I

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4759

To establish within the Department of Energy a national Albert Einstein

Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program for outstanding elementary

and secondary mathematics and science teachers.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 14, 1994

Mr. SAWYER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

A BILL

To establish within the Department of Energy a national

Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program for outstanding elementary and secondary mathematics and science teachers.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Albert Einstein Distin5 guished Educator Fellowship Act of 1994’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress finds that—
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1 (1) the Department of Energy has unique

2 mathematics and science capabilities that contribute

3 to mathematics and science education through exist4 ing programs within the Department;

5 (2) a need exists to increase understanding,

6 communication, and cooperation between the De7 partment of Energy, other Federal agencies, and the

8 mathematics and science education community;

9 (3) the mathematics and science education com10 munity includes a cadre of nationally recognized out11 standing elementary and secondary school mathe12 matics and science teachers;

13 (4) elementary and secondary school mathe14 matics and science teachers can provide insight into

15 effective education programs; and

16 (5) a pilot program has confirmed the effective17 ness of outstanding elementary and secondary school

18 mathematics and science teachers serving in profes19 sional staff capacities in the Senate and the House

20 of Representatives.

21 SEC. 3. PURPOSE; DESIGNATION.

22 (a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to estab23 lish a national fellowship program for outstanding elemen24 tary and secondary mathematics and science teachers.
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1 (b) DESIGNATION.—A recipient of a fellowship under

2 this Act shall be known as an ‘‘Albert Einstein Fellow’’.

3 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

4 As used in this Act—

5 (1) the term ‘‘contractor’’ means a nonprofit

6 educational organization selected by the Secretary to

7 administer the fellowship program authorized under

8 this Act;

9 (2) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary

10 of Energy;

11 (3) the term ‘‘elementary school’’ has the mean12 ing provided by section 1471(8) of the Elementary

13 and Secondary Education Act of 1965;

14 (4) the term ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the

15 meaning provided by section 1471(12) of the Ele16 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965;

17 (5) the term ‘‘outstanding’’, used with respect

18 to an elementary or secondary school mathematics

19 or science teacher, means such a teacher who—

20 (A)(i) is a State or national winner of the

21 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathe22 matics and Science Teaching;

23 (ii) has participated in the Woodrow Wil24 son Fellowship Program; or
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1 (iii) has been a recipient of national or

2 State recognition comparable to the recognition

3 described in subparagraph (A) or (B); and

4 (B) has received a sabbatical leave from

5 teaching in order to participate in the fellow6 ship program under this Act, which leave shall

7 provide for the return to a teaching position in

8 the school district in which such individual

9 taught in the academic year preceding such

10 leave; and

11 (6) the term ‘‘secondary school’’ has the mean12 ing provided by section 1471(21) of the Elementary

13 and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

14 SEC. 5. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—(A) Except as provided in

17 subparagraph (B), the Secretary is authorized to es18 tablish the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator

19 Fellowship Program to provide 10 outstanding ele20 mentary or secondary school mathematics or science

21 teachers with fellowships in each fiscal year in ac22 cordance with this Act.

23 (B)(i) The Secretary may reduce the number of

24 fellowships awarded under this Act in any fiscal year

25 if the amount appropriated pursuant to the author-
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1 ity of section 7 for such year is less than the amount

2 authorized to be appropriated pursuant to such au3 thority for such year.

4 (ii) If the number of fellowships awarded under

5 this Act is reduced pursuant to clause (i) for a fiscal

6 year then the Secretary shall ensure that priority is

7 given to awarding fellowships for such year to indi8 viduals selected pursuant to clauses (i) and (ii) of

9 subsection (d)(2)(B).

10 (2) NUMBER OF FELLOWSHIPS.—The Secretary

11 shall provide—

12 (A) 2 outstanding elementary or secondary

13 school mathematics or science teachers with fel14 lowships in the Senate;

15 (B) 2 such teachers with fellowships in the

16 House of Representatives; and

17 (C) 1 such teacher with a fellowship in

18 each of the following:

19 (i) The Department of Energy.

20 (ii) The Department of Education.

21 (iii) The National Institutes of

22 Health.

23 (iv) The National Science Foundation.

24 (v) The Office of Science and Tech25 nology Policy.
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1 (vi) The National Aeronautics and

2 Space Administration.

3 (3) TERM OF FELLOWSHIPS.—Fellowships

4 under this Act shall be awarded for a period of 10

5 months that, to the extent possible, coincide with the

6 academic year.

7 (b) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.—

8 (1) CONTRACT.—The Secretary is authorized to

9 enter into a contract with a contractor to enable

10 such contractor to administer the Albert Einstein

11 Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program.

12 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The contractors shall

13 provide for—

14 (A) the development and administration of

15 an application process for the awarding of fel16 lowships under this Act;

17 (B) publication on the fellowship program

18 in appropriate professional publications and in19 vite applications from teachers listed in the di20 rectories of the Presidential Awardees, the

21 Woodrow Wilson Fellows, and other national

22 and State recognition programs;

23 (C) the development and administration of

24 an initial screening process of applicants for the

25 Albert Einstein Fellowship Program to narrow
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1 the pool of such applicants to 10 outstanding

2 elementary and secondary school mathematics

3 teachers and 10 outstanding elementary and

4 secondary school science teachers;

5 (D) the development and administration of

6 the process whereby final selections of fellow7 ship recipients are made in accordance with

8 subsection (d)(2);

9 (E) the development of a program of ori10 entation for fellowship recipients under this

11 Act;

12 (F) the establishment and administration

13 of a reporting and evaluation program for each

14 year fellowships are awarded under this Act;

15 (G) submission of an annual report and

16 evaluation of the fellowship program under this

17 Act to the Secretary not later than August 31,

18 1995, and each year thereafter; and

19 (H) the administration of all funds re20 ceived under this Act, including salaries and ex21 penses incurred in conducting the selection

22 process, and agreements with the local edu23 cational agencies or school districts serving the

24 schools at which the outstanding elementary or

25 secondary school mathematics or science teach-
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1 ers taught prior to the award of fellowships

2 under this Act regarding the disbursement of

3 funds to such teachers.

4 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The contractor shall only

6 use funds under this Act for fellowship recipient sal7 aries, the contractor’s Federal insurance contribu8 tions under chapter 21 of the Internal Revenue Code

9 of 1986, administrative expenses (including informa10 tion dissemination, direct mailing, advertising, direct

11 staff costs for coordination and accounting services),

12 expenses of conducting an orientation program, relo13 cation expenses, and the expenses of conducting the

14 final selection interviews described in subsection

15 (d)(1).

16 (2) SPECIAL RULE.—The contractor may seek

17 funding from non-Federal sources to establish an ac18 count from which fellowship recipients may be reim19 bursed for travel, professional meetings, and other

20 appropriate expenses.

21 (d) SELECTION.—

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The contractor shall invite

23 the 20 semifinalists to Washington, D.C., to partici24 pate in interviews after the initial screening process
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1 described in subparagraph (C) of subsection (b)(2)

2 is completed.

3 (2) FINAL SELECTION.—(A) The final selec4 tions shall be made in accordance with subparagraph

5 (B) and announced prior to May 1 preceding each

6 fellowship term.

7 (B) The contractor shall develop and conduct a

8 process whereby final selections of fellowship recipi9 ents under this Act are made as follows:

10 (i) The Speaker of the House of Rep11 resentatives and the Minority Leader of the

12 House of Representatives, or their designees,

13 shall each select a fellowship recipient who shall

14 be assigned to the House of Representatives.

15 (ii) The Majority Leader of the Senate and

16 the Minority Leader of the Senate, or their des17 ignees, shall each select a fellowship recipient

18 who will be assigned to the Senate.

19 (iii) The Secretary of Energy, the Sec20 retary of Education, the Director of the Na21 tional Institutes of Health, the Director of the

22 National Science Foundation, the Assistant to

23 the President for Science and Technology Pol24 icy, and the Administrator of the National Aer25 onautics and Space Administration, or their
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1 designees, shall each select 1 fellowship recipi2 ent who shall be assigned within the depart3 ment, agency, institute, or office that such indi4 vidual administers.

5 (e) FINAL PLACEMENT.—

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each individual selected to

7 receive a fellowship pursuant to subsection (d) shall

8 interview in the various sections, offices, or divisions

9 within the department, agency, institute, or office in

10 which such individual is to be placed.

11 (2) DATE.—The final placement described in

12 paragraph (1) shall take place on or before the first

13 day of the fellowship period.

14 SEC. 6. FELLOWSHIP AWARDS.

15 Each recipient of a fellowship under this Act shall

16 be paid during the fellowship period at a rate of pay that

17 shall not exceed the minimum annual rate payable for a

18 position under GS–13 of the General Schedule.

19 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

20 There are authorized to be appropriated $550,000 for

21 fiscal year 1995, and such sums as may be necessary for

22 each of the fiscal years 1996 through 2001, to carry out

23 this Act.

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