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107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2045
To authorize the National Science Foundation to provide grants to support
research projects in science and technology at secondary schools, and
for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 26 (legislative day, MAY 25), 2001
Mr. MATHESON (for himself, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland,
Mr. UDALL of Colorado, and Mr. LANTOS) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To authorize the National Science Foundation to provide
grants to support research projects in science and tech-
nology at secondary schools, 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 ‘‘Research in Secondary
Schools Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The quality of education in science, mathe-
matics, and engineering is the foundation of the Na-
tion’s future security and prosperity.
(2) In international tests, American secondary
school students score lower in science and mathe-
matics than their peers in other developed countries.
(3) The number of undergraduate degrees
awarded to American students in the physical
sciences, mathematics and computer science, and en-
gineering has been static or has declined over the
past decade, while projected demand for scientists
and engineers is predicted to increase four times
faster than overall job growth over the next ten
years.
(4) New initiatives are required to stimulate the
interest of students in science, mathematics, and
technology and to help prepare them to succeed in
the college courses required for careers in these
fields.
(5) Hands-on research experiences have been
proven to be effective in stimulating student interest
in science, mathematics, and technology, in building
confidence in the scientific method and problem solv-
ing, and in strengthening understanding of scientific
concepts.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act—
(1) the term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of
the National Science Foundation;
(2) the term ‘‘institution of higher education’’
has the meaning given that term in section 101 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001); and
(3) the term ‘‘science teacher’’ means a science,
mathematics, or technology teacher at the secondary
school level.
SEC. 4. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director is authorized to es-
tablish a program to improve science, mathematics, and
technology education in secondary schools through awards
to institutions of higher education for the support of re-
search projects in science and technology at secondary
schools. Awards shall be made to institutions of higher
education through a competitive process on the basis of
merit in accordance with the guidelines, procedures, and
criteria established under subsection (c).
(b) RESEARCH PROJECTS.—Awards provided under
this section shall be used by the recipient institutions to—
(1) provide training for science teachers in the
design of research investigations and in the prepara-
tion of research project proposals;
(2) establish requirements for the contents and
procedures for the submission to the institution of
higher education of proposals for research projects;
(3) establish guidelines, standards, and proce-
dures for the selection of proposals for funding on
the basis of merit and following a competitive review
process;
(4) provide grants to secondary schools for im-
plementing research projects;
(5) develop general guidelines for use by science
teachers in implementing research projects, includ-
ing requirements for the reporting of research re-
sults;
(6) provide stipends for graduate students to
serve as advisors and consultants for research
projects that include such a role for such graduate
students; and
(7) assess the educational value of the research
projects, including by means of tracking—
(A) the academic performance in science,
mathematics, and technology of the partici-
pating students; and
(B) the undergraduate majors later se-
lected by students who have participated in a
research project supported under this Act.
(c) GUIDELINES, PROCEDURES, AND CRITERIA.—
The Director shall establish and publish application and
selection guidelines, procedures, and criteria for awards
under the program established under subsection (a).
(d) PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS.—Each application
for an award under the program established under sub-
section (a) shall—
(1) provide for collaboration between education
faculty and mathematics, engineering, or science fac-
ulty at the institution of higher education;
(2) include a plan for satisfying the require-
ments of subsection (b), including a description of
the process to be used for soliciting proposals for re-
search projects and an estimate of the number of re-
search projects to be supported;
(3) specify the number of graduate students ex-
pected to receive support in accordance with sub-
section (b)(6); and
(4) identify sources of non-Federal funding for
the proposed program in amounts at least equal to
the amount of the award sought under this section.
SEC. 5. COORDINATION.
The Director shall ensure that coordination and in-
formation exchange, including by means of the Internet,
occur on a continuing basis among awardees under this
Act.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na-
tional Science Foundation to carry out this Act
$2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2002, 2003, and 2004.
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