I 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5732 

To authorize a competitive grant program to implement and evaluate digital 

learning in rural locales. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 10, 2012 

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

Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To authorize a competitive grant program to implement and 

evaluate digital learning in rural locales. 

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 ‘‘Schools of the Future 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Digital learning technology holds the prom9 ise of transforming rural education by removing bar10 riers of distance and increasing school capacity. 


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1 (2) While many large urban local educational 

2 agencies are at the forefront of implementing new 

3 digital learning innovations, it is often harder for 

4 smaller and more rural local educational agencies to 

5 access these tools. Smaller local educational agencies 

6 with less capacity may also find it more difficult to 

7 provide the training needed to effectively implement 

8 new digital learning technologies. 

9 (3) Despite the potential of digital learning in 

10 rural areas, these advancements risk passing rural 

11 areas by without support for their implementation. 

12 Rather than having schools and local educational 

13 agencies apply digital learning innovations designed 

14 for urban environments to rural areas, it is impor15 tant that digital learning technologies be developed 

16 and implemented in ways that reflect the unique 

17 needs of rural areas. 

18 (4) Digital learning is rapidly expanding, and 

19 new tools for improving teaching and learning are 

20 being developed every day. A growing demand for 

21 digital learning tools and products has made rig22 orous evaluation of their effectiveness increasingly 

23 important, as this information would allow school 

24 and local educational agency leaders to make in25 formed choices about how best to use these tools to 


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1 improve student achievement and educational out2 comes. 

3 SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

4 (a) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS.—From 

5 the amounts appropriated to carry out this Act, the Sec6 retary of Education is authorized to award grants, on a 

7 competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to carry out the 

8 activities described in section 6. 

9 (b) DURATION OF GRANT.—A grant under subsection 

10 (a) shall be awarded for not less than a 3-year and not 

11 longer than a 5-year period. 

12 (c) FISCAL AGENT.—If an eligible partnership re13 ceives a grant under this Act, a school partner in the part14 nership shall serve as the fiscal agent for the partnership. 

15 SEC. 4. APPLICATION. 

16 An eligible partnership desiring a grant under this 

17 Act shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 

18 time, in such manner, and containing such information as 

19 the Secretary may require, which shall include the fol20 lowing: 

21 (1) A description of the eligible partnership, in22 cluding the name of each of the partners and their 

23 respective roles and responsibilities. 

24 (2) A description of the technology-based learn25 ing practice, tool, strategy, or course that the eligiVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:29 May 13, 2012 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5732.IH H5732

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1 ble partnership proposes to develop or implement 

2 using the grant funds. 

3 (3) Information relevant to the selection criteria 

4 under section 5(c). 

5 (4) A description of the evaluation to be under6 taken by the eligible partnership, including— 

7 (A) how the school partner and the evalua8 tion partner will work together to implement 

9 the practice, tool, strategy, or course in such a 

10 way that permits the use of a rigorous evalua11 tion design that meets the standards of the 

12 What Works Clearinghouse of the Institute of 

13 Education Sciences; and 

14 (B) a description of the evaluation design 

15 that meets such standards, which will be used 

16 to measure any significant effects on the out17 comes described in paragraphs (1) through (3) 

18 of section 7(a). 

19 (5) An estimate of the number of students to 

20 be reached through the grant and evidence of its ca21 pacity to reach the proposed number of students 

22 during the course of the grant. 

23 (6) An assurance that the school partner in the 

24 eligible partnership will ensure that each school to 

25 be served by the grant under this Act is designated 


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1 with a school locale code of Fringe Rural, Distant 

2 Rural, or Remote Rural, as determined by the Sec3 retary. 

4 (7) Any other information the Secretary may 

5 require. 

6 SEC. 5. APPLICATION REVIEW AND AWARD BASIS. 

7 (a) PEER REVIEW.—The Secretary shall use a peer 

8 review process to review applications for grants under this 

9 Act. The Secretary shall appoint individuals to the peer 

10 review process who have relevant expertise in digital learn11 ing, research and evaluation, and rural education. 

12 (b) AWARD BASIS.—In awarding grants under this 

13 Act, the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable 

14 diversity in the type of activities funded under the grants. 

15 (c) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In evaluating an eligible 

16 partnership’s application for a grant under this Act, the 

17 Secretary shall consider— 

18 (1) the need for the proposed technology-based 

19 learning practice, tool, strategy, or course; 

20 (2) the quality of the design of the proposed 

21 practice, tool, strategy, or course; 

22 (3) the strength of the existing research evi23 dence with respect to such practice, tool, strategy, or 

24 course; 


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1 (4) the experience of the eligible partnership; 

2 and 

3 (5) the quality of the evaluation proposed by 

4 the eligible partnership. 

5 SEC. 6. USE OF FUNDS. 

6 (a) REQUIRED USE OF FUNDS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible partnership re8 ceiving a grant under this Act shall use such funds 

9 to implement and evaluate the results of technology10 based learning practices, strategies, tools, or courses, 

11 including the practices, strategies, tools, or courses 

12 identified under paragraphs (2) through (6). 

13 (2) TOOLS AND COURSES DESIGNED TO PER14 SONALIZE THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE.—Tech15 nology-based tools and courses identified under this 

16 paragraph include the following types of tools and 

17 courses designed to personalize the learning experi18 ence: 

19 (A) Technology-based personalized instruc20 tional systems. 

21 (B) Adaptive software, games, or tools, 

22 that can be used to personalize learning. 

23 (C) Computer-based tutoring courses to 

24 help struggling students. 


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1 (D) Games, digital tools, and smartphone 

2 or tablet applications to improve students’ en3 gagement, focus, and time on task. 

4 (E) Other tools and courses designed to 

5 personalize the learning experience. 

6 (3) PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES DESIGNED TO

7 AID AND INFORM INSTRUCTION.—Technology-based 

8 practices and strategies identified under this para9 graph include the following types of practices and 

10 strategies designed to aid and inform instruction: 

11 (A) Adaptive software, games, or tools that 

12 can be used for the purpose of formative assess13 ment. 

14 (B) Web resources that provide teachers 

15 and their students access to instructional and 

16 curricular materials that are— 

17 (i) aligned with high-quality stand18 ards; and 

19 (ii) designed to prepare students for 

20 college and a career, such as a repository 

21 of primary historical sources for use in his22 tory and civics courses or examples of de23 velopmentally appropriate science experi24 ments. 


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1 (C) Online professional development oppor2 tunities, teacher mentoring opportunities, and 

3 professional learning communities. 

4 (D) Tools or web resources designed to ad5 dresses specific instructional problems. 

6 (E) Other practices and strategies de7 signed to personalize the learning experience. 

8 (4) TOOLS, COURSES, AND STRATEGIES DE9 SIGNED TO IMPROVE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF STU10 DENTS WITH SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.— 

11 Technology-based tools, courses, and strategies iden12 tified under this paragraph include the following 

13 types of tools, courses, and strategies designed to 

14 meet the needs of students with specific educational 

15 needs: 

16 (A) Digital tools specifically designed to 

17 meet the needs of students with a particular 

18 disability. 

19 (B) Online courses that give students who 

20 are not on track to graduate or have already 

21 dropped out of school the opportunity for accel22 erated credit recovery. 

23 (C) Language instruction courses, games, 

24 or software designed to meet the needs of 

25 English language learners. 


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1 (D) Other tools, courses, and strategies de2 signed to personalize the learning experience. 

3 (5) TOOLS, COURSES, AND STRATEGIES DE4 SIGNED TO HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP 21ST CEN5 TURY SKILLS.—Technology-based tools, courses, and 

6 strategies identified under this paragraph include 

7 peer-to-peer virtual learning opportunities to be used 

8 for the purposes of project-based learning, deeper 

9 learning, and collaborative learning, and other tools, 

10 courses, and strategies designed to help students de11 velop 21st century skills, such as the ability to think 

12 critically and solve problems, be effective commu13 nicators, collaborate with others, and learn to create 

14 and innovate. 

15 (6) TECHNOLOGY-BASED OR ONLINE COURSES

16 THAT ALLOW STUDENTS TO TAKE COURSES THAT

17 THEY WOULD NOT OTHERWISE HAVE ACCESS TO.— 

18 Technology-based or online courses identified under 

19 this paragraph include courses or collections of 

20 courses that provide students access to courses that 

21 they would not otherwise have access to, such as the 

22 following: 

23 (A) An online repository of elective 

24 courses. 


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1 (B) Online or software-based courses in 

2 foreign languages, especially in languages iden3 tified as critical or in schools where a teacher 

4 is not available to teach the language or course 

5 level a student requires. 

6 (C) Online advanced or college-level 

7 courses that can be taken for credit. 

8 (b) AUTHORIZED USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible part9 nership receiving a grant under this Act may use grant 

10 funds to— 

11 (1) develop the technology for technology-based 

12 learning strategies, practices, courses, or tools to be 

13 carried out under the grant; 

14 (2) purchase hardware or software needed to 

15 carry out such strategies, practices, courses, or tools 

16 under the grant, except that such purchases may not 

17 exceed 50 percent of total grant funds; 

18 (3) address the particular needs of student sub19 groups, including students with disabilities and 

20 English-language learners; 

21 (4) provide technology-based professional devel22 opment or professional development on how to maxi23 mize the utility of technology; and 

24 (5) address issues of cost and capacity in rural 

25 areas and shortage subjects. 


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1 SEC. 7. DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATION. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible partnership receiv3 ing a grant under this Act shall require its evaluation 

4 partner to complete a comprehensive, well-designed, and 

5 well-implemented evaluation that meets the standards of 

6 the What Works Clearinghouse after the third year of im7 plementation of the grant to measure the effect of the 

8 practice, tool, strategy, or course on— 

9 (1) student achievement, as measured by high 

10 quality assessments that provide objective, valid, re11 liable measures of student academic growth and in12 formation on whether a student is on-track to grad13 uate ready for college and career; 

14 (2) where applicable, student achievement gaps, 

15 graduation and dropout rates, college enrollment, 

16 college persistence, college completion, and teacher 

17 or principal effectiveness as measured by student 

18 achievement and other applicable measures; and 

19 (3) costs and savings to the school partner. 

20 (b) IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION.—An evaluation 

21 partner may use funds under this Act to carry out an im22 plementation evaluation designed to provide information 

23 that may be useful for schools, local educational agencies, 

24 States, consortia of schools, and charter school networks 

25 seeking to implement similar practices, tools, strategies, 

26 or courses in the future. 


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1 (c) PUBLICATION OF RESULTS.—Upon completion of 

2 an evaluation described in subsection (a) or (b), the eval3 uation partner shall— 

4 (1) submit a report of the results of the evalua5 tion to the Secretary; and 

6 (2) make publicly available such results. 

7 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 

9 (1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘eligi10 ble partnership’’ means a partnership that includes 

11 a school partner and not less than 1— 

12 (A) digital learning partner, except that in 

13 a case in which a school partner or evaluation 

14 partner demonstrates expertise in digital learn15 ing to the Secretary; and 

16 (B) evaluation partner. 

17 (2) SCHOOL PARTNER.—The term ‘‘school part18 ner’’ means a— 

19 (A) local educational agency; 

20 (B) a charter school network; 

21 (C) a consortium of elementary schools or 

22 secondary schools; 

23 (D) a regional educational service agency 

24 or similar regional educational service provider; 

25 or 


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1 (E) a consortium of the entities described 

2 in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

3 (3) DIGITAL LEARNING PARTNER.—The term 

4 ‘‘digital learning partner’’ means an organization 

5 with expertise in the technology required to develop 

6 or implement the digital learning practices, tools, 

7 strategies, or courses proposed by the school partner 

8 with which the digital learning partner will partner 

9 or has partnered under this Act, such as— 

10 (A) an institution of higher education; 

11 (B) a nonprofit organization; or 

12 (C) an organization with school develop13 ment or turnaround experience. 

14 (4) EVALUATION PARTNER.—The term ‘‘evalua15 tion partner’’ means a partner that has the expertise 

16 and ability to carry out the evaluation of a grant re17 ceived under this Act, such as— 

18 (A) an institution of higher education; 

19 (B) a nonprofit organization with expertise 

20 in evaluation; or 

21 (C) an evaluation firm. 

22 (5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

23 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

24 meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 

25 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 


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1 (6) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

2 ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 

3 the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec4 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

5 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

6 the Secretary of Education. 

Æ 


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