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106TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1786
To enable America’s schools to use their computer hardware to increase
student achievement and prepare students for the 21st century workplace.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 12, 1999
Mr. ROTHMAN (for himself and Mrs. ROUKEMA) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To enable America’s schools to use their computer hardware
to increase student achievement and prepare students
for the 21st century workplace.
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 the 21st
Century (E–21) Act’’.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
It is the purpose of this Act to enable America’s
schools to use their computer hardware to increase student
achievement and prepare students for the 21st century
workplace.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Establishing computer literacy programs for
students will help ensure that our children are re-
ceiving the skills needed for advanced education and
for securing employment in the 21st century.
(2) Computer literacy skills, such as informa-
tion gathering, critical analysis and communication
with the latest technology, build upon the necessary
basics of reading, writing, mathematics, and other
core subject areas.
(3) According to a study conducted by the Edu-
cational Testing Service (ETS), eighth grade mathe-
matics students whose teachers used computers for
simulations and applications outperformed students
whose teachers did not use such educational tech-
nology.
(4) Although an ever increasing amount of
schools are obtaining the latest computer hardware,
schools will not be able to take advantage of the ben-
efits of computer-based learning unless teachers are
effectively trained in the latest educational software
applications.
(5) The Educational Testing Service (ETS)
study showed that students whose teachers received
training in computers performed better than other
elementary, middle, and secondary school in the State to
become technology leaders who then serve as experts and
train other teachers.
(c) MATCHING FUNDS.—Each State shall encourage
schools that receive assistance under this section to pro-
vide matching funds, with respect to the cost of teacher
training in technology to be assisted under this section,
in order to enhance the impact of the teacher training and
to help ensure that all middle school graduates in the
State are computer literate.
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2000 through
2004.
SEC. 5. HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE FOR ALL
SCHOOLS.
(a) COMPETITION AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of
Education is authorized to award grants, on a competitive
basis, to secondary school and college students working
with university faculty, software developers, and experts
in educational technology for the development of high-
quality educational software and Internet web sites by
such students, faculty, developers, and experts.
(b) RECOGNITION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education
shall recognize outstanding educational software and
Internet web sites developed with assistance provided
under this section.
(2) CERTIFICATES.—The President is requested
to, and the Secretary shall, issue an official certifi-
cate signed by the President and Secretary, to each
student and faculty member who develops out-
standing educational software or an Internet web
site recognized under this section.
(c) FOCUS.—The educational software or Internet
web sites that are recognized under this section shall focus
on core curriculum areas.
(d) PRIORITY.—
(1) FIRST YEAR.—For the first year that the
Secretary awards grants under this section, the Sec-
retary shall give priority to awarding grants for the
development of educational software or Internet web
sites in the areas of mathematics, science, and read-
ing.
(2) SECOND AND THIRD YEARS.—For the sec-
ond and third years that the Secretary awards
grants under this section, the Secretary shall give
priority to awarding grants for the development of
educational software or Internet web sites in the
areas described in paragraph (1) and in social stud-
ies, the humanities, and the arts.
(e) JUDGES.—The Secretary shall designate official
judges to recognize outstanding educational software or
Internet web sites assisted under this section.
(f) DOWNLOADING.—Educational software recog-
nized under this section shall be made available to local
educational agencies for free downloading from the De-
partment of Education’s Internet web site. Internet web
sites recognized under this section shall be accessible to
any user of the World Wide Web.
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2000 through
2004.
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