I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 700 

To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out the Advanced Research 

Projects Agency-Education to fund directed development projects to support targeted breakthroughs in teaching and learning. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2013 

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Education to fund directed development projects to support targeted breakthroughs in teaching and learning. 

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 ‘‘ARPA–ED’’ Act. 

5 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ADVANCED RESEARCH 

6 PROJECT AGENCY-EDUCATION. 

7 (a) PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.—From the amounts 

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1 ican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 

2 111–5), the Secretary of Education may reserve up to 30 

3 percent to— 

4 (1) establish and carry out the Advanced Re5 search Projects Agency-Education (in this Act re6 ferred to as ‘‘ARPA–ED’’) to— 

7 (A) identify and promote advances in 

8 learning, fundamental and applied sciences, and 

9 engineering that may be translated into new 

10 learning technologies; 

11 (B) develop, test, and evaluate new learn12 ing technologies and related processes; and 

13 (C) accelerate transformational techno14 logical advances in education; 

15 (2) convene an advisory panel under subsection 

16 (d); and 

17 (3) carry out the evaluation and dissemination 

18 requirements under subsection (e). 

19 (b) APPOINTMENTS.— 

20 (1) DIRECTOR.—ARPA–ED shall be under the 

21 direction of the Director of ARPA–ED, who shall be 

22 appointed by the Secretary. 

23 (2) QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS.—The Secretary 

24 shall appoint, for a term of not more than 4 years, 

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1 neering, professional, and other personnel with ex2 pertise in carrying out the activities described in this 

3 section to positions in ARPA–ED, at rates of com4 pensation determined by the Secretary, without re5 gard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, 

6 except that such rates of compensation shall not to 

7 exceed the rate for level I of the Executive Schedule 

8 under section 5312 of such title. 

9 (c) FUNCTIONS OF ARPA–ED.—Upon consultation 

10 with the advisory panel convened under subsection (d), the 

11 Secretary shall select public and private entities to carry 

12 out the activities described in subsection (a)(1) by— 

13 (1) awarding such entities grants, contracts, co14 operative agreements, or cash prizes; or 

15 (2) entering into such other transactions with 

16 such entities as the Secretary may prescribe in regu17 lations. 

18 (d) ADVISORY PANEL.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall convene 

20 an advisory panel to advise and consult with the 

21 Secretary, Director, and the qualified individuals ap22 pointed under subsection (b)(2) on— 

23 (A) ensuring that the awards made and 

24 transaction entered into under subsection (c) 


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1 are consistent with the purposes described in 

2 subsection (a)(1); and 

3 (B) ensuring the relevance, accessibility, 

4 and utility of such awards and transactions to 

5 education practitioners. 

6 (2) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.—The Sec7 retary shall appoint the following qualified individ8 uals to serve on the advisory panel: 

9 (A) Education practitioners. 

10 (B) Experts in technology. 

11 (C) Specialists in rapid gains in student 

12 achievement and school turnaround. 

13 (D) Specialists in personalized learning. 

14 (E) Researchers, including at least one 

15 representative from a comprehensive center es16 tablished under 203 of the Educational Tech17 nical Assistance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9602) 

18 or the regional laboratories system established 

19 under section 174 of the Education Sciences 

20 Reform Act (20 U.S.C. 9564). 

21 (F) Other individuals with expertise who 

22 will contribute to the overall rigor and quality 

23 of ARPA–ED. 

24 (3) APPLICABILITY OF FACA.—The Federal Ad25 visory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not 


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1 apply to the panel convened under this subsection 

2 and any appointee to such panel shall not be consid3 ered an ‘‘employee’’ under section 2105 of title 5, 

4 United States Code. 

5 (e) EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION.— 

6 (1) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall obtain 

7 independent, periodic, and rigorous evaluation of— 

8 (A) the effectiveness of the processes 

9 ARPA–Ed is using to achieve the purposes de10 scribed in subsection (a)(1); 

11 (B) the relevance, accessibility, and utility 

12 of the awards made and transactions entered 

13 into under subsection (c) to education practi14 tioners; and 

15 (C) the effectiveness of the projects carried 

16 out through such awards and transactions, 

17 using evidence standards developed in consulta18 tion with the Institute of Education Sciences, 

19 and the suitability of such projects for further 

20 investment or increased scale. 

21 (2) DISSEMINATION AND USE.—The Secretary 

22 shall disseminate information to education practi23 tioners, including teachers, principals, and local and 

24 State superintendents, on effective practices and 


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1 technologies developed under ARPA–ED, as appro2 priate, through— 

3 (A) the comprehensive centers established 

4 under 203 of the Educational Technical Assist5 ance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9602); 

6 (B) the regional laboratories system estab7 lished under section 174 of the Education 

8 Sciences Reform Act (20 U.S.C. 9564); and 

9 (C) such other means as the Secretary de10 termines to be appropriate. 

11 (f) ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS.—Notwith12 standing section 437(d) of the General Education Provi13 sions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)), the Secretary shall estab14 lish such processes as may be necessary for the Secretary 

15 to manage and administer ARPA–ED, which are not con16 strained by other Department-wide administrative require17 ments that may prevent ARPA–ED from carrying out the 

18 purposes described in subsection (a)(1). 

19 (g) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this Act: 

20 (1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

21 means the Department of Education. 

22 (2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

23 the Director of ARPA–ED. 


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1 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of Education. 

Æ 


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