by local public
television stations, child care service providers, Head Start
Centers, Even Start family literacy centers and schools. These
workshops have trained 630,587 parents and professionals who,
in turn, serve and support over 6,312,000 children across the
Nation.
``(7) The Ready to Learn Television Program has published
and distributed a periodic magazine entitled `PBS Families'
that contains developmentally appropriate material to
strengthen reading skills and enhance family literacy.
``(8) Ready to Learn Television stations also have
distributed millions of age-appropriate books in their
communities. Each station receives a minimum of 300 books each
month for free local distribution. Some stations are now
distributing more than 1,000 books per month. Nationwide, more
than 653,494 books have been distributed in low-income and
disadvantaged neighborhoods free of charge.
``(9) Demand for Ready To Learn Television Program outreach
and training has increased from 10 Public Broadcasting Service
stations to 133 stations in 5 years. This growth has put a
strain on available resources resulting in an inability to meet
the demand for the service and to reach all the children who
would benefit from the service.
``(10) Federal policy played a crucial role in the
evolution of analog television by funding the television
program entitled `Sesame Street' in the 1960's. Federal policy
should continue to play an equally crucial role for children in
the digital television age.
``SEC. 3302. READY-TO-LEARN.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants to
eligible entities described in section 3303(b) to develop, produce, and
distribute educational and instructional video programming for
preschool and elementary school children and their parents in order to
facilitate the achievement of the National Education Goals.
``(b) Availability.--In making such grants, the Secretary shall
ensure that eligible entities make programming widely available, with
support materials as appropriate, to young children, their parents,
child care workers, and Head Start providers to increase the effective
use of such programming.
``SEC. 3303. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING.
``(a) Awards.--The Secretary shall award grants under section 3302
to eligible entities to--
``(1) facilitate the development directly, or through
contracts with producers of children and family educational
television programming, of--
``(A) educational programming for preschool and
elementary school children; and
``(B) accompanying support materials and services
that promote the effective use of such programming;
``(2) facilitate the development of programming and digital
content especially designed for nationwide distribution over
public television stations' digital broadcasting channels and
the Internet, containing Ready to Learn-based children's
programming and resources for parents and caregivers; and
``(3) enable eligible entities to contract with entities
(such as public telecommunications entities) so that programs
developed under this section are disseminated and distributed--
(A) to the widest possible audience appropriate to
be served by the programming; and
(B) by the most appropriate distribution
technologies.
``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
subsection (a), an entity shall be--
``(1) a public telecommunications entity that is able to
demonstrate a capacity for the development and national
distribution of educational and instructional television
programming of high quality for preschool and elementary school
children;
``(2) able to demonstrate a capacity to contract with the
producers of children's television programming for the purpose
of developing educational television programming of high
quality for preschool and elementary school children; and
``(3) able to demonstrate a capacity to localize
programming and materials to meet specific State and local
needs and provide educational outreach at the local level.
``(c) Cultural Experiences.--Programming developed under this
section shall reflect the recognition of rural/urban cultural and
ethnic diversity of the Nation's children and the needs of both boys
and girls in preparing young children for success in school.
``SEC. 3304. DUTIES OF SECRETARY.
``The Secretary is authorized--
``(1) to award grants to eligible entities described in
section 3303(b), local public television stations, or such
public television stations that are part of a consortium with 1
or more State educational agencies, local educational agencies,
local schools, institutions of higher education, or community-
based organizations of demonstrated effectiveness, for the
purpose of--
``(A) addressing the learning needs of young
children in limited English proficient households, and
developing appropriate educational and television
programming to foster the school readiness of such
children;
``(B) developing programming and support materials
to increase family literacy skills among parents to
assist parents in teaching their children and utilizing
educational television programming to promote school
readiness; and
``(C) identifying, supporting, and enhancing the
effective use and outreach of innovative programs that
promote school readiness;
``(D) developing and disseminating education and
training materials, including--
``(i) interactive programs and programs
adaptable to distance learning technologies
that are designed to enhance knowledge of
children's social and cognitive skill
development and positive adult-child
interactions;
``(ii) teacher training and professional
development to ensure qualified caregivers; and
``(iii) support materials to promote the
effective use of materials developed under
subparagraph (B) among parents, Head Start
providers, in-home and center-based daycare
providers, early childhood development
personnel, elementary school teachers, public
libraries, and after-school program personnel
caring for preschool and elementary school
children; and
``(E) distributing books to low-income individuals
to leverage high-quality television programming;
``(2) to establish within the Department a clearinghouse to
compile and provide information, referrals, and model program
materials and programming obtained or developed under this part
to parents, child care providers, and other appropriate
individuals or entities to assist such individuals and entities
in accessing programs and projects under this part; and
``(3) to coordinate activities assisted under this part
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services in order to--
``(A) maximize the utilization of quality
educational programming by preschool and elementary
school children, and make such programming widely
available to federally funded programs serving such
populations; and
``(B) provide information to recipients of funds
under Federal programs that have major training
components for early childhood development, including
programs under the Head Start Act and Even Start, and
State training activities funded under the Child Care
Development Block Grant Act of 1990, regarding the
availability and utilization of materials developed
under paragraph (1)(D) to enhance parent and child care
provider skills in early childhood development and
education.
``SEC. 3305. APPLICATIONS.
``Each entity desiring a grant under section 3302 or 3304 shall
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner,
and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably
require.
``SEC. 3306. REPORTS AND EVALUATION.
``(a) Annual Report to Secretary.--An eligible entity receiving
funds under section 3302 shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an
annual report which contains such information as the Secretary may
require. At a minimum, the report shall describe the program activities
undertaken with funds received under section 3302, including--
``(1) the programming that has been developed directly or
indirectly by the eligible entity, and the target population of
the programs developed;
``(2) the support materials that have been developed to
accompany the programming, and the method by which such
materials are distributed to consumers and users of the
programming;
``(3) the means by which programming developed under this
section has been distributed, including the distance learning
technologies that have been utilized to make programming
available and the geographic distribution achieved through such
technologies; and
``(4) the initiatives undertaken by the eligible entity to
develop public-private partnerships to secure non-Federal
support for the development, distribution, and broadcast of
educational and instructional programming.
``(b) Report to Congress.--The Secretary shall prepare and submit
to the relevant committees of Congress a biannual report which
includes--
``(1) a summary of activities assisted under section
3303(a); and
``(2) a description of the training materials made
available under section 3304(1)(D), the manner in which
outreach has been conducted to inform parents and child care
providers of the availability of such materials, and the manner
in which such materials have been distributed in accordance
with such section.
``SEC. 3307. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
``With respect to the implementation of section 3303, eligible
entities receiving a grant from the Secretary may use not more than 5
percent of the amounts received under such section for the normal and
customary expenses of administering the grant.
``SEC. 3308. DEFINITION.
``For the purposes of this part, the term `distance learning' means
the transmission of educational or instructional programming to
geographically dispersed individuals and groups via telecommunications.
``SEC. 3309. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this part, $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may
be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.
``(b) Funding Rule.--Not less than 60 percent of the amounts
appropriated under subsection (a) for each fiscal year shall be used to
carry out section 3303.''.
SEC. 3. REVISION OF PART D OF TITLE III.
Part D of title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6951 et seq.) is amended to read as follows:
``PART D--THE TEACHERLINE PROGRAM
``SEC. 3401. FINDINGS.
``Congress makes the following findings:
``(1) Since 1995, the Telecommunications Demonstration
Project for Mathematics (as established under this part
pursuant to the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994) (in
this section referred to as `MATHLINE') has allowed the Public
Broadcasting Service to pioneer and refine a new model of
teacher professional development for kindergarten through grade
12 teachers. MATHLINE uses video modeling of standards-based
lessons, combined with professionally facilitated online
learning communities of teachers, to help mathematics teachers
from elementary school through secondary school adopt and
implement standards-based practices in their classrooms. This
approach allows teachers to update their skills on their own
schedules through video, while providing online interaction
with peers and master teachers to reinforce that learning. This
integrated, self-paced approach breaks down the isolation of
classroom teaching while making standards-based best practices
available to all participants.
``(2) MATHLINE was developed specifically to disseminate
the first national voluntary standards for teaching and
learning as developed by the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM). During 3 years of actual deployment, more
than 5,800 teachers have participated for at least a full year
in the demonstration. These teachers, in turn, have taught more
than 1,500,000 students cumulatively.
``(3) Independent evaluations indicate that teaching
improves and students benefit as a result of the MATHLINE
program.
``(4) The MATHLINE program is ready to be expanded to reach
many more teachers in more subject areas under the broader
title of Teacherline. The Teacherline Program will link the
digitized public broadcasting infrastructure with education
networks by working with the program's digital membership, and
Federal and State agencies, to expand and build upon the
successful MATHLINE model and take advantage of greatly
expanded access to the Internet and technology in schools,
including digital television. Tens of thousands of teachers
will have access to the Teacherline Program to advance their
teaching skills and their ability to integrate technology into
teaching and learning. The Teacherline Program also will
leverage the Public Broadcasting Service's historic
relationships with higher education to improve preservice
teacher training.
``(5) The congressionally appointed Web-based Education
Commission recently issued a comprehensive report on Internet
learning that called for powerful new Internet resources,
especially broadband access, to be made widely and equitably
available and affordable for all learners.
``(6) The Web-based Education Commission also called for
continuous and relevant training and support for educators and
administrators at all levels.
``(7) The National Research Council recently issued a
report entitled `Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn
Mathematics' that concluded that professional development in
mathematics needs to be sustained over years in order to be
effective.
``(8) Furthermore, the Glenn Commission, appointed by the
Secretary of Education to consider ways of improving
preparation and professional growth for mathematics and science
teachers concluded that teacher training `depends upon
sustained, high-quality professional development'. The
Commission recommended the establishment of an ongoing system
to improve the quality of mathematics and science teaching in
grades K-12.
``(9) Over the past several years tremendous progress has
been made in wiring classrooms, equipping the classrooms with
multimedia computers, and connecting the classrooms to the
Internet.
``(10) There is a great need for aggregating high quality,
curriculum-based digital content for teachers and students to
easily access and use in order to meet State and local
standards for student performance.
``(11) The congressionally appointed Web-based Education
Commission called for the development of high quality public-
private online educational content that meets the highest
standards of educational excellence.
``(12) Most local public television stations and State
networks provide high-quality video programs, and teacher
professional development, as a part of their mission to serve
local schools. Programs distributed by public broadcast
stations are used by more classroom teachers than any other
because of their high quality and relevance to the curriculum.
``(13) Digital broadcasting can dramatically increase and
improve the types of services public broadcasting stations can
offer kindergarten through grade 12 schools.
``(14) Digital broadcasting can contribute to the
improvement of schools and student performance as follows:
``(A) Broadcast of multiple video channels and data
information simultaneously.
``(B) Data can be transmitted along with the video
content enabling students to interact, access
additional information, communicate with featured
experts, and contribute their own knowledge to the
subject.
``(C) Both the video and data can be stored on
servers and made available on demand to teachers and
students.
``(15) Interactive digital education content will be an
important component of Federal support for States in setting
high standards and increasing student performance.
``SEC. 3402. PROJECT AUTHORIZED.
``(a) The Secretary is authorized to make grants to a nonprofit
telecommunications entity, or partnership of such entities, for the
purpose of carrying out a national telecommunications-based program to
improve teaching in core curriculum areas. The program shall be
designed to assist elementary school and secondary school teachers in
preparing all students for achieving State and local content standards
in core curriculum areas.
``(b) The Secretary is also authorized to award grants to eligible
entities described in section 3404(b) to develop, produce, and
distribute innovative educational and instructional video programming
that is designed for use by kindergarten through grade 12 schools and
based on State and local standards. In making the grants, the Secretary
shall ensure that eligible entities enter into multiyear content
development collaborative arrangements with State educational agencies,
local educational agencies, institutions of higher education,
businesses, or other agencies and organizations.
``SEC. 3403. APPLICATION REQUIRED.
``(a) Each nonprofit telecommunications entity, or partnership of
such entities, desiring a grant under section 3402(a) shall submit an
application to the Secretary. Each such application shall--
``(1) demonstrate that the applicant will use the public
broadcasting infrastructure and school digital networks, where
available, to deliver video and data in an integrated service
to train teachers in the use of standards-based curricula
materials and learning technologies;
``(2) ensure that the project for which assistance is
sought will be conducted in cooperation with appropriate State
educational agencies, local educational agencies, national,
State or local nonprofit public telecommunications entities,
and national education professional associations that have
developed content standards in the subject areas;
``(3) ensure that a significant portion of the benefits
available for elementary schools and secondary schools from the
project for which assistance is sought will be available to
schools of local educational agencies which have a high
percentage of children counted for the purpose of part A of
title I; and
``(4) contain such additional assurances as the Secretary
may reasonably require.
``(b) In approving applications under section 3402(a), the
Secretary shall ensure that the program authorized by section 3402(a)
is conducted at elementary school and secondary school sites across the
Nation.
``(c) Each eligible entity desiring a grant under section 3402(b)
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such
manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may
reasonably require.
``SEC. 3404. REPORTS AND EVALUATION.
``An eligible entity receiving funds under section 3402(a) shall
prepare and submit to the Secretary an annual report which contains
such information as the Secretary may require. At a minimum, the report
shall described the program activities undertaken with funds received
under section 3402(a), including--
``(1) the core curriculum areas for which program
activities have been undertaken and the number of teachers
using the program in each core curriculum area; and
``(2) the States in which teachers using the program are
located.
``SEC. 3405. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING.
``(a) Awards.--The Secretary shall award grants under section
3402(b) to eligible entities to--
``(1) facilitate the development of educational programming
that shall--
``(A) include student assessment tools to give
feedback on student performance;
``(B) include built-in teacher utilization and
support components to ensure that teachers understand
and can easily use the content of the programming with
group instruction or for individual student use;
``(C) be created for, or adaptable to, State and
local content standards; and
``(D) be capable of distribution through digital
broadcasting and school digital networks.
``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
section 3402(b), an entity shall be a local public telecommunications
entity as defined by section 397(12) of the Communications Act of 1934
that is able to demonstrate a capacity for the development and
distribution of educational and instructional television programming of
high quality.
``(c) Competitive Basis.--Grants under section 3402(b) shall be
awarded on a competitive basis as determined by the Secretary.
``(d) Duration.--Each grant under section 3402(b) shall be awarded
for a period of 3 years in order to allow time for the creation of a
substantial body of significant content.
``SEC. 3406. MATCHING REQUIREMENT.
``Each eligible entity desiring a grant under section 3402(b) shall
contribute to the activities assisted under section 3402(b) non-Federal
matching funds equal to not less than 100 percent of the amount of the
grant. Matching funds may include funds provided for the transition to
digital broadcasting, as well as in-kind contributions.
``SEC. 3407. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.
``With respect to the implementation of section 3402(b), entities
receiving a grant from the Secretary may use not more than 5 percent of
the amounts received under the grant for the normal and customary
expenses of administering the grant.
``SEC. 3408. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part,
$45,000,000 for the fiscal year 2002, and such sums as may be necessary
for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. However, for any fiscal year
in which appropriations for section 3402 exceeds the amount
appropriated under such section for the preceding fiscal year, the
Secretary shall only award the amount of such excess minus at least
$500,000 to applicants under section 3402(b).''.
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