IB 
Union Calendar No. 480 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3036 
[Report No. 110–754] 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding 
environmental education, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 12, 2007 
Mr. SARBANES introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and Labor 
JULY 10, 2008 
Additional sponsors: Mr. SAXTON, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. LOBIONDO, Ms. CLARKE, 
Mr. HARE, Mr. WU, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. 
PERLMUTTER, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. GRIJALVA, 
Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. KIND, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. SIRES, Mr. FARR, Mr. 
HONDA, Mr. BRALEY of Iowa, Mr. FILNER, Mr. CLAY, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. 
LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, 
Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. MCNERNEY, Ms. ESHOO, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. 
BERMAN, Mr. STARK, Mr. SESTAK, Mr. WYNN, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of 
California, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. REYES, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. DEGETTE, 
Mr. ETHERIDGE, Ms. LEE, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. OLVER, Mrs. CAPPS, 
Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. ALTMIRE, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 
Mr. HODES, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. YARMUTH, Ms. LINDA T. 
SA´NCHEZ of California, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. 
TIERNEY, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. HOLT, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. LOEBSACK, Mr. 
BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. CONYERS, and Mr. MEEKS 
of New York 
JULY 10, 2008 
Reported with amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House 
on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
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[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 July 12, 2007] 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 regarding environmental education, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Child Left Inside 
Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 
2. 
NATIONAL 
ENVIRONMENTAL 
EDUCATION 
ACT 
AMENDMENTS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3 of the National Environ-
mental Education Act (20 U.S.C. 5502) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (12), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (13), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(14) ‘principles of scientific research’ means 
principles of research that— 
‘‘(A) apply rigorous, systematic, and objec-
tive methodology to obtain reliable and valid 
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knowledge relevant to education activities and 
programs; 
‘‘(B) present findings and make claims that 
are appropriate to, and supported by, the meth-
ods that have been employed; and 
‘‘(C) include, appropriate to the research 
being conducted— 
‘‘(i) use of systematic, empirical meth-
ods that draw on observation or experiment; 
‘‘(ii) use of data analyses that are ade-
quate to support the general findings; 
‘‘(iii) reliance on measurements or ob-
servational methods that provide reliable 
and generalizable findings; 
‘‘(iv) strong claims of causal relation-
ships, only with research designs that elimi-
nate plausible completing explanations for 
observed results, such as, but not limited to, 
random-assignment experiments; 
‘‘(v) presentation of studies and meth-
ods in sufficient detail and clarity to allow 
for replication or, at a minimum, to offer 
the opportunity to build systematically on 
the findings of the research; 
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‘‘(vi) acceptance by a peer-reviewed 
journal or critique by a panel of inde-
pendent experts through a comparably rig-
orous, objective, and scientific review; and 
‘‘(vii) consistency of findings across 
multiple studies or sites to support the gen-
erality of results and conclusions; 
‘‘(15) ‘scientifically valid research’ includes ap-
plied research, basic research, and field-initiated re-
search in which the rationale, design, and interpreta-
tion are soundly developed in accordance with prin-
ciples of scientific research; 
‘‘(16) ‘State’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965; and 
‘‘(17) ‘State educational agency’ has the mean-
ing given such term in section 9101 of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.’’. 
(b) ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING PRO-
GRAM.—Section 5 of the National Environmental Edu-
cation Act (20 U.S.C. 5504) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
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(i) by inserting ‘‘creating opportunities 
for enhanced and ongoing professional de-
velopment and’’ before ‘‘classroom’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘(including inte-
grating scientifically valid research teach-
ing methods and technology-based teaching 
methods into the curriculum)’’ after ‘‘prac-
tices’’; 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘curriculum, including’’ 
and inserting ‘‘curriculum (including’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘groups;’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘groups) which—’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) are aligned with challenging State and 
local academic content standards to the extent 
such standards exist; and 
‘‘(B) advance the teaching of interdiscipli-
nary courses that integrate the study of natural, 
social, and economic systems and that include 
strong field components;’’; 
(C) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and fo-
rums;’’ and inserting ‘‘forums, and bringing 
teachers into contact with working professionals 
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in environmental fields to expand such teachers’ 
subject matter knowledge of, and research in, en-
vironmental issues;’’; 
(D) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 
and inserting ‘‘, including environmental edu-
cation distance learning programs for teachers 
using curricula that are innovative, content- 
based, and based on scientifically valid research 
that is current as of the date of the program in-
volved;’’; 
(E) by redesignating paragraph (9) as 
paragraph (13); 
(F) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(4) 
through (8) as paragraphs (5) through (9), re-
spectively; 
(G) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) 
encouraging 
individuals 
traditionally 
under-represented in environmental careers to pursue 
postsecondary degrees in majors leading to such ca-
reers;’’; and 
(H) by inserting after paragraph (9) (as so 
redesignated) the following: 
‘‘(10) establishment of programs to prepare 
teachers at a school to provide environmental edu-
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cation professional development to other teachers at 
the school and programs to promote outdoor environ-
mental education activities as part of the regular 
school curriculum and schedule in order to further the 
knowledge and development of teachers and students; 
‘‘(11) summer workshops or institutes, including 
follow-up training, for elementary and secondary 
school environmental education teachers; 
‘‘(12) encouraging mid-career environmental 
professionals to pursue careers in environmental edu-
cation; and’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)(1), by inserting ‘‘, in con-
sultation with the Secretary,’’ after ‘‘Administrator’’. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION.—Section 11(a) of the National 
Environmental Education Act (20 U.S.C. 5510(a)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘Act’’ and all that follows through the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘Act, except for section 11, 
$14,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.’’. 
(d) NATIONAL CAPACITY ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION 
GRANT PROGRAM; ACCOUNTABILITY.—The National Envi-
ronmental Education Act (20 U.S.C. 5501 et seq.) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 11 as section 13; 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 10 the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 11. NATIONAL CAPACITY ENVIRONMENTAL EDU-
CATION GRANT PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized 
to award grants, on a competitive basis, to nonprofit 
organizations, State educational agencies, local edu-
cational agencies, or institutions of higher education 
that have demonstrated expertise and experience in 
the development of the institutional, financial, intel-
lectual, or policy resources needed to help the field of 
environmental education become more effective and 
widely practiced. Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of this section, a State educational agency, a 
local educational agency, an institution of higher edu-
cation, or a not-for-profit organization may use funds 
provided under this section to coordinate with any 
program or unit operated by a Federal Natural Re-
source Management Agency to carry out environ-
mental education programs based on the full range of 
the resources and mission of the Agency. 
‘‘(2) DURATION.—The Secretary shall award 
each grant under this section for a period of not less 
than 1 year and not more than 3 years. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—Grant funds made available 
under this section shall be used for 1 or more of the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(1) Developing and implementing challenging 
State academic content standards, student academic 
achievement standards, and State curriculum frame-
works in environmental education, including the need 
to balance conservation of the environment with the 
development of the Nation’s energy resources. 
‘‘(2) Replicating or disseminating information 
about proven and tested model environmental edu-
cation programs that— 
‘‘(A) use the environment as an integrating 
theme or content throughout the curriculum; 
‘‘(B) provide integrated, interdisciplinary 
instruction about natural, social, and economic 
systems along with field experience that provides 
students with opportunities to directly experience 
nature in ways designed to improve overall aca-
demic performance, self-esteem, personal respon-
sibility, community involvement, personal health 
(including addressing child obesity issues), or 
their understanding of nature; 
‘‘(C) provide integrated instruction on 
waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting 
programs and, when possible, promote such ac-
tivities within the school; or 
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‘‘(D) address issues of environmental jus-
tice, including policies and methods for elimi-
nating disparate enforcement of environmental 
laws and regulations with respect to minority 
and low-income communities, with particular 
attention to the development of environmental 
justice curriculum at the middle and high school 
level. 
‘‘(3) Developing and implementing new policy 
approaches to advancing environmental education at 
the State and national level. 
‘‘(4) Conducting studies of national significance 
that— 
‘‘(A) evaluate the effectiveness of teaching 
environmental education as a separate subject, 
and as an integrating concept or theme; 
‘‘(B) evaluate the effectiveness of using envi-
ronmental education in helping students improve 
their assessment scores in mathematics, reading 
or language arts, science, and the other core aca-
demic subjects; or 
‘‘(C) evaluate ways to coordinate activities 
under this Act with existing Federal science 
teacher in-service training or professional devel-
opment programs. 
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‘‘(5) Executing projects that advance widespread 
State and local educational agency adoption and use 
of environmental education content standards, includ-
ing adoption and use of such standards in textbook 
selection criteria. 
‘‘(6) Developing a State environmental literacy 
plan that includes the following: 
‘‘(A) A description of how the State edu-
cational agency will measure the environmental 
literacy of students, including— 
‘‘(i) relevant State academic content 
standards and content areas regarding envi-
ronmental education, and courses or sub-
jects where environmental education in-
struction will take place; and 
‘‘(ii) a description of the relationship 
of the plan to the secondary school gradua-
tion requirements of the State. 
‘‘(B) A description of programs for profes-
sional development for teachers to improve the 
teachers’— 
‘‘(i) environmental content knowledge; 
‘‘(ii) skill in teaching about environ-
mental issues; and 
‘‘(iii) field-based pedagogical skills. 
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