I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 601 
To enhance the transparency and accelerate the impact of assistance provided 
under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to promote quality basic 
education in developing countries, to better enable such countries to 
achieve universal access to quality basic education and improved learning 
outcomes, to eliminate duplication and waste, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 23, 2017 
Mrs. LOWEY (for herself and Mr. REICHERT) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To enhance the transparency and accelerate the impact of 
assistance provided under the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 to promote quality basic education in developing 
countries, to better enable such countries to achieve uni-
versal access to quality basic education and improved 
learning outcomes, to eliminate duplication and waste, 
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 
‘‘Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development 
Act’’ or the ‘‘READ Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
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. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
(a) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.— 
In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional commit-
tees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate; 
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
Senate; 
(3) the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives; and 
(4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
House of Representatives. 
(b) OTHER DEFINITIONS.—In this Act, the terms 
‘‘basic education’’, ‘‘marginalized children and vulnerable 
groups’’, ‘‘national education plan’’, ‘‘partner country’’, 
and ‘‘relevant Executive branch agencies and officials’’ 
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have the meanings given such terms in section 105(c) of 
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 
3. 
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE, QUALITY 
BASIC EDUCATION. 
Section 105 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2151c) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(c) ASSISTANCE
TO
PROMOTE
SUSTAINABLE, 
QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) BASIC EDUCATION.—The term ‘basic 
education’ includes— 
‘‘(i) measurable improvements in lit-
eracy, numeracy, and other basic skills de-
velopment that prepare an individual to be 
an active, productive member of society 
and the workforce; 
‘‘(ii) workforce development, voca-
tional training, and digital literacy in-
formed by real market needs and opportu-
nities and that results in measurable im-
provements in employment; 
‘‘(iii) programs and activities designed 
to demonstrably improve— 
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‘‘(I) early childhood, preprimary 
education, primary education, and 
secondary education, which can be de-
livered in formal or nonformal edu-
cation settings; and 
‘‘(II) learning for out-of-school 
youth and adults; and 
‘‘(iv) capacity building for teachers, 
administrators, 
counselors, 
and 
youth 
workers that results in measurable im-
provements in student literacy, numeracy, 
or employment. 
‘‘(B) COMMUNITIES
OF
LEARNING.—The 
term ‘communities of learning’ means a holistic 
approach to education and community engage-
ment in which schools act as the primary re-
source center for delivery of a service to the 
community at large, leveraging and maximizing 
the impact of other development efforts and re-
ducing duplication and waste. 
‘‘(C) 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. 
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expand access to safe learning environments, in-
cluding by breaking down specific barriers to 
basic education for women and girls, ensure 
continuity of education, including in conflict 
settings, measurably improve teacher skills and 
learning outcomes, and support the engagement 
of parents in the education of their children to 
help partner countries ensure that all children, 
including marginalized children and other vul-
nerable groups, have access to and benefit from 
quality basic education; 
‘‘(C) promote education as a foundation 
for sustained economic growth and development 
within a comprehensive assistance strategy that 
places partner countries on a trajectory toward 
graduation from assistance provided under this 
section with clearly defined benchmarks of suc-
cess that are used as requirements for related 
procurement vehicles, such as grants, contracts, 
and cooperative agreements; and 
‘‘(D) monitor and evaluate the effective-
ness and quality of basic education programs in 
partner countries. 
‘‘(3) PRINCIPLES.—In carrying out the policy 
referred to in paragraph (2), the United States shall 
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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 foreign policy 
and economic 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 
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-
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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-
cials. 
‘‘(E) EFFECTIVENESS.—Programs and ac-
tivities supported under this subsection— 
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‘‘(i) shall be consistent with the poli-
cies and principles set forth in this sub-
section; 
‘‘(ii) shall be designed to achieve spe-
cific, measurable goals and objectives that 
are directly related to the provision of 
basic education (as defined in this section); 
and 
‘‘(iii) shall include appropriate tar-
gets, metrics, and indicators that— 
‘‘(I) move a country along the 
path to graduation from assistance 
provided under this subsection; and 
‘‘(II) can be applied with reason-
able consistency across such programs 
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. 
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‘‘(4) 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 foreign pol-
icy and economic interests of the United States and, 
subject to such alignment, 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 to ensure gender parity 
in basic education, or populations affected by 
conflict or crisis; and 
‘‘(B) such assistance can produce a sub-
stantial, measurable impact on children and 
educational systems.’’. 
SEC. 4. COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED UNITED STATES 
STRATEGY TO PROMOTE BASIC EDUCATION. 
(a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—Not later than October 
1, 2017, the President shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a comprehensive United States 
strategy to be carried out during fiscal years 2018 through 
2022 to promote quality basic education in partner coun-
tries by— 
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(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. 
(b) REQUIREMENT TO CONSULT.—In developing the 
strategy required under 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 under subsection (a). 
(d) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under sub-
section (a)— 
(1) shall be developed and implemented con-
sistent with the principles set forth in section 105(c) 
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of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by 
section 3; and 
(2) shall seek— 
(A) to prioritize assistance provided under 
this subsection to countries that are partners of 
the United States and whose populations are 
most in need of improved basic education, as 
determined by indicators such as literacy and 
numeracy rates; 
(B) to build the capacity of relevant actors 
in partner countries, including in government 
and in civil society, to develop and implement 
national education plans that measurably im-
prove basic education; 
(C) to identify and replicate successful 
interventions that improve access to and quality 
of basic education in conflict settings and in 
partner countries; 
(D) to project general levels of resources 
needed to achieve stated program objectives; 
(E) to develop means to track implementa-
tion in partner countries and ensure that such 
countries are expending appropriate domestic 
resources and instituting any relevant legal, 
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regulatory, or institutional reforms needed to 
achieve stated program objectives; 
(F) to leverage United States capabilities, 
including through technical assistance, training, 
and research; and 
(G) to improve coordination and reduce 
duplication among relevant Executive branch 
agencies and officials, other donors, multilateral 
institutions, 
nongovernmental 
organizations, 
and governments in partner countries. 
SEC. 5. IMPROVING COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT. 
(a) SENIOR
COORDINATOR
OF
UNITED
STATES 
INTERNATIONAL BASIC EDUCATION ASSISTANCE.—There 
is established within the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development a Senior Coordinator of United 
States International Basic Education Assistance (referred 
to in this section as the ‘‘Senior Coordinator’’). The Senior 
Coordinator shall be appointed by the President, shall be 
a current USAID employee serving in a career or non-
career position in the Senior Executive Service or at the 
level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher, and 
shall serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator. 
(b) DUTIES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Senior Coordinator 
shall have primary responsibility for the oversight 
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and coordination of all resources and activities of the 
United States Government relating to the promotion 
of international basic education programs and activi-
ties. 
(2) SPECIFIC DUTIES.—The Senior Coordinator 
shall— 
(A) facilitate program and policy coordina-
tion of international basic education programs 
and activities among relevant Executive branch 
agencies and officials, partner governments, 
multilateral institutions, the private sector, and 
nongovernmental and civil society organizations; 
(B) develop and revise the strategy re-
quired under section 4; 
(C) monitor, evaluate, and report on activi-
ties undertaken pursuant to the strategy re-
quired under section 4; and 
(D) establish due diligence criteria for all 
recipients of funds provided by the United 
States to carry out activities under this Act and 
the amendments made by this Act. 
(c) OFFSET.—In order to eliminate duplication of ef-
fort and activities and to offset any costs incurred by the 
United States Agency for International Development in 
appointing the Senior Coordinator under subsection (a), 
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the President shall, after consulting with appropriate con-
gressional committees, eliminate a position within the 
United States Agency for International Development (un-
less otherwise authorized or required by law) that the 
President determines to be necessary to fully offset such 
costs and eliminate duplication. 
SEC. 6. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS. 
The President shall seek to ensure that programs car-
ried out under the strategy required under section 4 
shall— 
(1) apply rigorous monitoring and evaluation 
methodologies to determine if programs and activi-
ties provided under this subsection accomplish meas-
urable improvements in literacy, numeracy, or other 
basic skills development that prepare an individual 
to be an active, productive member of society and 
the workforce; 
(2) include methodological guidance in the im-
plementation plan and support systemic data collec-
tion using internationally comparable indicators, 
norms, and methodologies, to the extent practicable 
and appropriate; 
(3) disaggregate all data collected and reported 
by age, gender, marital status, disability, and loca-
tion, to the extent practicable and appropriate; 
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(4) include funding for both short- and long- 
term monitoring and evaluation to enable assess-
ment of the sustainability and scalability of assist-
ance programs; and 
(5) support the increased use and public avail-
ability of education data for improved decision mak-
ing, program effectiveness, and monitoring of global 
progress. 
SEC. 7. TRANSPARENCY AND REPORTING TO CONGRESS. 
(a) ANNUAL REPORT ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF 
STRATEGY.—Not later than each March 31 immediately 
following a fiscal year during which the strategy developed 
pursuant to section 4(a) was carried out, the President 
shall— 
(1) submit a report to the appropriate congres-
sional committees that describes the implementation 
of such strategy; and 
(2) make the report described in paragraph (1) 
available to the public. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired under subsection (a) shall include— 
(1) a description of the efforts made by relevant 
Executive branch agencies and officials to implement 
the strategy developed pursuant to section 4, with a 
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