[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2326 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2326

    To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to 
 establish the National Education Innovation Network and the National 
                           Innovation Corps.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 2011

  Mrs. Davis of California (for herself and Mr. Holt) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                             the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to 
 establish the National Education Innovation Network and the National 
                           Innovation Corps.

    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 ``Innovation in Education Act of 
2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States could greatly benefit by investing in 
        education research and development. In fact, ample evidence 
        shows that scientifically validated innovations in teaching and 
        learning can result in significant improvements in student 
        achievement and success.
            (2) When understood as systematic innovation, research and 
        development can spur education improvement in scalable and 
        sustainable ways.
            (3) Education research and development should be part of a 
        strategy for innovation and ongoing improvement within 
        individual classrooms, schools, and other learning 
        environments, as well as within specialized research and 
        development units.
            (4) The active involvement of teachers, principals, local 
        educational agency administrators, and State school officers in 
        knowledge and innovation activities is essential to the 
        effective application of research-based knowledge to policy and 
        practice.
            (5) 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.
            (6) National leadership is needed to provide targeted 
        initiatives, collaboration, and coordination of innovative best 
        practices in teaching and learning to ensure that classroom 
        educators have access to, and effectively use practices 
        supported by, scientifically valid research.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL EDUCATION INNOVATION NETWORK.

    The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 
et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 2422, the following:

``SEC. 2423. NATIONAL EDUCATION INNOVATION NETWORK.

    ``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to establish the 
National Education Innovation Network to support the dissemination of 
promising educational systems, practices, and products to teachers and 
administrators, and identify the best available evidence for such 
systems, practices, and products.
    ``(b) Establishment of a National Education Innovation Network.--
            ``(1) In general.--From the amounts appropriated under 
        subsection (e), the Secretary shall, in coordination with 
        education research and assistance entities, establish and 
        maintain a National Education Innovation Network (in this 
        section referred to as the `Network').
            ``(2) Network requirements.--The Network shall be designed 
        as an efficient system of professional exchange for educators 
        and administrators to--
                    ``(A) assist teachers and other individuals with 
                the identification, transfer, and implementation of 
                successful educational systems, practices, and 
                products;
                    ``(B) incorporate Web 2.0 technologies to enhance 
                creativity, information sharing, disseminations, and 
                collaboration among educators within Web-based 
                communities;
                    ``(C) develop and maintain resource-rich, easily 
                accessible databases, and a rigorous, on-going vetting 
                process for ensuring the quality and integrity of 
                entries provided by the Network; and
                    ``(D) develop a system to market the availability 
                of the Network to teachers, educators, school 
                administrators, State educational agencies, local 
                educational agencies, and other interested parties to 
                ensure that the information is broadly and well 
                disseminated.
    ``(c) Information.--
            ``(1) Categories of information.--The Network shall provide 
        3 categories of vetted information with respect to the most 
        promising practices and strategies that may provide solutions 
        to the most persistent problems of practice in improving 
        student achievement on State assessments and academic progress, 
        and turning around low-performing schools. Such categories of 
        information are as follows:
                    ``(A) Unrestricted.
                    ``(B) Restricted.
                    ``(C) Special Topics.
            ``(2) Dissemination of information.--In establishing and 
        maintaining the Network, the Secretary shall carry out the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Most promising practices and strategies.--The 
                Secretary shall disseminate, through searchable 
                databases or Internet Web sites (including the Internet 
                Web site of the Department of Education entitled `Doing 
                What Works') available under the Network, the 
                restricted and special topic information with respect 
                to the most promising practices and strategies 
                described paragraph (1). The databases or Internet Web 
                sites shall include, with respect to each such practice 
                or strategy--
                            ``(i) a detailed description of the 
                        elements of instruction or administration the 
                        practice or strategy is designed to improve, 
                        including a detailed description of the core or 
                        essential elements of the practice or strategy 
                        in a manner comprehensible to, and by--
                                    ``(I) educators in elementary 
                                schools or secondary schools; or
                                    ``(II) local educational agencies;
                            ``(ii) information showing how the practice 
                        or strategy has been--
                                    ``(I) developed from the results of 
                                educational research; and
                                    ``(II) thoroughly assessed by a 
                                research-based evaluation processes;
                            ``(iii) the contact information of a 
                        knowledgeable individual whom an educator or 
                        administrator may contact for more information 
                        on the practice or strategy; and
                            ``(iv) Internet links to similar or 
                        complementary practices and strategies 
                        available in the database or Internet Web site 
                        that educators and administrators may wish to 
                        consider.
                    ``(B) Complementary combinations of best practices 
                and strategies.--The Secretary shall disseminate 
                through the searchable databases or Internet Web sites 
                described in subparagraph (A), complementary 
                combinations of best practices and strategies, that 
                shall include--
                            ``(i) the core elements of instruction or 
                        administration the best practices or strategies 
                        are designed to improve;
                            ``(ii) a detailed description of the best 
                        practices or strategies in a manner 
                        comprehensible to, and by--
                                    ``(I) educators in elementary 
                                schools or secondary schools; or
                                    ``(II) local educational agencies;
                            ``(iii) a list of the promising practices 
                        and strategies included in the databases or 
                        Internet Web site and how such practices and 
                        strategies interact and complement each other; 
                        and
                            ``(iv) Internet links to each of the 
                        individual practices and strategies included in 
                        the innovation collaborative in order to assist 
                        educators in learning learn more information 
                        about the component parts.
                    ``(C) System or forum.--The Secretary shall, under 
                the searchable databases or Internet Web sites 
                described in subparagraph (A), establish a system or 
                forum through which educators and administrators may--
                            ``(i) nominate new practices and strategies 
                        for inclusion in the databases or Internet Web 
                        sites;
                            ``(ii) recommend improvements and 
                        refinements to practices and strategies already 
                        included in the Network; and
                            ``(iii) freely exchange ideas for practices 
                        and strategies with fellow educators and 
                        administrators.
    ``(d) Notification and Technical Support.--The Secretary shall--
            ``(1) notify educators and administrators in schools and 
        local educational agencies of the Network, and the databases 
        and Internet Web sites available under the Network; and
            ``(2) in collaboration with the regional educational 
        laboratories established under section 174 of the Education 
        Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9564), the Comprehensive 
        Centers established under section 203 of the Educational 
        Technical Assistance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9602), provide 
        technical assistance to educators and administrators to assist 
        the educators and administrators in accessing the Network and 
        the databases and Internet Web sites available under the 
        Network.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $25,000,000 for fiscal year 
2012 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the succeeding 
fiscal years.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Education research and assistance entity.--The term 
        `education research and assistance entity' means an entity 
        knowledgeable about education research, including--
                    ``(A) a national education, research, and 
                development center;
                    ``(B) a regional educational laboratory; and
                    ``(C) a comprehensive assistance center.
            ``(2) Low-performing school.--The term `low performing 
        school' means a school that--
                    ``(A) is receiving funds under part A of title I 
                and undergoing school improvement, corrective action, 
                or restructuring under section 1116, and is among the 
                lowest-achieving schools receiving funds under such 
                part that is undergoing such school improvement, 
                corrective action, or restructuring; or
                    ``(B) is eligible for, but does not receive, funds 
                under part A of title I and is among the lowest-
                achieving schools in the State eligible for, but not 
                receiving, funds under such part.
            ``(3) Unrestricted information.--The term `unrestricted 
        information' means a category of information that--
                    ``(A) covers information with respect to new, high 
                potential, and relatively untested practices or 
                strategies that have limited formal evidence of 
                statistically significant improvement of student 
                achievement; and
                    ``(B) is shared by teachers, administrators, 
                officials of State educational agencies; relevant 
                educational organizations; and existing education 
                databases.
            ``(4) Restricted information.--The term `restricted 
        information' means a category of information that--
                    ``(A) covers information with stronger evidence of 
                statistically significant improvement on student 
                achievement than the unrestricted information category; 
                and
                    ``(B) is shared by teachers, administrators, 
                officials of State educational agencies, relevant 
                educational organizations, and existing education 
                databases.
            ``(5) Special topics.--The term `special topics' means a 
        category of information--
                    ``(A) that covers information that is consistent 
                with evidence validated under the Internet Web site of 
                the Department of Education entitled the What Works 
                Clearinghouse; and
                    ``(B) includes online materials and support systems 
                that teachers and others may use to improve educational 
                practices available under the Internet Web site of the 
                Department of Education entitled `Doing What Works'.
            ``(6) Web 2.0 technologies.--The term `Web 2.0 
        technologies' means commonly used Web applications that 
        facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, 
        user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web 
        by allowing its users to interact with other users or to change 
        site content, in contrast to non-interactive sites where users 
        are limited to the passive viewing of information that is 
        provided to them. Such technologies include Web-based 
        communities, hosted services, Web applications, social-
        networking sites, video-sharing sites, wikis, and blogs.''.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL EDUCATION INNOVATION CORPS.

    Part A of title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7301 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

            ``Subpart 5--National Education Innovation Corps

``SEC. 6171. NATIONAL EDUCATION INNOVATION CORPS.

    ``(a) In General.--From the amounts appropriated under subsection 
(e), the Secretary shall, in coordination with education research and 
assistance entities, establish the National Education Innovation Corps.
    ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the National Education Innovation 
Corps (in this section referred to as the `Corps') is to enable State 
educational agencies to work in collaboration with education research 
entities to address the critical problems of practice in chronically 
low-performing schools. Under the Corps, a corps of knowledge brokers 
and practice experts will connect educators and administrators with 
high quality, evidence-based, relevant solutions for the most critical 
problems of practice in local educational agencies and chronically low-
performing schools.
    ``(c) Establishment of the National Education Innovation Corps.--
            ``(1) Activities of the secretary.--From the amounts 
        appropriated under subsection (e), the Secretary shall, in 
        coordination with education research and assistance entities, 
        where appropriate--
                    ``(A) coordinate with State educational agencies in 
                participating States to establish the Corps in such 
                States; and
                    ``(B) provide the necessary technical assistance to 
                such agencies.
            ``(2) Activities of state educational agencies.--A State 
        educational agency in a participating State shall coordinate 
        the activity of knowledge brokers and practice experts within 
        the State to accommodate and ensure alignment with the State 
        educational agency's reforms, standards, and assessment 
        systems, in addition to Federal requirements, with respect to 
        education.
            ``(3) Activities of knowledge brokers.--Under the Corps, a 
        knowledge broker shall carry out activities that include--
                    ``(A) identifying local educational agency needs 
                and research-based solutions relevant to such needs;
                    ``(B) developing effective induction and ongoing 
                professional development experiences for teachers;
                    ``(C) supporting innovations in elementary school 
                and secondary school curricula;
                    ``(D) fostering the effective use of technology-
                based applications in classrooms; and
                    ``(E) building professional performance assessment 
                systems that--
                            ``(i) focus on the most important 
                        competencies for student success; and
                            ``(ii) provide useful feedback to 
                        facilitate instructional improvements.
            ``(4) Activities of practice experts.--Under the Corps, a 
        practice expert shall carry out activities that include--
                    ``(A) helping teachers use multiple forms of 
                assessment, including formative and summative tests, to 
                guide instructional decision making;
                    ``(B) assisting teachers in efforts to improve 
                student achievement in, and across content areas, such 
                as math, science, social studies, and English language 
                arts;
                    ``(C) training teachers to use data that is based 
                on scientifically valid research to improve 
                instruction;
                    ``(D) developing and implementing differentiated 
                instruction to serve the needs of the full range of 
                learners; and
                    ``(E) employing best practices in engaging teachers 
                and other education staff to change school cultures to 
                serve all students across all core academic subjects; 
                and
                    ``(F) support the support described in 
                subparagraphs (A) through (E) by phone, online, and in-
                person.
    ``(d) Allocations to Participating State Educational Agencies.--
            ``(1) In general.--From the amounts appropriated under 
        subsection (e), the Secretary shall award grants to State 
        educational agencies to establish the Corps in the States of 
        such agencies.
            ``(2) Allocations.--For each fiscal year, the Secretary 
        shall allocate such grants among State educational agencies in 
        proportion to the funds received by the State educational 
        agencies under part A of title I for the fiscal year.
            ``(3) Reallocations.--If a State educational agency chooses 
        not to apply to receive the amount allocated to such agency 
        under paragraph (2), or if such agency's application under 
        paragraph (5) is disapproved by the Secretary, the Secretary 
        shall reallocate such amount to other State educational 
        agencies in the same proportion funds are allocated under 
        paragraph (2).
            ``(4) Grant duration.--A grant under this subsection may be 
        awarded for a period of 3 years.
            ``(5) Application.--A State educational agency desiring to 
        receive a grant under this subsection shall submit an 
        application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing the information the Secretary may require, which 
        shall include--
                    ``(A) a list of the lowest-performing schools 
                targeted for support under the Corps to be established 
                in such State;
                    ``(B) a description of how knowledge brokers and 
                practice experts will be recruited, selected, and 
                trained under the Corps;
                    ``(C) a description of the nature of services to be 
                provided in the schools designated for support under 
                the Corps (such as through the combining of resources 
                into school support teams or by providing on-line `ask 
                the expert' advice); and
                    ``(D) how the State educational agency will 
                evaluate the effectiveness of the services provided.
            ``(6) Reporting.--A State educational agency receiving a 
        grant under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary a 
        report on the use of such funds, at such time, in such manner, 
        and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
            ``(7) BIA as sea.--For purposes of this section the Bureau 
        of Indian Affairs shall be treated as a State educational 
        agency.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, $80,000,000 for fiscal year 
2012 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the succeeding 
fiscal years.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Chronically low-performing school.--The term 
        `chronically low-performing school' has the meaning given the 
        term `low-performing school' in section 2423(f).
            ``(2) Education research and assistance entity.--The term 
        `education research and assistance entity' has the meaning 
        given such term in section 2423(f).
            ``(3) Knowledge broker.--The term `knowledge broker' means 
        a professional who has--
                    ``(A) prior experience in a school, local 
                educational agency, or State educational agency 
                setting;
                    ``(B) research experience and an advanced degree 
                with a concentration in research analysis or research 
                design;
                    ``(C) a strong background in quantitative analysis;
                    ``(D) expertise and experience in the process of 
                implementation of innovations; and
                    ``(E) extensive experience in managing activities 
                similar to the activities carried out under this 
                section.
            ``(4) Participating state.--The term `participating State' 
        means a State that elects to establish the Corps in such State.
            ``(5) Practice expert.--The term `practice expert' means a 
        professional who has--
                    ``(A) previous teaching experience with a proven 
                track record of success in raising student achievement 
                in core academic subjects where there is a need to 
                improve student achievement or student growth; and
                    ``(B) previous teaching experience and has 
                demonstrated proficiency in at least one core academic 
                subject.''.

SEC. 5. CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.

    The table of contents in section 2 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 is amended--
            (1) by inserting after the item related to section 2422, 
        the following:

``Sec. 2423. National Education Innovation Network.'';
        and
            (2) by inserting after the item related to section 6164, 
        the following:

            ``subpart 5--national education innovation corps

``Sec. 6171. National Education Innovation Corps.''.
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