121
‘‘(i) 
disseminating 
information
throughout the community about exemplary
and promising educational programs, prac-
tices, products, and policies;
‘‘(ii) evaluating the effectiveness of fed-
erally funded educational programs within
the community and identifying changes in
such programs which are likely to improve
student achievement;
‘‘(iii) identifying, selecting and rep-
licating exemplary and promising edu-
cational programs, practices, products, and
policies in both in- and out-of-school set-
tings;
‘‘(iv) applying educational research to
solve specific problems in the classroom,
home and community which impede learn-
ing and student achievement; and
‘‘(v) supporting research and develop-
ment by teachers, school administrators,
and other practitioners which promise to
improve teaching and learning and the or-
ganization of schools;
‘‘(B) improving the capacity of educators,
school administrators, child care providers and
122
other practitioners to prepare all students to
reach challenging standards and to attain the
goals set out in the comprehensive community-
wide plan through such means as—
‘‘(i) the training of prospective and
novice teachers (including preschool and
early childhood educators) in a school set-
ting under the guidance of master teachers
and teacher educators;
‘‘(ii) training and other activities to
promote the continued learning and profes-
sional development of experienced teachers,
related services personnel, and school ad-
ministrators to assure that they develop the
subject matter and pedagogical expertise
needed to prepare all students to reach chal-
lenging standards;
‘‘(iii) training and other activities to
increase the ability of prospective, novice,
and experienced teachers to teach effectively
at-risk students, students with disabilities,
students with limited English language pro-
ficiency, and students from diverse cultural
backgrounds; and
123
‘‘(iv) programs to enhance teaching
and classroom management skills, including
school-based management skills, of novice,
prospective, and experienced teachers;
‘‘(C) promoting the development of an inte-
grated system of service delivery to children from
birth through age 18 and their families by facili-
tating linkages and cooperation among—
‘‘(i) local education agencies;
‘‘(ii) health and social services agencies
and providers;
‘‘(iii) juvenile justice and criminal jus-
tice agencies;
‘‘(iv) providers of employment train-
ing; and
‘‘(v) child care, Head Start, and other
early childhood agencies; and
‘‘(D) mobilizing the resources of the commu-
nity in support of student learning and high
achievement by facilitating effective partnerships
and collaboration among—
‘‘(i) local education agencies;
‘‘(ii) postsecondary educational insti-
tutions;
‘‘(iii) public libraries;
124
‘‘(iv) parents;
‘‘(v) community-based organizations,
neighborhood associations, and other civic
and community organizations;
‘‘(vi) child care, Head Start, and other
early childhood agencies;
‘‘(vii) churches, synagogues and other
religious institutions;
‘‘(viii) labor organizations; and
‘‘(ix) business and industry.
‘‘(7) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying
out its responsibilities under this subsection, each
partnership receiving assistance under this subsection
shall—
‘‘(A) appoint a District Education Agent
who shall be responsible, on a full-time basis, for
directing the implementation of the community-
wide plan. Such individual shall have signifi-
cant experience and expertise in the field of edu-
cation in—
‘‘(i) addressing the needs of at-risk stu-
dents; and
‘‘(ii) conducting educational research
and promoting the application of the results
of such research to educational practice;
125
‘‘(B) provide for such other professional and
support personnel as may be necessary to imple-
ment the community-wide plan under the direc-
tion of the District Education Agent; and
‘‘(C) coordinate its activities and work co-
operatively with the National Diffusion Network
State facilitators, regional laboratories, and
other components of the Office to utilize most ef-
fectively Federal research, development, and dis-
semination resources in implementing the com-
munity-wide plan.
‘‘(8) APPLICATION
FOR
GRANTS.—Any eligible
entity desiring a grant under this subsection shall
submit an application to the Assistant Secretary at
such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such
information as the Assistant Secretary may reason-
ably require. Each such application shall—
‘‘(A) include a comprehensive plan for meet-
ing the objectives and requirements of this sub-
section; and
‘‘(B) provide evidence of support for the ap-
plication from local elected officials, the State
education agency, the local education agency,
parents, local community leaders, businesses, and
other appropriate organizations.
126
‘‘(9) PRIORITY
IN
MAKING
GRANTS; DURATION
AND AMOUNT OF GRANT.—Each grant made under
this subsection shall be—
‘‘(A) awarded on a competitive basis, with
first priority given to those applications from
communities with the greatest percentage of
school-age children in families with poverty-level
incomes;
‘‘(B) made for a 5-year period, with fund-
ing for the second and each successive year in
this period conditioned upon a determination by
the Assistant Secretary that the grant recipient
has complied with the conditions of the grants
during the previous year; and
‘‘(C) an amount equal to not less than
$1,000,000 per year.
‘‘(10) LIMITATION OF ONE GRANT PER CONGRES-
SIONAL DISTRICT.—Not more than one grant shall be
awarded within a single congressional district.
‘‘(11) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; EVALUATIONS.—
In administering the program authorized under this
subsection, the Assistant Secretary shall, either di-
rectly or through grant or contract with an eligible
nonprofit agency—
127
‘‘(A) upon request, provide technical assist-
ance to eligible entities to assist in the develop-
ment of a comprehensive plan to meet the re-
quirements of this subsection and in the prepara-
tion of applications for assistance;
‘‘(B) regularly provide technical assistance
to learning grant institutions receiving assist-
ance under this subsection to assist with the de-
velopment and implementation of the commu-
nity-wide plan for educational improvement;
‘‘(C) provide for an independent evaluation
of the activities assisted under this subsection,
including—
‘‘(i) the impact of the Goals 2000 Com-
munity Partnerships program on children
and families within each community, in-
cluding (but not limited to) effects on the
extent of educational achievement, rates of
school retention and completion, and enroll-
ment in program postsecondary educational
programs; and
‘‘(ii) whether an intensified effort to
apply and utilize educational research with-
in a limited geographic area significantly
128
improves student learning and achievement;
and
‘‘(D) plan for the expansion of the Goals
2000 
Community 
Partnerships 
program
throughout the remainder of the Nation begin-
ning in fiscal year 1998.
‘‘(j) TEACHER
RESEARCH
DISSEMINATION
NET-
WORK.—
‘‘(1) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
‘‘(A) education research, including research
funded by the Office, is not having the impact on
the Nation’s schools that such research should;
‘‘(B) relevant education research and result-
ing solutions are not being adequately dissemi-
nated to the teachers that need such research and
solutions;
‘‘(C) there are not enough linkages between
the research and development centers assisted
under this section, the regional educational lab-
oratories described in subsection (k), the Na-
tional Diffusion Network State facilitators, the
Education 
Resources 
Information 
Clearing-
houses, and the public schools, to ensure that re-
search on effective practice is disseminated and
technical assistance provided to all teachers;
129
‘‘(D) the average teacher has almost no time
to plan or engage in a professional dialogue with
such teacher’s peers about strategies for improv-
ing learning;
‘‘(E) teachers do not have direct access to
information systems or networks;
‘‘(F) teachers have little control over what
in-service education teachers will be offered; and
‘‘(G) individual teachers are not encouraged
to move beyond the walls of their classrooms to
identify and use outside resources.
‘‘(2) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—
‘‘(A) The Assistant Secretary shall enter
into contracts with regional educational labora-
tories, in partnership with 1 or more institu-
tions of higher education in each State of its re-
gion, the National Diffusion Network, and other
entities with demonstrated experience, expertise,
and commitment in the areas of teacher research
or teacher professional development, such as the
national research and development centers, pro-
fessional teacher organizations, and other quali-
fied organizations and associations, in the region
to carry out activities described in paragraph
(3).
130
‘‘(B) The Assistant Secretary shall enter
into contracts under this subsection in an equi-
table manner and shall provide assistance on the
basis of the number of schools, teachers, and stu-
dents in each regional educational laboratory re-
gion with attention given to populations with
special needs and the increased cost burden of
service delivery in regions of sparse population.
‘‘(C) Contracts under this subsection shall
be awarded for a period of not less than 3 years.
‘‘(3) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—
‘‘(A) Each regional partnership described in
paragraph (2)(A) entering into a contract under
this subsection shall carry out programs of pro-
viding training to teachers relevant to the needs
and problems of the schools and school districts
where teachers, who participate in the programs,
serve. The purpose of such programs shall be
to—
‘‘(i) educate teachers on how to acquire
information about education research find-
ings and best practices;
‘‘(ii) provide teachers with current
education research and development theory,
skills, and practice as shall enable them to
131
modify, design, develop, and adapt such
findings and practices to effect local district
and classroom outcomes that improve edu-
cation;
‘‘(iii) enable teachers to become ac-
tively involved in the applied research and
development process;
‘‘(iv) provide teachers the ability to be-
come leaders in the utilization of applied
research and to become active participants
in the Federal research and development
partnership;
‘‘(v) enhance the ability of teachers to
evaluate and choose effective education pro-
grams and curricula; and
‘‘(vi) facilitate collaboration between
the teacher change agent and the National
Diffusion Network State facilitator.
‘‘(B) Teachers that participate in training
assisted under this subsection shall be known as
‘teacher change agents’.
‘‘(C) The program described in subpara-
graph (A) shall provide teacher change agents
with training during the summer and at such
132
other times as agreed to by the district, which
shall—
‘‘(i) give teacher change agents knowl-
edge and guidance in using the existing
educational improvement services and re-
sources funded by the United States Depart-
ment of Education and other major research
organizations, including the products and
work of the regional educational labora-
tories, professional teacher organizations,
the National Diffusion Network, institutions
of higher education, the Educational Re-
search Information Centers, National Re-
search Centers, National Research Insti-
tutes, State Departments of Education, local
education agencies, and other nonprofit or-
ganizations participating in the improve-
ment of education;
‘‘(ii) provide teacher change agents
with indepth knowledge about a number of
products, programs, and processes developed
by entities described in clause (i) that the
teacher change agents judge most relevant to
the needs of the district or districts they will
serve;
133
‘‘(iii) inform teacher change agents
about government programs, including, but
not limited, to programs in government
agencies other than the Department of Edu-
cation, which offer research opportunities,
fellowships, and funding; and
‘‘(iv) provide teacher change agents
with instruction in technical assistance
skills in order to increase their capacity to
aid district and school site teacher teams re-
sponsible for leading school improvement
activities at the district and school site
level.
‘‘(D) The school year activities described in
subparagraph (A) shall provide teacher change
agents participating in such program during the
school year with—
‘‘(i) opportunities to meet with other
teacher change agents to exchange experi-
ences;
‘‘(ii) additional training or assistance
as needed or requested;
‘‘(iii) updates in education research,
application, and findings; and
135
‘‘(vii) training in the appropriate use
of technology to assist classroom teachers.
‘‘(F) TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES.—Teach-
er change agents shall, during the school year—
‘‘(i) meet with other teachers and dis-
trict or school site teacher teams to provide
other teachers with knowledge about how to
acquire information regarding education re-
search findings and best practices, includ-
ing what resources are available from the
Department of Education and how to ob-
tain products and technical services from
the Department;
‘‘(ii) meet with the National Diffusion
Network State Facilitator to coordinate and
not duplicate efforts in the dissemination of
exemplary educational programs;
‘‘(iii) help interested schools identify
resources needed to address the school’s
needs and act as liaison between the school
and the appropriate resource entities, such
as regional educational laboratories, centers,
national institutes, institutions of higher
education, professional teacher organiza-
tions, scholars, consultants, and other
136
schools and school districts that may be of
assistance;
‘‘(iv) teach other teachers how to use
the products, programs, and processes in
which the teacher was trained pursuant to
paragraph (2)(C)(II);
‘‘(v) work with other teachers and
teacher teams to adapt identified exemplary
practices, programs, and research results to
implement school site or classroom improve-
ments as desired, and provide follow-up ac-
tivities throughout a 2-year period to ensure
the successful adaptation and implementa-
tion of such programs in local schools; and
‘‘(vi) inform teachers about how they
can obtain Federal research funding, fellow-
ships, and sabbaticals.
‘‘(G) APPLICATION.—
‘‘(i) 
IN
GENERAL.—Each 
regional
partnership desiring a contract under this
subsection shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner,
and accompanied by such information as
the Assistant Secretary may reasonably re-
quire.
137
‘‘(ii) CONTENTS.—Each application
described in clause (i) shall—
‘‘(I) contain a plan acceptable to
affected States and local education
agencies for conducting the program to
be assisted under this section;
‘‘(II) contain assurances that the
partnership requirements are fulfilled;
‘‘(III) contain assurances that
both district and school site teacher
teams will be established to work in
conjunction with the teacher change
agent;
‘‘(IV) contain a plan for the selec-
tion of district and school site teacher
team 
participants 
and 
others 
as
deemed appropriate by the teacher
change agent and the regional partner-
ship;
‘‘(V) contain assurances that the
regional partnership, in conjunction
with the participating school districts,
shall provide each teacher change agent
with a stipend for the entire calendar
year commensurate with such teacher’s
138
salary and travel expenses, to permit a
teacher to participate in such program
without incurring loss of income;
‘‘(VI) contain assurances that
each teacher change agent participat-
ing in the program shall receive an
award of not more than $10,000 to be
used by such teacher during the school
year of such teacher’s participation to
purchase materials, support, and co-
ordinate with other teachers or site
teacher teams in the school district;
‘‘(VII) contain assurances that
such regional partnerships shall pro-
vide not more than $5,000 to each
school district or group of school dis-
tricts having an individual from such
district or districts participating in
the program assisted under this section
for each of the 2 years following such
participation to enable such school dis-
trict or districts to continue efforts to
improve 
dissemination 
of 
effective
practices and programs within the dis-
trict or districts;
139
‘‘(VIII) contain assurances that
representatives of State educational
agencies, 
intermediate 
educational
agencies, teacher centers, teacher edu-
cators at institutions of higher edu-
cation, and school district in-service or
curriculum specialists will be eligible
to participate in the program assisted
under this section if such individuals
pay the cost of their participation; and
‘‘(IX) contain an assurance that
such regional partnership shall permit
a teacher to participate in the program
only after such partnership determines
that the teacher will be afforded a full
opportunity by the district to perform
such teacher’s responsibilities described
in paragraph (3)(F).
‘‘(4) TEACHER SELECTION AND ELIGIBILITY.—
‘‘(A) NOMINATION.—Teacher participants
in the program assisted under this subsection
shall be nominated by their peers at the school
district level.
‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—Each school district or
group of school districts desiring to have teachers
141
school districts participating in such program,
including any career plan changes of participat-
ing teachers.
‘‘(B) DATE.—The evaluation described in
subparagraph (A) shall be submitted to the Con-
gress within 6 months after the completion of the
third year of the program.
‘‘(C) FUNDING.—The Assistant Secretary
may reserve not more than $250,000 of the
amount appropriated under section 405(i)(2)(E)
to carry out the evaluation described in this
paragraph.’’.
TITLE V—NATIONAL LIBRARY OF
EDUCATION
SEC. 
501. 
ESTABLISHMENT 
WITHIN 
OFFICE 
OF 
EDU-
CATIONAL RESEARCH AND IMPROVEMENT.
Part A of the General Education Provisions Act, as
amended by section 401 of this Act, is amended by inserting
after section 405C the following new section:
‘‘NATIONAL LIBRARY OF EDUCATION
‘‘SEC. 405D. (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established
within the Office a National Library of Education (here-
after in this section referred to as the ‘Library’), which shall
be maintained as a governmental activity.
‘‘(b) FUNCTIONS OF LIBRARY.—The functions of the
Library are—
142
‘‘(1) to provide a central location within the
Federal Government for information about education;
‘‘(2) to provide comprehensive reference services
on matters related to education to employees of the
Department of Education and its contractors and
grantees, other Federal employees, and members of the
public; and
‘‘(3) to promote greater cooperation and resource
sharing among providers and repositories of edu-
cation information in the United States.
‘‘(c) ONE-STOP INFORMATION AND REFERRAL SERV-
ICE.—The Library shall establish and maintain a central
information and referral service to respond to telephonic,
mail, and electronic and other inquiries from the public
concerning—
‘‘(1) programs and activities of the Department
of Education;
‘‘(2) publications produced by the Department of
Education and, to the extent feasible, education relat-
ed publications produced by the Departments of
Labor, Health and Human Services, and other Fed-
eral agencies;
‘‘(3) services and resources available to the pub-
lic through the Office, including the ERIC Clearing-
143
houses, the research institutes, and the national edu-
cation dissemination system;
‘‘(4) statistics and other information produced
by the National Center for Education Statistics; and
‘‘(5) referrals to additional sources of informa-
tion and expertise about educational issues which
may be available through educational associations
and foundations, the private sector, colleges and uni-
versities, libraries and bibliographic databases.
The Library shall maintain and actively publicize a toll-
free telephone number through which public inquiries to the
Library may be made.
‘‘(d) COMPREHENSIVE REFERENCE SERVICES.—The
Library shall, to the extent feasible, provide for the delivery
of a full range of reference services on subjects related to
education to employees of the Department and its contrac-
tors and grantees, other Federal employees, and members
of the general public. Such services may include—
‘‘(1) specialized subject searches;
‘‘(2) search and retrieval of electronic databases;
‘‘(3) document delivery by mail and facsimile
transmission;
‘‘(4) research counseling, bibliographic instruc-
tion, and other training services;
‘‘(5) interlibrary loan services; and
144
‘‘(6) selective dissemination of information serv-
ices.
The Library shall first give priority in the provision of ref-
erence services to requests made by employees of the Depart-
ment.
‘‘(e) COOPERATION AND RESOURCE SHARING.—The
Library shall promote greater cooperation and resource
sharing among libraries and archives with significant col-
lections in the area of education through such means as—
‘‘(1) the establishment of information and re-
source sharing networks among such entities;
‘‘(2) the development of a national union list of
education journals held by education libraries
throughout the United States;
‘‘(3) the development of directories and indexes
to textbook and other specialized collections held by
education libraries throughout the United States; and
‘‘(4) cooperative efforts to preserve, maintain
and promote access to items of special historical value
or interest.
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATION.—The Library shall be adminis-
tered by an Executive Director who shall—
‘‘(1) be appointed by the Assistant Secretary
from among persons with significant training or ex-
perience in library and information science;
145
‘‘(2) serve for a renewable term of 5 years; and
‘‘(3) be paid at not less than the minimum rate
of basic pay payable for GS–15 of the General Sched-
ule.
‘‘(g) TASK FORCE.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Assistant Secretary
shall appoint a task force of librarians, scholars,
teachers, parents, and school leaders (hereafter in this
paragraph referred to as the ‘Task Force’) to provide
advice on the establishment of the Library.
‘‘(2) PREPARATION OF PLAN.—The Task Force
shall prepare a workable plan to establish the Library
and to implement the requirements of this section.
‘‘(3) CERTAIN
AUTHORITIES.—The Task Force
may identify other activities and functions for the Li-
brary to carry out, except that such functions shall
not be carried out until the Library is established and
has implemented the requirements of this section.
‘‘(4) REPORT.—The Task Force shall prepare
and submit to the Assistant Secretary not later than
6 months after the first meeting of the Task Force a
report on the activities of the Library.
‘‘(h) TRANSFER
OF FUNCTIONS.—There are hereby
transferred to the Library all functions of—
146
‘‘(1) the Department of Education Research Li-
brary;
‘‘(2) the Department of Education Reference Sec-
tion; and
‘‘(3) the Department of Education Information
Branch.
‘‘(i) COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT POLICY.—Not later
than 180 days after the enactment of the Educational Re-
search, Development, and Dissemination Excellence Act, the
Assistant Secretary shall promulgate a comprehensive col-
lection development policy to govern the Library’s oper-
ations, acquisitions, and services to users. Such collection
development policy shall—
‘‘(1) be consistent with the functions of the Li-
brary set out in subsection (b);
‘‘(2) emphasize the acquisition and maintenance
of a comprehensive collection of reference materials;
and
‘‘(3) avoid unnecessary duplication by putting a
priority on meeting the information needs of the Li-
brary’s users through cooperation and resource-shar-
ing with other entities with significant collections in
the field of education.
‘‘(j) ARREARAGE AND PRESERVATION.—On the basis
of the collection development policy promulgated under sub-
147
section (h), the Executive Director shall develop a multiyear
plan which shall set forth goals and priorities for actions
needed to—
‘‘(1) eliminate within 3 years the arrearage of
uncataloged books and other materials in the Li-
brary’s collections; and
‘‘(2) respond effectively and systematically to the
preservation needs of the Library’s collections, rely-
ing, whenever possible, upon cooperative efforts with
other institutions to preserve and maintain the
usability of books and materials in the Library’s col-
lections.’’.
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