I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2081 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish 

a partnership between the Department of Education and the National 

Park Service to provide educational opportunities for students and teachers. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 23, 2009 

Mr. HOLT (for himself, Mr. POLIS of Colorado, Mr. KIND, Ms. SUTTON, Mr. 

BAIRD, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. INSLEE, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. 

BORDALLO, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. SESTAK, and Mrs. CAPPS) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 

Labor 

A BILL 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

of 1965 to establish a partnership between the Department of Education and the National Park Service to 

provide educational opportunities for students and 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 ‘‘National Park Edu5 cational Partnership Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK RANGER SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 (a) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Part D of title V of the Ele5 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

6 U.S.C. 7241 et seq.) is amended by adding at the 

7 end the following: 

8 ‘‘SUBPART 22—NATIONAL PARK RANGER SCHOOL

9 PARTNERSHIPS

10 ‘‘SEC. 5621. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in cooperation 

12 with the Director of the National Park Service, may award 

13 grants, on a competitive basis, to schools and local edu14 cational agencies to carry out the authorized activities de15 scribed in subsection (b). 

16 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—A school or local 

17 educational agency shall use funds provided under this 

18 subpart to enter into a partnership with the National Park 

19 Service, in cooperation where appropriate with a not-for20 profit partner of the National Park Service, to carry out 

21 both of the following activities: 

22 ‘‘(1) Providing, for students in kindergarten 

23 through grade 12, educational programs (including 

24 programs under which instruction is provided by Na25 tional Park Service Rangers) that emphasize science, 


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1 the environment, natural resources, mathematics, 

2 civics, and history. 

3 ‘‘(2) Providing, for educators of students in 

4 kindergarten through grade 12, professional develop5 ment opportunities (such as summer institutes) that 

6 emphasize science, the environment, natural re7 sources, mathematics, civics, and history. 

8 ‘‘(c) GRANTS.—Each grant under this subpart shall 

9 be for a period of 3 years, and for an aggregate amount 

10 of not more than $25,000. 

11 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

12 under this subpart, a school or local educational agency 

13 shall— 

14 ‘‘(1) either— 

15 ‘‘(A) have a partnership or be capable of 

16 partnering with a unit of the National Park 

17 Service or a Research and Learning Center of 

18 the National Park Service; or 

19 ‘‘(B) have, or demonstrate that it will de20 velop, a technology-based distance learning link 

21 to the National Park Service; 

22 ‘‘(2) be identified for improvement under title I; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(3) have a significant percentage of low-in25 come students. 


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1 ‘‘(e) CRITERIA.—Grants under this subpart shall be 

2 awarded on a competitive basis using criteria established 

3 jointly by the Secretary and the Director of the National 

4 Park Service. 

5 ‘‘(f) REPORTS BY GRANTEES.—At the end of the 

6 grant term, the school or local educational agency receiv7 ing the grant shall submit to the Secretary a report that— 

8 ‘‘(1) identifies the number of students partici9 pating in the activities described in subsection (b)(1) 

10 that were carried out under the grant and the 

11 achievement attained by those students in mathe12 matics, science, and any other academic areas rel13 evant to the activities carried out under the grant as 

14 measured against— 

15 ‘‘(A) statewide scores for students on the 

16 academic assessments in mathematics or 

17 science under section 1111(b)(3); and 

18 ‘‘(B) other benchmarks established by the 

19 Secretary, in coordination with the National 

20 Park Service; and 

21 ‘‘(2) identifies the number of educators partici22 pating in the activities described in subsection (b)(2) 

23 that were carried out under the grant and the pro24 fessional development received by those educators in 

25 mathematics, science, and any other academic areas 


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1 relevant to the activities carried out under the 

2 grant.’’. 

3 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 Section 5401 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 7241) is 

5 amended— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘There are’’ and inserting 

7 the following: 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are’’; and 

9 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL PARK RANGER SCHOOL PARTNER11 SHIPS.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 

12 out subpart 22, such sums as may be necessary for fiscal 

13 year 2010 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 

14 (3) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con15 tents in section 2 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 6301 note) 

16 is amended by adding after the items relating to 

17 subpart 21 of part D of title V the following: 

‘‘SUBPART 22—NATIONAL PARK RANGER SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS

‘‘Sec. 5621. Program authorized.’’. 

18 (b) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE ELIGIBILITY FOR CER19 TAIN PROGRAMS.— 

20 (1) MATH AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIPS.—Sec21 tion 2201(b)(1)(B) of the Elementary and Sec22 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

23 6661(b)(1)(B)) is amended— 


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1 (A) by redesignating clauses (iii) and (iv) 

2 as clauses (iv) and (v), respectively; and 

3 (B) by adding after clause (ii) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(iii) the National Park Service;’’. 

6 (2) TEACHING OF TRADITIONAL AMERICAN HIS7 TORY.—Section 2351(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 

8 6721(b)) is amended by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(4) An educational service agency, including a 

11 Federal agency that serves as an educational service 

12 provider.’’. 

Æ 


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