103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1804
AN ACT
To improve learning and teaching by providing a
national framework for education reform; to pro-
mote the research, consensus building, and sys-
temic changes needed to ensure equitable edu-
cational opportunities and high levels of edu-
cational achievement for all students; to provide
a framework for reauthorization of all Federal
education programs; to promote the development
and adoption of a voluntary national system of
skill standards and certifications; and for other
purposes.
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1804
AN ACT
To improve learning and teaching by providing a national
framework for education reform; to promote the research,
consensus building, and systemic changes needed to en-
sure equitable educational opportunities and high levels
of educational achievement for all students; to provide
a framework for reauthorization of all Federal education
programs; to promote the development and adoption of
a voluntary national system of skill standards and certifi-
cations; 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 ‘‘Goals 2000: Educate
America Act’’.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to provide a framework
for meeting the National Education Goals established by
title I of this Act by—
(1) promoting coherent, nationwide, systemic
education reform;
(2) improving the quality of learning and teach-
ing in the classroom and in the workplace;
(3) defining appropriate and coherent Federal,
State, and local roles and responsibilities for edu-
cation reform and lifelong learning;
(4) establishing valid, reliable, and fair mecha-
nisms for—
(A) building a broad national consensus on
American education reform;
(B) assisting in the development and cer-
tification of high-quality, internationally com-
petitive content and student performance stand-
ards;
(C) assisting in the development and cer-
tification of opportunity-to-learn standards; and
(D) assisting in the development and cer-
tification of high-quality assessment measures
that reflect the internationally competitive con-
tent and student performance standards;
(5) supporting new initiatives at the Federal,
State, local, and school levels to provide equal edu-
cational opportunity for all students to meet high
standards and to succeed in the world of employ-
ment and civic participation;
(6) providing a framework for the reauthoriza-
tion of all Federal education programs by—
(A) creating a vision of excellence and eq-
uity that will guide all Federal education and
related programs;
(B) providing for the establishment of
high-quality, internationally competitive content
and student performance standards that all stu-
dents will be expected to achieve;
(C) providing for the establishment of high
quality, internationally competitive opportunity-
to-learn standards that all States, local edu-
cational agencies, and schools should achieve;
(D) encouraging and enabling all State
educational agencies and local educational agen-
cies to develop comprehensive improvement
plans that will provide a coherent framework
for the implementation of reauthorized Federal
education and related programs in an inte-
grated fashion that effectively educates all chil-
dren enabling them to participate fully as work-
ers, parents, and citizens; and
(E) providing resources to help individual
schools, including those serving students with
high needs, develop and implement comprehen-
sive improvement plans;
(7) stimulating the development and adoption
of a voluntary national system of skill standards and
certification to serve as a cornerstone of the national
strategy to enhance workforce skills; and
(8) assisting every elementary and secondary
school that receives funds under this Act to actively
involve parents and families in supporting the aca-
demic work of their children at home and in provid-
ing parents with skills to advocate for their children
at school.
TITLE I—NATIONAL EDUCATION
GOALS
SEC. 101. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this title is to establish national edu-
cation goals.
SEC. 102. NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS.
The Congress declares that the National Education
Goals are the following:
(1) SCHOOL
READINESS.—(A) By the year
2000, all children in America will start school ready
to learn.
(B) The objectives for this goal are that—
(i) all children will have access to high-
quality and developmentally appropriate pre-
school programs that help prepare children for
school;
(ii) every parent in America will be a
child’s first teacher and devote time each day to
helping his or her preschool child learn, and
parents will have access to the training and
support they need; and
(iii) all children will receive the nutrition
and health care needed to arrive at school with
healthy minds and bodies, and to maintain the
mental alertness necessary to be prepared to
learn, and the number of low-birthweight babies
will be significantly reduced through enhanced
prenatal health systems.
(2) SCHOOL
COMPLETION.—(A) By the year
2000, the high school graduation rate will increase
to at least 90 percent.
(B) The objectives for this goal are that—
(i) the Nation must dramatically reduce its
dropout rate, and 75 percent of those students
who do drop out will successfully complete a
high school degree or its equivalent; and
(ii) the gap in high school graduation rates
between American students from minority back-
grounds and their non-minority counterparts
will be eliminated.
(3) STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT
AND
CITIZEN-
SHIP.—(A) By the year 2000, all students will leave
grades 4, 8, and 12 having demonstrated com-
petency over challenging subject matter including
English, mathematics, science, foreign languages,
civics and government, arts, history, and geography,
and every school in America will ensure that all stu-
dents learn to use their minds well, so they may be
prepared for responsible citizenship, further learn-
ing, and productive employment in our modern econ-
omy.
(B) The objectives for this goal are that—
(i) the academic performance of all stu-
dents at the elementary and secondary level will
increase significantly in every quartile, and the
distribution of minority students in each level
will more closely reflect the student population
as a whole;
(ii) the percentage of all students who
demonstrate the ability to reason, solve prob-
lems, apply knowledge, and write and commu-
nicate effectively will increase substantially;
(iii) all students will be involved in activi-
ties that promote and demonstrate good citizen-
ship, community service, and personal respon-
sibility;
(iv) all students will have access to phys-
ical education and health education to ensure
they are healthy and fit;
(v) the percentage of all students who are
competent in more than one language will sub-
stantially increase; and
(vi) all students will be knowledgeable
about the diverse cultural heritage of this Na-
tion and about the world community.
(4) TEACHER EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.—(A) By the year 2000, the Na-
tion’s teaching force will have access to programs for
the continued improvement of their professional
skills and the opportunity to acquire the knowledge
and skills needed to instruct and prepare all Amer-
ican students for the next century.
(B) The objectives of this goal are that—
(i) every State will establish opportunity-
to-learn standards and create an integrated
strategy to attract, recruit, prepare, retrain,
and support the continued professional develop-
ment of teachers, administrators, and other
educators, so that there is a highly talented
workforce of professional educators to teach
challenging standards;
(ii) subgrants for preservice teacher edu-
cation and professional development activity will
be made to local educational agencies, institu-
tions of higher education, private nonprofit or-
ganizations, or consortia of such organizations,
to support continuing, sustained, professional
development activities for all educators; and
(iii) partnerships shall be established,
whenever possible, between local educational
agencies, institutions of higher education, local
labor, business, and professional associations to
provide and support programs for the profes-
sional development of educators, particularly in
the area of emerging new technologies in edu-
cation.
(5) MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE.—(A) By the
year 2000, United States students will be first in the
world in mathematics and science achievement.
(B) The objectives for this goal are that—
(i) math and science education, including
the metric system of measurement, will be
strengthened throughout the system, especially
in the early grades;
(ii) the number of teachers with a sub-
stantive 
background 
in 
mathematics 
and
science, including the metric system of meas-
urement, will increase by 50 percent; and
(iii) the number of United States under-
graduate and graduate students, especially
women and minorities, who complete degrees in
mathematics, science, and engineering will in-
crease significantly.
(6) ADULT LITERACY AND LIFELONG LEARN-
ING.—(A) By the year 2000, every adult American
will be literate and will possess the knowledge and
skills necessary to compete in a global economy and
exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
(B) The objectives for this goal are that—
(i) every major American business will be
involved in strengthening the connection be-
tween education and work;
(ii) all workers will have the opportunity to
acquire the knowledge and skills, from basic to
highly technical, needed to adapt to emerging
new technologies, work methods, and markets
through public and private educational, voca-
tional, technical, workplace, or other programs;
(iii) the number of quality programs, in-
cluding those at libraries, that are designed to
serve more effectively the needs of the growing
number of part-time and midcareer students
will increase substantially;
(iv) the proportion of those qualified stu-
dents, especially minorities, who enter college,
who complete at least two years, and who com-
plete their degree programs will increase sub-
stantially;
(v) the proportion of college graduates who
demonstrate an advanced ability to think criti-
cally, communicate effectively, and solve prob-
lems will increase substantially; and
(vi) schools, in implementing comprehen-
sive parent involvement programs, will offer
more adult literacy, parent training and life-
long learning opportunities to improve the ties
between home and school, and enhance parents’
work and home lives.
(7) SAFE, 
DISCIPLINED, 
AND
DRUG-FREE
SCHOOLS.—(A) By the year 2000, every school in
America will be free of drugs and violence and will
offer a disciplined environment conducive to learn-
ing.
(B) The objectives for this goal are that—
(i) every school will implement a firm and
fair policy on use, possession, and distribution
of drugs and alcohol;
(ii) parents, businesses, and community or-
ganizations will work together to ensure the
rights of students to study in a safe and secure
environment that is free of drugs and crime;
(iii) every school district will develop a
comprehensive K–12 drug and alcohol preven-
tion education program. Drug and alcohol cur-
ricula should be taught as an integral part of
health education. In addition, community-based
teams should be organized to provide all stu-
dents and teachers with needed support; and
(iv) every school district will develop and
implement a policy to ensure that all schools
are free of weapons and violence.
(8) SCHOOL AND HOME PARTNERSHIP.—(A) By
the year 2000, every school and home will engage in
partnerships that will increase parental involvement
and participation in promoting the social, emotional,
and academic growth of children.
(B) The objectives for this goal are that—
(i) every State will develop policies to as-
sist local schools and local educational agencies
to establish programs for increasing partner-
ships that respond to the varying needs of par-
ents and the home, including parents of chil-
dren who are disadvantaged, bilingual, or dis-
abled;
(ii) every school will actively engage par-
ents and families in a partnership which sup-
ports the academic work of children at home
and shared educational decision making at
school;
(iii) every home will be responsible for cre-
ating an environment of respect for education
and providing the physical and emotional sup-
port needed for learning; and
(iv) parents and families will help to en-
sure that schools are adequately supported and
will hold schools and teachers to high standards
of accountability.
TITLE II—NATIONAL EDUCATION
REFORM, 
LEADERSHIP,
STANDARDS, 
AND 
ASSESS-
MENTS
PART A—NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL
SEC. 201. PURPOSE.
It is the purpose of this part to establish a bipartisan
mechanism for—
(1) building a national consensus for education
improvement;
(2) reporting on progress toward achieving the
National Education Goals; and
(3) reviewing the voluntary national content
and student performance standards and opportunity-
to-learn standards certified by the National Edu-
cation Standards and Improvement Council, as well
as the criteria for their certification, and the criteria
for the certification of State assessments by the Na-
tional Education Standards and Improvement Coun-
cil with the option of disapproving such standards
and criteria not later than 60 days after receipt
from such Council.
SEC. 202. NATIONAL EDUCATION GOALS PANEL.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the ex-
ecutive branch a National Education Goals Panel (referred
to in this Act as the ‘‘Goals Panel’’) to advise the Presi-
dent, the Secretary, and the Congress.
(b) COMPOSITION.—The Goals Panel shall be com-
posed of eighteen members (referred to in this part as
‘‘members’’), including—
(1) two members appointed by the President;
(2) eight members who are Governors, three of
whom shall be from the same political party as the
President and five of whom shall be of the opposite
political party of the President, appointed by the
Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the National
Governors’ Association, with each appointing rep-
resentatives of his or her respective political party,
in consultation with each other;
(3) four Members of Congress appointed as fol-
lows—
(A) one member appointed by the majority
leader of the Senate from among the Members
of the Senate;
(B) one member appointed by the minority
leader of the Senate from among the Members
of the Senate;
(C) one member appointed by the majority
leader of the House of Representatives from
among the Members of the House of Represent-
atives; and
(D) one member appointed by the minority
leader of the House of Representatives from
among the Members of the House of Represent-
atives; and
(4) four members of State legislatures ap-
pointed by the President of the National Conference
of State Legislatures, of whom not more than two
may be of the same political party as the President
of the United States.
(c) SPECIAL APPOINTMENT RULES.—(1) The mem-
bers appointed pursuant to subsection (b)(2) shall be ap-
pointed as follows:
(A) If the Chairperson of the National Gov-
ernors’ Association is from the same political party
as the President, the Chairperson shall appoint three
individuals and the Vice Chairperson shall appoint
five individuals.
(B) If the Chairperson of the National Gov-
ernors’ Association is from the opposite political
party as the President, the Chairperson shall ap-
point five individuals and the Vice Chairperson shall
appoint three individuals.
(2) If the National Governors’ Association has ap-
pointed a panel that meets the requirements of subsections
(b) and (c), except for the requirements of subsection
(b)(4), prior to the date of enactment of this title, then
the members serving on such panel shall be deemed to be
in compliance with subsections (b) and (c) and shall not
be required to be reappointed pursuant to such sub-
sections.
(3) To the extent feasible, the membership of the
Goals Panel shall be geographically representative and re-
flect the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the United
States.
(d) TERMS.—The terms of service of members shall
be as follows:
(1) Members appointed under subsection (b)(1)
shall serve at the pleasure of the President.
(2) Members appointed under subsection (b)(2)
shall serve a two-year term, except that the initial
appointments under such paragraph shall be made
to ensure staggered terms with one-half of such
members’ terms concluding every two years.
(3) Members appointed under subsection (b) (3)
and (4) shall serve a term of two years.
(e) DATE OF APPOINTMENT.—The initial members
shall be appointed not later than sixty days after the date
of enactment of this Act.
(f) INITIATION.—The Goals Panel may begin to carry
out its duties under this part when ten members of the
Goals Panel have been appointed.
(g) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Goals Panel shall
not affect the powers of the Goals Panel, but shall be filled
in the same manner as the original appointment.
(h) TRAVEL.—Each member may be allowed travel
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as au-
thorized by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code,
for each day the member is engaged in the performance
of duties away from the home or regular place of business
of the member.
(i) CHAIRPERSON.—From among the members, the
President shall appoint the Chairperson who shall serve
a one-year term and shall alternate between political par-
ties.
(j) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—A member of the Goals
Panel who is an elected official of a State which has devel-
oped content, student performance, or opportunity-to-
learn standards may not participate in Goals Panel consid-
eration of such standards.
(k) EX OFFICIO MEMBER.—If the President has not
appointed the Secretary of Education as 1 of the 2 mem-
bers he appoints pursuant to subsection (b)(1), then the
Secretary shall serve as a nonvoting ex officio member of
the Goals Panel.
SEC. 203. DUTIES.
(a) DUTIES.—The Goals Panel shall—
(1) report to the President, the Secretary, and
the Congress regarding the progress the Nation and
the States are making toward achieving the National
Education Goals established under title I of this Act,
including issuing an annual report;
(2) report on State opportunity-to-learn stand-
ards and the progress of States in meeting such
standards;
(3) review, after taking into consideration the
public comments received pursuant to section 216,
with the option of disapproving by a two-thirds ma-
jority vote of the full membership not later than 60
days after receipt of the—
(A) criteria developed by the National
Education Standards and Improvement Council
for the certification of content and student per-
formance standards, assessments, and oppor-
tunity-to-learn standards; and
(B) voluntary national content and student
performance standards and opportunity-to-learn
standards certified by the National Education
Standards and Improvement Council;
(4) report on promising or effective actions
being taken at the national, State, and local levels,
in the public and private sectors, to achieve the Na-
tional Education Goals; and
(5) help build a nationwide, bipartisan consen-
sus for the reforms necessary to achieve the Na-
tional Education Goals.
(b) REPORT.—(1) The Goals Panel shall annually
prepare and submit to the President, the Secretary, the
appropriate committees of Congress, and the Governor of
each State a report that shall—
(A) report on the progress of the United States
toward achieving the National Education Goals;
(B) identify actions that should be taken by
Federal, State, and local governments to enhance
progress toward achieving the National Education
Goals and State opportunity-to-learn standards; and
(C) report on State opportunity-to-learn stand-
ards and the progress of States in meeting such
standards.
(2) Reports shall be presented in a form, and include
data, that is understandable to parents and the general
public.
SEC. 204. POWERS OF THE GOALS PANEL.
(a) HEARINGS.—(1) The Goals Panel shall, for the
purpose of carrying out this part, conduct such hearings,
sit and act at such times and places, take such testimony,
and receive such evidence, as the Goals Panel considers
appropriate.
(2) In carrying out this part, the Goals Panel shall
conduct hearings to receive reports, views, and analyses
of a broad spectrum of experts and the public on the es-
tablishment of voluntary national content and student per-
formance standards, assessments, and opportunity-to-
learn standards.
(b) INFORMATION.—The Goals Panel may secure di-
rectly from any department or agency of the United States
information necessary to enable the Goals Panel to carry
out this part. Upon request of the Chairperson of the
Goals Panel, the head of a department or agency shall
furnish such information to the Goals Panel to the extent
permitted by law.
(c) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Goals Panel may use
the United States mail in the same manner and under the
same conditions as other departments and agencies of the
United States.
(d) USE OF FACILITIES.—The Goals Panel may, with
consent, use the research, equipment, services, and facili-
ties of any agency or instrumentality of the United States,
or of any State or political subdivision thereof.
(e) ADMINISTRATIVE
ARRANGEMENTS
AND
SUP-
PORT.—(1) The Secretary shall provide to the Goals
Panel, on a reimbursable basis, such administrative sup-
port services as the Goals Panel may request.
(2) The Secretary shall, to the extent appropriate,
and on a reimbursable basis, make contracts and other
arrangements that are requested by the Goals Panel to
help it compile and analyze data or carry out other func-
tions necessary to the performance of such responsibilities.
SEC. 205. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
(a) MEETINGS.—The Goals Panel shall meet on a
regular basis, as necessary, at the call of the Chairperson
of the Goals Panel or a majority of its members.
(b) QUORUM.—A majority of the members shall con-
stitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
(c) VOTING.—No individual may vote, or exercise any
of the powers of a member, by proxy.
(d) PUBLIC ACCESS.—The Goals Panel shall ensure
public access to its proceedings (other than proceedings,
or portions of proceedings, relating to internal personnel
and management matters) and make available to the pub-
lic, at reasonable cost, transcripts of such proceedings.
SEC. 206. DIRECTOR AND STAFF; EXPERTS AND CONSULT-
ANTS.
(a) DIRECTOR.—The Chairperson of the Goals Panel
shall, without regard to the provisions of title 5, United
States Code, relating to the appointment and compensa-
tion of officers or employees of the United States, appoint
a Director to be paid at a rate not to exceed the rate of
basic pay payable for level V of the Executive Schedule.
(b) APPOINTMENT
AND PAY
OF EMPLOYEES.—
(1)(A) The Director may appoint not more than four addi-
tional employees to serve as staff to the Goals Panel with-
out regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code,
governing appointments in the competitive service.
(B) The employees appointed under paragraph (1)(A)
may be paid without regard to the provisions of chapter
51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of that title relating
to classification and General Schedule pay rates, but shall
not be paid a rate that exceeds the maximum rate of basic
pay payable for GS–15 of the General Schedule.
(2) The Director may appoint additional employees
to serve as staff to the Goals Panel consistent with title
5, United States Code.
(c) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—The Goals Panel
may procure temporary and intermittent services of ex-
perts and consultants under section 3109(b) of title 5,
United States Code.
(d) STAFF OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Upon the re-
quest of the Goals Panel, the head of any department or
agency of the United States may detail any of the person-
nel of such agency to the Goals Panel to assist the Goals
Panel in its duties under this part.
SEC. 207. EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSESSMENT.
(a) GENERAL.—(1) The Goals Panel shall support
the work of its Resource and Technical Planning Groups
on School Readiness (referred to in this section as the
Groups) to improve the methods of assessing the readiness
of children for school that would lead to alternatives to
currently used norm-referenced early childhood assess-
ments.
(2) The Groups shall—
(A) create clear guidelines regarding the na-
ture, functions, and uses of early childhood assess-
ments, including a model of school readiness that
addresses a broad range of early childhood devel-
opmental needs;
(B) monitor and evaluate early childhood as-
sessments, including the ability of existing assess-
ments to provide valid information on the readiness
of children for school; and
(C) monitor and report on the long-term collec-
tion of data on the status of young children to im-
prove policy and practice, including the need for new
sources of data necessary to assess the broad range
of early childhood developmental needs.
(b) ADVICE.—The Groups shall advise and assist the
Congress, the Secretary, the Goals Panel, and others re-
garding how to improve the assessment of young children
and how such assessments can improve services to chil-
dren.
(c) REPORT.—The Goals Panel shall provide reports
on the work of the Groups to the Congress, the Secretary,
and the public.
PART B—NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS
AND IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL
SEC. 211. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this part is to establish a mechanism
to—
(1) certify and regularly review voluntary na-
tional content and student performance standards
that define what all students should know and be
able to do;
(2) certify content and student performance
standards submitted by States on a voluntary basis,
if such standards are of equal or higher quality to
the voluntary national content and student perform-
ance standards certified by the National Education
Standards and Improvement Council;
(3) certify and regularly review voluntary na-
tional opportunity-to-learn standards that describe
the conditions of teaching and learning necessary for
all students to have a fair opportunity to achieve the
knowledge and skills described in the voluntary na-
tional content and student performance standards
certified by the National Education Standards and
Improvement Council;
(4) certify opportunity-to-learn standards sub-
mitted by States on a voluntary basis, if such stand-
ards are of equal or higher quality as compared with
the voluntary national opportunity-to-learn stand-
ards; and
(5) certify assessment systems submitted by
States on a voluntary basis, if such systems are
aligned with State content standards certified by the
National Education Standards and Improvement
Council and if such systems are valid, reliable, and
consistent with relevant, nationally recognized, pro-
fessional and technical standards for assessment
when used for their intended purposes.
SEC. 212. NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS AND IM-
PROVEMENT COUNCIL.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the ex-
ecutive branch a National Education Standards and Im-
provement Council (referred to in this title as the
‘‘Council’’).
(b) COMPOSITION.—The Council shall be composed
of twenty members (referred to in this part as ‘‘mem-
bers’’) who shall be appointed as follows:
(1) 8 members (2 from each of subparagraphs
(A) through (D) of subsection (c)(1)) shall be ap-
pointed by the President;
(2) 4 members (1 from each of subparagraphs
(A) through (D) of subsection (c)(1)) shall be ap-
pointed by the Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives, in consultation with the majority and minority
leaders of the House;
(3) 4 members (1 from each of subparagraphs
(A) through (D) of subsection (c)(1)) shall be ap-
pointed by the majority leader of the Senate, in con-
sultation with the minority leader of the Senate; and
voluntary national content standards certified by the
Council.
(2) The voluntary national opportunity-to-learn
standards certified by the Council shall address—
(A) the quality and availability of curricula, in-
structional materials, and technologies, including
distance learning, to all students;
(B) the capability of teachers to provide high-
quality instruction to meet diverse learning needs in
each content area to all students;
(C) the extent to which teachers, principals,
and administrators have ready and continuing access
to professional development, including the best
knowledge about teaching, learning, and school im-
provement;
(D) the extent to which curriculum, instruc-
tional practices, and assessments are aligned to con-
tent standards;
(E) the extent to which school facilities provide
a safe and secure environment for learning and in-
struction and have the requisite libraries, labora-
tories, and other resources necessary to provide an
opportunity to learn;