I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 611
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 14, 2001
Mr. KILDEE (for himself, Mr. CASTLE, and Mr. GEORGE MILLER of Cali-
fornia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on
International Relations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
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.
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 ‘‘Education for Democ-
racy Act’’.
SEC. 2. CIVIC EDUCATION.
Part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8141 et seq.) is amend-
ed to read as follows:
‘‘PART F—CIVIC EDUCATION
‘‘SEC. 10601. SHORT TITLE.
‘‘This part may be cited as the ‘Education for De-
mocracy Act’.
‘‘SEC. 10602. FINDINGS.
‘‘The Congress finds that—
‘‘(1) college freshmen surveyed in 1999 by the
Higher Education Research Institute at the Univer-
sity of California at Los Angeles demonstrated high-
er levels of disengagement, both academically and
politically, than any previous entering class of stu-
dents;
‘‘(2) college freshmen in 1999 demonstrated the
lowest levels of political interest in the 20-year his-
tory of surveys conducted by the Higher Education
Research Institute at the University of California at
Los Angeles;
‘‘(3) United States secondary school students
expressed relatively low levels of interest in politics
and economics in a 1999 Harris survey;
‘‘(4) the 32d Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup
Poll of 2000 indicated that preparing students to be-
come responsible citizens was the most important
purpose of public schools;
‘‘(5) Americans surveyed by the Organization of
Economic Cooperation and Development indicated
that only 59 percent had confidence that schools
have a major effect on the development of good citi-
zenship;
‘‘(6) teachers too often do not have sufficient
expertise in the subjects that they teach, and half of
all secondary school history students in America are
being taught by teachers with neither a major nor
a minor in history;
‘‘(7) secondary school students correctly an-
swered less than half of the questions on a national
test of economic knowledge in a 1999 Harris survey;
‘‘(8) the 1998 National Assessment of Edu-
cational Progress indicated that students have only
superficial knowledge of, and lacked a depth of un-
derstanding regarding, civics;
‘‘(9) civic and economic education are impor-
tant not only to developing citizenship competencies
in the United States but also are critical to sup-
porting political stability and economic health in
other democracies, particularly emerging democratic
market economies;
‘‘(10) more than three quarters of Americans
surveyed by the National Constitution Center in
1997 admitted that they knew only some or very lit-
tle about the Constitution of the United States; and
‘‘(11) the Constitution of the United States is
too often viewed within the context of history and
not as a living document that shapes current events.
‘‘SEC. 10603. PURPOSE.
‘‘It is the purpose of this part—
‘‘(1) to improve the quality of civics and gov-
ernment education by educating students about the
history and principles of the Constitution of the
United States, including the Bill of Rights;
‘‘(2) to foster civic competence and responsi-
bility; and
‘‘(3) to improve the quality of civic education
and economic education through cooperative civic
education and economic education exchange pro-
grams with emerging democracies.
‘‘SEC. 10604. GENERAL AUTHORITY.
‘‘(a) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized
to award grants to or enter into contracts with—
‘‘(A) the Center for Civic Education to
carry out civic education activities under sec-
tions 10605 and 10606; and
‘‘(B) the National Council on Economic
Education to carry out economic education ac-
tivities under section 10606.
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall
award the grants and contracts under section 10606
in consultation with the Secretary of State.
‘‘(b) DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall use not
more than 50 percent of the amount appropriated under
section 10607(b) for each fiscal year to carry out economic
education activities under section 10606.
‘‘SEC. 10605. WE THE PEOPLE PROGRAM.
‘‘(a) THE CITIZEN AND THE CONSTITUTION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Center for Civic Edu-
cation shall use funds awarded under section
10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The Citizen and the
Constitution program in accordance with this sub-
section.
‘‘(2) EDUCATIONAL
ACTIVITIES.—The Citizen
and the Constitution program—
‘‘(A) shall continue and expand the edu-
cational activities of the ‘We the People . . .
The Citizen and the Constitution’ program ad-
ministered by the Center for Civic Education;
‘‘(B) shall enhance student attainment of
challenging content standards in civics and gov-
ernment;
‘‘(C) shall provide a course of instruction
on the basic principles of our Nation’s constitu-
tional democracy and the history of the Con-
stitution of the United States and the Bill of
Rights;
‘‘(D) shall provide, at the request of a par-
ticipating school, school and community simu-
lated congressional hearings following the
course of study;
‘‘(E) shall provide an annual national com-
petition of simulated congressional hearings for
secondary school students who wish to partici-
pate in such a program; and
‘‘(F) shall provide—
‘‘(i) advanced sustained and ongoing
training of teachers about the Constitution
of the United States and the political sys-
tem the United States created;
‘‘(ii) materials and methods of in-
struction, including teacher training, that
utilize the latest advancements in edu-
cational technology; and
‘‘(iii) civic education materials and
services to address specific problems such
as the prevention of school violence and the
abuse of drugs and alcohol.
‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY
OF
PROGRAM.—The edu-
cation program authorized under this subsection
shall be made available to public and private elemen-
tary schools and secondary schools, including Bu-
reau funded schools, in the 435 congressional dis-
tricts, and in the District of Columbia, the Common-
wealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Is-
lands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
‘‘(b) PROJECT CITIZEN.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Center for Civic Edu-
cation shall use funds awarded under section
10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The Project Citizen
program in accordance with this subsection.
‘‘(2) EDUCATIONAL
ACTIVITIES.—The Project
Citizen program—
‘‘(A) shall continue and expand the edu-
cational activities of the ‘We the People . . .
Project Citizen’ program administered by the
Center for Civic Education;
‘‘(B) shall enhance student attainment of
challenging content standards in civics and gov-
ernment;
‘‘(C) shall provide a course of instruction
at the middle school level on the roles of State
and local governments in the Federal system es-
tablished by the Constitution of the United
States;
‘‘(D) shall provide an annual national
showcase or competition; and
‘‘(E) shall provide—
‘‘(i) optional school and community
simulated State legislative hearings;
‘‘(ii) advanced sustained and ongoing
training of teachers on the roles of State
and local governments in the Federal sys-
tem established by the Constitution of the
United States;
‘‘(iii) materials and methods of in-
struction, including teacher training, that
utilize the latest advancements in edu-
cational technology; and
‘‘(iv) civic education materials and
services to address specific problems such
as the prevention of school violence and the
abuse of drugs and alcohol.
‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY
OF
PROGRAM.—The edu-
cation program authorized under this subsection
shall be made available to public and private middle
schools, including Bureau funded schools, in the 50
States of the United States, the District of Colum-
bia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United
States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Is-
lands.
‘‘(c) DEFINITION OF BUREAU FUNDED SCHOOL.—
In this section the term ‘Bureau funded school’ has the
meaning given the term in section 1146 of the Education
Amendments of 1978.
‘‘SEC. 10606. COOPERATIVE CIVIC EDUCATION AND ECO-
NOMIC EDUCATION EXCHANGE PROGRAMS.
‘‘(a) COOPERATIVE EDUCATION EXCHANGE PRO-
GRAMS.—The Center for Civic Education and the National
Council on Economic Education shall use funds awarded
under section 10604(a)(1) to carry out Cooperative Edu-
cation Exchange programs in accordance with this section.
fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be necessary for
each of the fiscal years 2003 through 2006.
‘‘(b) SECTION 10606.—There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out section 10606, $12,000,000 for
fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be necessary for
each of the fiscal years 2003 through 2006.’’.
SEC. 3. REPEAL.
Title VI of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (20
U.S.C. 5951 et seq.) is repealed.
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