IIB 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4481 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
AN ACT 
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide 
assistance for developing countries to promote quality 
basic education and to establish the goal of all children 
in school and learning as an objective of the United 
States foreign assistance policy, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Education for All Act of 2016’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress. 
Sec. 3. Assistance to promote sustainable, quality basic education. 
Sec. 4. Comprehensive integrated United States strategy to promote basic edu-
cation. 
Sec. 5. Improving coordination and oversight. 
Sec. 6. Monitoring and evaluation of programs. 
Sec. 7. Transparency and reporting to Congress. 
Sec. 8. Definitions. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) education lays the foundation for increased 
civic participation, democratic governance, sustained 
economic growth, and healthier, more stable soci-
eties; 
(2) it is in the national interest of the United 
States to promote access to sustainable, quality uni-
versal basic education in developing countries; 
(3) United States resources and leadership 
should be utilized in a manner that best ensures a 
successful international effort to provide children in 
developing countries with a quality basic education 
in order to achieve the goal of quality universal basic 
education; and 
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continuity of education, measurably improve 
teacher skills and learning outcomes, and sup-
port the engagement of parents in the edu-
cation of their children, so that all children, in-
cluding marginalized children and other vulner-
able groups, may have access to and benefit 
from quality basic education; and 
‘‘(B) promote education as a foundation 
for sustained economic growth and development 
within a holistic assistance strategy that places 
partner countries on a trajectory toward grad-
uation from assistance provided under this sec-
tion and contributes to improved— 
‘‘(i) early childhood development; 
‘‘(ii) life skills and workforce develop-
ment; 
‘‘(iii) economic opportunity; 
‘‘(iv) gender parity; 
‘‘(v) food and nutrition security; 
‘‘(vi) water, sanitation, and hygiene; 
‘‘(vii) health and disease prevention 
and treatment; 
‘‘(viii) disaster preparedness; 
‘‘(ix) conflict and violence reduction, 
mitigation, and prevention; and 
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‘‘(x) democracy and governance; and 
‘‘(C) monitor and evaluate the effectiveness 
and quality of basic education programs. 
‘‘(2) PRINCIPLES.—In carrying out the policy 
referred to in paragraph (1), the United States shall 
be guided by the following principles of aid effective-
ness: 
‘‘(A) ALIGNMENT.—Assistance provided 
under this section to support programs and ac-
tivities under this subsection shall be aligned 
with and advance United States diplomatic, de-
velopment, and national security interests. 
‘‘(B) 
COUNTRY
OWNERSHIP.—To 
the 
greatest extent practicable, assistance provided 
under this section to support programs and ac-
tivities under this subsection should be aligned 
with and support the national education plans 
and country development strategies of partner 
countries, including activities that are appro-
priate for and meet the needs of local and in-
digenous cultures. 
‘‘(C) COORDINATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Assistance pro-
vided under this section to support pro-
grams and activities under this subsection 
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should be coordinated with and leverage 
the unique capabilities and resources of 
local and national governments in partner 
countries, other donors, multilateral insti-
tutions, the private sector, and nongovern-
mental and civil society organizations, in-
cluding faith-based organizations and orga-
nizations that represent teachers, students, 
and parents. 
‘‘(ii) MULTILATERAL PROGRAMS AND 
INITIATIVES.—Assistance provided under 
this section to support programs and ac-
tivities under this subsection should be co-
ordinated with and support proven multi-
lateral education programs and financing 
mechanisms, which may include the Global 
Partnership for Education, that dem-
onstrate commitment to efficiency, effec-
tiveness, transparency, and accountability. 
‘‘(D) EFFICIENCY.—The President shall 
seek to improve the efficiency and effectiveness 
of assistance provided under this section to sup-
port programs and activities under this sub-
section by coordinating the related efforts of 
relevant Executive branch agencies and offi-
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cials, including efforts to increase gender parity 
and to provide a continuity of basic education 
activities in humanitarian responses and other 
emergency settings. 
‘‘(E) EFFECTIVENESS.—Programs and ac-
tivities supported under this subsection shall be 
designed to achieve specific, measurable goals 
and objectives and shall include appropriate tar-
gets, metrics and indicators that can be applied 
with reasonable consistency across such pro-
grams and activities to measure progress and 
outcomes. 
‘‘(F) 
TRANSPARENCY
AND
ACCOUNT-
ABILITY.—Programs and activities supported 
under this subsection shall be subject to rig-
orous monitoring and evaluation, which may in-
clude impact evaluations, the results of which 
shall be made publically available in a fully 
searchable, electronic format. 
‘‘(3) PRIORITY AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS.— 
The President shall ensure that assistance provided 
under this section to support programs and activities 
under this subsection is aligned with the diplomatic, 
economic, and national security interests of the 
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United States and that priority is given to devel-
oping countries in which— 
‘‘(A) there is the greatest need and oppor-
tunity to expand access to basic education and 
to improve learning outcomes, including for 
marginalized and vulnerable groups, particu-
larly women and girls, or populations affected 
by conflict or crisis; and 
‘‘(B) such assistance can produce a sub-
stantial, measurable impact on children and 
educational systems. 
‘‘(4) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) BASIC EDUCATION.—The term ‘basic 
education’ includes— 
‘‘(i) all program and policy efforts 
aimed 
at 
improving 
early 
childhood, 
preprimary education, primary education, 
and secondary education, which can be de-
livered in formal and nonformal education 
settings, and in programs promoting learn-
ing for out-of-school youth and adults; 
‘‘(ii) capacity building for teachers, 
administrators, 
counselors, 
and 
youth 
workers; 
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‘‘(iii) literacy, numeracy, and other 
basic skills development that prepare an 
individual to be an active, productive mem-
ber of society and the workforce; and 
‘‘(iv) workforce development, voca-
tional training, and digital literacy that is 
informed by real market needs and oppor-
tunities. 
‘‘(B) 
PARTNER
COUNTRY.—The 
term 
‘partner country’ means a developing country 
that participates in or benefits from basic edu-
cation programs under this subsection pursuant 
to the prioritization criteria described in para-
graph (3), including level of need, opportunity 
for impact, and the availability of resources. 
‘‘(C) 
RELEVANT
EXECUTIVE
BRANCH 
AGENCIES AND OFFICIALS.—The term ‘relevant 
Executive 
branch 
agencies 
and 
officials’ 
means— 
‘‘(i) the Department of State, the 
United States Agency for International 
Development, the Department of the 
Treasury, the Department of Labor, the 
Department of Education, the Department 
of Health and Human Services, the De-
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partment of Agriculture, and the Depart-
ment of Defense; 
‘‘(ii) the Chief Executive Officer of 
the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the 
Coordinator of United States Government 
Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally, 
the National Security Advisor, the Director 
of the Peace Corps, and the National Eco-
nomic Advisor; and 
‘‘(iii) any other department, agency, 
or official of the United States Govern-
ment that participates in activities to pro-
mote quality basic education pursuant to 
the authorities of such department, agency, 
or official or pursuant to this Act. 
‘‘(D) NATIONAL
EDUCATION
PLAN.—The 
term ‘national education plan’ means a com-
prehensive national education plan developed by 
partner country governments in consultation 
with other stakeholders as a means for wide- 
scale improvement of the country’s education 
system, including explicit, credible strategies in-
formed by effective practices and standards to 
achieve quality universal basic education. 
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‘‘(E) HIV/AIDS.—The term ‘HIV/AIDS’ 
has the meaning given that term in section 
104A(h). 
‘‘(F) MARGINALIZED CHILDREN AND VUL-
NERABLE
GROUPS.—The term ‘marginalized 
children and vulnerable groups’ includes girls, 
children affected by or emerging from armed 
conflict or humanitarian crises, children with 
disabilities, children in remote or rural areas 
(including those who lack access to safe water 
and sanitation), religious or ethnic minorities, 
indigenous peoples, orphans and children af-
fected by HIV/AIDS, child laborers, married 
adolescents, and victims of trafficking. 
‘‘(G) GENDER
PARITY
IN
BASIC
EDU-
CATION.—The term ‘gender parity in basic edu-
cation’ means that girls and boys have equal ac-
cess to quality basic education. 
‘‘(H) NONFORMAL EDUCATION.—The term 
‘nonformal education’— 
‘‘(i) means organized educational ac-
tivities outside the established formal sys-
tem, whether operating separately or as an 
important feature of a broader activity, 
that are intended to serve identifiable 
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learning clienteles and learning objectives; 
and 
‘‘(ii) includes youth programs and 
community training offered by community 
groups and organizations. 
‘‘(I) SUSTAINABILITY.—The term ‘sustain-
ability’ means, with respect to any basic edu-
cation program that receives funding pursuant 
to this section, the ability of a service delivery 
system, community, partner, or beneficiary to 
maintain, over time, such basic education pro-
gram.’’. 
SEC. 4. COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED UNITED STATES 
STRATEGY TO PROMOTE BASIC EDUCATION. 
(a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—Not later than October 
1, 2016, October 1, 2021, and October 1, 2026, the Presi-
dent shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a comprehensive United States strategy to pro-
mote quality basic education in partner countries by— 
(1) seeking to equitably expand access to basic 
education for all children, particularly marginalized 
children and vulnerable groups; and 
(2) measurably improving the quality of basic 
education and learning outcomes. 
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(b) REQUIREMENT TO CONSULT.—In developing the 
strategy required by subsection (a), the President shall 
consult with— 
(1) the appropriate congressional committees; 
(2) relevant Executive branch agencies and offi-
cials; 
(3) partner country governments; and 
(4) local and international nongovernmental or-
ganizations, including faith-based organizations and 
organizations representing students, teachers, and 
parents, and other development partners engaged in 
basic education assistance programs in developing 
countries. 
(c) PUBLIC COMMENT.—The President shall provide 
an opportunity for public comment on the strategy re-
quired by subsection (a). 
(d) INITIAL STRATEGY.—For the purposes of this 
section, the strategy entitled ‘‘USAID education strat-
egy’’, as in effect on the day before the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, shall be deemed to fulfill the initial re-
quirements of subsection (a) for 2016. 
(e) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required by subsection 
(a) shall be developed and implemented consistent with the 
principles set forth in subsection (c) of section 105 of the 
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Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by section 3 
of this Act) and shall seek to— 
(1) build the capacity of relevant actors in part-
ner countries, including in government and in civil 
society, to develop and implement national education 
plans that are aligned with and advance country de-
velopment strategies; 
(2) identify and replicate successful interven-
tions that improve access to and quality of edu-
cation; 
(3) project general levels of resources needed to 
achieve stated program objectives; 
(4) leverage United States capabilities, includ-
ing through technical assistance, training and re-
search; and 
(5) improve coordination and reduce duplication 
among relevant Executive branch agencies and offi-
cials, other donors, multilateral institutions, non-
governmental organizations, and governments in 
partner countries. 
(f) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance provided 
under section 105 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(as amended by section 3 of this Act) should advance the 
strategy required by subsection (a), including through ef-
forts to— 
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