I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8295 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to support 

educational programs in American civics and history, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 

Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mr. COLE, Ms. JACKSON LEE, and Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Education and Labor 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants 

to support educational programs in American civics and 

history, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Educating for Democ5 racy Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

7 The purposes of this Act are— 

8 (1) to support local educational agencies, ele9 mentary schools, and secondary schools in selecting 


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1 and making available to all students innovative, en2 gaging curricula and programs in American civics 

3 and history that prepare them to understand Amer4 ican Government and engage in American demo5 cratic practices as citizens and residents of the 

6 United States; 

7 (2) to provide resources to institutions of higher 

8 education for the purposes of offering effective pro9 fessional development opportunities to enable and 

10 encourage teachers to deliver instruction that en11 gages students in learning American civics and his12 tory; 

13 (3) to provide resources to nonprofit organiza14 tions that have developed, or are developing, pro15 grams in civic education that incorporate practices 

16 that are proven to be effective in engaging students, 

17 and to assist in making such curricula and programs 

18 more widely available to schools and students, par19 ticularly in rural and inner-city urban areas that 

20 have traditionally been underserved by civic learning 

21 programs; 

22 (4) to provide resources to continue and expand 

23 research into practices, methods, and approaches 

24 that are effective in instructing elementary and secVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:33 Oct 06, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8295.IH H8295

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1 ondary school students in American civics and his2 tory; and 

3 (5) to encourage participation in the National 

4 Assessment of Educational Progress assessments in 

5 American civics and history in grades 4, 8, and 12, 

6 using a methodology sufficient to provide accurate 

7 State-level data on student proficiency in American 

8 civics and history disaggregated so as to have statis9 tical significance for every State. 

10 SEC. 3. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available 

12 under section 9 the Secretary of Education is authorized 

13 to carry out the civics education grant programs described 

14 in sections 4 through 7. 

15 (b) APPLICATION.—To be considered for a grant 

16 under this Act, an eligible entity shall submit to the Sec17 retary of Education an application at such time, in such 

18 manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 

19 may require. 

20 (c) GRANT DURATION.—Each grant under this Act 

21 shall be awarded for a period of not less than three years. 

22 (d) PRIORITY.—Except as otherwise provided in this 

23 Act, the Secretary shall prioritize the award of grants to 

24 eligible entities that demonstrate the greatest potential 

25 to— 


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1 (1) improve knowledge and engagement among 

2 students traditionally underserved by comprehensive 

3 civic education and American history programs, in4 cluding rural and inner-city urban students, English 

5 language learners, students who have not completed 

6 high school, and other such students; 

7 (2) close gaps in civic knowledge and achieve8 ment among students of different income levels, ra9 cial and ethnic groups, and native languages; 

10 (3) improve performance on the National As11 sessment of Educational Progress assessments in 

12 American civics and history among students in 

13 grades 4, 8, and 12; 

14 (4) integrate evidence-based practices for pro15 moting student proficiency and engagement in civics; 

16 and 

17 (5) provide cost-effective, scalable delivery of 

18 programs and services. 

19 SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATES. 

20 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Edu21 cation is authorized to make grants to States, on a com22 petitive basis, to support educational programs in Amer23 ican civics and history in accordance with this section. 

24 (b) GRANT AMOUNT.—The amount of each grant to 

25 a State under this section shall be proportional to the 


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1 amount received by all local educational agencies in the 

2 State under part A of title I of the Elementary and Sec3 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.) 

4 for the previous fiscal year relative to the total such 

5 amount received by all local educational agencies in every 

6 State that receives a grant under this section. 

7 (c) STATE RESERVATION.—A State that receives a 

8 grant under this section may reserve not more than five 

9 percent of the amount of the grant for— 

10 (1) administrative costs of carrying out the 

11 State’s responsibilities under this section; and 

12 (2) monitoring and evaluating programs and 

13 activities supported with the grant. 

14 (d) SUBGRANTS TO LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN15 CIES.—A State that receives a grant under this section 

16 shall use not less than 95 percent of the amount of the 

17 grant to make subgrants, on a competitive or formula 

18 basis, to local educational agencies within the State to as19 sist such agencies in carrying out programs to improve 

20 the achievement of elementary and secondary school stu21 dents in the fields of American civics and history. 

22 (e) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—A State shall use 

23 a grant under this section only to supplement the level 

24 of Federal, State, and local public funds that would, in 


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1 absence of such grant, be made available for the activities 

2 supported by the grant, and not to supplant such funds. 

3 (f) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—As part of the ap4 plication required under section 3(b), a State shall include 

5 a plan describing how the State intends to use the grant 

6 under this section. Each State plan shall include, at a min7 imum, the following: 

8 (1) An explanation of how the State will use the 

9 grant to supplement, and not supplant, other public 

10 funds provided for educational programs in Amer11 ican civics and history. 

12 (2) Plans to address civics and history achieve13 ment gaps among students of different income lev14 els, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and native lan15 guages. 

16 (3) Plans to improve civics and history achieve17 ment among traditionally underserved students, in18 cluding rural and urban students and English learn19 ers. 

20 (4) Plans for making subgrants to local edu21 cational agencies as required under subsection (d), 

22 including— 

23 (A) details of how the State intends to dis24 tribute funding to local educational agencies, 


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1 whether by competition or through a formula2 based system; 

3 (B) how the State’s approach to distrib4 uting funds to local educational agencies will 

5 take into account requirements of paragraphs 

6 (1) through (3); 

7 (C) criteria by which local education agen8 cies’ applications for funding will be evaluated, 

9 including how such applications will take into 

10 account the requirements of paragraphs (1) 

11 through (3); 

12 (D) how the State will ensure that local 

13 educational agencies will use grant funds to 

14 supplement, and not supplant, other public 

15 funding for educational programs in American 

16 civics and history; and 

17 (E) how the State will evaluate and hold 

18 local educational agencies accountable for im19 proved student knowledge and achievement in 

20 American civics and history. 

21 (5) An assurance that the State will participate 

22 in the National Assessment of Educational Progress 

23 assessments in American civics and history in grades 

24 4, 8, and 12. 


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1 (6) In the case of a State applying to renew a 

2 grant previously received under this section, an eval3 uation of the effectiveness of the activities carried 

4 out using the previous grant, which shall be based 

5 on the results of the most recent National Assess6 ment of Educational Progress assessment in Amer7 ican civics and history, to the extent the results of 

8 such assessment are available at the time of the 

9 State’s application. 

10 SEC. 5. GRANTS TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. 

11 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Edu12 cation is authorized to make grants to qualified nonprofit 

13 organizations, on a competitive basis, to assist such orga14 nizations in developing or expanding access to evidence15 based curricula, instructional models, and other edu16 cational programs to enhance student knowledge and 

17 achievement in American civics and history in elementary 

18 schools and secondary schools. 

19 (b) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—As part of the ap20 plication required under section 3(b), a qualified nonprofit 

21 organization shall include a proposal that demonstrates 

22 how the activities proposed to be carried out with the 

23 grant under this section will enhance student knowledge 

24 and achievement in American civics and history in elemen25 tary schools and secondary schools. 


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1 (c) PRIORITY OF AWARDS.—In awarding grants 

2 under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to 

3 qualified nonprofit organizations that propose to use the 

4 grant to develop or expand access to curricula, instruc5 tional models, and other educational programs that— 

6 (1) address the learning needs of traditionally 

7 underserved students, including rural and inner-city 

8 urban students and English learners; and 

9 (2) incorporate evidence-based practices to en10 hance student learning and engagement in civics and 

11 history. 

12 SEC. 6. GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION. 

13 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Edu14 cation is authorized to make grants to institutions of high15 er education, on a competitive basis, to assist such institu16 tions in developing and implementing programs to train 

17 elementary and secondary school teachers in methods for 

18 instructing and engaging students in American civics and 

19 history. 

20 (b) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—As part of the ap21 plication required under section 3(b), an institution of 

22 higher education shall include a proposal demonstrating 

23 that the institution— 


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1 (1) has the ability to train elementary and sec2 ondary school teachers to provide comprehensive 

3 civics education; 

4 (2) is familiar with research on practices that 

5 are proven to contribute to effective instruction in 

6 civics and history and will incorporate such research 

7 into the training provided to teachers using the 

8 grant; and 

9 (3) will use the grant to make training in civics 

10 education available to elementary and secondary 

11 school teachers in the State or geographic region 

12 served by the institution. 

13 (c) PRIORITY OF AWARDS.—In awarding grants 

14 under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to in15 stitutions of higher education that propose to use the 

16 grant to carry out training programs for teachers that— 

17 (1) address the specific needs of teachers work18 ing with traditionally underserved students, includ19 ing rural and inner-city urban students and English 

20 learners; and 

21 (2) incorporate evidence-based practices for im22 proving the ability of teachers to provide effective in23 struction in civics and history. 


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1 SEC. 7. RESEARCH GRANTS. 

2 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of Edu3 cation is authorized to make grants, on a competitive 

4 basis, to qualified researchers to research and evaluate— 

5 (1) elementary and secondary school students’ 

6 knowledge of American civics and history; and 

7 (2) effective instructional practices and educa8 tor professional development in the fields of Amer9 ican civics and history. 

10 (b) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.—As part of the ap11 plication required under section 3(b), a qualified re12 searcher shall include a description of the project to be 

13 funded with the grant under this section. The description 

14 of the project shall include a separate section that de15 scribes how the project may directly or indirectly affect 

16 civics education generally, which may include effects such 

17 as— 

18 (1) achieving the full participation of women, 

19 persons with disabilities, and underrepresented mi20 norities in American civics and history education; 

21 (2) increasing public civic literacy and civic en22 gagement; 

23 (3) developing a diverse educator workforce; or 

24 (4) other such effects. 

25 (c) PRIORITY OF AWARDS.—In awarding grants 

26 under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to 


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1 qualified researchers who propose to carry out activities 

2 that will benefit historically underserved communities, in3 cluding rural and inner-city urban communities and com4 munities of English learners. 

5 SEC. 8. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL 

6 PROGRESS. 

7 Section 303(b) of the Education Sciences Reform Act 

8 of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9622(b)) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) 

11 through (H) as subparagraphs (E) through (I) 

12 respectively; 

13 (B) by inserting after subparagraph (C) 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(D) conduct a national assessment, using 

16 a methodology sufficient to provide accurate, 

17 disaggregated, statistically significant State18 level data on student proficiency for every 

19 State, on student academic achievement in pub20 lic and private elementary schools and sec21 ondary schools at least once every 2 years, in 

22 grades 4, 8, and 12 in civics and history;’’; and 

23 (C) in subparagraph (E), as so redesig24 nated, by striking ‘‘history, geography, civics’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘geography’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (3)(A)— 

2 (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘(2)(E)’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘(2)(F)’’; 

4 (B) by redesignating clauses (iii) and (iv) 

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

6 (C) by inserting after clause (ii) the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(iii) shall conduct biennial State aca9 demic assessments of student achievement 

10 in civics and history in grades 4, 8, and 

11 12, as described in paragraph (2)(D)’’; and 

12 (D) in clause (iv), as so redesignated, by 

13 striking ‘‘(2)(D)’’ and inserting ‘‘(2)(E)’’. 

14 SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS. 

15 In this Act: 

16 (1) The term ‘‘civics’’, when used with respect 

17 to an educational program, means a program that 

18 addresses the following: 

19 (A) Acquisition of civic knowledge, includ20 ing an understanding of the history, heritage, 

21 civic life, and civic institutions of the United 

22 States. 

23 (B) Acquisition of civic skills, such as the 

24 ability to analyze text and determine the reli25 ability of sources and an understanding of the 


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1 ways in which civic institutions operate and how 

2 individuals may be involved in civic life. 

3 (C) Acquisition of civic dispositions, values 

4 such as appreciation for free speech, civil dis5 course, and understanding perspectives that dif6 fer from one’s own as well as a disposition to 

7 be civically engaged. 

8 (D) Development of civic behaviors, includ9 ing civic habits and practices such as voting, 

10 serving on juries, engagement in deliberative 

11 discussions, volunteering, attending public 

12 meetings, and other activities related to civic 

13 life. 

14 (2) The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— 

15 (A) with respect to grant program under 

16 section 4, a State; 

17 (B) with respect to the grant program 

18 under section 5, a qualified nonprofit organiza19 tion; 

20 (C) with respect to the grant program 

21 under section 6, an institution of higher edu22 cation; and 

23 (D) with respect to the grant program 

24 under section 7, a qualified researcher. 


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1 (3) The term ‘‘evidence-based practices’’ means 

2 practices proven to contribute to the effectiveness of 

3 educational programs in civics, including— 

4 (A) innovative and engaging classroom in5 struction in American civics, Government, and 

6 history; 

7 (B) service learning and student civic 

8 projects linked to classroom learning; 

9 (C) learning through participation in mod10 els and simulations of democratic processes and 

11 experiential learning; 

12 (D) guided classroom discussion of current 

13 issues and events; 

14 (E) meaningful participation in school gov15 ernance; and 

16 (F) instruction in media literacy. 

17 (4) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 

18 has the meaning given that term in section 101 of 

19 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

20 1001). 

21 (5) The term ‘‘National Assessment of Edu22 cational Progress’’ means the National Assessment 

23 of Educational Progress carried out under section 

24 303(b) of the National Assessment of Educational 

25 Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9622(b)). 


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1 (6) The term ‘‘qualified nonprofit organization’’ 

2 means an organization that— 

3 (A) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the 

4 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and which is ex5 empt from taxation under section 501(a) of 

6 such Code; and 

7 (B) has experience developing curricula, in8 structional models, and other educational pro9 grams for students in elementary schools and 

10 secondary schools. 

11 (7) The term ‘‘qualified researcher’’ means— 

12 (A) a nonprofit organization that has abil13 ity and capacity to carry out scientifically valid 

14 research; or 

15 (B) an individual affiliated with such an 

16 organization. 

17 (8) The terms ‘‘English language learner’’, ‘‘el18 ementary school’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, ‘‘sec19 ondary school’’, and ‘‘State’’ have the meanings 

20 given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary 

21 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

22 7801). 

23 SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

24 There are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 

25 year 2021 and each of the five succeeding fiscal years— 


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1 (1) $600,000,000 to carry out section 4; 

2 (2) $200,000,000 to carry out section 5; 

3 (3) $150,000,000 to carry out section 6; and 

4 (4) $50,000,000 to carry out section 7. 

Æ 


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