IIB
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1858
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
JULY 31, 2001
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions
AN ACT
To make improvements in mathematics and science
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,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Mathematics
and Science Partnerships Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) 12 years ago the President of the United
States convened the Nation’s Governors to establish
common goals for the improvement of elementary
and secondary education.
(2) Among the National Education Goals estab-
lished was the goal that by the year 2000 United
States students would be first in the world in mathe-
matics and science achievement.
(3) Despite these goals, 8th graders in the
United States showed just average performance in
mathematics and science in the Third International
Mathematics and Science Study-Repeat and dem-
onstrated lower relative performance than the cohort
of 4th graders 4 years earlier.
(4) The United States must redouble its efforts
to provide all of its students with a world-class edu-
cation in mathematics, science, engineering, and
technology.
(5) The American economy has become the
most robust in the world, not through state planning
and government intervention, but through the hard
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work and innovation of its citizens. This success is
founded in our constitutional tradition of respect for
individual liberty to pursue personal career objec-
tives.
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 such term by section 101 of
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1001);
(3) the term ‘‘eligible nonprofit organization’’
means a nonprofit research institute or a nonprofit
professional association with demonstrated experi-
ence delivering mathematics or science education as
determined by the Director;
(4) the term ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the
meaning given such term by section 14101(19) of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801(19));
(5) the term ‘‘State educational agency’’ has
the meaning given such term by section 14101(29)
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801(29));
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(6) the term ‘‘elementary school’’ has the mean-
ing given that term by section 14101(14) of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 8801(14)); and
(7) the term ‘‘secondary school’’ has the mean-
ing given that term by section 14101(26) of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 8801(26)).
SEC. 4. DUPLICATION OF PROGRAMS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National
Science Foundation shall review the education programs
of the National Science Foundation that are in operation
as of the date of enactment of this Act to determine
whether any of such programs duplicate the programs au-
thorized in this Act.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—(1) As programs authorized
in this Act are implemented, the Director shall terminate
any existing duplicative program or merge the duplicative
program into a program authorized in this Act.
(2) The Director shall not establish any new program
that duplicates a program that has been implemented pur-
suant to this Act.
(c) REPORT.—(1) The Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy shall review the education
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programs of the National Science Foundation to ensure
compliance with the provisions of this section.
(2) Not later than one year after the date of the en-
actment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy shall complete a report on the re-
view carried out under this subsection and shall submit
the report to the Committee on Science, the Committee
on Education and the Workforce, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
(3) Beginning one year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science and Tech-
nology Policy, shall, as part of the annual budget submis-
sion to Congress, submit an updated version of the report
required by paragraph (2).
SEC. 5. MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.
The Director may establish matching fund require-
ments for any programs authorized by this Act except
those established in title IV.
SEC. 6. COORDINATION.
In carrying out the activities authorized by this Act,
the Director of the National Science Foundation shall con-
sult and coordinate with the Secretary of Education to en-
sure close cooperation with programs authorized under the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Public
Law 89–10).
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TITLE 
I—MATHEMATICS 
AND
SCIENCE EDUCATION PART-
NERSHIPS
Subtitle A—Mathematics and
Science Education Partnerships
SEC. 101. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) The Director shall establish
a program to award grants to institutions of higher edu-
cation or eligible nonprofit organizations (or consortia
thereof) to establish mathematics and science education
partnership programs to improve the instruction of ele-
mentary and secondary science education.
(2) Grants shall be awarded under this section on a
merit-reviewed competitive basis.
(b) PARTNERSHIPS.—(1) In order to be eligible to re-
ceive a grant under this section, an institution of higher
education or eligible nonprofit organization (or consortium
thereof) shall enter into a partnership with one or more
local educational agencies that may also include a State
educational agency or one or more businesses, or both.
(2) A participating institution of higher education
shall include mathematics, science, or engineering depart-
ments in the programs carried out through a partnership
under this subsection.
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(c) USES OF FUNDS.—Grants awarded under this
section shall be used for activities that draw upon the ex-
pertise of the partners to improve elementary or secondary
education, or both, in mathematics or science, or both.
Such activities may include—
(1) recruiting and preparing students for ca-
reers in elementary or secondary mathematics or
science education;
(2) offering professional development programs,
including summer or academic year institutes or
workshops, designed to strengthen the capabilities of
existing mathematics and science teachers;
(3) offering innovative programs that instruct
teachers on using technology more effectively in
teaching mathematics and science, including pro-
grams that recruit and train undergraduate and
graduate students to provide technical support to
teachers;
(4) developing distance learning programs for
teachers or students, including developing courses,
curricular materials and other resources for the in-
service professional development of teachers that are
made available to teachers through the Internet;
(5) offering teacher preparation and certifi-
cation programs for professional mathematicians,
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(5) acquainting girls with careers in science,
mathematics, engineering, and technology and en-
couraging girls to plan for careers in such fields.
(e) RESEARCH IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS.—Activities
carried out in accordance with subsection (c)(11) may in-
clude support for research projects performed by students
at secondary schools. Uses of funds made available
through awards to partnerships for purposes of this sub-
section may include—
(1) training secondary school mathematics and
science teachers in the design of research projects
for students;
(2) establishing a system for students and
teachers involved in research projects funded under
this section to exchange information about their
projects and research results; and
(3) assessing the educational value of the stu-
dent research projects by such means as tracking
the academic performance and choice of academic
majors of students conducting research.
(f) STIPENDS.—Grants awarded under this section
may be used to provide stipends for teachers or students
participating in training or research activities that would
not be part of their typical classroom activities.
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SEC. 102. SELECTION PROCESS.
(a) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher edu-
cation or an eligible nonprofit organization (or a consor-
tium thereof) seeking funding under section 101 shall sub-
mit an application to the Director at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Director
may require. The application shall include, at a
minimum—
(1) a description of the partnership and the role
that each member will play in implementing the pro-
posal;
(2) a description of each of the activities to be
carried out, including—
(A) how such activities will be aligned with
State and local standards and with other activi-
ties that promote student achievement in math-
ematics and science;
(B) how such activities will be based on a
review of relevant research;
(C) why such activities are expected to im-
prove student performance and strengthen the
quality of mathematics and science instruction;
and
(D) in the case of activities carried out in
accordance with section 101(d), how such ac-
tivities will encourage the interest of women
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and minorities in mathematics, science, engi-
neering, and technology and will help prepare
women and minorities to pursue postsecondary
studies in these fields;
(3) a description of the number, size, and na-
ture of any stipends that will be provided to students
or teachers and the reasons such stipends are need-
ed;
(4) how the partnership will serve as a catalyst
for reform of mathematics and science education
programs; and
(5) how the partnership will assess its success.
(b) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—In evaluating the
applications submitted under subsection (a), the Director
shall consider, at a minimum—
(1) the ability of the partnership to effectively
carry out the proposed programs;
(2) the extent to which the members of the
partnership are committed to making the partner-
ship a central organizational focus;
(3) the degree to which activities carried out by
the partnership are based on relevant research and
are likely to result in increased student achievement;
(4) the degree to which such activities are
aligned with State or local standards; and
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(5) the likelihood that the partnership will dem-
onstrate activities that can be widely implemented as
part of larger scale reform efforts.
(c) AWARDS.—(1) The Director shall ensure, to the
extent practicable, that partnership grants be awarded
under section 101 in a wide range of geographic areas and
that the partnership program include rural, suburban, and
urban local educational agencies.
(2) Not less than 50 percent of the partnerships
funded under section 101 shall include businesses.
(3) The Director shall award grants under this sub-
title for a period not to exceed 5 years.
SEC. 103. ACCOUNTABILITY AND DISSEMINATION.
(a) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.—The Director shall
evaluate the partnerships program established under sec-
tion 101. At a minimum, such evaluations shall—
(1) use a common set of benchmarks and as-
sessment tools to identify best practices and mate-
rials developed and demonstrated by the partner-
ships; and
(2) to the extent practicable, compare the effec-
tiveness of practices and materials developed and
demonstrated by the partnerships authorized under
this subtitle with those of partnerships funded by
other State or Federal agencies.
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(b) DISSEMINATION OF RESULTS.—(1) The results
of the evaluations required under subsection (a) shall be
made available to the public, including through the Na-
tional Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology
Education Digital Library, and shall be provided to the
Committee on Science of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate.
(2) Materials developed under the program estab-
lished under section 101 that are demonstrated to be ef-
fective shall be made available through the National
Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Edu-
cation Digital Library.
(c) ANNUAL MEETING.—The Director shall convene
an annual meeting of the partnerships participating under
this subtitle to foster greater national collaboration.
SEC. 104. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Na-
tional Science Foundation to carry out this subtitle
$200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006.
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Subtitle B—Teacher Research
Scholarship Program
SEC. 111. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) The Director shall establish
a program to award grants to institutions of higher edu-
cation or eligible nonprofit organizations (or consortia
thereof) to provide research opportunities in mathematics,
science, and engineering for elementary or secondary
school teachers of mathematics or science. Such institu-
tions of higher education or eligible nonprofit organiza-
tions may include one or more businesses or Federal or
State laboratories as partners under the program.
(2) Grants shall be awarded under this section on a
merit-reviewed competitive basis.
(b) 
PROGRAM
COMPONENTS.—Grant 
recipients
under this section—
(1) shall recruit and select teachers and provide
such teachers with opportunities to conduct research
in academic, business, or government laboratories;
(2) shall ensure that the teachers have mentors
and other programming support to ensure that their
research experience will contribute to their under-
standing of mathematics, science, and engineering
and improve their performance in the classroom;
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(3) shall provide teachers with a scholarship sti-
pend; and
(4) may provide room and board for residential
programs.
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—(1) Not more than 25 percent
of the funds provided under a grant under this section
may be used for programming support for teachers.
(2) The Director shall issue guidelines specifying the
minimum and maximum amounts of stipends recipients
may provide to teachers under this section.
(d) DURATION.—A teacher may participate in re-
search under the program under this section for up to 1
calendar year or 2 sequential summers.
SEC. 112. SELECTION PROCESS.
(a) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher edu-
cation or an eligible nonprofit organization (or a consor-
tium thereof) seeking funding under section 111 shall sub-
mit an application to the Director at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Director
may require. The application shall include, at a
minimum—
(1) a description of the research opportunities
that will be made available to elementary or sec-
ondary school teachers, or both, by the applicant;
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(2) a description of how the applicant will re-
cruit teachers to participate in the program and the
criteria that will be used to select the participants;
(3) a description of the number, types, and
amounts of the scholarships that the applicant in-
tends to offer to participating teachers; and
(4) a description of the programming support
that will be provided to participating teachers.
(b) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—In evaluating the
applications submitted under subsection (a), the Director
shall consider, at a minimum—
(1) the ability of the applicant to effectively
carry out the proposed program;
(2) the extent to which the applicant is com-
mitted to making the program a central organiza-
tional focus; and
(3) the likelihood that the research experiences
and programming to be offered by the applicant will
improve elementary and secondary education.
(c) AWARDS.—(1) The Director shall ensure, to the
extent practicable, that grants be awarded under this sub-
title in a wide range of geographic areas and to assist
teachers from rural, suburban, and urban local edu-
cational agencies.
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(2) The Director shall award grants under this sub-
title for a period not to exceed 5 years.
SEC. 113. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated for the Na-
tional Science Foundation to carry out this subtitle
$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006.
TITLE 
II—NATIONAL 
SCIENCE,
MATHEMATICS, 
ENGINEER-
ING, AND TECHNOLOGY EDU-
CATION DIGITAL LIBRARY
SEC. 201. IN GENERAL.
The Director shall establish a program to expand the
National Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Tech-
nology Education Digital Library (hereinafter in this Act
referred to as the ‘‘Digital Library’’) program to enable
timely and continuous dissemination of elementary and
secondary science, mathematics, engineering, and tech-
nology educational resources, materials, practices, and
policies through the Internet and other digital tech-
nologies. The expanded Digital Library shall—
(1) contain an Internet-based repository of cur-
ricular materials, practices, and teaching modules;
(2) contain, to the extent practicable, an Inter-
net-based repository of information about national
and regional conferences related to the improvement
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of elementary and secondary mathematics, science,
engineering, and technology education, including, if
appropriate, links to materials generated by those
conferences;
(3) provide users of the Digital Library with ac-
cess to all materials in the Digital Library through
a single entry point;
(4) contain only materials that have been peer-
reviewed and tested to ensure factual accuracy and
effectiveness and that are aligned with recognized
State and other widely recognized professional and
technical mathematics and science standards;
(5) present materials in a format that is con-
sistent, facilitates ease of comparison and use by
classroom teachers, and contains appropriate links
to other Federal educational clearinghouses; and
(6) provide materials related to mathematics
and science partnership programs, including—
(A) links to all of the programs developed
through the mathematics and science partner-
ships established under subtitle A of title I;
(B) data related to assessment and evalua-
tion and final program reports developed under
subtitle A of title I, including both positive and
negative outcomes of the program;
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(C) materials developed by the partner-
ships under subtitle A of title I that have been
demonstrated to be effective; and
(D) a mechanism for users to make com-
ments or suggestions regarding the use and ef-
fectiveness of posted materials.
SEC. 202. GRANTS AND CONTRACT.
(a) GRANTS.—The Director may award grants to in-
stitutions of higher education or other qualified entities—
(1) to design all or parts of the Digital Library;
(2) to provide assistance to schools in the selec-
tion and adaptation of curricular materials, prac-
tices, and teaching methods made available through
the Digital Library; or
(3) to carry out the activities described in both
paragraphs (1) and (2).
Grants awarded under this subsection may cover the costs
of acquiring and reviewing educational materials for dis-
semination through the Digital Library.
(b) OPERATION.—The Director may contract out the
operation and management of the Digital Library.
(c) COMPETITIVE AWARDS.—Grants and contracts
shall be awarded under this section on a competitive basis.
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SEC. 203. CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act shall affect the rights, remedies,
limitations, or defenses under title 17, United States
Code.
SEC. 204. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated for the Na-
tional Science Foundation to carry out this title
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006.
TITLE 
III—STRATEGIC 
EDU-
CATION RESEARCH PROGRAM
Subtitle A—Centers
SEC. 301. ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTERS FOR RESEARCH
ON LEARNING AND EDUCATION IMPROVE-
MENT.
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) The Director shall award
grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia
thereof) to establish 4 multidisciplinary Centers for Re-
search on Learning and Education Improvement.
(2) Grants shall be awarded under this subsection on
a merit-reviewed competitive basis.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Centers shall be
to conduct and evaluate research in cognitive science, edu-
cation and related fields and to develop ways in which the
results of such research can be applied in elementary and
secondary classrooms to improve the teaching of mathe-
matics and science.
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(c) FOCUS.—(1) Each Center shall be focused on a
different challenge faced by elementary or secondary
school teachers of mathematics and science. In deter-
mining the research focus of the Centers, the Director
shall consult with the National Academy of Sciences and
take into account the extent to which other Federal pro-
grams support research on similar questions.
(2) The proposal solicitation issued by the Director
shall state the focus of each Center and applicants shall
apply for designation as a specific Center.
SEC. 302. SELECTION PROCESS.
(a) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher edu-
cation (or a consortium of such institutions) seeking fund-
ing under this title shall submit an application to the Di-
rector at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Director may require. The application
shall include, at a minimum, a description of—
(1) the initial research projects that will be un-
dertaken by the Center and the process by which
new projects will be identified;
(2) how the Center will work with other re-
search institutions and schools to broaden the na-
tional research agenda on learning and teaching;
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(3) how the Center will promote active collabo-
ration among physical, biological, and social science
researchers;
(4) how the Center will promote active partici-
pation by elementary and secondary mathematics
and science teachers and administrators; and
(5) how the Center will reduce the results of its
research to educational practice and assess the suc-
cess of new practices.
(b) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—In evaluating the
applications submitted under subsection (a), the Director
shall consider, at a minimum—
(1) the ability of the applicant to effectively
carry out the research program and reduce its re-
sults to effective educational practice;
(2) the experience of the applicant in con-
ducting research on the science of teaching and
learning and the capacity of the applicant to foster
new multidisciplinary collaborations;
(3) the capacity of the applicant to attract
precollege educators from a diverse array of schools
and professional experiences for participation in
Center activities; and
(4) the capacity of the applicant to attract and
provide adequate support for graduate students to
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pursue research at the intersection of educational
practice and basic research on human cognition and
learning.
(c) AWARDS.—The Director shall ensure, to the ex-
tent practicable, that the Centers funded under this sec-
tion conduct research and develop educational practices
designed to improve the educational performance of a
broad range of students, including those from groups
underrepresented in mathematics, science, and engineer-
ing.
SEC. 303. ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
The Director shall convene an annual meeting of the
Centers to foster collaboration among the Centers and to
further disseminate the results of the Centers’ activities.
SEC. 304. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated for the Na-
tional Science Foundation to carry out this title
$12,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2006.
Subtitle B—Fellowships
SEC. 311. EDUCATION RESEARCH TEACHER FELLOWSHIPS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—(1) The Director shall estab-
lish a program to award grants to institutions of higher
education or eligible nonprofit entities (or consortia there-
of) to provide research opportunities related to the science
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of learning to elementary and secondary school teachers
of science and mathematics.
(2) Grants shall be awarded under this section on a
merit-reviewed competitive basis.
(b) 
PROGRAM
COMPONENTS.—Grant 
recipients
under this section—
(1) shall recruit and select teachers and provide
such teachers with opportunities to conduct research
in the fields of—
(A) brain research as a foundation for re-
search on human learning;
(B) behavioral, cognitive, affective, and so-
cial aspects of human learning;
(C) science and mathematics learning in
formal and informal educational settings; or
(D) learning in complex educational sys-
tems;
(2) shall ensure that participating teachers have
mentors and other programming support to ensure
that their research experience will contribute to their
understanding of the science of learning;
(3) shall provide programming, guidance, and
support to ensure that participating teachers dis-
seminate information about the current state of edu-
cation research and its implications for classroom
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practice to other elementary and secondary edu-
cators and can use that information to improve their
performance in the classroom;
(4) shall provide participating teachers with a
scholarship stipend; and
(5) may provide room and board for residential
programs.
(c) USE OF FUNDS.—(1) Not more than 25 percent
of the funds provided under a grant under this section
may be used for programming support for participating
teachers.
(2) The Director shall issue guidelines specifying the
minimum or maximum amounts of stipends grant recipi-
ents may provide to teachers under this section.
(d) DURATION.—A teacher may participate in re-
search under the program under this section for up to 1
calendar year or 2 sequential summers.
(e) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher edu-
cation or eligible nonprofit entity (or a consortium thereof)
seeking funding under this section shall submit an applica-
tion to the Director at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Director may require.
The application shall include, at a minimum—
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(1) a description of the research opportunities
that will be made available to elementary or sec-
ondary school teachers, or both, by the applicant;
(2) a description of how the applicant will re-
cruit teachers to participate in the program, and the
criteria that will be used to select the participants;
(3) a description of the number, types, and
amounts of the scholarships that the applicant in-
tends to offer to participating teachers; and
(4) a description of the programming support
that will be provided to participating teachers to en-
hance their research experience and to enable them
to educate their peers about the value, findings, and
implications of education research.
(f) REVIEW OF APPLICANTS.—In evaluating the ap-
plications submitted under subsection (e), the Director
shall consider, at a minimum—
(1) the ability of the applicant to effectively
carry out the proposed program;
(2) the extent to which the applicant is com-
mitted to making the program a central organiza-
tional focus; and
(3) the likelihood that the research experiences
and programming to be offered by the applicant will
improve elementary and secondary education.