I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2702 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding 

improving environmental literacy to better prepare students for postsecondary education and careers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 16, 2013 

Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Ms. BONAMICI, Mrs. CAPPS, 

Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. FARR, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. HOLT, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCNERNEY, Ms. PINGREE of Maine, Mr. 

POLIS, and Mr. THOMPSON of California) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

of 1965 regarding improving environmental literacy to 

better prepare students for postsecondary education and 

careers, and for other purposes. 

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘No Child Left Inside Act of 2013’’. 


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1 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

2 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. References. 

Sec. 4. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE I—ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY 

Sec. 101. Environmental literacy. 

TITLE II—PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY IN 

EDUCATION PROGRAMS 

Sec. 201. Amendments to title II, part B. 

Sec. 202. Amendments to title IV, part B. 

TITLE III—NATIONAL ACTIVITIES TO ENHANCE ENVIRONMENTAL 

LITERACY 

Sec. 301. Availability of other environmental literacy information. 

Sec. 302. Federal interagency coordination on environmental literacy. 

3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

4 The Congress finds that: 

5 (1) Children and young adults are increasingly 

6 disconnected from the natural world around them, 

7 spending less time outside playing, exploring, and 

8 learning. 

9 (2) Play and learning in nature is important to 

10 the intellectual, social, and physical development of 

11 youth. 

12 (3) Environmental education, as part of the for13 mal prekindergarten through grade 12 school cur14 riculum, provides opportunities for youth to get out15 side and learn about the natural world, has positive 

16 impacts on student achievement in all subjects and 

17 especially in science, reading, mathematics, and soVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:01 Jul 17, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2702.IH H2702

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1 cial studies, and improves critical thinking skills, en2 thusiasm for learning, stewardship, and healthy life3 styles. 

4 (4) By many indicators, the United States is 

5 falling behind other nations in preparing students 

6 with the educational tools necessary to compete for 

7 the growing opportunities in the sciences, including 

8 environmental, natural resource, and energy-related 

9 careers. 

10 (5) Reports by boards of the National Science 

11 Foundation, the National Environmental Education 

12 Advisory Council, and the National Council for 

13 Science and the Environment, among others, have 

14 called for a systemic approach to environmental edu15 cation in the formal education system to improve the 

16 environmental literacy of youth and better prepare 

17 students for college and the 21st century workforce. 

18 (6) Forty-eight States have developed, or are in 

19 the process of developing, environmental literacy 

20 plans to effectively integrate environmental edu21 cation into the prekindergarten through grade 12 

22 curriculum and ensure that students graduate from 

23 high school environmentally literate. At the same 

24 time, most states are aligning curricula with the 

25 Common Core State Standards. 


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1 (7) Support from the Department of Education 

2 is needed to help State and local educational agen3 cies, and the partners of such agencies, implement 

4 environmental literacy plans and advance State cur5 riculum frameworks for environmental and natural 

6 resource education that meets new State academic 

7 content and student achievement standards and 

8 aligns with the Next Generation Science Framework. 

9 (8) Federal science and natural resource agen10 cies have important resources, including Federal 

11 lands and laboratories, content experts, data, and 

12 programs that can inform and support State and 

13 local environmental literacy policies and program14 ming. 

15 SEC. 3. REFERENCES. 

16 Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in 

17 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

18 of an amendment to, or a repeal of, a section or other 

19 provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to 

20 a section or other provision of the Elementary and Sec21 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.). 

22 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be ap24 propriated to carry out subpart 22 of the Elementary and 

25 Secondary Education Act of 1965, such sums as may be 


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1 necessary for fiscal year 2014 and each of the 4 suc2 ceeding fiscal years. 

3 (b) DISTRIBUTION.—With respect to any amount ap4 propriated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year— 

5 (1) not less than 70 percent of such amount 

6 shall be used to carry out section 5622 of the Ele7 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for 

8 such fiscal year; and 

9 (2) not more than 30 percent of such amount 

10 shall be used to carry out section 5623 of such Act 

11 for such fiscal year. 

12 TITLE I—ENVIRONMENTAL 

13 LITERACY 

14 SEC. 101. ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY. 

15 Part D of title V (20 U.S.C. 7201 et seq.) is amended 

16 by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘Subpart 22—Environmental Literacy 

18 ‘‘SEC. 5621. DEFINITIONS. 

19 ‘‘In this subpart: 

20 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘eligi21 ble partnership’ means a partnership that includes a 

22 local educational agency and not less than 1 of the 

23 following partners: 

24 ‘‘(A) A teacher preparation program at an 

25 institution of higher education. 


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1 ‘‘(B) The environmental or life sciences de2 partment of an institution of higher education. 

3 ‘‘(C) Another local educational agency, a 

4 public charter school, a public elementary 

5 school or secondary school, or a consortium of 

6 such schools. 

7 ‘‘(D) A Federal, State, regional, or local 

8 environmental or natural resource management 

9 agency, or parks and recreation department, 

10 that has demonstrated effectiveness, expertise, 

11 and experience in the field of environmental lit12 eracy, including the professional development of 

13 teachers. 

14 ‘‘(E) A nonprofit organization that has 

15 demonstrated effectiveness, expertise, and expe16 rience in the field of environmental literacy, in17 cluding the professional development of teach18 ers. 

19 ‘‘(2) ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY.—The term 

20 ‘environmental literacy’ means a fundamental under21 standing of ecological principles, the systems of the 

22 natural world, and the relationships and interactions 

23 between natural and man-made environments. 

24 ‘‘(3) ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY PLAN.—The 

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1 veloped, approved, or sponsored by the State edu2 cational agency in consultation with State environ3 mental agencies, State environmental education as4 sociations, and State natural resource agencies, and 

5 with input from the public, that: 

6 ‘‘(A) Prepares students to understand eco7 logical principles, the systems of the natural 

8 world, and the relationships and interactions 

9 between natural and man-made environments. 

10 ‘‘(B) Provides field and hands-on experi11 ences as part of the regular school curriculum 

12 and creates programs that contribute to healthy 

13 lifestyles through outdoor recreation and sound 

14 nutrition. 

15 ‘‘(C) Provides environmental service learn16 ing opportunities. 

17 ‘‘(D) Provides targeted professional devel18 opment opportunities for teachers that improves 

19 the teachers’— 

20 ‘‘(i) environmental and natural re21 source content knowledge; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) pedagogical skills in teaching 

23 about the environment, including the use 

24 of— 


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1 ‘‘(I) interdisciplinary, field-based, 

2 and research-based learning; and 

3 ‘‘(II) science, technology, engi4 neering, and mathematics content 

5 knowledge and tools. 

6 ‘‘(E) Describes the measures the State will 

7 use to assess the environmental literacy of stu8 dents, including— 

9 ‘‘(i) relevant State academic content 

10 standards and content areas regarding en11 vironmental education, and courses or sub12 jects where environmental education in13 struction will be integrated throughout the 

14 prekindergarten through grade 12 cur15 riculum; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) a description of the relationship 

17 of the plan to the secondary school gradua18 tion requirements of the State. 

19 ‘‘(F) Describes how the State educational 

20 agency will implement the plan, in partnership 

21 with non-governmental organizations, Federal 

22 agencies, State environmental agencies, State 

23 environmental education associations, State 

24 natural resource agencies, and local educational 

25 agencies, including how the State educational 


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1 agency will secure funding and other necessary 

2 support. 

3 ‘‘(G) Is periodically updated by the State 

4 educational agency not less often than every 5 

5 years. 

6 ‘‘(4) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN7 CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 

8 means a local educational agency— 

9 ‘‘(A) for which not less than 20 percent of 

10 the children served by the agency are children 

11 from low-income families; 

12 ‘‘(B) that serves not fewer than 10,000 

13 children from low-income families; 

14 ‘‘(C) that meets the eligibility requirements 

15 for funding under section 6211(b); or 

16 ‘‘(D) that meets the eligibility require17 ments for funding under section 6221(b). 

18 ‘‘SEC. 5622. GRANTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ENVIRON19 MENTAL LITERACY PLANS. 

20 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts ap21 propriated for this section, the Secretary shall award 

22 grants to States to enable the States to award subgrants, 

23 on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to support 

24 the implementation of the State environmental literacy 

25 plan. 


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1 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State that desires a 

3 grant under this section shall submit an application 

4 to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and 

5 containing such information as the Secretary may 

6 require. 

7 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application under this 

8 subsection shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) include the State’s environmental lit10 eracy plan and information on the status of im11 plementation of such plan; 

12 ‘‘(B) describe how funds received under 

13 this subsection will assist the State in fur14 thering the implementation of the State’s envi15 ronmental literacy plan; 

16 ‘‘(C) describe the process the State will use 

17 to make subgrants to eligible partnerships; and 

18 ‘‘(D) describe the process the State will 

19 use to evaluate the impact of the activities as20 sisted under this subpart. 

21 ‘‘(c) PEER REVIEW.—The Secretary shall— 

22 ‘‘(1) establish a peer review process to assist in 

23 the review of grant applications under this section; 

24 ‘‘(2) appoint individuals to the peer review 

25 process who— 


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1 ‘‘(A) are representative of parents, teach2 ers, State educational agencies, State environ3 mental agencies, State natural resource agen4 cies, local educational agencies, and nongovern5 mental organizations; and 

6 ‘‘(B) are familiar with national environ7 mental issues and the health and educational 

8 needs of students; and 

9 ‘‘(3) include, in the peer review process, appro10 priate representatives from the Department of Com11 merce, the Department of the Interior, the Depart12 ment of Energy, the Environmental Protection 

13 Agency, and other appropriate Federal agencies, to 

14 provide environmental expertise and background for 

15 evaluation of the State environmental literacy plan. 

16 ‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A State receiv17 ing a grant under this subsection may use not more than 

18 2.5 percent of the grant funds for administrative expenses. 

19 ‘‘(e) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORT.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State receiving a 

21 grant under this subpart shall prepare and submit 

22 an annual report to the Secretary containing infor23 mation about— 

24 ‘‘(A) the implementation of the environ25 mental literacy plan; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) the grant activities supported under 

2 this subpart. 

3 ‘‘(2) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—The report re4 quired by this section shall be— 

5 ‘‘(A) in the form specified by the Sec6 retary; 

7 ‘‘(B) based on the State’s ongoing evalua8 tion activities; and 

9 ‘‘(C) made readily available to the public. 

10 ‘‘(f) SUBGRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

11 ‘‘(1) SUBGRANTS TO ELIGIBLE PARTNER12 SHIPS.—From amounts made available to a State 

13 educational agency under subsection (a), the State 

14 educational agency shall award subgrants, on a com15 petitive basis, to eligible partnerships serving the 

16 State, to enable the eligible partnerships to carry out 

17 the authorized activities described in subsection (h). 

18 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—The State educational agency 

19 shall award each subgrant under this section for a 

20 period of not more than 3 years. 

21 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In making subgrants under 

22 this section, a State shall give priority to eligible 

23 partnerships that include a high-need local edu24 cational agency. 


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1 ‘‘(4) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds 

2 provided to an eligible partnership under this section 

3 shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, funds 

4 that would otherwise be used for activities author5 ized under this section. 

6 ‘‘(g) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible partnership 

8 desiring a subgrant under this section shall submit 

9 an application to the State educational agency, at 

10 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 

11 such information as the State educational agency 

12 may require. 

13 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

14 under paragraph (1) shall include— 

15 ‘‘(A) a description of teacher professional 

16 development needs, with respect to the teaching 

17 and learning of environmental content; 

18 ‘‘(B) an explanation of how the activities 

19 to be carried out by the eligible partnership are 

20 expected to improve student academic achieve21 ment and strengthen the quality of environ22 mental instruction; 

23 ‘‘(C) a description of how the activities to 

24 be carried out by the eligible partnership— 


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1 ‘‘(i) will be aligned with challenging 

2 State academic content standards and stu3 dent academic achievement standards in 

4 environmental education, to the extent 

5 such standards exist, and with the State’s 

6 environmental literacy plan; and 

7 ‘‘(ii) will advance the teaching of 

8 interdisciplinary courses that integrate the 

9 study of natural, social, and economic sys10 tems and that include strong field compo11 nents in which students have the oppor12 tunity to directly experience nature 

13 through outdoor environmental learning; 

14 ‘‘(D) a description of how the activities to 

15 be carried out by the eligible partnership will 

16 ensure that teachers are trained in the use of 

17 field-based or service learning to enable the 

18 teachers— 

19 ‘‘(i) to use the local environment and 

20 community as a resource; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) to improve student under22 standing of the environment and increase 

23 academic achievement; 

24 ‘‘(E) a description of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) how the eligible partnership will 

2 carry out the authorized activities de3 scribed in subsection (h); and 

4 ‘‘(ii) the eligible partnership’s evalua5 tion and accountability plan described in 

6 subsection (i); and 

7 ‘‘(F) a description of how the eligible part8 nership will continue the activities funded under 

9 this section after the grant period has expired. 

10 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—An eligible partner11 ship shall use the subgrant funds provided under this sec12 tion for 1 or more of the following activities related to 

13 elementary schools or secondary schools: 

14 ‘‘(1) Providing targeted, job-embedded profes15 sional development opportunities for teachers that 

16 improve the environmental content knowledge and 

17 pedagogical skills in teaching about the environment 

18 of such teachers, including in the use of— 

19 ‘‘(A) interdisciplinary, research-based, and 

20 field-based learning; and 

21 ‘‘(B) technology in the classroom. 

22 ‘‘(2) Establishing and operating environmental 

23 education summer workshops or institutes, including 

24 follow-up professional development, for elementary 

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1 ers, as appropriate, to improve pedagogical skills 

2 and content knowledge for the teaching of environ3 mental education. 

4 ‘‘(3) Developing or redesigning more rigorous 

5 environmental education curricula that— 

6 ‘‘(A) are aligned with challenging State 

7 academic content standards in environmental 

8 education, to the extent such standards exist, 

9 and with the State environmental literacy plan; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(B) advance the teaching of interdiscipli12 nary courses that integrate the study of nat13 ural, social, and economic systems and that in14 clude strong field components. 

15 ‘‘(4) Designing programs to prepare teachers at 

16 a school to provide mentoring and professional devel17 opment to other teachers at such school to improve 

18 teacher environmental education content knowledge 

19 and pedagogical skills. 

20 ‘‘(5) Establishing and operating programs to 

21 bring teachers and students into contact with work22 ing professionals in environmental fields to deepen 

23 such teachers’ knowledge of environmental content 

24 and research practices. 


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1 ‘‘(6) Creating initiatives that seek to incor2 porate environmental education within teacher train3 ing programs or accreditation standards consistent 

4 with the State environmental literacy plan. 

5 ‘‘(7) Promoting the integration of outdoor envi6 ronmental education lessons into the regular school 

7 curriculum and schedule in order to further the 

8 knowledge and professional development of teachers 

9 and help students directly experience nature. 

10 ‘‘(i) EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible partnership 

12 receiving a subgrant under this section shall develop 

13 an evaluation and accountability plan for activities 

14 assisted under this section that includes rigorous ob15 jectives that measure the impact of the activities. 

16 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The plan developed under 

17 paragraph (1) shall include measurable objectives to 

18 increase the number of teachers who participate in 

19 environmental education content-based professional 

20 development activities. 

21 ‘‘(j) REPORT BY ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS.—Each 

22 eligible partnership receiving a subgrant under this section 

23 shall report annually, for each year of the subgrant, to 

24 the State educational agency regarding the eligible part25 nership’s progress in meeting the objectives described in 


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1 the accountability plan of the eligible partnership under 

2 subsection (i). 

3 ‘‘SEC. 5623. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT PRO4 GRAM TO HELP BUILD NATIONAL CAPACITY. 

5 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

6 ‘‘(1) to strengthen environmental education as 

7 an integral part of the elementary school and sec8 ondary school curriculum; and 

9 ‘‘(2) to disseminate information about best 

10 practices and resources available to support environ11 mental literacy programs. 

12 ‘‘(b) GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized 

14 to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 

15 partnerships to enable the eligible partnerships to 

16 pay the Federal share of the costs of activities under 

17 this section. 

18 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—Each grant under this sec19 tion shall be for a period of not less than 1 year and 

20 not more than 3 years. 

21 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this 

22 section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 

23 partnerships that include a high-need local edu24 cational agency. 


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1 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—Each eligible partnership desir2 ing a grant under this section shall submit to the Sec3 retary an application that contains— 

4 ‘‘(1) a plan to initiate, expand, or improve envi5 ronmental education programs in order to make 

6 progress toward meeting— 

7 ‘‘(A) challenging State academic content 

8 standards and student academic achievement 

9 standards in environmental education, to the 

10 extent such standards exist; and 

11 ‘‘(B) academic standards that are aligned 

12 with the State’s environmental literacy plan; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(2) an evaluation and accountability plan for 

15 activities assisted under this section that includes 

16 rigorous objectives that measure the impact of ac17 tivities funded under this section. 

18 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Grant funds made available 

19 under this section shall be used for 1 or more of the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(1) Developing and implementing State cur22 riculum frameworks for environmental education 

23 that meet— 

24 ‘‘(A) challenging State academic content 

25 standards and student academic achievement 


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1 standards for environmental education, to the 

2 extent such standards exist; and 

3 ‘‘(B) academic standards that are aligned 

4 with the State’s environmental literacy plan 

5 under section 5622. 

6 ‘‘(2) Replicating or disseminating information 

7 about proven and tested model environmental edu8 cation programs that— 

9 ‘‘(A) use the environment as an integrating 

10 theme or content throughout the curriculum; or 

11 ‘‘(B) provide integrated, interdisciplinary 

12 instruction about natural, social, and economic 

13 systems along with field experience that pro14 vides students with opportunities to directly ex15 perience nature in ways designed to improve 

16 students’ overall academic performance, per17 sonal health (including addressing child obesity 

18 issues), and understanding of nature. 

19 ‘‘(3) Developing and implementing new ap20 proaches to advancing environmental education, and 

21 to advancing the adoption and use of environmental 

22 education content standards, at the State and local 

23 levels. 

24 ‘‘(e) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP REPORT.—In order to 

25 continue receiving grant funds under this section after the 


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1 first year of a multiyear grant under this section, the eligi2 ble partnership shall submit to the Secretary an annual 

3 report that— 

4 ‘‘(1) describes the activities assisted under this 

5 section that were conducted during the preceding 

6 year; 

7 ‘‘(2) demonstrates that progress has been made 

8 in helping schools to meet the State academic stand9 ards for environmental education described in sub10 section (d)(3); and 

11 ‘‘(3) describes the results of the eligible part12 nership’s evaluation and accountability plan. 

13 ‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of a 

15 grant under this section shall not exceed— 

16 ‘‘(A) 90 percent of the total costs of the 

17 activities assisted under the grant for the first 

18 year for which the program receives assistance 

19 under this section; and 

20 ‘‘(B) 75 percent of such costs for each of 

21 the second and third years. 

22 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Not more 

23 than 7.5 percent of the grant funds made available 

24 to an eligible partnership under this section for any 

25 fiscal year may be used for administrative expenses. 


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1 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Amounts made 

2 available to the Secretary to carry out this section 

3 shall remain available until expended. 

4 ‘‘(g) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds made 

5 available under this section shall be used to supplement, 

6 and not supplant, any other Federal, State, or local funds 

7 available for environmental education activities. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 5624. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

9 ‘‘Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

10 of the No Child Left Inside Act of 2013 and every 2 years 

11 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress 

12 that— 

13 ‘‘(1) describes the programs assisted under this 

14 subpart; 

15 ‘‘(2) documents the success of such programs in 

16 improving national and State environmental edu17 cation capacity; and 

18 ‘‘(3) makes such recommendations as the Sec19 retary determines appropriate for the continuation 

20 and improvement of the programs assisted under 

21 this subpart.’’. 


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1 TITLE II—PROMOTING ENVIRON2 MENTAL LITERACY IN EDU3 CATION PROGRAMS 

4 SEC. 201. AMENDMENTS TO TITLE II, PART B. 

5 (1) Section 2201(b)(1)(B) (20 U.S.C. 

6 6661(b)(1)(B)) is amended— 

7 (A) in clause (iii) by striking ‘‘or’’; 

8 (B) in clause (iv) by striking the period at 

9 the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

10 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(v) a Federal, State, regional, or 

12 local science, environmental, or natural re13 source management agency or a nonprofit 

14 environmental education organization that 

15 has demonstrated effectiveness in improv16 ing the quality of mathematics and science 

17 instruction.’’. 

18 (2) Section 2202 (20 U.S.C. 6662) is amend19 ed— 

20 (A) in subsection (b)(2)(B), by inserting ‘‘, 

21 including any State environmental literacy plan 

22 described in section 5621(a),’’ after ‘‘reform ac23 tivities’’; and 

24 (B) in subsection (c), by adding at the end 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(11) Professional development in the use of 

2 field-based or service learning to enable teachers— 

3 ‘‘(A) to use the local environment and 

4 community as a resource; and 

5 ‘‘(B) to enhance student understanding of 

6 mathematics and science through environmental 

7 education.’’. 

8 SEC. 202. AMENDMENTS TO TITLE IV, PART B. 

9 (1) Section 4201(b)(1)(A) (20 U.S.C. 

10 7171(b)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘environ11 mental literacy,’’ after ‘‘technology’’. 

12 (2) Section 4205(a) (20 U.S.C. 7175(a)) is 

13 amended— 

14 (A) by inserting the following after para15 graph (3): 

16 ‘‘(4) environmental literacy activities;’’; and 

17 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (4) 

18 through (12) as paragraphs (5) through (13), 

19 respectively. 

20 TITLE III—NATIONAL 

21 ACTIVITIES 

22 SEC. 301. AVAILABILITY OF OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL LIT23 ERACY INFORMATION. 

24 (a) NONDEPARTMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY

25 ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.—The Secretary of Education 


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1 shall request that all Federal departments and agencies 

2 provide information on any environmental literacy assist3 ance program operated, sponsored, or supported by such 

4 Federal department or agency, including information 

5 about the application procedures, financial terms and con6 ditions, and other relevant information for each program, 

7 and each Federal department or agency shall promptly re8 spond to surveys or other requests from the Secretary of 

9 Education for the information described in this subsection. 

10 (b) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—The Secretary of Edu11 cation shall ensure that not later than 90 days after the 

12 Secretary of Education receives the information required 

13 under subsection (a), the eligibility requirements, applica14 tion procedures, financial terms and conditions, and other 

15 relevant information for each nondepartmental environ16 mental literacy assistance program are searchable and ac17 cessible through the Department of Education’s website 

18 and cross-referenced with the United States Green Ribbon 

19 School application information, in a manner that is simple 

20 and understandable for school districts and communities. 

21 SEC. 302. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COORDINATION ON EN22 VIRONMENTAL LITERACY. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall 

24 coordinate environmental literacy activities between the 

25 Department of Education, the Environmental Protection 


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1 Agency, the Department of the Interior, and the Depart2 ment of Commerce, including by carrying out the activities 

3 described in subsection (b). 

4 (b) COORDINATION ACTIVITIES.—In coordinating en5 vironmental literacy activities, the Secretary of Education 

6 shall— 

7 (1) assess current Federal environmental edu8 cation programs, goals, and budget items across 

9 agencies; 

10 (2) assess environment-based science, tech11 nology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to as 

12 ‘‘eSTEM’’) achievement to demonstrate that learn13 ing about and in the environment is an effective 

14 strategy for increasing engagement in learning and 

15 academic achievement in STEM subject areas; and 

16 (3) produce adaptable environmental literacy 

17 plan guidelines and identify coordinated resources 

18 across Federal agencies that States and local edu19 cational agencies can follow as States and local edu20 cational agencies work to develop environmental lit21 eracy plans and programs of their own. 

22 (c) ADVISORY PANEL.—The Secretary of Education 

23 shall appoint an advisory panel of stakeholders, including 

24 representatives from State educational agencies, local edu25 cational agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations 


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1 that are engaged in local environmental literacy efforts 

2 representing the geographic, economic, and cultural diver3 sity of the country, who shall meet quarterly to advise and 

4 support interagency planning and assessment regarding 

5 environmental literacy activities. 

6 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

7 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

8 thereafter, the Secretary of Education, the Administrator 

9 of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of 

10 the Interior, and the Secretary of Commerce shall prepare 

11 and submit a joint report to Congress containing informa12 tion about the coordination of environmental literacy ac13 tivities between Federal agencies. 

Æ 


emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with BILLS