To improve the utilization of educational technologies in elementary and secondary education by creating an educational technology extension service.

SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Extension services such as the Manufacturing Extension 
        Partnership and the Agricultural Extension Service have proven 
        to be effective public-private partnerships to integrate new 
        technologies and to improve utilization of existing 
        technologies by small to medium sized manufacturers and the 
        United States agricultural community.
            (2) Undergraduate institutions of higher education working 
        with nonprofit organizations and State and Federal agencies can 
        tailor educational technology extension programs to meet 
        specific local and regional requirements.
            (3) Undergraduate institutions of higher education, often 
        with the assistance of the National Science Foundation, have 
        during the past 20 years been integrating educational 
        technologies into their curriculums, and as such can draw upon 
        their own experiences to advise elementary and secondary school 
        educators on ways to integrate a variety of educational 
        technologies into the educational process.
            (4) Many elementary and secondary school systems, 
        particularly in rural and traditionally underserved areas, lack 
        general information on the most effective methods to integrate 
        their existing technology infrastructure, as well as new 
        educational technology, into the educational process and 
        curriculum.
            (5) Most Federal and State educational technology programs 
        have focused on acquiring educational technologies with less 
        emphasis on the utilization of those technologies in the 
        classroom and the training and infrastructural requirements 
        needed to efficiently support those types of technologies. As a 
        result, in many instances, the full potential of educational 
        technology has not been realized.
            (6) Our global economy is increasingly reliant on a 
        workforce not only comfortable with technology, but also able 
        to integrate rapid technological changes into the production 
        process. As such, in order to remain competitive in a global 
        economy, it is imperative that we maintain a work-ready labor 
        force.
            (7) According to ``Teacher Quality: A Report on the 
        Preparation and Qualifications of Public School Teachers'', 
        prepared by the Department of Education, only 1 in 5 teachers 
        felt well prepared to work in a modern classroom.
            (8) The most common form of professional development for 
        teachers continues to be workshops that typically last no more 
        than 1 day and have little relevance to teachers' work in the 
        classroom.
            (9) A 1998 national survey completed by the Department of 
        Education found that only 19 percent of teachers had been 
        formally mentored by another teacher, and that 70 percent of 
        these teachers felt that this collaboration was very helpful to 
        their teaching.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to improve the utilization 
of educational technologies in elementary and secondary education by 
creating an educational technology extension service based at 
intermediate school districts, regional education service agencies, or 
undergraduate institutions of higher education.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``Director'' means the Director of the 
        National Science Foundation.
            (2) The term ``institution of higher education'' has the 
        meaning given that term in section 101 of the Higher Education 
        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).

SEC. 3. EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION EXTENSION ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Program Authorized.--
            (1) General authority--The Director, in cooperation with 
        the Secretary of Education and the Director of the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology, is authorized to provide 
        assistance for the creation and support of regional centers for 
        the utilization of educational technologies (hereinafter in 
        this Act referred to as ``ETU Centers'').
            (2) Functions of centers--
                    (A) Establishment.--ETU Centers may be established 
                at any intermediate school district, regional education 
                service agency, institution of higher education, or 
                consortium of such entities, but such Centers may 
                include the participation of nonprofit entities.
                    (B) Objectives of centers.--The objective of ETU 
                Centers is to enhance the utilization of educational 
                technologies in elementary and secondary education 
                through--
                            (i) advising elementary and secondary 
                        school administrators, school boards, and 
                        teachers on the adoption and utilization of new 
                        educational technologies and the utility of 
                        local schools' existing educational technology 
                        assets and infrastructure;
                            (ii) participation of individuals from the 
                        private sector, universities, State and local 
                        governments, and other Federal agencies;
                            (iii) active dissemination of technical and 
                        management information about the use of 
                        educational technologies; and
                            (iv) utilization, if appropriate, of the 
                        expertise and capabilities that exist in 
                        Federal laboratories and Federal agencies.
                    (C) Activities of centers.--The activities of ETU 
                Centers shall include the following:
                            (i) The active transfer and dissemination 
                        of research findings and ETU Center expertise 
                        to local school authorities, including school 
                        administrators, school boards, and teachers.
                            (ii) The training of teachers in the 
                        integration of local schools' existing 
                        educational technology infrastructure into 
                        their instructional design.
                            (iii) The training and advising of 
                        teachers, administrators, and school board 
                        members in the acquisition, utilization, and 
                        support of educational technologies.
                            (iv) Support services to teachers, 
                        administrators, and school board members as 
                        agreed upon by ETU Center representatives and 
                        local school authorities.
                            (v) The advising of teachers, 
                        administrators, and school board members on 
                        current skill set standards employed by private 
                        industry.
            (3) Program administration.--
                    (A) Proposed rules.--The Director, after 
                consultation with the Secretary of Education and the 
                Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
                Technology, shall publish in the Federal Register, not 
                later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
                this Act, proposed rules for the program for 
                establishing ETU Centers, including--
                            (i) a description of the program;
                            (ii) the procedures to be followed by 
                        applicants;
                            (iii) the criteria for determining 
                        qualified applicants; and
                            (iv) the criteria, including those listed 
                        in this section, for choosing recipients of 
                        financial assistance under this Act from among 
                        qualified applicants.
                    (B) Final rules.--The Director shall publish final 
                rules for the program under this Act after the 
                expiration of a 30-day comment period on such proposed 
                rules.
            (4) Eligibility and selection.--
                    (A) Applications required.--Any intermediate school 
                district, regional education service agency, 
                undergraduate institution of higher education, or 
                consortium of any of those entities may submit an 
                application for financial support under this Act in 
                accordance with the procedures established under this 
                Act. In order to receive assistance under this Act, an 
                applicant shall provide adequate assurances that the 
                applicant will contribute 50 percent or more of the 
                proposed ETU Center's capital and annual operating and 
                maintenance costs.
                    (B) Selection.--The Director, in conjunction with 
                the Secretary of Education and the Director of the 
                National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall 
                subject each application to competitive, merit-based 
                review. In making a decision whether to approve such 
                application and provide financial support under this 
                Act, the Director of the National Science Foundation 
                shall consider, at a minimum--
                            (i) the merits of the application, 
                        particularly those portions of the application 
                        regarding the adaptation of training and 
                        educational technologies to the needs of 
                        particular regions;
                            (ii) the quality of service to be provided;
                            (iii) the geographical diversity and extent 
                        of service area, with particular emphasis on 
                        rural and traditionally underdeveloped areas; 
                        and
                            (iv) the percentage of funding and amount 
                        of in-kind commitment from other sources.
                    (C) Evaluation.--Each ETU Center that receives 
                financial assistance under this Act shall be evaluated 
                during its third year of operation by an evaluation 
                panel appointed by the Director. Each evaluation panel 
                shall measure the involved ETU Center's performance 
                against the objectives specified in this Act. Funding 
                for an ETU Center shall not be renewed unless the 
                evaluation is positive.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Science Foundation to carry out this Act 
$7,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, $8,500,000 for fiscal year 2003, and 
$9,500,000 for fiscal year 2004.

Summary: Authorizes the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), in cooperation with the Secretary of Education and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to provide assistance for the creation and support of regional centers for the utilization of educational technologies . Allows ETU Centers to be established at any intermediate school district, regional education service agency, institution of higher education, or consortium of such entities, and to include the participation of non-profit entities. Requires ETU Centers to enhance the use of educational technologies in elementary and secondary education through: (1) advice to school administrators, school boards, and teachers on adopting and using new educational technologies and the usefulness of local schools' existing educational technology assets and infrastructure. (2) participation of individuals from the private sector, universities, State and local governments, and other Federal agencies. (3) active dissemination of technical and management information about the use of educational technologies. And (4) appropriate use of the expertise and capabilities that exist in Federal laboratories and Federal agencies. Requires ETU Centers' activities to include: (1) active transfer and dissemination of research findings and ETU Center expertise to local school authorities. (2) training of teachers in integrating schools' existing educational technology infrastructure into their instructional design. (3) training and advising of teachers, administrators, and school board members in acquiring, using, and supporting educational technologies, (4) support services to teachers, administrators, and school board members. And (5) advising of teachers, administrators, and school board members on current skill set standards employed by private industry.