II

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1642

To amend part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education

Act of 1965 to improve and refocus civic education, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

SEPTEMBER 27, 1999

Mr. COCHRAN (for himself and Mr. DODD) introduced the following bill; which

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education,

Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To amend part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act of 1965 to improve and refocus civic

education, and for other purposes.

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Education for Democ5 racy Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. CIVIC EDUCATION.

7 Part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary

8 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8141 et seq.) is amend9 ed to read as follows:
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1 ‘‘PART F—CIVIC EDUCATION

2 ‘‘SEC. 10601. SHORT TITLE.

3 ‘‘This part may be cited as the ‘Education for De4 mocracy Act’.

5 ‘‘SEC. 10602. FINDINGS.

6 ‘‘The Congress finds that—

7 ‘‘(1) college freshmen surveyed in 1997 by the

8 Higher Education Research Institute at the Univer9 sity of California at Los Angeles demonstrated high10 er levels of disengagement, both academically and

11 politically, than any previous entering class of stu12 dents;

13 ‘‘(2) college freshmen in 1997 demonstrated the

14 lowest levels of political interest in the 20-year his15 tory of surveys conducted by the Higher Education

16 Research Institute at the University of California at

17 Los Angeles;

18 ‘‘(3) United States secondary school students

19 expressed relatively low levels of interest in politics

20 and economics in a 1999 Harris survey;

21 ‘‘(4) the 28th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup

22 Poll in 1996 indicated that American citizens believe

23 that the Nation’s schools, apart from providing a

24 basic education, had a very important role to play in

25 preparing students to be responsible citizens;
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1 ‘‘(5) Americans surveyed by the Organization of

2 Economic Cooperation and Development indicated

3 that only 59 percent had confidence that schools

4 have a major effect on the development of good citi5 zenship;

6 ‘‘(6) teachers too often do not have sufficient

7 expertise in the subjects that they teach, and half of

8 all secondary school history students in America are

9 being taught by teachers with neither a major nor

10 a minor in history;

11 ‘‘(7) secondary school students correctly an12 swered less than half of the questions on a national

13 test of economic knowledge in a 1999 Harris survey;

14 ‘‘(8) the most recent National Assessment of

15 Educational Progress indicated that students have

16 only superficial knowledge of, and lacked a depth of

17 understanding regarding, civics;

18 ‘‘(9) civic and economic education are impor19 tant not only to developing citizenship competencies

20 in the United States but also are critical to sup21 porting political stability and economic health in

22 other democracies, particularly emerging democratic

23 market economies;

24 ‘‘(10) international education exchange pro25 grams in civic and economic education have been
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1 shown to enhance both educational reform efforts in

2 other democracies and educational quality in United

3 States classrooms;

4 ‘‘(11) more than three quarters of Americans

5 surveyed by the National Constitution Center in

6 1997 admitted that they knew only some or very lit7 tle about the Constitution of the United States; and

8 ‘‘(12) the Constitution of the United States is

9 too often viewed within the context of history and

10 not as a living document that shapes current events.

11 ‘‘SEC. 10603. PURPOSE.

12 ‘‘It is the purpose of this part—

13 ‘‘(1) to improve the quality of civics and gov14 ernment education, and to enhance the attainment

15 of the third and sixth National Education Goals, by

16 educating students about the history and principles

17 of the Constitution of the United States, including

18 the Bill of Rights;

19 ‘‘(2) to foster civic competence and responsi20 bility; and

21 ‘‘(3) to improve the quality of civic education

22 and economic education through cooperative civic

23 education and economic education exchange pro24 grams with other democratic nations.
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1 ‘‘SEC. 10604. GENERAL AUTHORITY.

2 ‘‘(a) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.—

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

4 to award grants to or enter into contracts with—

5 ‘‘(A) the Center for Civic Education to

6 carry out civic education activities under sec7 tions 10605 and 10606; and

8 ‘‘(B) the National Council on Economic

9 Education to carry out economic education ac10 tivities under section 10606.

11 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall

12 award the grants and contracts under section 10606

13 in consultation with the Secretary of State.

14 ‘‘(b) DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall use not

15 more than 50 percent of the amount appropriated under

16 section 10607(b) for each fiscal year to carry out economic

17 education activities under section 10606.

18 ‘‘SEC. 10605. WE THE PEOPLE PROGRAM.

19 ‘‘(a) THE CITIZEN AND THE CONSTITUTION.—

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Center for Civic Edu21 cation shall use funds awarded under section

22 10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The Citizen and the

23 Constitution program in accordance with this sub24 section.

25 ‘‘(2) EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES.—The Citizen

26 and the Constitution program—
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1 ‘‘(A) shall continue and expand the edu2 cational activities of the ‘We the People . . .

3 The Citizen and the Constitution’ program ad4 ministered by the Center for Civic Education;

5 ‘‘(B) shall enhance student attainment of

6 challenging content standards in civics and gov7 ernment; and

8 ‘‘(C) shall provide—

9 ‘‘(i) a course of instruction on the

10 basic principles of our Nation’s constitu11 tional democracy and the history of the

12 Constitution of the United States and the

13 Bill of Rights;

14 ‘‘(ii) at the request of a participating

15 school, school and community simulated

16 congressional hearings following the course

17 of study;

18 ‘‘(iii) an annual national competition

19 of simulated congressional hearings for

20 secondary school students who wish to par21 ticipate in such a program;

22 ‘‘(iv) advanced training of teachers

23 about the Constitution of the United

24 States and the political system the United

25 States created;
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1 ‘‘(v) materials and methods of instruc2 tion, including teacher training, that utilize

3 the latest advancements in educational

4 technology; and

5 ‘‘(vi) civic education materials and

6 services to address specific problems such

7 as the prevention of school violence and the

8 abuse of drugs and alcohol.

9 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF PROGRAM.—The edu10 cation program authorized under this subsection

11 shall be made available to public and private elemen12 tary schools and secondary schools, including Bu13 reau funded schools, in the 435 congressional dis14 tricts, and in the District of Columbia, the Common15 wealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Is16 lands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Common17 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

18 ‘‘(b) PROJECT CITIZEN.—

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Center for Civic Edu20 cation shall use funds awarded under section

21 10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The Project Citizen

22 program in accordance with this subsection.

23 ‘‘(2) EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES.—The Project

24 Citizen program—
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1 ‘‘(A) shall continue and expand the edu2 cational activities of the ‘We the People . . .

3 Project Citizen’ program administered by the

4 Center for Civic Education;

5 ‘‘(B) shall enhance student attainment of

6 challenging content standards in civics and gov7 ernment; and

8 ‘‘(C) shall provide—

9 ‘‘(i) a course of instruction at the

10 middle school level on the roles of State

11 and local governments in the Federal sys12 tem established by the Constitution of the

13 United States;

14 ‘‘(ii) optional school and community

15 simulated State legislative hearings;

16 ‘‘(iii) an annual national showcase or

17 competition;

18 ‘‘(iv) advanced training of teachers on

19 the roles of State and local governments in

20 the Federal system established by the Con21 stitution of the United States;

22 ‘‘(v) materials and methods of instruc23 tion, including teacher training, that utilize

24 the latest advancements in educational

25 technology; and
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1 ‘‘(vi) civic education materials and

2 services to address specific problems such

3 as the prevention of school violence and the

4 abuse of drugs and alcohol.

5 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF PROGRAM.—The edu6 cation program authorized under this subsection

7 shall be made available to public and private middle

8 schools, including Bureau funded schools, in the 50

9 States of the United States, the District of Colum10 bia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United

11 States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and

12 the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is13 lands.

14 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF BUREAU FUNDED SCHOOL.—

15 In this section the term ‘Bureau funded school’ has the

16 meaning given the term in section 1146 of the Education

17 Amendments of 1978.

18 ‘‘SEC. 10606. COOPERATIVE CIVIC EDUCATION AND ECO19 NOMIC EDUCATION EXCHANGE PROGRAMS.

20 ‘‘(a) COOPERATIVE EDUCATION EXCHANGE PRO21 GRAMS.—The Center for Civic Education and the National

22 Council on Economic Education shall use funds awarded

23 under section 10604(a)(1) to carry out Cooperative Edu24 cation Exchange programs in accordance with this section.
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1 ‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Cooperative

2 Education Exchange programs provided under this section

3 shall be to—

4 ‘‘(1) make available to educators from eligible

5 countries exemplary curriculum and teacher training

6 programs in civics and government education, and

7 economics education, developed in the United States;

8 ‘‘(2) assist eligible countries in the adaptation,

9 implementation, and institutionalization of such pro10 grams;

11 ‘‘(3) create and implement civics and govern12 ment education, and economic education, programs

13 for students that draw upon the experiences of the

14 participating eligible countries;

15 ‘‘(4) provide a means for the exchange of ideas

16 and experiences in civics and government education,

17 and economic education, among political, edu18 cational, governmental, and private sector leaders of

19 participating eligible countries; and

20 ‘‘(5) provide support for—

21 ‘‘(A) research and evaluation to determine

22 the effects of educational programs on students’

23 development of the knowledge, skills, and traits

24 of character essential for the preservation and

25 improvement of constitutional democracy; and
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1 ‘‘(B) effective participation in and the

2 preservation and improvement of an efficient

3 market economy.

4 ‘‘(c) AVOIDANCE OF DUPLICATION.—The Secretary

5 shall consult with the Secretary of State to ensure that—

6 ‘‘(1) activities under this section are not dupli7 cative of other efforts in the eligible countries; and

8 ‘‘(2) partner institutions in the eligible coun9 tries are creditable.

10 ‘‘(d) ACTIVITIES.—The Cooperative Education Ex11 change programs shall—

12 ‘‘(1) provide eligible countries with—

13 ‘‘(A) seminars on the basic principles of

14 United States constitutional democracy and ec15 onomics, including seminars on the major gov16 ernmental and economic institutions and sys17 tems in the United States, and visits to such in18 stitutions;

19 ‘‘(B) visits to school systems, institutions

20 of higher education, and nonprofit organizations

21 conducting exemplary programs in civics and

22 government education, and economic education,

23 in the United States;

24 ‘‘(C) translations and adaptations regard25 ing United States civic and government edu-
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1 cation, and economic education, curricular pro2 grams for students and teachers, and in the

3 case of training programs for teachers trans4 lations and adaptations into forms useful in

5 schools in eligible countries, and joint research

6 projects in such areas;

7 ‘‘(D) research and evaluation assistance to

8 determine—

9 ‘‘(i) the effects of the Cooperative

10 Education Exchange programs on stu11 dents’ development of the knowledge,

12 skills, and traits of character essential for

13 the preservation and improvement of con14 stitutional democracy; and

15 ‘‘(ii) effective participation in and the

16 preservation and improvement of an effi17 cient market economy;

18 ‘‘(2) provide United States participants with—

19 ‘‘(A) seminars on the histories, economies,

20 and systems of government of eligible countries;

21 ‘‘(B) visits to school systems, institutions

22 of higher education, and organizations con23 ducting exemplary programs in civics and gov24 ernment education, and economic education, lo25 cated in eligible countries;
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1 ‘‘(C) assistance from educators and schol2 ars in eligible countries in the development of

3 curricular materials on the history, government,

4 and economy of such countries that are useful

5 in United States classrooms;

6 ‘‘(D) opportunities to provide onsite dem7 onstrations of United States curricula and ped8 agogy for educational leaders in eligible coun9 tries; and

10 ‘‘(E) research and evaluation assistance to

11 determine—

12 ‘‘(i) the effects of the Cooperative

13 Education Exchange programs on stu14 dents’ development of the knowledge,

15 skills, and traits of character essential for

16 the preservation and improvement of con17 stitutional democracy; and

18 ‘‘(ii) effective participation in and im19 provement of an efficient market economy;

20 and

21 ‘‘(3) assist participants from eligible countries

22 and the United States to participate in international

23 conferences on civics and government education, and

24 economic education, for educational leaders, teacher
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1 trainers, scholars in related disciplines, and edu2 cational policymakers.

3 ‘‘(e) PARTICIPANTS.—The primary participants in

4 the Cooperative Education Exchange programs assisted

5 under this section shall be educational leaders in the areas

6 of civics and government education, and economic edu7 cation, including curriculum and teacher training special8 ists, scholars in relevant disciplines, and educational pol9 icymakers, and government and private sector leaders

10 from the United States and eligible countries.

11 ‘‘(f) DEFINITION.—For the purpose of this section,

12 the term ‘eligible country’ means a Central European

13 country, an Eastern European country, Lithuania, Latvia,

14 Estonia, the independent states of the former Soviet

15 Union as defined in section 3 of the FREEDOM Support

16 Act (22 U.S.C. 5801), and may include the Republic of

17 Ireland, the province of Northern Ireland in the United

18 Kingdom, and any developing country as defined in section

19 209(d) of the Education for the Deaf Act.

20 ‘‘SEC. 10607. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

21 ‘‘(a) SECTION 10605.—There are authorized to be

22 appropriated to carry out section 10605, $10,000,000 for

23 fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary for

24 each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2004.
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1 ‘‘(b) SECTION 10606.—There are authorized to be

2 appropriated to carry out section 10606, $10,000,000 for

3 fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary for

4 each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2004.’’.

5 SEC. 3. REPEAL.

6 Title VI of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (20

7 U.S.C. 5951 et seq.) is repealed.

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