I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 524 

To establish a laboratory science pilot program at the National Science 

Foundation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 17, 2007 

Mr. HINOJOSA (for himself, Mr. GORDON of Tennessee, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE

JOHNSON of Texas, and Mr. BACA) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology 

A BILL 

To establish a laboratory science pilot program at the 

National Science Foundation. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 The Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) To remain competitive in science and tech6 nology in the global economy, the United States 

7 must increase the number of students graduating 

8 from high school prepared to pursue postsecondary 

9 education in science, technology, engineering, and 

10 mathematics. 


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1 (2) There is broad agreement in the scientific 

2 community that learning science requires direct in3 volvement by students in scientific inquiry and that 

4 laboratory experience is so integral to the nature of 

5 science that it must be included in every science pro6 gram for every science student. 

7 (3) In America’s Lab Report, the National Re8 search Council concluded that the current quality of 

9 laboratory experiences is poor for most students and 

10 that educators and researchers do not agree on how 

11 to define high school science laboratories or on their 

12 purpose, hampering the accumulation of research on 

13 how to improve labs. 

14 (4) The National Research Council found that 

15 schools with higher concentrations of non-Asian mi16 norities and schools with higher concentrations of 

17 poor students are less likely to have adequate labora18 tory facilities than other schools. 

19 (5) The Government Accountability Office re20 ported that 49.1 percent of schools where the minor21 ity student population is greater than 50.5 percent 

22 reported not meeting functional requirements for 

23 laboratory science well or at all. 

24 (6) 40 percent of those college students who left 

25 the science fields reported some problems related to 


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1 high school science preparation, including lack of 

2 laboratory experience and no introduction to theo3 retical or to analytical modes of thought. 

4 (7) It is in the national interest for the Federal 

5 Government to invest in research and demonstration 

6 projects to improve the teaching of laboratory 

7 science in the Nation’s high schools. 

8 SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM. 

9 Section 8(8) of the National Science Foundation Au10 thorization Act of 2002 is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through 

12 (F) as clauses (i) through (vi), respectively; 

13 (2) by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ before ‘‘A program of 

14 competitive’’; and 

15 (3) by inserting at the end the following new 

16 subparagraph: 

17 ‘‘(B) In accordance with subparagraph (A)(v), 

18 the Director shall establish a pilot program des19 ignated as ‘Partnerships for Access to Laboratory 

20 Science’ to award grants to partnerships to improve 

21 laboratories and provide instrumentation as part of 

22 a comprehensive program to enhance the quality of 

23 mathematics, science, engineering, and technology 

24 instruction at the secondary school level. Grants 

25 under this subparagraph may be used for— 


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1 ‘‘(i) purchase, rental, or leasing of equip2 ment, instrumentation, and other scientific edu3 cational materials; 

4 ‘‘(ii) maintenance, renovation, and im5 provement of laboratory facilities; 

6 ‘‘(iii) professional development and train7 ing for teachers; 

8 ‘‘(iv) development of instructional pro9 grams designed to integrate the laboratory ex10 perience with classroom instruction and to be 

11 consistent with State mathematics and science 

12 academic achievement standards; 

13 ‘‘(v) training in laboratory safety for school 

14 personnel; 

15 ‘‘(vi) design and implementation of hands16 on laboratory experiences to encourage the in17 terest of individuals identified in section 33 or 

18 34 of the Science and Engineering Equal Op19 portunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b) in 

20 mathematics, science, engineering, and tech21 nology and help prepare such individuals to 

22 pursue postsecondary studies in these fields; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(vii) assessment of the activities funded 

25 under this subparagraph. 


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1 ‘‘(C) Grants awarded under subparagraph (B) 

2 shall be to a partnership that— 

3 ‘‘(i) includes an institution of higher edu4 cation or a community college; 

5 ‘‘(ii) includes a high-need local educational 

6 agency; 

7 ‘‘(iii) includes a business or eligible non8 profit organization; and 

9 ‘‘(iv) may include a State educational 

10 agency, other public agency, National Labora11 tory, or community-based organization. 

12 ‘‘(D) The Federal share of the cost of activities 

13 carried out using amounts from a grant under sub14 paragraph (B) shall not exceed 50 percent.’’. 

15 SEC. 3. REPORT. 

16 The Director of the National Science Foundation 

17 shall evaluate the effectiveness of activities carried out 

18 under the pilot projects funded by the grant program es19 tablished pursuant to the amendment made by section 1 

20 in improving student performance in mathematics, 

21 science, engineering, and technology. A report docu22 menting the results of that evaluation shall be submitted 

23 to the Committee on Science and Technology of the House 

24 of Representatives and the Committees on Commerce, 

25 Science, and Transportation and on Health, Education, 


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1 Labor, and Pensions of the Senate not later than 5 years 

2 after the date of enactment of this Act. The report shall 

3 identify best practices and materials developed and dem4 onstrated by grant awardees. 

5 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na7 tional Science Foundation to carry out this Act and the 

8 amendments made by this Act $5,000,000 for fiscal year 

9 2008, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 

10 3 succeeding fiscal years. 

Æ 


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