IB 

Union Calendar No. 313 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4366 

[Report No. 113–424] 

To strengthen the Federal education research system to make research and 

evaluations more timely and relevant to State and local needs in order 

to increase student achievement. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 2, 2014 

Mr. ROKITA (for himself, Mr. KLINE, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, and 

Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

APRIL 29, 2014 

Additional sponsors: Mr. BUCSHON, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana, 

Mr. BYRNE, Mr. GUTHRIE, Mr. HECK of Nevada, Mr. MESSER, Mr. 

PETRI, Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. WALBERG, and Mr. WILSON

of South Carolina 

APRIL 29, 2014 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 2, 2014] 


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A BILL 

To strengthen the Federal education research system to 

make research and evaluations more timely and relevant 

to State and local needs in order to increase student 

achievement. 


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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 ‘‘Strengthening Edu5 cation through Research Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

TITLE I—EDUCATION SCIENCES REFORM 

Sec. 101. References. 

Sec. 102. Definitions. 

PART A—THE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES

Sec. 111. Establishment. 

Sec. 112. Functions. 

Sec. 113. Delegation. 

Sec. 114. Office of the Director. 

Sec. 115. Priorities. 

Sec. 116. National Board for Education Sciences. 

Sec. 117. Commissioners of the National Education Centers. 

Sec. 118. Transparency. 

Sec. 119. Competitive awards. 

PART B—NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESEARCH

Sec. 131. Establishment. 

Sec. 132. Duties. 

Sec. 133. Standards for conduct and evaluation of research. 

PART C—NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

Sec. 151. Establishment. 

Sec. 152. Duties. 

Sec. 153. Performance of duties. 

Sec. 154. Reports. 

Sec. 155. Dissemination. 

Sec. 156. Cooperative education statistics systems. 

PART D—NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION EVALUATION AND REGIONAL

ASSISTANCE

Sec. 171. Establishment. 

Sec. 172. Commissioner for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. 

Sec. 173. Evaluations. 

Sec. 174. Regional educational laboratories for research, development, dissemination, and evaluation. 


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PART E—NATIONAL CENTER FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION RESEARCH

Sec. 175. Establishment. 

Sec. 176. Commissioner for Special Education Research. 

Sec. 177. Duties. 

PART F—GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 182. Prohibitions. 

Sec. 183. Confidentiality. 

Sec. 184. Availability of data. 

Sec. 185. Performance management. 

Sec. 186. Authority to publish. 

Sec. 187. Repeals. 

Sec. 188. Fellowships. 

Sec. 189. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE II—EDUCATIONAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 

Sec. 201. References. 

Sec. 202. Definitions. 

Sec. 203. Comprehensive centers. 

Sec. 204. Evaluations. 

Sec. 205. Existing technical assistance providers. 

Sec. 206. Regional advisory committees. 

Sec. 207. Priorities. 

Sec. 208. Grant program for statewide longitudinal data systems. 

Sec. 209. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE III—NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS 

Sec. 301. References. 

Sec. 302. National assessment governing board. 

Sec. 303. National assessment of educational progress. 

Sec. 304. Definitions. 

Sec. 305. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE IV—EVALUATION PLAN 

Sec. 401. Research and evaluation. 

1 TITLE I—EDUCATION SCIENCES 

2 REFORM 

3 SEC. 101. REFERENCES. 

4 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

5 this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of 

6 an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, 

7 the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 


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1 other provision of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 

2 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.). 

3 SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS. 

4 Section 102 (20 U.S.C. 9501) is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘Affairs’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘Education’’; 

7 (2) in paragraph (10)— 

8 (A) by inserting ‘‘or other information, in 

9 a timely manner and’’ after ‘‘evaluations,’’ and 

10 (B) by inserting ‘‘school leaders,’’ after 

11 ‘‘teachers,’’; 

12 (3) in paragraph (12), by inserting ‘‘, school 

13 leaders,’’ after ‘‘teachers’’; 

14 (4) by striking paragraph (13); 

15 (5) by redesignating paragraphs (14) and (15) 

16 as paragraphs (13) and (14), respectively; 

17 (6) by inserting after paragraph (14), as so re18 designated, the following: 

19 ‘‘(15) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

20 term ‘minority-serving institution’ means an institu21 tion of higher education described in section 371(a) of 

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

23 1067q(a)).’’; 

24 (7) by amending paragraph (18) to read as fol25 lows: 


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1 ‘‘(18) PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.— 

2 The term ‘principles of scientific research’ means 

3 principles of research that— 

4 ‘‘(A) apply rigorous, systematic, and objec5 tive methodology to obtain reliable and valid 

6 knowledge relevant to education activities and 

7 programs; 

8 ‘‘(B) present findings and make claims that 

9 are appropriate to, and supported by, the meth10 ods that have been employed; and 

11 ‘‘(C) include, appropriate to the research 

12 being conducted— 

13 ‘‘(i) use of systematic, empirical meth14 ods that draw on observation or experiment; 

15 ‘‘(ii) use of data analyses that are ade16 quate to support the general findings; 

17 ‘‘(iii) reliance on measurements or ob18 servational methods that provide reliable 

19 and generalizable findings; 

20 ‘‘(iv) strong claims of causal relation21 ships, only with research designs that elimi22 nate plausible competing explanations for 

23 observed results, such as, but not limited to, 

24 random-assignment experiments; 


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1 ‘‘(v) presentation of studies and meth2 ods in sufficient detail and clarity to allow 

3 for replication or, at a minimum, to offer 

4 the opportunity to build systematically on 

5 the findings of the research; 

6 ‘‘(vi) acceptance by a peer-reviewed 

7 journal or critique by a panel of inde8 pendent experts through a comparably rig9 orous, objective, and scientific review; and 

10 ‘‘(vii) consistency of findings across 

11 multiple studies or sites to support the gen12 erality of results and conclusions.’’; 

13 (8) in paragraph (20), by striking ‘‘scientifically 

14 based research standards’’ and inserting ‘‘the prin15 ciples of scientific research’’; and 

16 (9) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(24) SCHOOL LEADER.—The term ‘school lead18 er’ means a principal, assistant principal, or other 

19 individual who is— 

20 ‘‘(A) an employee or officer of— 

21 ‘‘(i) an elementary school or secondary 

22 school; 

23 ‘‘(ii) a local educational agency serv24 ing an elementary school or secondary 

25 school; or 


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1 ‘‘(iii) another entity operating the ele2 mentary school or secondary school; and 

3 ‘‘(B) responsible for the daily instructional 

4 leadership and managerial operations of the ele5 mentary school or secondary school.’’. 

6 PART A—THE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION 

7 SCIENCES 

8 SEC. 111. ESTABLISHMENT. 

9 Section 111 (20 U.S.C. 9511) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (b)(2)— 

11 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

12 (A)— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘and wide dissemina14 tion activities’’ and inserting ‘‘and, con15 sistent with section 114(j), wide dissemina16 tion and utilization activities’’ and 

17 (ii) by striking ‘‘(including in tech18 nology areas)’’; and 

19 (B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘dis20 ability,’’ after ‘‘gender,’’. 

21 SEC. 112. FUNCTIONS. 

22 Section 112 (20 U.S.C. 9512) is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (A) by inserting ‘‘(including evaluations of 

2 impact and implementation)’’ after ‘‘education 

3 evaluation’’; and 

4 (B) by inserting before the semicolon the fol5 lowing ‘‘and utilization’’; and 

6 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

7 (A) by inserting ‘‘, consistent with section 

8 114(j),’’ after ‘‘disseminate’’; and 

9 (B) by adding before the semicolon the fol10 lowing: ‘‘and scientifically valid education eval11 uations carried out under this title’’. 

12 SEC. 113. DELEGATION. 

13 Section 113 (20 U.S.C. 9513) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) by striking paragraph (1); 

16 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 

17 through (5) as paragraphs (1) through (4), re18 spectively; and 

19 (C) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated, by 

20 striking ‘‘of the National Assessment of Edu21 cational Progress Authorization Act’’; 

22 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘Secretary may 

23 assign the Institute responsibility for administering’’ 

24 and inserting ‘‘Director may accept requests from the 

25 Secretary for the Institute to administer’’; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(c) CONTRACT ACQUISITION.—With respect to any 

3 contract entered into under this title, the Director shall be 

4 consulted— 

5 ‘‘(1) during the procurement process; and 

6 ‘‘(2) in the management of such contract’s per7 formance, which shall be consistent with the require8 ments of the performance management system de9 scribed in section 185.’’. 

10 SEC. 114. OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR. 

11 Section 114 (20 U.S.C. 9514) is amended— 

12 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Except as pro13 vided in subsection (b)(2), the’’ and inserting ‘‘The’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (b)— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting before 

16 the period the following: ‘‘, except that if a suc17 cessor to the Director has not been appointed as 

18 of the date of expiration of the Director’s term, 

19 the Director may serve for an additional 1-year 

20 period, beginning on the day after the date of ex21 piration of the Director’s term, or until a suc22 cessor has been appointed under subsection (a), 

23 whichever occurs first’’; 

24 (B) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 

25 follows: 


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1 ‘‘(2) REAPPOINTMENT.—A Director may be re2 appointed under subsection (a) for one additional 

3 term.’’; and 

4 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

5 (i) in the heading, by striking ‘‘SUBSE6 QUENT DIRECTORS’’ and inserting ‘‘REC7 OMMENDATIONS’’; and 

8 (ii) by striking ‘‘, other than a Direc9 tor appointed under paragraph (2)’’; 

10 (3) in subsection (f)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (3), by inserting before 

12 the period the following: ‘‘, and, as appropriate, 

13 with such research and activities carried out by 

14 public and private entities, to avoid duplicative 

15 or overlapping efforts’’; 

16 (B) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, and 

17 the use of evidence’’ after ‘‘statistics activities’’; 

18 (C) in paragraph (5)— 

19 (i) by inserting ‘‘and maintain’’ after 

20 ‘‘establish’’; and 

21 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and subsection (h)’’ 

22 after ‘‘section 116(b)(3)’’; 

23 (D) in paragraph (7), by inserting ‘‘dis24 ability,’’ after ‘‘gender,’’; 


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1 (E) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘histori2 cally Black colleges or universities’’ and insert3 ing ‘‘minority-serving institutions’’; 

4 (F) by amending paragraph (9) to read as 

5 follows: 

6 ‘‘(9) To coordinate with the Secretary to ensure 

7 that the results of the Institute’s work are coordinated 

8 with, and utilized by, the Department’s technical as9 sistance providers and dissemination networks.’’; 

10 (G) by striking paragraphs (10) and (11); 

11 (H) by redesignating paragraph (12) as 

12 paragraph (10); 

13 (4) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection 

14 (i); 

15 (5) by inserting after subsection (g), the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(h) PEER-REVIEW SYSTEM.—The Director shall es18 tablish and maintain a peer-review system involving high19 ly-qualified individuals, including practitioners, as appro20 priate, with an in-depth knowledge of the subject to be in21 vestigated, for— 

22 ‘‘(1) reviewing and evaluating each application 

23 for a grant or cooperative agreement under this title 

24 that exceeds $100,000; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) evaluating and assessing all reports and 

2 other products that exceed $100,000 to be published 

3 and publicly released by the Institute.’’; 

4 (6) in subsection (i), as so redesignated— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘the products and’’; and 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘certify that evidence-based 

7 claims about those products and’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘determine whether evidence-based claims in 

9 those’’; and 

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

11 ‘‘(j) RELEVANCE, DISSEMINATION, AND UTILIZA12 TION.—To ensure all activities authorized under this title 

13 are rigorous, relevant, and useful for researchers, policy14 makers, practitioners, and the public, the Director shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) ensure such activities address significant 

16 challenges faced by practitioners, and increase knowl17 edge in the field of education; 

18 ‘‘(2) ensure that the information, products, and 

19 publications of the Institute are— 

20 ‘‘(A) prepared and widely disseminated— 

21 ‘‘(i) in a timely fashion; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) in forms that are understandable, 

23 easily accessible, and usable, or adaptable 

24 for use in, the improvement of educational 

25 practice; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) widely disseminated through electronic 

2 transfer, and other means, such as posting to the 

3 Institute’s website or other relevant place; 

4 ‘‘(3) promote the utilization of the information, 

5 products, and publications of the Institute, including 

6 through the use of dissemination networks and tech7 nical assistance providers, within the Institute and 

8 the Department; and 

9 ‘‘(4) monitor and manage the performance of all 

10 activities authorized under this title in accordance 

11 with section 185.’’. 

12 SEC. 115. PRIORITIES. 

13 Section 115 (20 U.S.C. 9515) is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (a)— 

15 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

16 (1)— 

17 (i) by striking ‘‘(taking into consider18 ation long-term research and development 

19 on core issues conducted through the na20 tional research and development centers)’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘at least once every 6 years’’; 

22 and 

23 (ii) by striking ‘‘such as’’ and insert24 ing ‘‘including’’; 

25 (B) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (i) by inserting ‘‘ensuring that all chil2 dren have the ability to obtain a high-qual3 ity education, particularly’’ before ‘‘clos4 ing’’; 

5 (ii) by striking ‘‘especially achievement 

6 gaps between’’; 

7 (iii) by striking ‘‘nonminority chil8 dren’’ and inserting ‘‘nonminority children, 

9 disabled and nondisabled children,’’; 

10 (iv) by striking ‘‘and between dis11 advantaged’’ and inserting ‘‘and disadvan12 taged’’; 

13 (v) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

14 (C) by striking paragraph (2); and 

15 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(2) improving the quality of early childhood 

17 education; 

18 ‘‘(3) improving education in elementary and sec19 ondary schools, particularly among low-performing 

20 students and schools; and 

21 ‘‘(4) improving access to, opportunities for, and 

22 completion of postsecondary education.’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘by means of 

24 the Internet’’ and inserting ‘‘by electronic means such 


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1 as posting in an easily accessible manner on the In2 stitute’s website’’. 

3 SEC. 116. NATIONAL BOARD FOR EDUCATION SCIENCES. 

4 Section 116 (20 U.S.C. 9516) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (b)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘to guide 

7 the work of the Institute’’ and inserting ‘‘, and 

8 to advise, and provide input to, the Director on 

9 the activities of the Institute on an ongoing 

10 basis’’; 

11 (B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘under 

12 section 114(h)’’ after ‘‘procedures’’; 

13 (C) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘dis14 ability,’’ after ‘‘gender,’’ 

15 (D) in paragraph (9)— 

16 (i) by striking ‘‘To solicit’’ and insert17 ing ‘‘To ensure all activities of the Institute 

18 are relevant to education policy and prac19 tice by soliciting, on an ongoing basis,’’; 

20 and 

21 (ii) by striking ‘‘consistent with’’ and 

22 inserting ‘‘consistent with section 114(j) 

23 and’’; 

24 (E) in paragraph (11)— 


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1 (i) by inserting ‘‘the Institute’s’’ after 

2 ‘‘enhance’’; and 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘among other Federal 

4 and State research agencies’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘with public and private entities to im6 prove the work of the Institute’’; and 

7 (F) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(13) To conduct the evaluations required under 

9 subsection (d).’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (c)— 

11 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

12 (i) by inserting ‘‘Board,’’ before ‘‘Na13 tional Academy’’; 

14 (ii) by striking ‘‘and the National 

15 Science Advisor’’ and inserting ‘‘the Na16 tional Science Advisor, and other entities 

17 and organizations that have knowledge of 

18 individuals who are highly-qualified to ap19 praise education research, statistics, evalua20 tions, or development’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (4)— 

22 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

23 (I) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘, 

24 which may include those researchers 


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1 recommended by the National Academy 

2 of Sciences’’; 

3 (II) by redesignating clause (ii) 

4 as clause (iii); 

5 (III) by inserting after clause (i), 

6 the following: 

7 ‘‘(ii) Not fewer than 2 practitioners 

8 who are knowledgeable about the education 

9 needs of the United States, who may include 

10 school based professional educators, teachers, 

11 school leaders, local educational agency su12 perintendents, and members of local boards 

13 of education or Bureau-funded school 

14 boards.’’; and 

15 (IV) in clause (iii), as so redesig16 nated— 

17 (aa) by striking ‘‘school18 based professional educators,’’; 

19 (bb) by striking ‘‘local edu20 cational agency superintendents,’’; 

21 (cc) by striking ‘‘prin22 cipals,’’; 

23 (dd) by striking ‘‘or local’’; 

24 and 


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1 (ee) by striking ‘‘or Bureau2 funded school boards’’; and 

3 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

4 (I) in the matter preceding clause 

5 (i), by inserting ‘‘beginning on the 

6 date of appointment of the member,’’ 

7 after ‘‘4 years,’’; 

8 (II) by striking clause (i); 

9 (III) by redesignating clause (ii) 

10 as clause (i); 

11 (IV) in clause (i), as so redesig12 nated, by striking the period and in13 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (V) by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(ii) in a case in which a successor to 

17 a member has not been appointed as of the 

18 date of expiration of the member’s term, the 

19 member may serve for an additional 1-year 

20 period, beginning on the day after the date 

21 of expiration of the member’s term, or until 

22 a successor has been appointed under para23 graph (1), whichever occurs first.’’; 

24 (iii) by striking subparagraph (C); 

25 and 


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1 (iv) by redesignating subparagraph 

2 (D) as subparagraph (C); 

3 (C) in paragraph (8)— 

4 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

5 through (E) as subparagraphs (B) through 

6 (F), respectively; 

7 (ii) by inserting before subparagraph 

8 (B), as so redesignated, the following: 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In the exercise of its 

10 duties under section 116(b) and in accordance 

11 with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

12 U.S.C. App.), the Board shall be independent of 

13 the Director and the other offices and officers of 

14 the Institute.’’; 

15 (iii) in subparagraph (B), as so redes16 ignated, by inserting before the period at 

17 the end the following: ‘‘for a term of not 

18 more than 6 years, and who may be re19 appointed by the Board for 1 additional 

20 term of not more than 6 years’’; and 

21 (iv) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(G) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Board may es23 tablish standing or temporary subcommittees to 

24 make recommendations to the Board for carrying 

25 out activities authorized under this title.’’; 


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1 (3) by striking subsection (d); 

2 (4) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection 

3 (d); 

4 (5) in subsection (d), as so redesignated— 

5 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

6 ‘‘ANNUAL’’ and inserting ‘‘EVALUATION’’; 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘The Board’’ and inserting 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board’’; 

10 (C) by striking ‘‘not later than July 1 of 

11 each year, a’’ and inserting ‘‘and make widely 

12 available to the public (including by electronic 

13 means such as posting in an easily accessible 

14 manner on the Institute’s website), a triennial’’; 

15 and 

16 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—An evaluation report de18 scribed in paragraph (1) shall include— 

19 ‘‘(A) subject to paragraph (3), an evalua20 tion of the activities authorized for each of the 

21 National Education Centers, which— 

22 ‘‘(i) uses the performance management 

23 system described in section 185; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) is conducted by an independent 

25 entity; 


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1 ‘‘(B) a review of the Institute to ensure its 

2 work, consistent with the requirements of section 

3 114(j), is timely, rigorous, and relevant; 

4 ‘‘(C) any recommendations regarding ac5 tions that may be taken to enhance the ability 

6 of the Institute and the National Education Cen7 ters to carry out their priorities and missions; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(D) a summary of the major research find10 ings of the Institute and the activities carried 

11 out under section 113(b) during the 3 preceding 

12 fiscal years. 

13 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION EVAL14 UATION AND REGIONAL ASSISTANCE.—With respect to 

15 the National Center for Education Evaluation and 

16 Regional Assistance, an evaluation report described 

17 in paragraph (1) shall contain— 

18 ‘‘(A) an evaluation described in paragraph 

19 (2)(A) of the activities authorized for such Cen20 ter, except for the regional educational labora21 tories established under section 174; and 

22 ‘‘(B) a summative or interim evaluation, 

23 whichever is most recent, for each such labora24 tory conducted under section 174(i) on or after 

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1 cation through Research Act or, in a case in 

2 which such an evaluation is not available for a 

3 laboratory, the most recent evaluation for the 

4 laboratory conducted prior to the date of enact5 ment of the Strengthening Education through 

6 Research Act.’’; and 

7 (6) by striking subsection (f). 

8 SEC. 117. COMMISSIONERS OF THE NATIONAL EDUCATION 

9 CENTERS. 

10 Section 117 (20 U.S.C. 9517) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a)— 

12 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Except 

13 as provided in subsection (b), each’’ and insert14 ing ‘‘Each’’; 

15 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

16 (i) by striking ‘‘Except as provided in 

17 subsection (b), each’’ and inserting ‘‘Each’’; 

18 and 

19 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, statistics,’’ after 

20 ‘‘research’’; 

21 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘Except 

22 as provided in subsection (b), each’’ and insert23 ing ‘‘Each’’; 

24 (2) by striking subsection (b); 


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1 (3) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 

2 subsections (b) and (c), respectively; and 

3 (4) in subsection (c), as so redesignated, by strik4 ing ‘‘, except the Commissioner for Education Statis5 tics,’’. 

6 SEC. 118. TRANSPARENCY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 119 (20 U.S.C. 9519) is 

8 amended to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 119. TRANSPARENCY. 

10 ‘‘Not later than 120 days after awarding a grant, con11 tract, or cooperative agreement under this title in excess of 

12 $100,000, the Director shall make publicly available (in13 cluding through electronic means such as posting in an eas14 ily accessible manner on the Institute’s website) a descrip15 tion of the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, in16 cluding, at a minimum, the amount, duration, recipient, 

17 and the purpose of the grant, contract, or cooperative agree18 ment.’’. 

19 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

20 in section 1 of the Act of November 5, 2002 (Public Law 

21 107–279; 116 Stat. 1940) is amended by striking the item 

22 relating to section 119 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 119. Transparency.’’. 


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1 SEC. 119. COMPETITIVE AWARDS. 

2 Section 120 (20 U.S.C. 9520) is amended by striking 

3 ‘‘when practicable’’ and inserting ‘‘consistent with section 

4 114(h)’’. 

5 PART B—NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION 

6 RESEARCH 

7 SEC. 131. ESTABLISHMENT. 

8 Section 131(b) (20 U.S.C. 9531(b)) is amended— 

9 (1) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol10 lows: 

11 ‘‘(1) to sponsor sustained research that will lead 

12 to the accumulation of knowledge and understanding 

13 of education, consistent with the priorities described 

14 in section 115;’’; 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 

16 (3); 

17 (3) in paragraph (4), by striking the period and 

18 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

19 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(5) consistent with section 114(j), to widely dis21 seminate and promote utilization of the work of the 

22 Research Center.’’. 

23 SEC. 132. DUTIES. 

24 Section 133 (20 U.S.C. 9533) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘peer-re2 view standards and’’; 

3 (B) by striking paragraph (2); 

4 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

5 paragraph (2); 

6 (D) by striking paragraph (4); 

7 (E) by redesignating paragraphs (5) 

8 through (9) as paragraphs (3) through (7), re9 spectively; 

10 (F) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated, by 

11 inserting ‘‘in the implementation of programs 

12 carried out by the Department and other agen13 cies’’ before ‘‘within the Federal Government’’; 

14 (G) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated, by 

15 striking ‘‘disseminate, through the National Cen16 ter for Education Evaluation and Regional As17 sistance,’’ and inserting ‘‘widely disseminate, 

18 consistent with section 114(j),’’; 

19 (H) in paragraph (6), as so redesignated— 

20 (i) by striking ‘‘Director’’ and insert21 ing ‘‘Board’’; and 

22 (ii) by striking ‘‘of a biennial report, 

23 as described in section 119’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘and dissemination of each evaluation re25 port under section 116(d)’’; 


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1 (I) by redesignating paragraphs (10) and 

2 (11) as paragraphs (9) and (10), respectively; 

3 (J) by inserting after paragraph (7), as so 

4 redesignated, the following: 

5 ‘‘(8) to the extent time and resources allow, when 

6 findings from previous research under this part pro7 voke relevant follow up questions, carry out research 

8 initiatives on such follow up questions;’’; 

9 (K) by amending paragraph (9), as so re10 designated, to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(9) carry out research initiatives, including rig12 orous, peer-reviewed, large-scale, long-term, and 

13 broadly applicable empirical research, regarding the 

14 impact of technology on education, including online 

15 education and hybrid learning;’’; 

16 (L) in paragraph (10), as so redesignated, 

17 by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 

18 and 

19 (M) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(11) to the extent feasible, carry out research on 

21 the quality of implementation of practices and strate22 gies determined to be effective through scientifically 

23 valid research.’’. 

24 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol25 lows: 


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1 ‘‘(b) PLAN.—The Research Commissioner shall propose 

2 to the Director and, subject to the approval of the Director, 

3 implement a research plan for the activities of the Research 

4 Center that— 

5 ‘‘(1) is consistent with the priorities and mission 

6 of the Institute and the mission of the Research Cen7 ter described in section 131(b), and includes the ac8 tivities described in subsection (a); 

9 ‘‘(2) is carried out and, as appropriate, updated 

10 and modified, including through the use of the results 

11 of the Research Center’s most recent evaluation report 

12 under section 116(d); 

13 ‘‘(3) describes how the Research Center will use 

14 the performance management system described in sec15 tion 185 to assess and improve the activities of the 

16 Center; 

17 ‘‘(4) meets the procedures for peer review estab18 lished and maintained by the Director under section 

19 114(f)(5) and the standards of research described in 

20 section 134; and 

21 ‘‘(5) includes both basic research and applied re22 search, which shall include research conducted 

23 through field-initiated research and ongoing research 

24 initiatives.’’; 


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1 (3) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 

2 (d); 

3 (4) by inserting after subsection (b), as so 

4 amended, the following: 

5 ‘‘(c) GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND COOPERATIVE AGREE6 MENTS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Research Commissioner 

8 may award grants to, or enter into contracts or coop9 erative agreements, with eligible applicants to carry 

10 out research under subsection (a). 

11 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of this sub12 section, the term ‘eligible applicant’ means an appli13 cant that has the ability and capacity to conduct sci14 entifically valid research. 

15 ‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible applicant 

17 that wishes to receive a grant, or enter into a 

18 contract or cooperative agreement, under this 

19 section shall submit an application to the Re20 search Commissioner at such time, in such man21 ner, and containing such information as the Re22 search Commissioner may require. 

23 ‘‘(B) CONTENT.—An application submitted 

24 under subparagraph (A) shall describe how the 

25 eligible applicant will address and demonstrate 


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1 progress on the requirements of the performance 

2 management system described in section 185, 

3 with respect to the activities that will be carried 

4 out under the grant, contract, or cooperative 

5 agreement.’’; and 

6 (5) in subsection (d), as redesignated by para7 graph (3)— 

8 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

9 follows: 

10 ‘‘(1) SUPPORT.—In carrying out activities under 

11 subsection (a)(2), the Research Commissioner shall 

12 support national research and development centers 

13 that address topics of importance and relevance in the 

14 field of education across the country and are con15 sistent with the Institute’s priorities under section 

16 115.’’; 

17 (B) by striking paragraphs (2), (3), and 

18 (5); 

19 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (6), 

20 and (7) as paragraph (2), (3), and (4), respec21 tively; 

22 (D) by amending paragraph (2), as so re23 designated— 


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1 (i) in the matter preceding subpara2 graph (A), by striking ‘‘5 additional’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘2 additional’’; 

4 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

5 the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

6 (iii) by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(C) demonstrates progress on the require9 ments of the performance management system 

10 described in section 185.’’; 

11 (E) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated, by 

12 striking ‘‘paragraphs (4) and (5)’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘paragraph (2)’’; and 

14 (F) by amending paragraph (4), as so re15 designated, to read as follows: 

16 ‘‘(4) DISAGGREGATION.—To the extent feasible 

17 and when relevant to the research being conducted, re18 search conducted under this subsection shall be 

19 disaggregated and cross-tabulated by age, race, gen20 der, disability status, English learner status, and so21 cioeconomic background.’’. 

22 SEC. 133. STANDARDS FOR CONDUCT AND EVALUATION OF 

23 RESEARCH. 

24 Section 134 (20 U.S.C. 9534) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘based’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘valid’’; and 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and 

4 wide dissemination activities’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘and, consistent with section 114(j), wide dis6 semination and utilization activities’’; 

7 (2) by striking subsection (b); and 

8 (3) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 

9 (b). 

10 PART C—NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION 

11 STATISTICS 

12 SEC. 151. ESTABLISHMENT. 

13 Section 151(b) (20 U.S.C. 9541(b)) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘and con15 sistent with the privacy protections under section 

16 183’’ after ‘‘manner’’; and 

17 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

18 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘dis19 ability,’’ after ‘‘cultural,’’; and 

20 (B) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 

21 as follows: 

22 ‘‘(B) consistent with section 114(j), is rel23 evant, timely, and widely disseminated.’’. 

24 SEC. 152. DUTIES. 

25 Section 153 (20 U.S.C. 9543) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)— 

2 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

3 by inserting ‘‘, consistent with the privacy pro4 tections under section 183,’’ after ‘‘Center shall’’; 

5 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (i) by amending subparagraph (D) to 

7 read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(D) secondary school graduation and com9 pletion rates, including the four-year adjusted 

10 cohort graduation rate (as defined in section 

11 200.19(b)(1)(i)(A) of title 34, Code of Federal 

12 Regulations, as such section was in effect on No13 vember 28, 2008) and the extended-year adjusted 

14 cohort graduation rate (as defined in section 

15 200.19(b)(1)(v)(A) of title 34, Code of Federal 

16 Regulations, as such section was in effect on No17 vember 28, 2008), and school dropout rates, and 

18 adult literacy;’’; 

19 (ii) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

20 ‘‘and opportunity for,’’ and inserting ‘‘op21 portunity for, and completion of’’; 

22 (iii) by amending subparagraph (F) to 

23 read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(F) teaching, including information on 

25 pre-service preparation, professional developVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:48 Apr 29, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4366.RH H4366

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1 ment, teacher distribution, and teacher and 

2 school leader evaluation;’’; 

3 (iv) in subparagraph (G), by inserting 

4 ‘‘and school leaders’’ before the semicolon; 

5 (v) in subparagraph (H), by inserting 

6 ‘‘, climate, and in- and out-of-school suspen7 sions and expulsions’’ before ‘‘, including 

8 information regarding’’; 

9 (vi) by amending subparagraph (K) to 

10 read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(K) the access to, and use of, technology to 

12 improve elementary schools and secondary 

13 schools;’’; 

14 (vii) in subparagraph (L), by striking 

15 ‘‘and opportunity for,’’ and inserting ‘‘op16 portunity for, and quality of’’; 

17 (viii) in subparagraph (M), by striking 

18 ‘‘such programs during school recesses’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘summer school’’; and 

20 (ix) in subparagraph (N), by striking 

21 ‘‘vocational’’ and inserting ‘‘career’’; 

22 (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘when 

23 such disaggregated information will facilitate 

24 educational and policy decisionmaking’’ and in25 serting ‘‘so long as any reported information 


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1 does not reveal individually identifiable informa2 tion’’; 

3 (D) in paragraph (4), by inserting before 

4 the semicolon the following: ‘‘, and the imple5 mentation (with the assistance of the Depart6 ment and other Federal officials who have statu7 tory authority to provide assistance on applica8 ble privacy laws, regulations, and policies) of 

9 appropriate privacy protections’’; 

10 (E) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘promote 

11 linkages across States,’’; 

12 (F) in paragraph (6)— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘Third’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘Trends in’’; and 

15 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and the Program for 

16 International Student Assessment’’ after 

17 ‘‘Science Study’’; 

18 (G) in paragraph (7), by inserting before 

19 the semicolon the following: ‘‘, ensuring such col20 lections protect student privacy consistent with 

21 section 183’’; 

22 (H) by amending paragraph (8) to read as 

23 follows: 


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1 ‘‘(8) assisting the Board in the preparation and 

2 dissemination of each evaluation report under section 

3 116(d); and’’; and 

4 (I) by striking paragraph (9); 

5 (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection 

6 (c); and 

7 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(b) PLAN.—The Statistics Commissioner shall pro10 pose to the Director and, subject to the approval of the Di11 rector, implement a plan for activities of the Statistics Cen12 ter that— 

13 ‘‘(1) is consistent with the priorities and mission 

14 of the Institute and the mission of the Statistics Cen15 ter described in section 151(b); 

16 ‘‘(2) is carried out and, as appropriate, updated 

17 and modified, including through the use of the results 

18 of the Statistic Center’s most recent evaluation report 

19 under section 116(d); and 

20 ‘‘(3) describes how the Statistics Center will use 

21 the performance management system described in sec22 tion 185 to assess and improve the activities of the 

23 Center.’’. 

24 SEC. 153. PERFORMANCE OF DUTIES. 

25 Section 154 (20 U.S.C. 9544) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘In carrying’’ and inserting 

3 the following: 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying’’; and 

5 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of this section, 

7 the term ‘eligible applicant’ means an applicant that 

8 has the ability and capacity to carry out activities 

9 under this part. 

10 ‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible applicant 

12 that wishes to receive a grant, or enter into a 

13 contract or cooperative agreement, under this 

14 section shall submit an application to the Statis15 tics Commissioner at such time, in such manner, 

16 and containing such information as the Statis17 tics Commissioner may require. 

18 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—An application submitted 

19 under subparagraph (A) shall describe how the 

20 eligible applicant will address and demonstrate 

21 progress on the requirements of the performance 

22 management system described in section 185, 

23 with respect to the activities that will be carried 

24 out under the grant, contract, or cooperative 

25 agreement.’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (b)(2)(A), by striking ‘‘voca2 tional and’’ and inserting ‘‘career and technical edu3 cation programs,’’; and 

4 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘5 years’’ the 

5 second place it appears and inserting ‘‘2 years if the 

6 recipient demonstrates progress on the requirements of 

7 the performance management system described in sec8 tion 185, with respect to the activities carried out 

9 under the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement 

10 received under this section’’. 

11 SEC. 154. REPORTS. 

12 Section 155 (20 U.S.C. 9545) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘(consistent 

14 with section 114(h))’’ after ‘‘review’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘2003’’ and in16 serting ‘‘2015’’. 

17 SEC. 155. DISSEMINATION. 

18 Section 156 (20 U.S.C. 9546) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

20 following: ‘‘Such projects shall adhere to student pri21 vacy requirements under section 183.’’; and 

22 (2) in subsection (e)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end 

24 the following: ‘‘Before receiving access to edu25 cational data under this paragraph, a Federal 


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1 agency shall describe to the Statistics Center the 

2 specific research intent for use of the data, how 

3 access to the data may meet such research intent, 

4 and how the Federal agency will protect the con5 fidentiality of the data consistent with the re6 quirements of section 183.’’; 

7 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (i) by inserting ‘‘and consistent with 

9 section 183’’ after ‘‘may prescribe’’; and 

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

11 ‘‘Before receiving access to data under this 

12 paragraph, an interested party shall de13 scribe to the Statistics Center the specific 

14 research intent for use of the data, how ac15 cess to the data may meet such research in16 tent, and how the party will protect the 

17 confidentiality of the data consistent with 

18 the requirements of section 183.’’; and 

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

20 ‘‘(3) DENIAL AUTHORITY.—The Statistics Center 

21 shall have the authority to deny any requests for ac22 cess to data under paragraph (1) or (2) for any sci23 entific deficiencies in the proposed research design or 

24 research intent for use of the data, or if the request 


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1 would introduce risk of a privacy violation or misuse 

2 of data.’’. 

3 SEC. 156. COOPERATIVE EDUCATION STATISTICS SYSTEMS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 157 (20 U.S.C. 9547) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘SYSTEMS’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘PARTNERSHIPS’’; 

8 (2) by striking ‘‘national cooperative education 

9 statistics systems’’ and inserting ‘‘cooperative edu10 cation statistics partnerships’’; 

11 (3) by striking ‘‘producing and maintaining, 

12 with the cooperation’’ and inserting ‘‘reviewing and 

13 improving, with the voluntary participation’’; 

14 (4) by striking ‘‘comparable and uniform’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘data quality standards, which may include 

16 establishing voluntary guidelines to standardize’’; 

17 (5) by striking ‘‘adult education, and libraries,’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘and adult education’’; and 

19 (6) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘No stu20 dent data shall be collected by the partnerships estab21 lished under this section, nor shall such partnerships 

22 establish a national student data system.’’. 

23 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

24 in section 1 of the Act of November 5, 2002 (Public Law 


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1 107–279; 116 Stat. 1940) is amended by striking the item 

2 relating to section 157 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 157. Cooperative education statistics partnerships.’’. 

3 PART D—NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION 

4 EVALUATION AND REGIONAL ASSISTANCE 

5 SEC. 171. ESTABLISHMENT. 

6 Section 171 (20 U.S.C. 9561) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (b)— 

8 (A) by striking paragraph (1); 

9 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), 

10 and (4) as paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), respec11 tively; 

12 (C) in paragraph (1), as so redesignated, by 

13 striking ‘‘of such programs’’ and all that follows 

14 through ‘‘science)’’ and inserting ‘‘and to evalu15 ate the implementation of such programs’’; 

16 (D) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated, by 

17 striking ‘‘and wide dissemination of results of’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘and, consistent with section 

19 114(j), the wide dissemination and utilization of 

20 results of all’’; and 

21 (2) by striking subsection (c). 

22 SEC. 172. COMMISSIONER FOR EDUCATION EVALUATION 

23 AND REGIONAL ASSISTANCE. 

24 Section 172 (20 U.S.C. 9562) is amended— 

25 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 

2 follows: 

3 ‘‘(2) widely disseminate, consistent with section 

4 114(j), all information on scientifically valid research 

5 and statistics supported by the Institute and all sci6 entifically valid education evaluations supported by 

7 the Institute, particularly to State educational agen8 cies and local educational agencies, to institutions of 

9 higher education, to the public, the media, voluntary 

10 organizations, professional associations, and other 

11 constituencies, especially with respect to the priorities 

12 described in section 115;’’; 

13 (B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘, con14 sistent with section 114(j)’’ after ‘‘timely, and ef15 ficient manner’’; 

16 (C) in paragraph (4)— 

17 (i) by striking ‘‘development and dis18 semination’’ and inserting ‘‘development, 

19 dissemination, and utilization’’; and 

20 (ii) by striking ‘‘the provision of tech21 nical assistance,’’; 

22 (D) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘and’’ 

23 after the semicolon; 

24 (E) in paragraph (6)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘Director’’ and insert2 ing ‘‘Board’’; 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘preparation of a bien4 nial report’’ and inserting ‘‘preparation 

5 and dissemination of each evaluation re6 port’’; and 

7 (iii) by striking ‘‘119; and’’ and in8 serting ‘‘116(d).’’; 

9 (F) by striking paragraph (7); 

10 (2) in subsection (b)(1)— 

11 (A) by inserting ‘‘all’’ before ‘‘information 

12 disseminated’’; and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘, which may include’’ and 

14 all that follows through ‘‘of this Act)’’; 

15 (3) by striking subsection (c) and redesignating 

16 subsection (d) as subsection (e); and 

17 (4) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(c) PLAN.—The Evaluation and Regional Assistance 

20 Commissioner shall propose to the Director and, subject to 

21 the approval of the Director, implement a plan for the ac22 tivities of the National Center for Education Evaluation 

23 and Regional Assistance that— 


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1 ‘‘(1) is consistent with the priorities and mission 

2 of the Institute and the mission of the Center de3 scribed in section 171(b); 

4 ‘‘(2) is carried out and, as appropriate, updated 

5 and modified, including through the use of the results 

6 of the Center’s most recent evaluation report under 

7 section 116(d); and 

8 ‘‘(3) describes how the Center will use the per9 formance management system described in section 185 

10 to assess and improve the activities of the Center. 

11 ‘‘(d) GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND COOPERATIVE AGREE12 MENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the duties 

14 under this part, the Evaluation and Regional Assist15 ance Commissioner may— 

16 ‘‘(A) award grants, contracts, or cooperative 

17 agreements to eligible applicants to carry out the 

18 activities under this part; and 

19 ‘‘(B) provide technical assistance. 

20 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—For purposes of this section, 

21 the term ‘eligible applicant’ means an applicant that 

22 has the ability and capacity to carry out activities 

23 under this part. 

24 ‘‘(3) ENTITIES TO CONDUCT EVALUATIONS.—In 

25 awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements 


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1 under paragraph (1) to carry out activities under sec2 tion 173, the Evaluation and Regional Assistance 

3 Commissioner shall make such awards to eligible ap4 plicants with the ability and capacity to conduct sci5 entifically valid education evaluations. 

6 ‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible applicant 

8 that wishes to receive a grant, contract, or coop9 erative agreement under paragraph (1) shall sub10 mit an application to the Evaluation and Re11 gional Assistance Commissioner at such time, in 

12 such manner, and containing such information 

13 as the Commissioner may require. 

14 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—An application submitted 

15 under subparagraph (A) shall describe how the 

16 eligible applicant will address and demonstrate 

17 progress on the requirements of the performance 

18 management system described in section 185, 

19 with respect to the activities carried out under 

20 such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement. 

21 ‘‘(5) DURATION.—Notwithstanding any other 

22 provision of law, the grants, contracts, and coopera23 tive agreements under paragraph (1) may be award24 ed, on a competitive basis, for a period of not more 

25 than 5 years, and may be renewed at the discretion 


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1 of the Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commis2 sioner for an additional period of not more than 2 

3 years if the recipient demonstrates progress on the re4 quirements of the performance management system 

5 described in section 185, with respect to the activities 

6 carried out under the grant, contract, or cooperative 

7 agreement.’’; 

8 (5) in subsection (e), as so redesignated— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘There is 

10 established’’ and all that follows through ‘‘Re11 gional Assistance’’ and inserting ‘‘The Evalua12 tion and Regional Assistance Commissioner may 

13 establish’’; 

14 (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ‘‘all’’ 

15 before ‘‘products’’; and 

16 (C) in paragraph (2)(B)(ii), by striking 

17 ‘‘2002’’ and all that follows through the period 

18 and inserting ‘‘2002.’’. 

19 SEC. 173. EVALUATIONS. 

20 Section 173 (20 U.S.C. 9563) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

23 (i) in the matter preceding subpara24 graph (A), by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘shall’’; 


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1 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

2 ‘‘evaluations’’ and inserting ‘‘high-quality 

3 evaluations, including impact evaluations 

4 that use rigorous methodologies that permit 

5 the strongest possible causal inferences,’’; 

6 (iii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

7 before the semicolon at the end the fol8 lowing: ‘‘, including programs under part A 

9 of such title (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.)’’; 

10 (iv) by striking subparagraph (C) and 

11 redesignating subparagraph (D) as sub12 paragraph (C); 

13 (v) by striking subparagraph (E) and 

14 redesignating subparagraphs (F) and (G) 

15 as subparagraphs (D) and (H), respectively; 

16 and 

17 (vi) by inserting after subparagraph 

18 (D), as so redesignated, the following: 

19 ‘‘(E) provide evaluation findings in an un20 derstandable, easily accessible, and usable format 

21 to support program improvement; 

22 ‘‘(F) support the evaluation activities de23 scribed in section 401 of the Strengthening Edu24 cation through Research Act that are carried 

25 about by the Director; and 


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1 ‘‘(G) to the extent feasible— 

2 ‘‘(i) examine evaluations conducted or 

3 supported by others to determine the quality 

4 and relevance of the evidence of effectiveness 

5 generated by those evaluations, with the ap6 proval of the Director; 

7 ‘‘(ii) review and supplement Federal 

8 education program evaluations, particularly 

9 such evaluations by the Department, to de10 termine or enhance the quality and rel11 evance of the evidence generated by those 

12 evaluations; 

13 ‘‘(iii) conduct implementation evalua14 tions that promote continuous improvement 

15 and inform policymaking; 

16 ‘‘(iv) evaluate the short- and long-term 

17 effects and cost efficiencies across programs 

18 assisted or authorized under Federal law 

19 and administrated by the Department; and 

20 ‘‘(v) synthesize the results of evaluation 

21 studies for and across Federal education 

22 programs, policies, and practices.’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

25 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

2 the period and inserting ‘‘under section 

3 114(h); and’’; and 

4 (iii) by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(C) be widely disseminated, consistent with 

7 section 114(j).’’; and 

8 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘contracts’’ and 

9 inserting ‘‘grants, contracts, or cooperative agree10 ments’’. 

11 SEC. 174. REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORIES FOR RE12 SEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, DISSEMINATION, 

13 AND EVALUATION. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 174 (20 U.S.C. 9564) is 

15 amended— 

16 (1) in the section heading by striking ‘‘TECH17 NICAL ASSISTANCE’’ and inserting ‘‘EVALUA18 TION’’; 

19 (2) in subsection (a)— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘Director’’ and inserting 

21 ‘‘Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commis22 sioner’’; 

23 (B) by striking ‘‘contracts’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements’’; 

25 and 


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1 (C) by inserting ‘‘not more than’’ before ‘‘10 

2 regional’’; 

3 (3) in subsection (c)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘The Director’’ and insert5 ing the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Evaluation and Re7 gional Assistance Commissioner’’; 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘contracts under this section 

9 with research organizations, institutions, agen10 cies, institutions of higher education,’’ and in11 serting ‘‘grants, contracts, or cooperative agree12 ments under this section with public or private, 

13 nonprofit or for-profit research organizations, 

14 other organizations, or institutions of higher 

15 education,’’; 

16 (C) by striking ‘‘or individuals,’’; 

17 (D) by striking ‘‘, including regional enti18 ties’’ and all that follows through ‘‘107–110))’’; 

19 and 

20 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, 

22 the term ‘eligible applicant’ means an entity de23 scribed in paragraph (1).’’; 

24 (4) by striking subsections (d) through (j) and 

25 inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(d) APPLICATIONS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) SUBMISSION.— 

3 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible applicant 

4 desiring a contract grant, contract, or coopera5 tive agreement under this section shall submit an 

6 application at such time, in such manner, and 

7 containing such information as the Evaluation 

8 and Regional Assistance Commissioner may rea9 sonably require. 

10 ‘‘(B) INPUT.—To ensure that applications 

11 submitted under this paragraph are reflective of 

12 the needs of the regions to be served, each eligible 

13 applicant submitting such an application shall 

14 seek input from State educational agencies and 

15 local educational agencies in the region that the 

16 award will serve, and other individuals with 

17 knowledge of the region’s needs. Such individuals 

18 may include members of the regional advisory 

19 committee for the region under section 206(a). 

20 ‘‘(2) PLAN.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each application sub22 mitted under paragraph (1) shall contain a plan 

23 for the activities of the regional educational lab24 oratory to be established under this section, 

25 which shall be updated, modified, and improved, 


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1 as appropriate, on an ongoing basis, including 

2 by using the results of the laboratory’s interim 

3 evaluation under subsection (i)(3). 

4 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—A plan described in sub5 paragraph (A) shall address— 

6 ‘‘(i) the priorities for applied research, 

7 development, evaluations, and wide dissemi8 nation established under section 207; 

9 ‘‘(ii) the needs of State educational 

10 agencies and local educational agencies, on 

11 an ongoing basis, using available State and 

12 local data, including the relevant results of 

13 the region’s assessment under section 206(e); 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(iii) if available, demonstrated sup16 port from State educational agencies and 

17 local educational agencies in the region, 

18 such as letters of support or signed memo19 randa of understanding. 

20 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL SUPPORT.—In conducting a 

21 competition for grants, contracts, or cooperative 

22 agreements under subsection (a), the Evaluation and 

23 Regional Assistance Commissioner shall give priority 

24 to eligible applicants that will provide a portion of 

25 non-Federal funds to maximize support for activities 


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1 of the regional educational laboratories to be estab2 lished under this section. 

3 ‘‘(e) AWARDING GRANTS, CONTRACTS, OR COOPERA4 TIVE AGREEMENTS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) ASSURANCES.—In awarding grants, con6 tracts, or cooperative agreements under this section, 

7 the Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commis8 sioner shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) make such an award for not more 

10 than a 5-year period; 

11 ‘‘(B) ensure that regional educational lab12 oratories established under this section have 

13 strong and effective governance, organization, 

14 management, and administration, and employ 

15 qualified staff; and 

16 ‘‘(C) ensure that each such laboratory has 

17 the flexibility to respond in a timely fashion to 

18 the needs of the laboratory’s region, including— 

19 ‘‘(i) through using the results of the 

20 laboratory’s interim evaluation under sub21 section (i)(3) to improve and modify the ac22 tivities of the laboratory before the end of 

23 the award period; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) through sharing preliminary re25 sults of the laboratory’s research, as approVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:48 Apr 29, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4366.RH H4366

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1 priate, to increase the relevance and useful2 ness of the research. 

3 ‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—To ensure coordination 

4 and prevent unnecessary duplication of activities 

5 among the regions, the Evaluation and Regional As6 sistance Commissioner shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) share information about the activities 

8 of each regional educational laboratory with each 

9 other regional educational laboratory, the De10 partment, the Director, and the National Board 

11 for Education Sciences; 

12 ‘‘(B) ensure, where appropriate, that the ac13 tivities of each regional educational laboratory 

14 established under this section also serve national 

15 interests; 

16 ‘‘(C) ensure each such regional educational 

17 laboratory establishes strong partnerships among 

18 practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and oth19 ers, so that such partnerships are continued in 

20 the absence of Federal support; and 

21 ‘‘(D) enable, where appropriate, for such a 

22 laboratory to work in a region being served by 

23 another laboratory or to carry out a project that 

24 extends beyond the region served by the labora25 tory. 


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1 ‘‘(3) COLLABORATION WITH TECHNICAL ASSIST2 ANCE PROVIDERS.—Each regional educational labora3 tory established under this section shall, on an ongo4 ing basis, coordinate its activities, collaborate, and 

5 regularly exchange information with the comprehen6 sive centers (established in section 203) in the region 

7 in which the center is located, and with comprehen8 sive centers located outside of its region, as appro9 priate. 

10 ‘‘(4) OUTREACH.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In conducting competi12 tions for grants, contracts, or cooperative agree13 ments under this section, the Evaluation and Re14 gional Assistance Commissioner shall— 

15 ‘‘(i) by making information and tech16 nical assistance relating to the competition 

17 widely available, actively encourage eligible 

18 applicants to compete for such an award; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(ii) seek input from the chief executive 

21 officers of States, chief State school officers, 

22 educators, parents, superintendents, and 

23 other individuals with knowledge of the 

24 needs of the regions to be served by the 

25 awards, regarding— 


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1 ‘‘(I) the needs in the regions for 

2 applied research, evaluation, develop3 ment, and wide-dissemination activi4 ties authorized by this title; and 

5 ‘‘(II) how such needs may be ad6 dressed most effectively. 

7 ‘‘(B) REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES.— 

8 The individuals described in subparagraph 

9 (A)(ii) may include members of the regional ad10 visory committees established under section 

11 206(a). 

12 ‘‘(5) PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT.—Before the 

13 Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commissioner 

14 awards a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement 

15 under this section, the Director shall establish meas16 urable performance indicators for assessing the ongo17 ing progress and performance of the regional edu18 cational laboratories established with such awards 

19 that address— 

20 ‘‘(A) the requirements of the performance 

21 management system described in section 185; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(B) the relevant results of the regional as24 sessments under section 206(e) . 


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1 ‘‘(6) STANDARDS.—The Evaluation and Re2 gional Assistance Commissioner shall adhere to the 

3 Institute’s system for technical and peer review under 

4 section 114(h) in reviewing the applied research ac5 tivities and research-based reports of the regional edu6 cational laboratories. 

7 ‘‘(7) REQUIRED CONSIDERATION.—In deter8 mining whether to award a grant, contract, or coop9 erative agreement under this section to an eligible ap10 plicant that previously established a regional edu11 cational laboratory under this section, the Evaluation 

12 and Regional Assistance Commissioner shall consider 

13 the results of such laboratory’s summative evaluation 

14 under subsection (i)(2). 

15 ‘‘(f) MISSION.—Each regional educational laboratory 

16 established under this section shall— 

17 ‘‘(1) conduct applied research, development, and 

18 evaluation activities with State educational agencies, 

19 local educational agencies, and, as appropriate, 

20 schools funded by the Bureau; 

21 ‘‘(2) widely disseminate such work, consistent 

22 with section 114(j); and 

23 ‘‘(3) develop the capacity of State educational 

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1 priate, schools funded by the Bureau to carry out the 

2 activities described in paragraphs (1) and (2). 

3 ‘‘(g) ACTIVITIES.—To carry out the mission described 

4 in subsection (f), each regional educational laboratory es5 tablished under this section shall carry out the following 

6 activities: 

7 ‘‘(1) Conduct, widely disseminate, and promote 

8 utilization of applied research, development activities, 

9 evaluations, and other scientifically valid research. 

10 ‘‘(2) Develop and improve the plan for the lab11 oratory under subsection (d)(2) for serving the region 

12 of the laboratory, and as appropriate, national needs, 

13 on an ongoing basis, which shall include seeking 

14 input and incorporating feedback from the representa15 tives of State educational agencies and local edu16 cational agencies in the region, and other individuals 

17 with knowledge of the region’s needs. Such representa18 tives and other individuals may include members of 

19 the regional advisory committee for the region estab20 lished under section 206(a). 

21 ‘‘(3) Ensure research and related products are 

22 relevant and responsive to the needs of the region, in23 cluding by using the relevant results of the region’s 

24 assessment under section 206(e). 

25 ‘‘(h) GOVERNING BOARD.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each regional educational 

2 laboratory established under this section may estab3 lish a governing board to improve the management of 

4 activities that the laboratory carries out under this 

5 section. 

6 ‘‘(2) BOARD DUTIES.—A Board established 

7 under paragraph (1) shall coordinate and align its 

8 work with the work of the regional advisory com9 mittee for the region established under section 206. 

10 ‘‘(i) EVALUATIONS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Evaluation and Re12 gional Assistance Commissioner shall— 

13 ‘‘(A) provide for ongoing summative and 

14 interim evaluations described in paragraphs (2) 

15 and (3), respectively, of each of the regional edu16 cational laboratories established under this sec17 tion in carrying out the full range of duties de18 scribed in this section; and 

19 ‘‘(B) transmit the results of such evalua20 tions, through appropriate means, to the appro21 priate congressional committees, the Director, 

22 and the public. 

23 ‘‘(2) SUMMATIVE EVALUATIONS.—The Evalua24 tion and Regional Assistance Commissioner shall en25 sure each regional educational laboratory established 


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1 under this section is evaluated by an independent en2 tity at the end of the period of the grant, contract, or 

3 cooperative agreement that established such labora4 tory, which shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) be completed in a timely fashion; 

6 ‘‘(B) assess how well the laboratory is meet7 ing the measurable performance indicators estab8 lished under subsection (e)(5); and 

9 ‘‘(C) consider the extent to which the labora10 tory ensures that the activities of such laboratory 

11 are relevant and useful to the work of State and 

12 local practitioners and policymakers. 

13 ‘‘(3) INTERIM EVALUATIONS.—The Evaluation 

14 and Regional Assistance Commissioner shall ensure 

15 each regional educational laboratory established 

16 under this section is evaluated at the midpoint of the 

17 period of the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement 

18 that established such laboratory, which shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) assess how well such laboratory is 

20 meeting the performance indicators described in 

21 subsection (e)(5); and 

22 ‘‘(B) be used to improve the effectiveness of 

23 such laboratory in carrying out its plan under 

24 subsection (d)(2). 

25 ‘‘(j) CONTINUATION OF AWARDS; RECOMPETITION.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) CONTINUATION OF AWARDS.—The Evalua2 tion and Regional Assistance Commissioner shall con3 tinue awards made to each eligible applicant for the 

4 support of regional educational laboratories estab5 lished under this section prior to the date of enact6 ment of the Strengthening Education through Re7 search Act, as such awards were in effect on the day 

8 before the date of enactment of the Strengthening 

9 Education through Research Act, for the duration of 

10 those awards, in accordance with the terms and 

11 agreements of such awards. 

12 ‘‘(2) RECOMPETITION.—Not later than the end of 

13 the period of the awards described in paragraph (1), 

14 the Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commis15 sioner shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) hold a competition to make grants, 

17 contracts, or cooperative agreements under this 

18 section to eligible applicants, which may include 

19 eligible applicants that held awards described in 

20 paragraph (1); and 

21 ‘‘(B) in determining whether to select an el22 igible applicant that held an award described in 

23 paragraph (1) for an award under subparagraph 

24 (A) of this paragraph, consider the results of the 

25 summative evaluation under subsection (i)(2) of 


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1 the laboratory established with the eligible appli2 cant’s award described in paragraph (1).’’; 

3 (5) by striking subsection (l); 

4 (6) by redesignating subsections (m), (n), and (o) 

5 as subsections (l), (m), and (n), respectively; 

6 (7) in subsection (l), as so redesignated, by in7 serting ‘‘and local’’ after ‘‘achieve State’’; 

8 (8) by amending subsection (m), as so redesig9 nated, to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(m) ANNUAL REPORT.—Each regional educational 

11 laboratory established under this section shall submit to the 

12 Evaluation and Regional Assistance Commissioner an an13 nual report containing such information as the Commis14 sioner may require, but which shall include, at a minimum, 

15 the following: 

16 ‘‘(1) A summary of the laboratory’s activities 

17 and products developed during the previous year. 

18 ‘‘(2) A listing of the State educational agencies, 

19 local educational agencies, and schools the laboratory 

20 assisted during the previous year. 

21 ‘‘(3) Using the measurable performance indica22 tors established under subsection (e)(5), a description 

23 of how well the laboratory is meeting educational 

24 needs of the region served by the laboratory. 


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1 ‘‘(4) Any changes to the laboratory’s plan under 

2 subsection (d)(2) to improve its activities in the re3 maining years of the grant, contract, or cooperative 

4 agreement.’’; and 

5 (9) by adding at the end the following new sub6 section: 

7 ‘‘(o) APPROPRIATIONS RESERVATION.—Of the 

8 amounts appropriated under section 194(a), the Evaluation 

9 and Regional Assistance Commissioner shall reserve 16.13 

10 percent of such funds to carry out this section, of which 

11 the Commissioner shall use not less than 25 percent to serve 

12 rural areas (including schools funded by the Bureau which 

13 are located in rural areas).’’. 

14 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

15 in section 1 of the Act of November 5, 2002 (Public Law 

16 107–279; 116 Stat. 1940) is amended by striking the item 

17 relating to section 174 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 174. Regional educational laboratories for research, development, dissemination, and evaluation.’’. 

18 PART E—NATIONAL CENTER FOR SPECIAL 

19 EDUCATION RESEARCH 

20 SEC. 175. ESTABLISHMENT. 

21 Section 175(b) (20 U.S.C. 9567(b)) is amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and children’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘children, and youth’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

2 end; 

3 (3) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 

4 the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

5 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(4) to promote quality and integrity through 

7 the use of accepted practices of scientific inquiry to 

8 obtain knowledge and understanding of the validity of 

9 education theories, practices, or conditions with re10 spect to special education research and evaluation de11 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (3); and 

12 ‘‘(5) to promote scientifically valid research find13 ings in special education that may provide the basis 

14 for improving academic instruction and lifelong 

15 learning.’’. 

16 SEC. 176. COMMISSIONER FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION RE17 SEARCH. 

18 Section 176 (20 U.S.C. 9567a) is amended by insert19 ing ‘‘and youth’’ after ‘‘children’’. 

20 SEC. 177. DUTIES. 

21 Section 177 (20 U.S.C. 9567b) is amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (a)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘and 

24 youth’’ after ‘‘children’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘scientif2 ically based educational practices’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘educational practices, including the use of tech4 nology based on scientifically valid research,’’; 

5 (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘based’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘valid’’; 

7 (D) in paragraph (10), by inserting before 

8 the semicolon the following: ‘‘, including how sec9 ondary school credentials are related to postsec10 ondary and employment outcomes’’; 

11 (E) by redesignating paragraphs (11) 

12 through (15) and paragraphs (16) and (17) as 

13 paragraphs (12) through (16), respectively, and 

14 paragraphs (18) and (19), respectively; 

15 (F) by inserting after paragraph (10), the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(11) examine the participation and outcomes of 

18 students with disabilities in secondary and postsec19 ondary career and technical education programs;’’; 

20 (G) in paragraph (14), as so redesignated, 

21 by inserting ‘‘and professional development’’ 

22 after ‘‘preparation’’; 

23 (H) in paragraph (16), as so redesignated, 

24 by striking ‘‘help parents’’ and inserting ‘‘exam25 ine the methods by which parents may’’; 


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1 (I) by inserting after paragraph (16), as so 

2 redesignated, the following: 

3 ‘‘(17) assist the Board in the preparation and 

4 dissemination of each evaluation report under section 

5 116(d);’’; 

6 (J) in paragraph (18), as so redesignated, 

7 by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

8 (K) by amending paragraph (19), as so re9 designated, to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(19) examine the needs of children with disabil11 ities who are English learners, gifted and talented, or 

12 who have other unique learning needs; and’’; and 

13 (L) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(20) examine innovations in the field of special 

15 education, such as multi-tiered systems of support.’’; 

16 (2) in subsection (c)— 

17 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

18 (1)— 

19 (i) by inserting ‘‘for the activities of 

20 the Special Education Research Center’’ 

21 after ‘‘research plan’’; and 

22 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and, subject to the 

23 approval of the Director, implement such 

24 plan’’ after ‘‘Services’’; 


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1 (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘de2 scribed in section 175(b)’’ after ‘‘Center’’; 

3 (C) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 

4 follows: 

5 ‘‘(2) is carried out, and, as appropriate, updated 

6 and modified, including by using the results of the 

7 Special Education Research Center’s most recent eval8 uation report under section 116(d);’’; 

9 (D) by striking paragraph (5); 

10 (E) by redesignating paragraphs (3), (4), 

11 and (6) as paragraphs (4), (5), and (7), respec12 tively; 

13 (F) by inserting after paragraph (2), as so 

14 amended, the following: 

15 ‘‘(3) provides for research that addresses signifi16 cant questions of practice where such research is lack17 ing;’’; 

18 (G) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated, by 

19 striking ‘‘and types of children with’’ and insert20 ing ‘‘, student subgroups, and types of’’; and 

21 (H) by inserting after paragraph (5), as so 

22 redesignated and amended, the following: 

23 ‘‘(6) describes how the Special Education Re24 search Center will use the performance management 


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1 system described in section 185 to assess and improve 

2 the activities of the Center; and’’; 

3 (3) in subsection (d)— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Direc5 tor’’ and inserting ‘‘Special Education Research 

6 Commissioner’’; 

7 (B) by amending paragraph (3) to read as 

8 follows: 

9 ‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible applicant 

11 that wishes to receive a grant, or enter into a 

12 contract or cooperative agreement, under this 

13 section shall submit an application to the Spe14 cial Education Research Commissioner at such 

15 time, in such manner, and containing such in16 formation as the Special Education Research 

17 Commissioner may require. 

18 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—An application submitted 

19 under subparagraph (A) shall describe how the 

20 eligible applicant will address and demonstrate 

21 progress on the requirements of the performance 

22 management system described in section 185, 

23 with respect to the activities that will be carried 

24 out under such grant, contract, or cooperative 

25 agreement.’’; and 


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

2 ‘‘(4) DURATION.—Notwithstanding any other 

3 provision of law, the grants, contracts, and coopera4 tive agreements under this section may be awarded, 

5 on a competitive basis, for a period of not more than 

6 5 years, and may be renewed at the discretion of the 

7 Special Education Research Commissioner for an ad8 ditional period of not more than 2 years if the recipi9 ent demonstrates progress on the requirements of the 

10 performance management system described in section 

11 185, with respect to the activities carried out under 

12 the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement received 

13 under this section.’’; 

14 (4) by amending subsection (e) to read as fol15 lows: 

16 ‘‘(e) DISSEMINATION.—The Special Education Re17 search Center shall synthesize and, consistent with section 

18 114(j), widely disseminate and promote utilization of the 

19 findings and results of special education research conducted 

20 or supported by the Special Education Research Center.’’; 

21 and 

22 (5) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘part such sums 

23 as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2005 

24 through 2010.’’ and inserting ‘‘part— 

25 ‘‘(1) for fiscal year 2015, $54,000,000; 


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1 ‘‘(2) for fiscal year 2016, $54,108,000; 

2 ‘‘(3) for fiscal year 2017, $55,298,376; 

3 ‘‘(4) for fiscal year 2018, $56,625,537; 

4 ‘‘(5) for fiscal year 2019, $58,154,426; and 

5 ‘‘(6) for fiscal year 2020, $65,645,169.’’. 

6 PART F—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

7 SEC. 182. PROHIBITIONS. 

8 Section 182 (20 U.S.C. 9572) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (b)— 

10 (A) by striking ‘‘or control’’ and inserting 

11 ‘‘control, or coerce’’; and 

12 (B) by inserting ‘‘specific academic stand13 ards or assessments,’’ after ‘‘the curriculum,’’ 

14 (3) in subsection (c)— 

15 (A) by inserting ‘‘coerce,’’ after ‘‘approve,’’ 

16 and 

17 (B) by striking ‘‘an elementary school or 

18 secondary school’’ and inserting ‘‘early edu19 cation, or in an elementary school, secondary 

20 school, or institution of higher education’’. 

21 SEC. 183. CONFIDENTIALITY. 

22 Section 183 (20 U.S.C. 9573) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (b)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘their families, and infor2 mation with respect to individual schools,’’ and 

3 inserting ‘‘and their families’’; and 

4 (B) by inserting before the period at the end 

5 the following: ‘‘, and that any disclosed informa6 tion with respect to individual schools not reveal 

7 such individually identifiable information’’; 

8 (2) in subsection (d)(2), by inserting ‘‘, includ9 ing voluntary and uncompensated services under sec10 tion 190’’ after ‘‘providing services’’; and 

11 (3) in subsection (e)(1), in the matter preceding 

12 subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘and Director’’ after 

13 ‘‘Secretary’’. 

14 SEC. 184. AVAILABILITY OF DATA. 

15 Section 184 (20 U.S.C. 9574) is amended by striking 

16 ‘‘use of the Internet’’ and inserting ‘‘electronic means, such 

17 as posting to the Institute’s website in an easily accessible 

18 manner’’. 

19 SEC. 185. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT. 

20 Section 185 (20 U.S.C. 9575) is amended to read as 

21 follows: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 185. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT. 

23 ‘‘The Director shall establish a system for managing 

24 the performance of all activities authorized under this title 


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1 to promote continuous improvement of the activities and 

2 to ensure the effective use of Federal funds by— 

3 ‘‘(1) developing and using measurable perform4 ance indicators, including timelines, to evaluate and 

5 improve the effectiveness of the activities; 

6 ‘‘(2) using the performance indicators described 

7 in paragraph (1) to inform funding decisions, includ8 ing the awarding and continuation of all grants, con9 tracts, and cooperative agreements under this title; 

10 ‘‘(3) establishing and improving formal feedback 

11 mechanisms to— 

12 ‘‘(A) anticipate and meet stakeholder needs; 

13 and 

14 ‘‘(B) incorporate, on an ongoing basis, the 

15 feedback of such stakeholders into the activities 

16 authorized under this title; and 

17 ‘‘(4) promoting the wide dissemination and uti18 lization, consistent with section 114(j), of all informa19 tion, products, and publications of the Institute.’’. 

20 SEC. 186. AUTHORITY TO PUBLISH. 

21 Section 186(b) (20 U.S.C. 9576) is amended by strik22 ing ‘‘any information to be published under this section be23 fore publication’’ and inserting ‘‘publications under this 

24 section before the public release of such publications’’. 


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1 SEC. 187. REPEALS. 

2 (a) REPEALS.—Sections 187 (20 U.S.C. 9577) and 

3 193 (20 U.S.C. 9583) are repealed. 

4 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The table of contents 

5 in section 1 of the Act of November 5, 2002 (Public Law 

6 107–279; 116 Stat. 1940) is amended by striking the items 

7 relating to sections 187 and 193. 

8 SEC. 188. FELLOWSHIPS. 

9 Section 189 (20 U.S.C. 9579) is amended— 

10 (1) by inserting ‘‘and the mission of each Na11 tional Education Center authorized under this title’’ 

12 after ‘‘related to education’’; and 

13 (2) by striking ‘‘historically Black colleges and 

14 universities’’ and inserting ‘‘minority-serving institu15 tions’’. 

16 SEC. 189. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

17 Section 194 (20 U.S.C. 9584) is amended— 

18 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol19 lows: 

20 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro21 priated to administer and carry out this title (except part 

22 E)— 

23 ‘‘(1) for fiscal year 2015, $337,343,000; 

24 ‘‘(2) for fiscal year 2016, $338,017,686; 

25 ‘‘(3) for fiscal year 2017, $345,454,075; 

26 ‘‘(4) for fiscal year 2018, $353,744,974; 


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1 ‘‘(5) for fiscal year 2019, $363,296,087; and 

2 ‘‘(6) for fiscal year 2020, $368,745,528.’’. 

3 (2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

4 following: 

5 ‘‘(b) RESERVATIONS.—Of the amounts appropriated 

6 under subsection (a) for each fiscal year— 

7 ‘‘(1) not less than the amount provided to the 

8 National Center for Education Statistics (as such 

9 Center was in existence on the day before the date of 

10 enactment of the Strengthening Education through 

11 Research Act) for fiscal year 2014 shall be provided 

12 to the National Center for Education Statistics, as 

13 authorized under part C; and 

14 ‘‘(2) not more than the lesser of 2 percent of such 

15 funds or $2,000,000 shall be made available to carry 

16 out section 116 (relating to the National Board for 

17 Education Sciences).’’. 

18 TITLE II—EDUCATIONAL 

19 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 

20 SEC. 201. REFERENCES. 

21 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

22 this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of 

23 an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, 

24 the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 


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1 other provision of the Educational Technical Assistance Act 

2 of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.). 

3 SEC. 202. DEFINITIONS. 

4 Section 202 (20 U.S.C. 9601) is amended— 

5 (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para6 graph (3); and 

7 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1), the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(2) SCHOOL LEADER.—The term ‘school leader’ 

10 has the meaning given the term in section 102.’’. 

11 SEC. 203. COMPREHENSIVE CENTERS. 

12 Section 203 (20 U.S.C. 9602)— 

13 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol14 lows: 

15 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (3), the 

17 Secretary is authorized to award not more than 17 

18 grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible 

19 applicants to establish comprehensive centers. 

20 ‘‘(2) MISSION.—The mission of the comprehen21 sive centers is to provide State educational agencies 

22 and local educational agencies technical assistance, 

23 analysis, and training to build their capacity in im24 plementing the requirements of the Elementary and 

25 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et 


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1 seq.) and other Federal education laws, and research2 based practices. 

3 ‘‘(3) REGIONS.—In awarding grants, contracts, 

4 or cooperative agreements under paragraph (1), the 

5 Secretary— 

6 ‘‘(A) shall establish at least one comprehen7 sive center for each of the 10 geographic regions 

8 served by the regional educational laboratories 

9 established under section 941(h) of the Edu10 cational Research, Development, Dissemination, 

11 and Improvement Act of 1994 (as such provision 

12 existed on the day before the date of enactment 

13 of this Act); and 

14 ‘‘(B) may establish additional comprehen15 sive centers— 

16 ‘‘(i) for one or more of the regions de17 scribed in subparagraph (A); or 

18 ‘‘(ii) to serve the Nation as a whole by 

19 providing technical assistance on a par20 ticular content area of importance to the 

21 Nation, as determined by the Secretary with 

22 the advice of the regional advisory commit23 tees established under section 206(a). 

24 ‘‘(4) NATION.—In the case of a comprehensive 

25 center established to serve the Nation as described in 


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1 paragraph (3)(B)(ii), the Nation shall be considered 

2 to be a region served by such Center. 

3 ‘‘(5) AWARD PERIOD.—A grant, contract, or co4 operative agreement under this section may be award5 ed, on a competitive basis, for a period of not more 

6 than 5 years. 

7 ‘‘(6) RESPONSIVENESS.—The Secretary shall en8 sure that each comprehensive center established under 

9 this section has the ability to respond in a timely 

10 fashion to the needs of State educational agencies and 

11 local educational agencies, including through using 

12 the results of the center’s interim evaluation under 

13 section 204(c), to improve and modify the activities 

14 of the center before the end of the award period.’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (b)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

17 (i) by inserting ‘‘, contracts, or cooper18 ative agreements’’ after ‘‘Grants’’; 

19 (ii) by striking ‘‘research organiza20 tions, institutions, agencies, institutions of 

21 higher education,’’ and inserting ‘‘public or 

22 private, nonprofit or for-profit research or23 ganizations, other organizations, or institu24 tions of higher education,’’; 

25 (iii) by striking ‘‘, or individuals,’’; 


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1 (iv) by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘subsection (e)’’; and 

3 (v) by striking ‘‘, including regional’’ 

4 and all that follows through ‘‘107–110))’’; 

5 and 

6 (B) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and 

7 inserting the following: 

8 ‘‘(2) OUTREACH.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In conducting competi10 tions for grants, contracts, or cooperative agree11 ments under this section, the Secretary shall— 

12 ‘‘(i) by making widely available infor13 mation and technical assistance relating to 

14 the competition, actively encourage eligible 

15 applicants to compete for such awards; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) seek input from chief executive of17 ficers of States, chief State school officers, 

18 educators, parents, superintendents, and 

19 other individuals with knowledge of the 

20 needs of the regions to be served by the 

21 awards, regarding— 

22 ‘‘(I) the needs in the regions for 

23 technical assistance authorized under 

24 this title; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) how such needs may be ad2 dressed most effectively. 

3 ‘‘(B) REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES.— 

4 The individuals described in subparagraph 

5 (A)(ii) may include members of the regional ad6 visory committees established under section 

7 206(a). 

8 ‘‘(3) PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT.—Before 

9 awarding a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement 

10 under this section, the Secretary shall establish meas11 urable performance indicators to be used to assess the 

12 ongoing progress and performance of the comprehen13 sive centers to be established under this title that ad14 dress— 

15 ‘‘(A) paragraphs (1) through (3) of the per16 formance management system described in sec17 tion 185; and 

18 ‘‘(B) the relevant results of the regional as19 sessments under section 206(e). 

20 ‘‘(4) REQUIRED CONSIDERATION.—In deter21 mining whether to award a grant, contract, or coop22 erative agreement under this section to an eligible ap23 plicant that previously established a comprehensive 

24 center under this section, the Secretary shall consider 


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1 the results of such center’s summative evaluation 

2 under section 204(b). 

3 ‘‘(5) CONTINUATION OF AWARDS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) CONTINUATION OF AWARDS.—The Sec5 retary shall continue awards made to each eligi6 ble applicant for the support of comprehensive 

7 centers established under this section prior to the 

8 date of enactment of the Strengthening Edu9 cation through Research Act, as such awards 

10 were in effect on the day before the date of enact11 ment of the Strengthening Education through 

12 Research Act, for the duration of those awards, 

13 in accordance with the terms and agreements of 

14 such awards. 

15 ‘‘(B) RECOMPETITION.—Not later than the 

16 end of the period of the awards described in sub17 paragraph (A), the Secretary shall— 

18 ‘‘(i) hold a competition to make grants, 

19 contracts, or cooperative agreements under 

20 this section to eligible applicants, which 

21 may include eligible applicants that held 

22 awards described in subparagraph (A); and 

23 ‘‘(ii) in determining whether to select 

24 an eligible applicant that held an award de25 scribed in subparagraph (A) for an award 


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1 under clause (i) of this subparagraph, con2 sider the results of the summative evalua3 tion under section 204(b) of the center es4 tablished with the eligible applicant’s award 

5 described in subparagraph (A). 

6 ‘‘(6) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT DEFINED.—For pur7 poses of this section, the term ‘eligible applicant’ 

8 means an entity described in paragraph (1).’’; 

9 (3) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol10 lows: 

11 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) SUBMISSION.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible applicant 

14 seeking a grant, contract, or cooperative agree15 ment under this section shall submit an applica16 tion at such time, in such manner, and con17 taining such additional information as the Sec18 retary may reasonably require. 

19 ‘‘(B) INPUT.—To ensure that applications 

20 submitted under this paragraph are reflective of 

21 the needs of the regions to be served, each eligible 

22 applicant submitting such an application shall 

23 seek input from State educational agencies and 

24 local educational agencies in the region that the 

25 award will serve, and other individuals with 


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1 knowledge of the region’s needs. Such individuals 

2 may include members of the regional advisory 

3 committee for the region under section 206(a). 

4 ‘‘(2) PLAN.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each application sub6 mitted under paragraph (1) shall contain a plan 

7 for the comprehensive center to be established 

8 under this section, which shall be updated, modi9 fied, and improved, as appropriate, on an ongo10 ing basis, including by using the results of the 

11 center’s interim evaluation under section 204(c). 

12 ‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—A plan described in sub13 paragraph (A) shall address— 

14 ‘‘(i) the priorities for technical assist15 ance established under section 207; 

16 ‘‘(ii) the needs of State educational 

17 agencies and local educational agencies, on 

18 an ongoing basis, using available State and 

19 local data, including the relevant results of 

20 the regional assessments under section 

21 206(e); and 

22 ‘‘(iii) if available, demonstrated sup23 port from State educational agencies and 

24 local educational agencies, such as letters of 


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1 support or signed memoranda of under2 standing. 

3 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL SUPPORT.—In conducting a 

4 competition for grants, contracts, or cooperative 

5 agreements under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 

6 give priority to eligible applicants that will provide 

7 a portion of non-Federal funds to maximize support 

8 for activities of the comprehensive centers to be estab9 lished under this section.’’; 

10 (4) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘the number 

11 of low-performing schools in the region,’’ after ‘‘eco12 nomically disadvantaged students,’’; 

13 (5) by striking subsection (e) and redesignating 

14 subsections (f), (g), and (h) as subsections (e), (f), and 

15 (g), respectively; 

16 (6) in subsection (e), as so redesignated— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

18 (i) by striking ‘‘support dissemination 

19 and technical assistance activities by’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘support State educational agen21 cies and local educational agencies, includ22 ing by’’; 

23 (ii) in subparagraph (A)(i), by insert24 ing ‘‘and other Federal education laws’’ be25 fore the semicolon; 


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1 (iii) in subparagraph (A)(ii)— 

2 (I) in the matter preceding sub3 clause (I), by striking ‘‘and assessment 

4 tools’’ and inserting ‘‘, assessment 

5 tools, and other educational strategies’’; 

6 (II) in subclause (I), by striking 

7 ‘‘mathematics, science,’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘mathematics and science, which may 

9 include computer science or engineer10 ing,’’; and 

11 (III) in subclause (III), by insert12 ing ‘‘, including innovative tools and 

13 methods’’ before the semicolon; 

14 (iv) by striking subparagraph (A)(iii) 

15 and inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(iii) the replication and adaptation of 

17 exemplary practices and innovative methods 

18 that have an evidence base of effectiveness; 

19 and’’; 

20 (v) in subparagraph (B)— 

21 (I) by inserting ‘‘, consistent with 

22 section 114(j),’’ after ‘‘disseminating’’; 

23 and 


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1 (II) by striking ‘‘(as described’’ 

2 and all that follows through ‘‘is lo3 cated’’; and 

4 (vi) by amending subparagraph (C) to 

5 read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(C) ensuring activities carried out under 

7 this section are relevant and responsive to the 

8 needs of the region being served, including by 

9 using the relevant results of the regional assess10 ments under section 206(e).’’; and 

11 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

12 (i) by inserting ‘‘, on an ongoing 

13 basis,’’ after ‘‘this section shall’’; and 

14 (ii) by inserting ‘‘or other regional 

15 educational laboratories or comprehensive 

16 centers, as appropriate,’’ after ‘‘center is lo17 cated,’’; and 

18 (7) by amending subsections (f) and (g), as each 

19 so redesignated, to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘(f) COMPREHENSIVE CENTER ADVISORY BOARD.—A 

21 comprehensive center established under this section may es22 tablish an advisory board to support and monitor the prior23 ities and activities of such center. An advisory board estab24 lished under this subsection shall coordinate and align its 

25 work with the work of the regional advisory committee of 


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1 the region served by such center established under section 

2 206. 

3 ‘‘(g) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—Each comprehen4 sive center established under this section shall submit to the 

5 Secretary an annual report, at such time, in such manner, 

6 and containing such information as the Secretary may re7 quire, which shall include the following: 

8 ‘‘(1) A summary of the center’s activities and 

9 products developed during the previous year. 

10 ‘‘(2) A listing of the State educational agencies, 

11 local educational agencies, and schools the center as12 sisted during the previous year. 

13 ‘‘(3) Using the measurable performance indica14 tors established under subsection (b)(3), a description 

15 of how well the center is meeting educational needs of 

16 the region served by the center. 

17 ‘‘(4) Any changes to the center’s plan under sub18 section (c)(2) to improve its activities in the remain19 ing years of the grant, contract, or cooperative agree20 ment.’’. 

21 SEC. 204. EVALUATIONS. 

22 Section 204 (20 U.S.C. 9603) is amended to read as 

23 follows: 

24 ‘‘SEC. 204. EVALUATIONS. 

25 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) provide for ongoing summative and interim 

2 evaluations described in subsections (b) and (c), re3 spectively, of each of the comprehensive centers estab4 lished under this title in carrying out the full range 

5 of duties of the center under this title; and 

6 ‘‘(2) transmit the results of such evaluations, 

7 through appropriate means, to the appropriate con8 gressional committees, the Director of the Institute of 

9 Education Sciences, and the public. 

10 ‘‘(b) SUMMATIVE EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall 

11 ensure each comprehensive center established under this title 

12 is evaluated by an independent entity at the end of the pe13 riod of the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement that 

14 established such center, which shall— 

15 ‘‘(1) be completed in a timely fashion; 

16 ‘‘(2) assess how well the center is meeting the 

17 measurable performance indicators established under 

18 section 203(b)(3); and 

19 ‘‘(3) consider the extent to which the center en20 sures that the technical assistance of such center is 

21 relevant and useful to the work of State and local 

22 practitioners and policymakers. 

23 ‘‘(c) INTERIM EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall en24 sure that each comprehensive center established under this 

25 title is evaluated at the midpoint of the period of the grant, 


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1 contract, or cooperative agreement that established such cen2 ter, which shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) assess how well such center is meeting the 

4 measurable performance indicators established under 

5 section 203(b)(3); and 

6 ‘‘(2) be used to improve the effectiveness of such 

7 center in carrying out its plan under section 

8 203(c)(2).’’. 

9 SEC. 205. EXISTING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDERS. 

10 (a) REPEAL.—Section 205 (20 U.S.C. 9604) is re11 pealed. 

12 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

13 in section 1 of the Act of November 5, 2002 (Public Law 

14 107–279; 116 Stat. 1940) is amended by striking the item 

15 relating to section 205. 

16 SEC. 206. REGIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEES. 

17 Section 206 (20 U.S.C. 9605) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘Beginning in 2004, the’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘The’’; and 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘of the Education Sciences 

22 Reform Act of 2002’’; 

23 (2) by striking subsection (c) and redesignating 

24 subsections (b) and (d) as subsections (d) and (e), re25 spectively; 


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1 (3) by inserting the following after subsection 

2 (a): 

3 ‘‘(b) MISSION.—The mission of each regional advisory 

4 committee established under subsection (a) shall be to— 

5 ‘‘(1) support, strengthen, and, as appropriate, 

6 align the work of the regional educational laboratories 

7 established under section 174 and the comprehensive 

8 centers established under this title; and 

9 ‘‘(2) ensure that the regional educational labora10 tories and comprehensive centers are meeting the 

11 needs of their regions. 

12 ‘‘(c) DUTIES.—Each advisory committee established 

13 under subsection (a) shall— 

14 ‘‘(1) conduct, on at least a biennial basis, a 

15 needs assessments of the region served by the com16 mittee, as described in subsection (e); 

17 ‘‘(2) to ensure the activities of the regional edu18 cational laboratory and comprehensive centers serving 

19 the region of the committee are responsive to the needs 

20 of such region, provide ongoing input to the labora21 tory and centers on planning and carrying out their 

22 activities under section 174 and this title, respec23 tively; 


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1 ‘‘(3) maintain a high standard of quality in the 

2 performance of the activities of the laboratory and 

3 centers, respectively; and 

4 ‘‘(4) support the continuous improvement of the 

5 laboratory and centers in the region served by the 

6 committee, especially in meeting the measurable per7 formance indicators established under sections 

8 174(e)(4) and 203(b)(3), respectively.’’; 

9 (4) by amending subsection (d), as so redesig10 nated, to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(d) MEMBERSHIP.— 

12 ‘‘(1) COMPOSITION.—The membership of each re13 gional advisory committee shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) not exceed 25 members; 

15 ‘‘(B) include the chief State school officer, or 

16 such officer’s designee, or other State official, of 

17 States within the region of the committee who 

18 have primary responsibility under State law for 

19 elementary and secondary education in the 

20 State; 

21 ‘‘(C) include representatives of local edu22 cational agencies, including rural and urban 

23 local educational agencies, that represent the geo24 graphic diversity of the region; and 

25 ‘‘(D) include researchers. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—The membership of each re2 gional advisory committee may include the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) Representatives of institutions of high4 er education. 

5 ‘‘(B) Parents. 

6 ‘‘(C) Practicing educators, including class7 room teachers, school leaders, administrators, 

8 school board members, and other local school offi9 cials. 

10 ‘‘(D) Representatives of business. 

11 ‘‘(E) Policymakers. 

12 ‘‘(F) Representatives from the regional edu13 cational laboratory and comprehensive centers in 

14 the region. 

15 ‘‘(3) RECOMMENDATIONS.—In choosing individ16 uals for membership on a regional advisory com17 mittee, the Secretary shall consult with, and solicit 

18 recommendations from, the chief executive officers of 

19 States, chief State school officers, local educational 

20 agencies, and other education stakeholders within the 

21 applicable region. 

22 ‘‘(4) SPECIAL RULE.—The total number of mem23 bers on each committee who are selected under sub24 paragraphs (B) and (C) of paragraph (1), in the agVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:48 Apr 29, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00091 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4366.RH H4366

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1 gregate, shall exceed the total number of members who 

2 are selected under paragraph (2), collectively.’’; 

3 (5) in subsection (e), as so redesignated— 

4 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (i) by inserting ‘‘, at least on a bien6 nial basis,’’ after ‘‘assess’’; and 

7 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, strengths, and 

8 weaknesses’’ after ‘‘educational needs’’; 

9 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘State school officers,’’ 

11 and all that follows through ‘‘within the re12 gion)’’ and inserting ‘‘State school officers, 

13 local educational agencies, representatives of 

14 public charter schools, educators, parents, 

15 and others within the region’’; 

16 (ii) by striking ‘‘of the Education 

17 Sciences Reform Act of 2002 and section 

18 203 of this title’’ and inserting ‘‘and section 

19 203’’; and 

20 (iii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

21 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

22 paragraph (4); 

23 (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol24 lowing new paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(3) use available State and local data, con2 sistent with privacy protections under section 183, to 

3 determine regional educational needs; and’’. 

4 SEC. 207. PRIORITIES. 

5 Section 207 (20 U.S.C. 9606) is amended— 

6 (1) by inserting ‘‘Director and’’ before ‘‘Sec7 retary shall establish’’; 

8 (2) by striking ‘‘of the Education Sciences Re9 form Act of 2002’’; 

10 (3) by striking ‘‘of this title’’; 

11 (4) by striking ‘‘to address, taking onto account’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘, respectively, using the results of’’; 

13 and 

14 (5) by striking ‘‘relevant regional’’ and all that 

15 follows through ‘‘Secretary deems appropriate’’ and 

16 inserting ‘‘relevant regional and national surveys of 

17 educational needs’’. 

18 SEC. 208. GRANT PROGRAM FOR STATEWIDE LONGITU19 DINAL DATA SYSTEMS. 

20 Section 208 (20 U.S.C. 9607) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)— 

22 (A) by inserting before the period at the end 

23 the following: ‘‘, the Higher Education Act of 

24 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), and the IndividVerDate Mar 15 2010 20:48 Apr 29, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00093 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H4366.RH H4366

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1 uals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 

2 1400 et seq.)’’; and 

3 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘State educational agencies receiving a grant 

5 under this section may provide subgrants to local 

6 educational agencies to improve the capacity of 

7 local educational agencies to carry out the activi8 ties authorized under this section.’’; 

9 (2) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and (e) 

10 as subsections (d), (e), and (g), respectively; 

11 (3) by inserting after subsection (b), the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(c) PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT.—Before awarding 

14 a grant under this section, the Secretary shall establish 

15 measurable performance indicators— 

16 ‘‘(1) to be used to assess the ongoing progress and 

17 performance of State educational agencies receiving a 

18 grant under this section; and 

19 ‘‘(2) that address paragraphs (1) through (3) of 

20 the performance management system described in sec21 tion 185.’’; 

22 (4) in subsection (d), as so redesignated— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘, pro24 motes linkages across States,’’; 

25 (B) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) in the matter preceding subpara2 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘supports school 

3 improvement and’’ after ‘‘data that’’; 

4 (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

5 ‘‘and other reporting requirements and close 

6 achievement gaps; and’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

7 other reporting requirements, close achieve8 ment gaps, and improve teaching;’’; 

9 (iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

10 ‘‘and close achievement gaps’’ and by insert11 ing ‘‘, close achievement gaps, and improve 

12 teaching’’; and 

13 (iv) by inserting after subparagraph 

14 (B) the following: 

15 ‘‘(C) to align statewide longitudinal data 

16 systems from early education through postsec17 ondary education (including pre-service prepara18 tion programs), and the workforce, consistent 

19 with privacy protections under section 183;’’; 

20 and 

21 (C) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting 

22 the following: 

23 ‘‘(3) ensures the protection of student privacy, 

24 and includes a review of how State educational agen25 cies, local educational agencies, and others that will 


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1 have access to the statewide data systems under this 

2 section will adhere to Federal privacy laws and pro3 tections, consistent with section 183, in the building, 

4 maintenance, and use of such data systems; 

5 ‘‘(4) ensures State educational agencies receiving 

6 a grant under this section support professional devel7 opment that builds the capacity of teachers and school 

8 leaders to use data effectively; and 

9 ‘‘(5) gives priority to State educational agencies 

10 that leverage the use of longitudinal data systems to 

11 improve student achievement and growth, including 

12 such State educational agencies that— 

13 ‘‘(A) meet the voluntary standards and 

14 guidelines described in section 153(a)(5); 

15 ‘‘(B) define the roles of State educational 

16 agencies, local educational agencies, and others 

17 in providing timely access to data under the 

18 statewide data systems, consistent with privacy 

19 protections in section 183; and 

20 ‘‘(C) demonstrate the capacity to share 

21 teacher and school leader performance data, in22 cluding student achievement and growth data, 

23 with local educational agencies and teacher and 

24 school leader preparation programs.’’; 


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1 (5) by inserting after subsection (e), as so redes2 ignated, the following: 

3 ‘‘(f) RENEWAL OF AWARDS.—The Secretary may 

4 renew a grant awarded to a State educational agency under 

5 this section for a period not to exceed 3 years, if the State 

6 educational agency has demonstrated progress on the meas7 urable performance indicators established under subsection 

8 (c).’’; and 

9 (6) by amending subsection (g), as so redesig10 nated, to read as follows: 

11 ‘‘(g) REPORTS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) FIRST REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 

13 the date of enactment of the Strengthening Education 

14 through Research Act, the Secretary shall prepare and 

15 make publicly available a report on the implementa16 tion and effectiveness of the activities carried out by 

17 State educational agencies receiving a grant under 

18 this section, including— 

19 ‘‘(A) information on progress in the devel20 opment and use of statewide longitudinal data 

21 systems described in this section; 

22 ‘‘(B) information on best practices and 

23 areas for improvement in such development and 

24 use; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) how the State educational agencies are 

2 adhering to Federal privacy laws and protec3 tions in the building, maintenance, and use of 

4 such data systems. 

5 ‘‘(2) SUCCEEDING REPORTS.—Every succeeding 

6 3 years after the report is made publicly available 

7 under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall prepare and 

8 make publicly available a report on the implementa9 tion and effectiveness of the activities carried out by 

10 State educational agencies receiving a grant under 

11 this section, including— 

12 ‘‘(A) information on the requirements of 

13 subparagraphs (A) through (C) of paragraph (1); 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(B) the progress, in the aggregate, State 

16 educational agencies are making on the measur17 able performance indicators established under 

18 subsection (c).’’. 

19 SEC. 209. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

20 Section 209 (20 U.S.C. 9608) is amended to read as 

21 follows: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 209. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

24 this title— 

25 ‘‘(1) for fiscal year 2015, $82,984,000; 


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1 ‘‘(2) for fiscal year 2016, $83,149,968; 

2 ‘‘(3) for fiscal year 2017, $84,979,268; 

3 ‘‘(4) for fiscal year 2018, $87,018,769; 

4 ‘‘(5) for fiscal year 2019, $89,368,277; and 

5 ‘‘(6) for fiscal year 2020, $90,708,801.’’. 

6 TITLE III—NATIONAL ASSESS7 MENT OF EDUCATIONAL 

8 PROGRESS 

9 SEC. 301. REFERENCES. 

10 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

11 this title an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of 

12 an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, 

13 the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 

14 other provision of the National Assessment of Educational 

15 Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9621 et seq.). 

16 SEC. 302. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT GOVERNING BOARD. 

17 Section 302 (20 U.S.C. 9621) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘shall formu19 late policy guidelines’’ and inserting ‘‘shall oversee 

20 and set policies, in a manner consistent with sub21 section (e) and accepted professional standards,’’; 

22 (2) in subsection (b)(1)(L)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘principals’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘leaders’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘principal’’ both places it 

2 appears and inserting ‘‘leader’’; 

3 (3) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (4); 

4 (4) in subsection (d)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

7 ‘‘the Assessment Board after consultation 

8 with’’ before ‘‘organizations’’; and 

9 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

10 (I) by striking ‘‘Each organiza11 tion submitting nominations to the 

12 Secretary with’’ and inserting ‘‘With’’; 

13 and 

14 (II) by inserting ‘‘, the Assessment 

15 Board’’ after ‘‘particular vacancy’’; 

16 and 

17 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

18 (i) by striking ‘‘that each organization 

19 described in paragraph (1)(A) submit addi20 tional nominations’’ and inserting ‘‘addi21 tional nominations from the Assessment 

22 Board or each organization described in 

23 paragraph (1)(A)’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘such organization’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘the Assessment Board’’; and 


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1 (5) in subsection (e)(1)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 

3 (i) by inserting ‘‘in consultation with 

4 the Commissioner for Education Statistics,’’ 

5 before ‘‘select’’; 

6 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and grades or ages’’ 

7 before ‘‘to be’’; and 

8 (iii) by inserting ‘‘, and determine the 

9 year in which such assessments will be con10 ducted’’ after ‘‘assessed’’; 

11 (B) in subparagraph (D), by inserting 

12 ‘‘school leaders,’’ after ‘‘teachers,’’; 

13 (C) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘de14 sign’’ and inserting ‘‘provide input on’’; 

15 (D) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as 

16 subparagraph (K); 

17 (E) by inserting after subparagraph (I), the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(J) provide input to the Director on an20 nual budget requests for the National Assessment 

21 of Educational Progress; and’’; 

22 (F) in subparagraph (K), as so redesig23 nated— 

24 (i) by striking ‘‘plan and execute the 

25 initial public release of’’; and 


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1 (ii) by inserting ‘‘release the initial’’ 

2 before ‘‘National’’; and 

3 (G) in the matter following subparagraph 

4 (K), as so amended and redesignated, by striking 

5 ‘‘subparagraph (J)’’ and inserting ‘‘subpara6 graph (K)’’. 

7 SEC. 303. NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL 

8 PROGRESS. 

9 Section 303 (20 U.S.C. 9622) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘with the ad11 vice of the Assessment Board established under section 

12 302’’ and inserting ‘‘in a manner consistent with ac13 cepted professional standards and the policies set 

14 forth by the Assessment Board under section 302(a)’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (b)(2)— 

16 (A) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ‘‘and 

17 consistent with section 302(e)(1)(A)’’ after ‘‘re18 sources allow’’; 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub20 paragraph (G); 

21 (C) by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; 

22 and’’ at the end of subparagraph (H); and 

23 (D) by adding at the end the following new 

24 subparagraph: 


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1 ‘‘(I) determine, after taking into account 

2 section 302(e)(1)(I), the content of initial and 

3 subsequent reports of all assessments authorized 

4 under this section and ensure that such reports 

5 are valid and reliable.’’; 

6 (3) in subsection (c)(2)— 

7 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘of 

8 Education’’ after ‘‘Secretary’’; and 

9 (B) in subparagraph (D)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘Chairman of the 

11 House’’ before ‘‘Committee on Education’’; 

12 (ii) by inserting ‘‘of the House of Rep13 resentatives’’ after ‘‘Workforce’’; 

14 (iii) by striking ‘‘Chairman of the Sen15 ate’’ before ‘‘Committee on Health’’; and 

16 (iv) by inserting ‘‘of the Senate’’ after 

17 ‘‘Pensions’’; 

18 (4) in subsection (d)(1), by inserting before the 

19 period, the following: ‘‘, except as required under sec20 tion 1112(b)(1)(F) of the Elementary and Secondary 

21 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6312(b)(1)(F))’’; 

22 (5) in subsection (e)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘or age’’; 

24 and 

25 (B) in paragraph (2)— 


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1 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

2 (I) by striking ‘‘shall’’ and all 

3 that follows through ‘‘be’’ and insert 

4 ‘‘shall be’’; 

5 (II) by redesignating subclauses 

6 (I) and (II) as clauses (i) and (ii), re7 spectively (and by moving the margins 

8 2 ems to the left); and 

9 (III) in clause (ii) (as so redesig10 nated), by striking ‘‘, or the age of the 

11 students, as the case may be’’; 

12 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

13 (I) by striking ‘‘After the deter14 minations described in subparagraph 

15 (A), devising’’ and inserting ‘‘The As16 sessment Board shall, in making the 

17 determination described in subpara18 graph (A), use’’; and 

19 (II) by inserting after ‘‘approach’’ 

20 the following: ‘‘, providing for the ac21 tive participation of teachers, school 

22 leaders, curriculum specialists, local 

23 school administrators, parents, and 

24 concerned members of the general pub25 lic’’; and 


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1 (iii) in subparagraph (D), by inserting 

2 ‘‘Assessment’’ before ‘‘Board’’; and 

3 (6) in subsection (g)(2)— 

4 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘AFFAIRS’’ 

5 and inserting ‘‘EDUCATION’’; and 

6 (B) by striking ‘‘Affairs’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘Education’’. 

8 SEC. 304. DEFINITIONS. 

9 Section 304 (20 U.S.C. 9623) is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘(1)’’ and in11 serting ‘‘(1) DIRECTOR.—’’; 

12 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘(2)’’ and in13 serting ‘‘(2) STATE.—’’; and 

14 (3) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) (as 

15 so amended) as paragraphs (2) and (5), respectively; 

16 (4) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so re17 designated) the following new paragraph: 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The terms ‘elementary 

19 school’, ‘local educational agency’, and ‘secondary 

20 school’ have the meanings given those terms in section 

21 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

22 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).’’; and 

23 (5) by inserting after paragraph (2) (as so redes24 ignated), the following new paragraphs: 


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1 ‘‘(3) SCHOOL LEADER.—The term ‘school leader’ 

2 has the meaning given the term in section 102. 

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

4 the Secretary of Education.’’. 

5 SEC. 305. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 Section 305(a) (20 U.S.C. 9624(a)) is amended to read 

7 as follows: 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro9 priated— 

10 ‘‘(1) for fiscal year 2015— 

11 ‘‘(A) $8,235,000 to carry out section 302 

12 (relating to the National Assessment Governing 

13 Board); and 

14 ‘‘(B) $132,000,000 to carry out section 303 

15 (relating to the National Assessment of Edu16 cational Progress); 

17 ‘‘(2) for fiscal year 2016— 

18 ‘‘(A) $8,251,470 to carry out section 302 

19 (relating to the National Assessment Governing 

20 Board); and 

21 ‘‘(B) $132,264,000 to carry out section 303 

22 (relating to the National Assessment of Edu23 cational Progress); 

24 ‘‘(3) for fiscal year 2017— 


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1 ‘‘(A) $8,433,002 to carry out section 302 

2 (relating to the National Assessment Governing 

3 Board); and 

4 ‘‘(B) $135,173,808 to carry out section 303 

5 (relating to the National Assessment of Edu6 cational Progress); 

7 ‘‘(4) for fiscal year 2018— 

8 ‘‘(A) $8,635,395 to carry out section 302 

9 (relating to the National Assessment Governing 

10 Board); and 

11 ‘‘(B) $138,417,979 to carry out section 303 

12 (relating to the National Assessment of Edu13 cational Progress); 

14 ‘‘(5) for fiscal year 2019— 

15 ‘‘(A) $8,868,550 to carry out section 302 

16 (relating to the National Assessment Governing 

17 Board); and 

18 ‘‘(B) $142,155,266 to carry out section 303 

19 (relating to the National Assessment of Edu20 cational Progress); and 

21 ‘‘(6) for fiscal year 2020— 

22 ‘‘(A) $9,001,578 to carry out section 302 

23 (relating to the National Assessment Governing 

24 Board); and 


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1 ‘‘(B) $144,287,595 to carry out section 303 

2 (relating to the National Assessment of Edu3 cational Progress).’’. 

4 TITLE IV—EVALUATION PLAN 

5 SEC. 401. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Institute of Education Sciences 

7 shall be the primary entity for conducting research on and 

8 evaluations of Federal education programs within the De9 partment of Education to ensure the rigor and independ10 ence of such research and evaluation. 

11 (b) FLEXIBLE AUTHORITY.— 

12 (1) RESERVATION.—Notwithstanding any other 

13 provision of law in the Elementary and Secondary 

14 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. et seq.) related to 

15 evaluation, the Secretary of Education, in consulta16 tion with the Director of the Institute of Education 

17 Sciences— 

18 (A) may, for purposes of carrying out the 

19 activities described in paragraph (2)(B)— 

20 (i) reserve not more than 0.5 percent of 

21 the total amount of funds appropriated for 

22 each program authorized under the Elemen23 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

24 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), other than part A 

25 of title I of such Act (20 U.S.C. 6311 et 


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1 seq.) and section 1501 of such Act (20 

2 U.S.C. 6491); and 

3 (ii) reserve, in the manner described in 

4 subparagraph (B), an amount equal to not 

5 more than 0.1 percent of the total amount 

6 of funds appropriated for— 

7 (I) part A of title I of the Elemen8 tary and Secondary Education Act of 

9 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.); and 

10 (II) section 1501 of such Act (20 

11 U.S.C. 6491); and 

12 (B) in reserving the amount described in 

13 subparagraph (A)(ii)— 

14 (i) shall reserve up to the total amount 

15 of funds appropriated for section 1501 of 

16 the Elementary and Secondary Education 

17 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6491); and 

18 (ii) may, in a case in which the total 

19 amount of funds appropriated for such sec20 tion 1501 (20 U.S.C. 6491) is less than the 

21 amount described in subparagraph (A)(ii), 

22 reserve the amount of funds appropriated 

23 for part A of title I of the Elementary and 

24 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

25 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.) that is needed for the 


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1 sum of the total amount of funds appro2 priated for such section 1501 (20 U.S.C. 

3 6491) and such amount of funds appro4 priated for such part A of title I (20 U.S.C. 

5 6311 et seq.) to equal the amount described 

6 in subparagraph (A)(ii). 

7 (2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—If funds are re8 served under paragraph (1)— 

9 (A) neither the Secretary of Education nor 

10 the Director of the Institute of Education 

11 Sciences shall— 

12 (i) carry out evaluations under section 

13 1501 of the Elementary and Secondary 

14 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6491); or 

15 (ii) reserve funds for evaluation activi16 ties under section 3111(c)(1)(C) of such Act 

17 (20 U.S.C. 6821); and 

18 (B) the Secretary of Education, in consulta19 tion with the Director of the Institute of Edu20 cation Sciences— 

21 (i) shall use the funds reserved under 

22 paragraph (1) to carry out high-quality 

23 evaluations (consistent with the require24 ments of section 173(a) of the Education 

25 Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 


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1 9563(a)), as amended by this Act, and the 

2 evaluation plan described in subsection (c) 

3 of this section) of programs authorized 

4 under the Elementary and Secondary Edu5 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); 

6 and 

7 (ii) may use the funds reserved under 

8 paragraph (1) to— 

9 (I) increase the usefulness of the 

10 evaluations conducted under clause (i) 

11 to promote continuous improvement of 

12 programs under the Elementary and 

13 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

14 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.); or 

15 (II) assist grantees of such pro16 grams in collecting and analyzing data 

17 and other activities related to con18 ducting high-quality evaluations under 

19 clause (i). 

20 (3) DISSEMINATION.—The Secretary of Edu21 cation or the Director of the Institute of Education 

22 Sciences shall disseminate evaluation findings, con23 sistent with section 114(j) of the Education Sciences 

24 Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9514(j)), as amended 


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1 by this Act, of evaluations carried out under para2 graph (2)(B)(i). 

3 (4) CONSOLIDATION.—The Secretary of Edu4 cation, in consultation with the Director of the Insti5 tute of Education Sciences— 

6 (A) may consolidate the funds reserved 

7 under paragraph (1) for purposes of carrying 

8 out the activities under paragraph (2)(B); and 

9 (B) shall not be required to evaluate under 

10 paragraph (2)(B)(i) each program authorized 

11 under the Elementary and Secondary Education 

12 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) each year. 

13 (c) EVALUATION PLAN.—The Director of the Institute 

14 of Education Sciences, in consultation with the Secretary 

15 of Education, shall, on a biennial basis, develop, submit to 

16 Congress, and make publicly available an evaluation plan, 

17 that— 

18 (1) describes the specific activities that will be 

19 carried out under subsection (b)(2)(B) for the 2-year 

20 period applicable to the plan, and the timelines of 

21 such activities; and 

22 (2) contains the results of the activities carried 

23 out under subsection (b)(2)(B) for the most recent 2- 

24 year period. 


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1 (d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 

2 shall be construed to affect section 173(b) of the Education 

3 Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9563(b)), as 

4 amended by this Act. 


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Union Calendar No. 313 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4366 

[Report No. 113–424] 

A BILL 

To strengthen the Federal education research systo increase student achievement. ly and relevant to State and local needs in order tem to make research and evaluations more timeAPRIL 29, 2014 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


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