To provide a grant to develop initiatives and disseminate information about character education, and a grant to research character education.

Summary: Character Learning and Student Success Act of 2001 - CLASS Act of 2001 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make: (1) a grant to develop initiatives and disseminate information about character education; and (2) a grant to research character education.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Character Learning and Student 
Success Act of 2001'' (CLASS Act of 2001).

SEC. 2. GRANT TO DEVELOP INITIATIVES AND DISSEMINATE INFORMATION ABOUT 
              CHARACTER EDUCATION.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The commitment of schools to the academic achievement 
        of students should be partnered with an effort to address and 
        improve the character of students.
            (2) Improving the character of students includes ensuring 
        that students understand, care about, and act upon ethical 
        values and virtues.
            (3) Improving the character of students promotes a more 
        compassionate and responsible society.
            (4) Character education is an initiative in schools that 
        attends to the social, emotional, and ethical development of 
        students and is a means of teaching, modeling, and practicing 
        positive ethical character traits as part of the regular school 
        curriculum and culture.
            (5) Effective character education increases the self-esteem 
        of students and decreases the risk that students will become 
        isolated or do harm to others.
            (6) Schools that integrate character education into 
        existing curriculum and daily activities foster the development 
        of core ethical values and virtues in students, and provide for 
        students a model of a community that is comprised of mature and 
        responsible individuals.
            (7) An increasing number of States and local educational 
        agencies are promoting the implementation of character 
        education initiatives.
            (8) Successful character education requires that States, 
        local educational agencies, schools, and teachers have access 
        to effective methodologies, high-quality initiatives, 
        professional development opportunities, criteria for assessing 
        initiatives, and cost-effective opportunities to network 
        nationally with each other, especially through electronic 
        means.
            (9) As States and local educational agencies continue to 
        coordinate the implementation of character education in 
        schools, a central and comprehensive source of information 
        regarding the activities of States and local educational 
        agencies becomes increasingly necessary.
            (10) Information about the effectiveness of Federal, State, 
        and local educational agency initiatives, the impact of those 
        initiatives, and the advancement of character education in 
        schools is essential to successfully educating students about 
        character.
    (b) Grant Authorization.--The Secretary is authorized to make a 
single 5-year grant to the eligible organization that, in the judgment 
of the Secretary, best demonstrates--
            (1) an expertise on the national level in providing to 
        schools comprehensive and objective information regarding 
        character education policies, organizations, initiatives, 
        curricula, methods, research, and assessment;
            (2) a membership that is representative of the various 
        individuals and groups who provide character education 
        initiatives, resources, and curricula to schools; and
            (3) a history of, and commitment to, promoting and 
        advocating quality character education initiatives.
    (c) Grant Requirements.--
            (1) Initiative development.--The recipient of the grant 
        under subsection (b) (hereafter in this section referred to as 
        the ``grantee'') shall use the grant funds to develop 
        initiatives that--
                    (A) present methods of addressing core ethical 
                values in a comprehensive manner in schools;
                    (B) emphasize student motivation and behavior;
                    (C) assist in the development of schools as caring 
                communities;
                    (D) give students the opportunity to put character 
                lessons into practice;
                    (E) provide for the inclusion of families and 
                communities in character education;
                    (F) emphasize leadership, service, and teamwork as 
                dimensions of character education; and
                    (G) evaluate the effectiveness of character 
                education, including the effect of character education 
                initiatives on disciplinary referrals and on teacher 
                expectations.
            (2) Information dissemination.--The grantee shall use the 
        grant funds to collect and make available, in electronic form 
        and through other means, information concerning--
                    (A) quality character education initiatives and 
                methods;
                    (B) models of professional development in character 
                education;
                    (C) methods of assessing and evaluating the 
                effectiveness of character education initiatives;
                    (D) the integration of character education into 
                educational content, performance standards, and 
                educational reform efforts; and
                    (E) any topic that would be helpful to character 
                educators in implementing character education 
                initiatives.
            (3) Provision of services.--The grantee shall use the grant 
        funds to provide--
                    (A) a searchable database that contains background 
                and contact information on the leading character 
                education groups, curricula, books, initiatives, and 
                videos;
                    (B) a checklist of criteria for schools to assess 
                the appropriateness of particular character education 
                curricula to the needs of such schools;
                    (C) an index of websites regarding character 
                education; and
                    (D) telephone assistance and a toll-free access 
                number.
    (d) Report.--The grantee shall submit to the Secretary an annual 
report that--
            (1) describes the progress of the grantee in carrying out 
        the requirements described in subsection (c), including a 
        listing of--
                    (A) the number of requests for information received 
                by the grantee in the course of carrying out such 
                requirements;
                    (B) who made such requests; and
                    (C) the types of information requested;
            (2) identifies unmet and future information needs in the 
        field of character education; and
            (3) provides a detailed account of the use of the grant 
        funds provided under this section.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $750,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2002 through 2006.

SEC. 3. GRANT TO CONDUCT CHARACTER EDUCATION RESEARCH.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) States and local educational agencies have benefitted 
        from Federal funding to support the implementation of character 
        education initiatives in the schools in such States, but have 
        been subject to minimal reporting requirements regarding the 
        impact of such initiatives.
            (2) The number of schools currently implementing character 
        education initiatives is undetermined, and the scope and 
        success of such initiatives are unknown.
            (3) The continuing needs of schools that have begun 
        character education initiatives have not been identified.
            (4) The resources required by schools that have not yet 
        been able to start character education initiatives are unknown.
            (5) Efforts should be made to determine the extent to which 
        schools are undertaking character education, the effectiveness 
        of such efforts, and the extent to which Federal funds are 
        being used to sponsor effective character education 
        initiatives.
    (b) Grant Authorization.--The Secretary is authorized to make a 
single 5-year grant to the eligible organization that, in the judgment 
of the Secretary, best demonstrates--
            (1) expertise in evaluation and research;
            (2) a conceptual understanding of the various approaches 
        used in character education;
            (3) experience in developing character education 
        initiatives in schools;
            (4) expertise in understanding and identifying quality 
        character education initiatives;
            (5) an established record of research and practice in the 
        field of character education;
            (6) an established record of publishing research findings; 
        and
            (7) a partnership or connection with an institution of 
        higher education.
    (c) Grant Requirements.--The recipient of the grant under 
subsection (b) (hereafter in this section referred to as the 
``grantee'') shall--
            (1) determine the extent to which schools are undertaking 
        character education initiatives;
            (2) identify and classify the various character education 
        approaches being undertaken in schools;
            (3) investigate the extent to which Federal and State funds 
        have facilitated the implementation of character education 
        initiatives; and
            (4) assess the effectiveness of character education 
        initiatives, including evaluating the reported outcomes of 
        character education initiatives.
    (d) Report.--The grantee shall submit to the Secretary an annual 
report, titled ``The State of Character Education in the Nation's 
Schools'', that--
            (1) specifies the progress of its research in the areas 
        identified in subsection (c);
            (2) provides a detailed description of the results of its 
        research;
            (3) discusses unmet and future information needs in the 
        field of character education; and
            (4) provides a detailed account of the use of the grant 
        funds provided under this section.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $700,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2002 through 2006.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible organization.--The term ``eligible 
        organization'' means an organization (or a group of 
        organizations, if the group meets the requirement of 
        subparagraph (C) and each organization comprising the group 
        meets the requirements of subparagraphs (A) and (B)) that--
                    (A) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the 
                Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
                    (B) is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 
                such Code; and
                    (C) has submitted a grant application to the 
                Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing 
                such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
                require.
            (2) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given such term under section 14101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        8801).
            (3) School.--The term ``school'' means any elementary 
        school (as defined by section 14101 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801)) and any 
        secondary school (as defined by such section).
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.