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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4841 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4841

   To amend the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to establish a 
National Center for Advanced Development in Education at the Institute 
            for Education Sciences, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 30, 2024

Mr. Bennet (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To amend the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to establish a 
National Center for Advanced Development in Education at the Institute 
            for Education Sciences, and for other purposes.

    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 ``New Essential Education Discoveries 
Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL CENTER FOR ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION.

    (a) Organization.--Section 111(c)(3) of the Education Sciences 
Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9511(c)(3)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) the National Center for Advanced Development 
                in Education (as described in part G).''.
    (b) Definitions.--Section 102 of the Education Sciences Reform Act 
of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9501) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (18) through (23) as 
        paragraphs (19) through (24), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (17) the following:
            ``(18) Science of learning and development.--The term 
        `science of learning and development' means the body of peer-
        reviewed knowledge from a variety of academic fields and 
        disciplines that demonstrates how students best learn and 
        develop.''.
    (c) Establishment.--Title I of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 
2002 (20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

    ``PART G--NATIONAL CENTER FOR ADVANCED DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATION

``SEC. 195. ESTABLISHMENT.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Institute a 
National Center for Advanced Development in Education (in this part 
referred to as the `Advanced Development Center').
    ``(b) Mission.--The mission of the Advanced Development Center is 
to--
            ``(1) identify, develop, and promote advances in and new 
        solutions for teaching and learning, with an emphasis on 
        breakthrough technologies, new pedagogical approaches, 
        innovative learning models, and more efficient, reliable, and 
        valid forms of assessments;
            ``(2) identify, develop, and promote transformative, 
        community-informed solutions to address disparities in 
        achievement and opportunity for students;
            ``(3) identify, develop, and promote community-informed 
        advances in teaching and learning that have the potential to 
        transform education practices across--
                    ``(A) early childhood education;
                    ``(B) elementary and secondary education;
                    ``(C) postsecondary education;
                    ``(D) adult education;
                    ``(E) special education and services for students 
                with disabilities; and
                    ``(F) services for English learners;
            ``(4) identify, develop, test, and promote strategies and 
        interventions that support student relationships and skill-
        building consistent with the science of learning and 
        development;
            ``(5) identify and provide community-informed 
        recommendations and solutions that address additional factors 
        that can improve student outcomes, including--
                    ``(A) access to a diverse teaching workforce; and
                    ``(B) institutional barriers, including with 
                respect to students from underrepresented communities; 
                and
            ``(6) investigate transformative research opportunities, 
        including--
                    ``(A) technologies to analyze speech samples and 
                identify speech and reading disorders;
                    ``(B) identifying tools to support skill 
                acquisition outside of school (including tools for 
                parents); and
                    ``(C) developing tools to provide feedback directly 
                to students on their competencies.

``SEC. 196. COMMISSIONER FOR ADVANCED EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT.

    ``The Advanced Development Center shall be headed by a Commissioner 
for Advanced Education Development (in this part referred to as the 
`Advanced Development Commissioner') who shall be highly qualified and 
have substantial knowledge of the methodologies used and activities 
undertaken by the Advanced Development Center.

``SEC. 197. DUTIES.

    ``(a) General Duties.--The Advanced Development Center shall--
            ``(1) collect, report, analyze, and disseminate data 
        related to transforming education in the United States;
            ``(2) approve and terminate projects in accordance with 
        subsection (f)(2)(B);
            ``(3) set priorities that align with the mission of the 
        Advanced Development Center, including by identifying areas 
        that can be furthered by research and development, including--
                    ``(A) interventions for learning recovery, with a 
                particular focus on students who score below proficient 
                on the academic assessments in mathematics or reading 
                or language arts described in section 1111(b)(2) of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)), including specific challenges due 
                to the COVID-19 public health emergency declared 
                pursuant to section 319 of the Public Health Service 
                Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) and other disruptions to 
                instruction;
                    ``(B) pedagogy; and
                    ``(C) assessments administered to students, 
                including such assessments that are summative, 
                formative, competency-based, performance-based, 
                administered throughout the school year to produce a 
                single summative assessment score, or incorporated into 
                an instructional sequence or lesson;
            ``(4) support the use of scientific discoveries and 
        inventions to improve teaching and learning;
            ``(5) carry out the evaluation and dissemination 
        requirements under subsection (e); and
            ``(6) convene and engage an advisory panel under section 
        198.
    ``(b) Plan.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of this part, and every 3 years thereafter, the Advanced 
Development Commissioner shall submit to the Director a research plan 
that--
            ``(1) is consistent with the priorities and mission of the 
        Institute and the mission of the Advanced Development Center; 
        and
            ``(2) describes how the Advanced Development Center will 
        use the performance management system described in section 185 
        to assess and improve the activities of the Advanced 
        Development Center.
    ``(c) Training Program.--The Advanced Development Commissioner may 
establish a program to train employees of public and private 
educational agencies, organizations, and institutions and may establish 
a fellowship program to appoint such employees as temporary fellows at 
the Advanced Development Center in order to assist the Advanced 
Development Center in carrying out its duties.
    ``(d) Collaboration.--
            ``(1) In general.--In carrying out the duties under this 
        section, the Advanced Development Commissioner may award grants 
        and cash prizes, enter into contracts and cooperative 
        agreements, and provide technical assistance.
            ``(2) Entities.--In awarding grants and cash prizes and 
        entering into contracts and cooperative agreements under 
        paragraph (1), the Advanced Development Commissioner shall--
                    ``(A) solicit applications from public and private 
                entities; and
                    ``(B) build research collaborations between a 
                variety of stakeholders--
                            ``(i) from the private and public sectors; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) with expertise in education 
                        practices, including teachers, principals and 
                        other school leaders, and local and State 
                        educational agency leaders.
            ``(3) Applicable programs.--For purposes of carrying out an 
        applicable program under subsection (f)(2), a program manager 
        may enter into contracts and cooperative agreements in the 
        manner described in paragraph (2).
    ``(e) Evaluation and Dissemination.--
            ``(1) Evaluation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Advanced Development 
                Commissioner shall obtain independent, periodic, and 
                rigorous evaluation of--
                            ``(i) the effectiveness of the processes 
                        that the Advanced Development Center is using 
                        to achieve the mission described in section 
                        195(b);
                            ``(ii) the relevance, accessibility, and 
                        utility of the awards made and transactions 
                        entered into under subsection (d) to education 
                        practitioners; and
                            ``(iii) the effectiveness of the projects 
                        carried out through such awards and 
                        transactions, using evidence standards 
                        developed in consultation with the Institute of 
                        Education Sciences, and the suitability of such 
                        projects for further investment or increased 
                        scale.
                    ``(B) Best practices.--The Advanced Development 
                Commissioner shall assess the information obtained from 
                the evaluation and identify best practices for the 
                Advanced Development Center.
            ``(2) Dissemination.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Advanced Development Center 
                shall disseminate, through the entities listed in 
                subparagraph (B), information obtained from the 
                evaluation under paragraph (1) and any other 
                information determined to be relevant by the Advanced 
                Development Commissioner with respect to effective 
                practices and technologies developed under the Advanced 
                Development Center, as appropriate, to--
                            ``(i) education professionals, including 
                        teachers, principals, and local and State 
                        superintendents; and
                            ``(ii) parents.
                    ``(B) Entities.--The Advanced Development Center 
                shall distribute the information described in 
                subparagraph (A) through--
                            ``(i) the comprehensive centers established 
                        under section 203 of the Educational Technical 
                        Assistance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9602);
                            ``(ii) the regional laboratories system 
                        established under section 174; and
                            ``(iii) such other means as the Advanced 
                        Development Commissioner, in consultation with 
                        the Director and the Secretary, determines to 
                        be appropriate.
            ``(3) Use and adoption.--The Advanced Development 
        Commissioner shall support the use and adoption of the best 
        practices identified in paragraph (1)(B) at all levels of 
        education and training.
    ``(f) Hiring.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding section 188, the 
        Advanced Development Commissioner, with the approval of and in 
        collaboration with the Director, shall--
                    ``(A) make appointments of scientific, engineering, 
                and professional personnel, which may include temporary 
                or time-limited appointments as determined by the 
                Director to be necessary to carry out the mission 
                described in section 195(b), without regard to the 
                provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing 
                appointment in the competitive service and fix the 
                compensation of such personnel at a rate to be 
                determined by the Director;
                    ``(B) hire staff with sufficient qualifications and 
                expertise (as determined by the Commissioner in 
                consultation with the Director) to enable the Advanced 
                Development Center to carry out the duties described in 
                subsection (a) in conjunction with other operations of 
                the Institute, without regard to the provisions of 
                title 5, United States Code, governing appointment in 
                the competitive service and fix the compensation of 
                such staff at a rate to be determined by the Director; 
                and
                    ``(C) use all existing authorities of the Director 
                to hire administrative, financial, and clerical staff 
                as necessary to carry out this subsection and pay such 
                staff in accordance with the provisions of chapter 51 
                and subchapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United 
                States Code, relating to classification and General 
                Schedule pay rates.
            ``(2) Program managers.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Advanced Development 
                Commissioner, with the approval of and in collaboration 
                with the Director, shall designate staff appointed or 
                hired under subparagraphs (A) or (B) of paragraph (1), 
                respectively, to serve as program managers for the 
                Advanced Development Center.
                    ``(B) Duties.--A program manager shall be 
                responsible for--
                            ``(i) establishing research and development 
                        goals for an applicable program, including by 
                        developing and hosting workshops and consulting 
                        with outside experts;
                            ``(ii) publicizing such goals;
                            ``(iii) soliciting applications from 
                        eligible entities for projects that advance 
                        such goals and contribute to making rapid 
                        advances in teaching and learning, to be 
                        submitted by such entities at such time, in 
                        such manner, and containing such information as 
                        the program manager, in conjunction with the 
                        Advanced Development Commissioner, may require;
                            ``(iv) selecting, on a competitive basis, 
                        such projects to be supported under an 
                        applicable program, taking into consideration--
                                    ``(I) the novelty and scientific 
                                and technical merit of a proposed 
                                project;
                                    ``(II) the demonstrated 
                                capabilities of the eligible entity to 
                                successfully carry out such proposed 
                                project;
                                    ``(III) the extent to which the 
                                eligible entity considered, as part of 
                                the application submitted under clause 
                                (iii), future commercial applications 
                                of a proposed project to increase the 
                                likelihood of scalability of such 
                                project; and
                                    ``(IV) such other criteria as the 
                                program manager, in conjunction with 
                                the Advanced Development Commissioner, 
                                may require;
                            ``(v) terminating such projects, as 
                        applicable; and
                            ``(vi) establishing the research 
                        collaborations described in subsection (d)(3).
                    ``(C) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Applicable program.--The term 
                        `applicable program' means a program--
                                    ``(I) for which a project manager 
                                establishes research and development 
                                goals;
                                    ``(II) that supports projects 
                                aligned with such goals; and
                                    ``(III) that receives funds from 
                                the Advanced Development Center.
                            ``(ii) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible 
                        entity' means--
                                    ``(I) a State educational agency;
                                    ``(II) a local educational agency;
                                    ``(III) a public or private 
                                nonprofit institution of higher 
                                education;
                                    ``(IV) a nonprofit educational 
                                organization; and
                                    ``(V) a federally funded research 
                                and development center.

``SEC. 198. ADVISORY PANEL.

    ``(a) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date on 
which the Advanced Development Commissioner is appointed, the 
Commissioner shall establish an advisory panel to identify, evaluate, 
and make recommendations with respect to improving education research 
in order to promote the mission of the Advanced Development Center.
    ``(b) Duties.--
            ``(1) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on 
        which the advisory panel is established, the advisory panel 
        shall create and update on an annual basis a report that--
                    ``(A) identifies, analyzes, and evaluates the state 
                of--
                            ``(i) education research and development; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) education research priorities at the 
                        State and local levels;
                    ``(B) identifies and promotes advances in teaching 
                and learning; and
                    ``(C) highlights factors that can have an impact on 
                student learning outcomes, with particular attention to 
                opportunity and achievement disparities for students, 
                including the factors addressed in section 195(b)(6).
            ``(2) Submission and publication.--Not later than 1 month 
        after the date on which the report described in paragraph (1) 
        is created and not later than 1 month after each subsequent 
        update of such report, the advisory panel shall--
                    ``(A) submit such report to--
                            ``(i) the Advanced Development 
                        Commissioner;
                            ``(ii) the Director;
                            ``(iii) the Secretary;
                            ``(iv) the Committee on Appropriations of 
                        the House of Representatives;
                            ``(v) the Committee on Appropriations of 
                        the Senate;
                            ``(vi) the Committee on Education and the 
                        Workforce of the House of Representatives; and
                            ``(vii) the Committee on Health, Education, 
                        Labor, and Pensions of the Senate; and
                    ``(B) make such report publicly available on the 
                website of the Institute.
    ``(c) Membership.--The advisory panel shall be composed of at least 
8, but not more than 12, members appointed by the Advanced Development 
Commissioner as follows:
            ``(1) At least 1 but not more than 2 members shall be 
        parents.
            ``(2) At least 1 but not more than 2 members shall be 
        education professionals.
            ``(3) At least 1 but not more than 2 members shall be 
        experts in technology.
            ``(4) At least 1 but not more than 2 members shall be 
        specialists in rapid gains in student achievement and school 
        improvement.
            ``(5) At least 1 but not more than 2 members shall be 
        specialists in personalized learning.
            ``(6) At least 1 but not more than 2 members shall be 
        education and social science researchers.
            ``(7) At least 1 but not more than 2 members shall be 
        representatives from the Department or National Science 
        Foundation.
            ``(8) At least 1 but not more than 2 members shall be 
        individuals with expertise in education issues not otherwise 
        represented who will contribute to the overall rigor and 
        quality of the Advanced Development Center.
    ``(d) Advisory Nature.--The function of the advisory panel shall be 
advisory in nature. Nothing in this section shall be construed as 
giving the advisory panel authority over the activities authorized 
under this part.
    ``(e) Termination.--The advisory panel shall terminate 5 years 
after the date of establishment of such panel.

``SEC. 199. COMMUNITY-INFORMED DEFINED.

    ``In this part, the term `community-informed' means to be informed 
by input from State educational agencies, local educational agencies, 
parents, students, and education practitioners, including teachers, 
principals, and other school leaders within the community or regional 
area where activities planned and carried out by the Advanced 
Development Center will occur.

``SEC. 200. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this part such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 
2025 through 2029.
    ``(b) Timing.--Amounts made available for a fiscal year under 
subsection (a) shall remain available until expended.
    ``(c) Reservation.--The Secretary may reserve not more than 5 
percent of the funds appropriated for a fiscal year under subsection 
(a) for administrative expenses and technical assistance.''.

SEC. 3. IMPROVING STATEWIDE LONGITUDINAL DATA SYSTEMS.

    Section 208 of the Education Sciences Reform Act (20 U.S.C. 9607) 
is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 208. GRANT PROGRAM FOR STATEWIDE, LONGITUDINAL DATA SYSTEMS.

    ``(a) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary shall award grants to 
eligible entities to design, develop, improve, and implement statewide 
longitudinal data systems (in this section referred to as `SLDS') to--
            ``(1) produce more consistent and comprehensive data of 
        individuals and on the pathways of such individuals from birth 
        into the workforce; and
            ``(2) efficiently and accurately manage, analyze, 
        disaggregate, and use such data in a manner that protects the 
        privacy of such individuals.
    ``(b) Application.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under this 
section shall submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at 
such time, and containing such information as the Secretary determines 
appropriate.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity shall use a grant awarded 
under this section to--
            ``(1) modernize data infrastructure and analytics capacity 
        to--
                    ``(A) use and integrate data across education, 
                workforce, nutrition, and other social service systems 
                into SLDS, including--
                            ``(i) early childhood education;
                            ``(ii) elementary and secondary education;
                            ``(iii) career and technical education;
                            ``(iv) postsecondary education; and
                            ``(v) workforce development programs 
                        supported by the--
                                    ``(I) Department of Education;
                                    ``(II) Department of Labor;
                                    ``(III) Department of Health and 
                                Human Services;
                                    ``(IV) Department of Agriculture;
                                    ``(V) Department of Defense; and
                                    ``(VI) Department of Commerce;
                    ``(B) improve access to, and use of, data 
                integrated across the systems described in subparagraph 
                (A);
            ``(2) increase the capacity of staff at the eligible entity 
        to oversee, maintain, support, and operate SLDS;
            ``(3) ensure the technical quality, including validity and 
        reliability, of the data described in paragraph (1);
            ``(4) promote linkages and use across States and systems, 
        including with respect to--
                    ``(A) early childhood education;
                    ``(B) elementary and secondary education;
                    ``(C) postsecondary education; and
                    ``(D) workforce, including--
                            ``(i) employment;
                            ``(ii) healthcare; and
                            ``(iii) social services, including 
                        nutrition;
            ``(5) meet Federal and State law requirements with respect 
        to protecting the privacy of individuals, including student 
        privacy rights guaranteed by section 444 of the General 
        Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g) (commonly referred 
        to as the `Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974');
            ``(6) provide, prior to beginning employment and on a 
        regular basis thereafter, training to local and State 
        employees, including school leaders and teachers, with respect 
        to maintaining privacy of personally identifiable information 
        and securely utilizing data from SLDS to improve education and 
        workforce practice, policy, and outcomes;
            ``(7) promote the creation and management of accurate data 
        that are needed--
                    ``(A) for State and local educational, labor, 
                workforce, health, social services, and other relevant 
                agencies to comply with Federal and State laws and 
                reporting requirements;
                    ``(B) to better understand and address achievement 
                and opportunity gaps in education, employment, health, 
                and social services; and
                    ``(C) to enable, facilitate, and participate in 
                research within a State and across States to improve 
                student academic achievement, close education and 
                employment gaps and gaps related to access to health 
                care and social services, and improve student, worker, 
                and family outcomes; and
            ``(8) support continual improvement of education, 
        workforce, health, and social services programs and systems, 
        including by better understanding whether such programs and 
        systems are--
                    ``(A) serving students, workers, and families, with 
                a focus on underserved students, workers, and families;
                    ``(B) supporting the attainment of key education, 
                employment, health, social services, and other relevant 
                outcomes, including sustained increases in wages;
                    ``(C) making data available, in a way that protects 
                personally identifiable student information, to 
                researchers and encouraging partnerships to make 
                information actionable;
                    ``(D) achieving positive outcomes for the students, 
                workers, families, and other demographics that such 
                programs and systems are intended to serve; and
                    ``(E) engaging with diverse stakeholders to receive 
                input and share information.
    ``(d) Funds.--
            ``(1) Supplement, not supplant.--Funds made available under 
        this section shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, 
        other Federal, State, or local funds used for developing 
        statewide longitudinal data systems.
            ``(2) Technical assistance.--The Secretary may reserve not 
        more than 5 percent of the funds made available under this 
        section for program administration and technical assistance.
    ``(e) Report.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        National Academies Committee on National Statistics, shall make 
        publicly available a report on the implementation and 
        effectiveness of the activities carried out by eligible 
        entities with grant funds awarded under this section including 
        by--
                    ``(A) identifying and analyzing State practices 
                regarding the development and use of statewide 
                longitudinal data systems;
                    ``(B) evaluating the ability of such systems to 
                manage individual student data consistent with the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), promote linkages across States, 
                and protect student privacy consistent with section 
                183; and
                    ``(C) identifying best practices and areas for 
                improvement.
            ``(2) Timing.--The report required under paragraph (1) 
        shall be submitted--
                    ``(A) not later than 1 year after the date of the 
                enactment of this section; and
                    ``(B) not later than 4 years after the date of the 
                enactment of this section.
    ``(f) Eligible Entity Defined.--In this section, the term `eligible 
entity' means--
            ``(1) a State;
            ``(2) a State educational agency;
            ``(3) a State workforce development board established under 
        section 101 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
        U.S.C. 3111);
            ``(4) a State higher education agency as defined under 
        section 103 of the Higher Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1003); and
            ``(5) other statewide data governance bodies or 
        organizations managing or overseeing the SLDS of a State, as 
        determined and designated by the Governor.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section--
            ``(1) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025; 
        and
            ``(2) for each fiscal year thereafter, not less than the 
        amount appropriated for fiscal year 2024.''.
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