II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 492 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in order 

to improve environmental literacy to better prepare students for postsecondary education and careers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2015 

Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. KIRK, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. 

HEINRICH, and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill; which was 

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

and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

of 1965 in order to improve environmental literacy to 

better prepare students for postsecondary education and 

careers, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘No Child Left Inside Act of 2015’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. References. 

Sec. 4. Authorization of appropriations. 

TITLE I—ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY 

Sec. 101. Environmental literacy. 

Sec. 102. Conforming amendments. 

TITLE II—PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY IN 

EDUCATION PROGRAMS 

Sec. 201. Amendments to part B of title II. 

Sec. 202. Amendments to part B of title IV. 

TITLE III—NATIONAL ACTIVITIES 

Sec. 301. Availability of other environmental literacy information. 

Sec. 302. Federal interagency coordination on environmental literacy. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Children and young adults are increasingly 

4 disconnected from the natural world around them, 

5 spending less time outside playing, exploring, and 

6 learning. 

7 (2) Play and learning in nature is important to 

8 the intellectual, social, and physical development of 

9 youth. 

10 (3) Environmental education, as part of the for11 mal prekindergarten through grade 12 school cur12 riculum, provides opportunities for youth to get out13 side and learn about the natural world, has positive 

14 impacts on student achievement in all subjects and 

15 especially in science, reading, mathematics, and so16 cial studies, and improves critical thinking skills, enVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Feb 24, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S492.IS S492

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1 thusiasm for learning, stewardship, and healthy life2 styles. 

3 (4) By many indicators, the United States is 

4 falling behind other nations in preparing students 

5 with the educational tools necessary to compete for 

6 the growing opportunities in the sciences, including 

7 environmental, natural resource, and energy related 

8 careers. 

9 (5) Reports by boards of the National Science 

10 Foundation, the National Environmental Education 

11 Advisory Council, and the National Council for 

12 Science and the Environment, among others, have 

13 called for a systemic approach to environmental edu14 cation in the formal education system to improve the 

15 environmental literacy of youth and better prepare 

16 students for college and the 21st century workforce. 

17 (6) Forty-eight States have developed, or are in 

18 the process of developing, environmental literacy 

19 plans to effectively integrate environmental edu20 cation into the prekindergarten through grade 12 

21 curriculum and ensure that students graduate from 

22 high school environmentally literate. At the same 

23 time, most States are aligning curricula with the 

24 Common Core State Standards. 


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1 (7) Support from the Department of Education 

2 is needed to help State and local educational agen3 cies, and the partners of such agencies, implement 

4 environmental literacy plans and advance State cur5 riculum frameworks for environmental and natural 

6 resource education that meets new State academic 

7 content and student achievement standards. 

8 (8) Federal science and natural resource agen9 cies have important resources, including Federal 

10 lands and laboratories, content experts, data, and 

11 programs, that can inform and support State and 

12 local environmental literacy policies and program13 ming. 

14 SEC. 3. REFERENCES. 

15 Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in 

16 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

17 of an amendment to, or a repeal of, a section or other 

18 provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to 

19 a section or other provision of the Elementary and Sec20 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.). 

21 TITLE I—ENVIRONMENTAL 

22 LITERACY 

23 SEC. 101. ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY. 

24 Part D of title V (20 U.S.C. 7201 et seq.) is amended 

25 by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘Subpart 22—Environmental Literacy 

2 ‘‘SEC. 5621. DEFINITIONS. 

3 ‘‘In this subpart: 

4 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘eligi5 ble partnership’ means a partnership that includes a 

6 local educational agency and not less than 1 of the 

7 following partners: 

8 ‘‘(A) A teacher preparation program at an 

9 institution of higher education. 

10 ‘‘(B) The environmental or life sciences de11 partment of an institution of higher education. 

12 ‘‘(C) Another local educational agency, a 

13 public charter school, a public elementary 

14 school or secondary school, or a consortium of 

15 such schools. 

16 ‘‘(D) A Federal, State, regional, or local 

17 environmental or natural resource management 

18 agency, or parks and recreation department, 

19 that has demonstrated effectiveness, expertise, 

20 and experience in the field of environmental lit21 eracy, including the professional development of 

22 teachers. 

23 ‘‘(E) A nonprofit organization that has 

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1 cluding the professional development of teach2 ers. 

3 ‘‘(2) ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY.—The term 

4 ‘environmental literacy’ means a fundamental under5 standing of ecological principles, the systems of the 

6 natural world, and the relationships and interactions 

7 between natural and man-made environments. 

8 ‘‘(3) ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY PLAN.—The 

9 term ‘environmental literacy plan’ means a plan de10 veloped, approved, or sponsored by the State edu11 cational agency in consultation with State environ12 mental agencies, State environmental education as13 sociations, and State natural resource agencies, and 

14 with input from the public, that— 

15 ‘‘(A) prepares students to understand eco16 logical principles, the systems of the natural 

17 world, and the relationships and interactions 

18 between natural and man-made environments; 

19 ‘‘(B) provides field and hands-on experi20 ences as part of the regular school curriculum 

21 and creates programs that contribute to healthy 

22 lifestyles through outdoor recreation and sound 

23 nutrition; 

24 ‘‘(C) provides environmental service learn25 ing opportunities; 


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1 ‘‘(D) provides targeted professional devel2 opment opportunities for teachers that improves 

3 the teachers’— 

4 ‘‘(i) environmental and natural re5 source content knowledge; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) pedagogical skills in teaching 

7 about the environment, including the use 

8 of— 

9 ‘‘(I) interdisciplinary, field-based, 

10 and research-based learning; and 

11 ‘‘(II) science, technology, engi12 neering, and mathematics content 

13 knowledge and tools; 

14 ‘‘(E) describes the measures the State will 

15 use to assess the environmental literacy of stu16 dents, including— 

17 ‘‘(i) relevant State academic content 

18 standards and content areas regarding en19 vironmental education, and courses or sub20 jects where environmental education in21 struction will be integrated throughout the 

22 prekindergarten through grade 12 cur23 riculum; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) a description of the relationship 

2 of the plan to the secondary school gradua3 tion requirements of the State; 

4 ‘‘(F) describes how the State educational 

5 agency will implement the plan, in partnership 

6 with non-governmental organizations, Federal 

7 agencies, State environmental agencies, State 

8 environmental education associations, State 

9 natural resource agencies, and local educational 

10 agencies, including how the State educational 

11 agency will secure funding and other necessary 

12 support; and 

13 ‘‘(G) is periodically updated by the State 

14 educational agency not less often than every 5 

15 years. 

16 ‘‘(4) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN17 CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 

18 means a local educational agency— 

19 ‘‘(A) for which not less than 20 percent of 

20 the children served by the agency are children 

21 from low-income families; 

22 ‘‘(B) that serves not fewer than 10,000 

23 children from low-income families; 

24 ‘‘(C) that meets the eligibility requirements 

25 for funding under section 6211(b); or 


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1 ‘‘(D) that meets the eligibility require2 ments for funding under section 6221(b). 

3 ‘‘SEC. 5622. GRANTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ENVIRON4 MENTAL LITERACY PLANS. 

5 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts ap6 propriated for this section, the Secretary shall award 

7 grants to States to enable the States to award subgrants, 

8 on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to support 

9 the implementation of the State environmental literacy 

10 plan. 

11 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State that desires a 

13 grant under this section shall submit an application 

14 to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and 

15 containing such information as the Secretary may 

16 require. 

17 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application under this 

18 subsection shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) include the State’s environmental lit20 eracy plan and information on the status of im21 plementation of such plan; 

22 ‘‘(B) describe how funds received under 

23 this subsection will assist the State in fur24 thering the implementation of the State’s envi25 ronmental literacy plan; 


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1 ‘‘(C) describe the process the State will use 

2 to make subgrants to eligible partnerships; and 

3 ‘‘(D) describe the process the State will 

4 use to evaluate the impact of the activities as5 sisted under this subpart. 

6 ‘‘(c) PEER REVIEW.—The Secretary shall— 

7 ‘‘(1) establish a peer review process to assist in 

8 the review of grant applications under this section; 

9 ‘‘(2) appoint individuals to the peer review 

10 process who— 

11 ‘‘(A) are representative of parents, teach12 ers, State educational agencies, State environ13 mental agencies, State natural resource agen14 cies, local educational agencies, and nongovern15 mental organizations; and 

16 ‘‘(B) are familiar with national environ17 mental issues and the health and educational 

18 needs of students; and 

19 ‘‘(3) include, in the peer review process, appro20 priate representatives from the Department of Com21 merce, the Department of the Interior, the Depart22 ment of Energy, the Environmental Protection 

23 Agency, and other appropriate Federal agencies, to 

24 provide environmental expertise and background for 

25 evaluation of the State environmental literacy plan. 


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1 ‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—A State receiv2 ing a grant under this section may use not more than 2.5 

3 percent of the grant funds for administrative expenses. 

4 ‘‘(e) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY REPORT.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State receiving a 

6 grant under this subpart shall prepare and submit 

7 an annual report to the Secretary containing infor8 mation about— 

9 ‘‘(A) the implementation of the environ10 mental literacy plan; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the grant activities supported under 

12 this subpart. 

13 ‘‘(2) REPORT REQUIREMENTS.—The report re14 quired by this section shall be— 

15 ‘‘(A) in the form specified by the Sec16 retary; 

17 ‘‘(B) based on the State’s ongoing evalua18 tion activities; and 

19 ‘‘(C) made readily available to the public. 

20 ‘‘(f) SUBGRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

21 ‘‘(1) SUBGRANTS TO ELIGIBLE PARTNER22 SHIPS.—From amounts made available to a State 

23 educational agency under subsection (a), the State 

24 educational agency shall award subgrants, on a com25 petitive basis, to eligible partnerships serving the 


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1 State, to enable the eligible partnerships to carry out 

2 the authorized activities described in subsection (h). 

3 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—The State educational agency 

4 shall award each subgrant under this section for a 

5 period of not more than 3 years. 

6 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In making subgrants under 

7 this section, a State shall give priority to eligible 

8 partnerships that include a high-need local edu9 cational agency. 

10 ‘‘(4) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds 

11 provided to an eligible partnership under this section 

12 shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, funds 

13 that would otherwise be used for activities author14 ized under this section. 

15 ‘‘(g) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible partnership 

17 desiring a subgrant under this section shall submit 

18 an application to the State educational agency, at 

19 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 

20 such information as the State educational agency 

21 may require. 

22 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

23 under paragraph (1) shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(A) a description of teacher professional 

2 development needs, with respect to the teaching 

3 and learning of environmental content; 

4 ‘‘(B) an explanation of how the activities 

5 to be carried out by the eligible partnership are 

6 expected to improve student academic achieve7 ment and strengthen the quality of environ8 mental instruction; 

9 ‘‘(C) a description of how the activities to 

10 be carried out by the eligible partnership— 

11 ‘‘(i) will be aligned with challenging 

12 State academic content standards and stu13 dent academic achievement standards 

14 under section 1111(b)(1) in environmental 

15 education, to the extent such standards 

16 exist, and with the State’s environmental 

17 literacy plan; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) will advance the teaching of 

19 interdisciplinary courses that integrate the 

20 study of natural, social, and economic sys21 tems and that include strong field compo22 nents in which students have the oppor23 tunity to directly experience nature 

24 through outdoor environmental learning; 


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1 ‘‘(D) a description of how the activities to 

2 be carried out by the eligible partnership will 

3 ensure that teachers are trained in the use of 

4 field-based or service learning to enable the 

5 teachers— 

6 ‘‘(i) to use the local environment and 

7 community as a resource; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) to improve student under9 standing of the environment and increase 

10 academic achievement; 

11 ‘‘(E) a description of— 

12 ‘‘(i) how the eligible partnership will 

13 carry out the authorized activities de14 scribed in subsection (h); and 

15 ‘‘(ii) the eligible partnership’s evalua16 tion and accountability plan described in 

17 subsection (i); and 

18 ‘‘(F) a description of how the eligible part19 nership will continue the activities funded under 

20 this section after the grant period has expired. 

21 ‘‘(h) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—An eligible partner22 ship shall use the subgrant funds provided under this sec23 tion for 1 or more of the following activities related to 

24 elementary schools or secondary schools: 


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1 ‘‘(1) Providing targeted, job-embedded profes2 sional development opportunities for teachers that 

3 improve the teachers’ environmental content knowl4 edge and pedagogical skills in teaching about the en5 vironment, including in the use of— 

6 ‘‘(A) interdisciplinary, research-based, and 

7 field-based learning; and 

8 ‘‘(B) technology in the classroom. 

9 ‘‘(2) Establishing and operating environmental 

10 education summer workshops or institutes, including 

11 follow-up professional development, for elementary 

12 and secondary school teachers, and preschool teach13 ers, as appropriate, to improve pedagogical skills 

14 and content knowledge for the teaching of environ15 mental education. 

16 ‘‘(3) Developing or redesigning more rigorous 

17 environmental education curricula that— 

18 ‘‘(A) are aligned with challenging State 

19 academic content standards in environmental 

20 education, to the extent such standards exist, 

21 and with the State environmental literacy plan; 

22 and 

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1 ural, social, and economic systems and that in2 clude strong field components. 

3 ‘‘(4) Designing programs to prepare teachers at 

4 a school to provide mentoring and professional devel5 opment to other teachers at such school to improve 

6 teacher environmental education content knowledge 

7 and pedagogical skills. 

8 ‘‘(5) Establishing and operating programs to 

9 bring teachers and students into contact with work10 ing professionals in environmental fields to deepen 

11 such teachers’ knowledge of environmental content 

12 and research practices. 

13 ‘‘(6) Creating initiatives that seek to incor14 porate environmental education within teacher train15 ing programs or accreditation standards consistent 

16 with the State environmental literacy plan. 

17 ‘‘(7) Promoting the integration of outdoor envi18 ronmental education lessons into the regular school 

19 curriculum and schedule in order to further the 

20 knowledge and professional development of teachers 

21 and help students directly experience nature. 

22 ‘‘(i) EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY PLAN.— 

23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible partnership 

24 receiving a subgrant under this section shall develop 

25 an evaluation and accountability plan for activities 


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1 assisted under this section that includes rigorous ob2 jectives that measure the impact of such activities. 

3 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The plan developed under 

4 paragraph (1) shall include measurable objectives to 

5 increase the number of teachers who participate in 

6 environmental education content-based professional 

7 development activities. 

8 ‘‘(j) REPORT BY ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS.—Each 

9 eligible partnership receiving a subgrant under this section 

10 shall report annually, for each year of the subgrant, to 

11 the State educational agency regarding the eligible part12 nership’s progress in meeting the objectives described in 

13 the accountability plan of the eligible partnership under 

14 subsection (i). 

15 ‘‘SEC. 5623. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION GRANT PRO16 GRAM TO HELP BUILD NATIONAL CAPACITY. 

17 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

18 ‘‘(1) to strengthen environmental education as 

19 an integral part of the elementary school and sec20 ondary school curriculum; and 

21 ‘‘(2) to disseminate information about best 

22 practices and resources available to support environ23 mental literacy programs. 

24 ‘‘(b) GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 


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

2 to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 

3 partnerships to enable the eligible partnerships to 

4 pay the Federal share of the costs of activities under 

5 this section. 

6 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—Each grant under this sec7 tion shall be for a period of not less than 1 year and 

8 not more than 3 years. 

9 ‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this 

10 section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible 

11 partnerships that include a high-need local edu12 cational agency. 

13 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—Each eligible partnership desir14 ing a grant under this section shall submit to the Sec15 retary an application that contains— 

16 ‘‘(1) a plan to initiate, expand, or improve envi17 ronmental education programs in order to make 

18 progress toward meeting— 

19 ‘‘(A) challenging State academic content 

20 standards and student academic achievement 

21 standards in environmental education, to the 

22 extent such standards exist; and 

23 ‘‘(B) academic standards that are aligned 

24 with the State’s environmental literacy plan; 

25 and 


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1 ‘‘(2) an evaluation and accountability plan for 

2 activities assisted under this section that includes 

3 rigorous objectives that measure the impact of ac4 tivities funded under this section. 

5 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Grant funds made available 

6 under this section shall be used for 1 or more of the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(1) Developing and implementing State cur9 riculum frameworks for environmental education 

10 that meet— 

11 ‘‘(A) challenging State academic content 

12 standards and student academic achievement 

13 standards for environmental education, to the 

14 extent such standards exist; and 

15 ‘‘(B) academic standards that are aligned 

16 with the State’s environmental literacy plan 

17 under section 5622. 

18 ‘‘(2) Replicating or disseminating information 

19 about proven and tested model environmental edu20 cation programs that— 

21 ‘‘(A) use the environment as an integrating 

22 theme or content throughout the curriculum; or 

23 ‘‘(B) provide integrated, interdisciplinary 

24 instruction about natural, social, and economic 

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1 vides students with opportunities to directly ex2 perience nature in ways designed to improve 

3 students’ overall academic performance, per4 sonal health (including addressing child obesity 

5 issues), and understanding of nature. 

6 ‘‘(3) Developing and implementing new ap7 proaches to advancing environmental education, and 

8 to advancing the adoption and use of environmental 

9 education content standards, at the State and local 

10 levels. 

11 ‘‘(e) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP REPORT.—In order to 

12 continue receiving grant funds under this section after the 

13 first year of a multiyear grant under this section, the eligi14 ble partnership shall submit to the Secretary an annual 

15 report that— 

16 ‘‘(1) describes the activities assisted under this 

17 section that were conducted during the preceding 

18 year; 

19 ‘‘(2) demonstrates that progress has been made 

20 in helping schools to meet the State academic stand21 ards for environmental education described in sub22 section (d)(3); and 

23 ‘‘(3) describes the results of the eligible part24 nership’s evaluation and accountability plan. 

25 ‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of a 

2 grant under this section shall not exceed— 

3 ‘‘(A) 90 percent of the total costs of the 

4 activities assisted under the grant for the first 

5 year for which the program receives assistance 

6 under this section; and 

7 ‘‘(B) 75 percent of such costs for each of 

8 the second and third years. 

9 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Not more 

10 than 7.5 percent of the grant funds made available 

11 to an eligible partnership under this section for any 

12 fiscal year may be used for administrative expenses. 

13 ‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Amounts made 

14 available to the Secretary to carry out this section 

15 shall remain available until expended. 

16 ‘‘(g) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds made 

17 available under this section shall be used to supplement, 

18 and not supplant, any other Federal, State, or local funds 

19 available for environmental education activities. 

20 ‘‘SEC. 5624. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

21 ‘‘Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

22 of the No Child Left Inside Act of 2015 and every 2 years 

23 thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress 

24 that— 


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1 ‘‘(1) describes the programs assisted under this 

2 subpart; 

3 ‘‘(2) documents the success of such programs in 

4 improving national and State environmental edu5 cation capacity; and 

6 ‘‘(3) makes such recommendations as the Sec7 retary determines appropriate for the continuation 

8 and improvement of the programs assisted under 

9 this subpart. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 5625. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be 

12 appropriated to carry out this subpart such sums as may 

13 be necessary for fiscal year 2016 and each of the 4 suc14 ceeding fiscal years. 

15 ‘‘(b) DISTRIBUTION.—With respect to any amount 

16 appropriated under subsection (a) for a fiscal year, the 

17 Secretary shall use— 

18 ‘‘(1) not less than 70 percent of such amount 

19 to carry out section 5622; and 

20 ‘‘(2) not more than 30 percent of such amount 

21 to carry out section 5623 for such fiscal year.’’. 

22 SEC. 102. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

23 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

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1 ceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘(except for subpart 

2 22)’’ after ‘‘this part’’. 

3 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents in 

4 section 2 is amended by inserting after the item relating 

5 to section 5618 the following: 

‘‘SUBPART 22—ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY

‘‘Sec. 5621. Definitions. 

‘‘Sec. 5622. Grants for implementation of environmental literacy plans. 

‘‘Sec. 5623. Environmental education grant program to help build national capacity. 

‘‘Sec. 5624. Report to Congress. 

‘‘Sec. 5625. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 

6 TITLE II—PROMOTING ENVIRON7 MENTAL LITERACY IN EDU8 CATION PROGRAMS 

9 SEC. 201. AMENDMENTS TO PART B OF TITLE II. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2201(b)(1)(B) (20 

11 U.S.C. 6661(b)(1)(B)) is amended— 

12 (1) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘or’’; 

13 (2) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the 

14 end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

16 ‘‘(v) a Federal, State, regional, or 

17 local science, environmental, or natural re18 source management agency or a nonprofit 

19 environmental education organization that 

20 has demonstrated effectiveness in improv21 ing the quality of mathematics and science 

22 instruction.’’. 


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1 (b) GRANTS.—Section 2202 (20 U.S.C. 6662) is 

2 amended— 

3 (1) in subsection (b)(2)(B), by inserting ‘‘, in4 cluding any State environmental literacy plan de5 scribed in section 5621,’’ after ‘‘reform activities’’; 

6 and 

7 (2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(11) Professional development in the use of 

10 field-based or service learning to enable teachers— 

11 ‘‘(A) to use the local environment and 

12 community as a resource; and 

13 ‘‘(B) to enhance student understanding of 

14 mathematics and science through environmental 

15 education.’’. 

16 SEC. 202. AMENDMENTS TO PART B OF TITLE IV. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 4201(b)(1)(A) (20 

18 U.S.C. 7171(b)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘environ19 mental literacy,’’ after ‘‘technology,’’. 

20 (b) LOCAL ACTIVITIES.—Section 4205(a) (20 U.S.C. 

21 7175(a)) is amended— 

22 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through 

23 (12) as paragraphs (5) through (13), respectively; 

24 and 


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1 (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(4) environmental literacy activities;’’. 

4 TITLE III—NATIONAL 

5 ACTIVITIES 

6 SEC. 301. AVAILABILITY OF OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL LIT7 ERACY INFORMATION. 

8 (a) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL LIT9 ERACY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.—The Secretary of Edu10 cation shall request that all Federal agencies provide in11 formation on any environmental literacy assistance pro12 gram operated, sponsored, or supported by such Federal 

13 agency, including information about the application proce14 dures, financial terms and conditions, and other relevant 

15 information for each program, and each Federal agency 

16 shall promptly respond to surveys or other requests from 

17 the Secretary of Education for the information described 

18 in this subsection. 

19 (b) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—The Secretary of Edu20 cation shall ensure that not later than 90 days after the 

21 Secretary of Education receives the information required 

22 under subsection (a), the eligibility requirements, applica23 tion procedures, financial terms and conditions, and other 

24 relevant information for each environmental literacy as25 sistance program offered by another Federal agency are 


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1 searchable and accessible through the Department of Edu2 cation’s website and cross-referenced with the United 

3 States Green Ribbon School application information, in a 

4 manner that is simple and understandable for local edu5 cational agencies and communities. 

6 SEC. 302. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY COORDINATION ON EN7 VIRONMENTAL LITERACY. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall 

9 coordinate environmental literacy activities between the 

10 Department of Education, the Environmental Protection 

11 Agency, the Department of the Interior, and the Depart12 ment of Commerce, including by carrying out the activities 

13 described in subsection (b). 

14 (b) COORDINATION ACTIVITIES.—In coordinating en15 vironmental literacy activities, the Secretary of Education 

16 shall— 

17 (1) assess current Federal environmental edu18 cation programs, goals, and budget items across 

19 agencies; 

20 (2) assess environment-based science, tech21 nology, engineering, and mathematics achievement 

22 to demonstrate that learning about and in the envi23 ronment is an effective strategy for increasing en24 gagement in learning and academic achievement in 


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1 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

2 subject areas; and 

3 (3) produce adaptable environmental literacy 

4 plan guidelines and identify coordinated resources 

5 across Federal agencies that States and local edu6 cational agencies can follow as States and local edu7 cational agencies work to develop environmental lit8 eracy plans and programs of their own. 

9 (c) ADVISORY PANEL.—The Secretary of Education 

10 shall appoint an advisory panel of stakeholders, including 

11 representatives from State educational agencies, local edu12 cational agencies, businesses, and nonprofit organizations 

13 that are engaged in local environmental literacy efforts 

14 representing the geographic, economic, and cultural diver15 sity of the United States, who shall meet quarterly to ad16 vise and support interagency planning and assessment re17 garding environmental literacy activities. 

18 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

19 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 

20 thereafter, the Secretary of Education, the Administrator 

21 of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of 

22 the Interior, and the Secretary of Commerce shall prepare 

23 and submit a joint report to Congress containing informaVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:34 Feb 24, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S492.IS S492

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1 tion about the coordination of environmental literacy ac2 tivities between Federal agencies. 

Æ 


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