I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2049
To authorize the National Science Foundation to undertake certain activities
in support of research on learning.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 5, 2001
Mr. SMITH of Michigan introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Science
A BILL
To authorize the National Science Foundation to undertake
certain activities in support of research on learning.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that—
(1) in virtually every sector of society—health,
defense, transportation, agriculture, etc.—research
is used to guide policy choices;
(2) in education, however, research has not
been effectively utilized as a tool for informing policy
and guiding reform, with less than 0.03 percent of
the $647,800,000,000 spent on elementary and sec-
ondary education invested in research of what edu-
cational techniques actually work and on ways to im-
prove teaching;
(3) the 1997 President’s Committee of Advisors
on Science and Technology (PCAST) report entitled
‘‘The Use of Technology to Strengthen K–12 Edu-
cation in the United States’’ recommended that our
education research investment be increased to 0.5
percent and that educational hypotheses be sub-
jected to appropriately rigorous evaluation;
(4) a significant body of research and knowl-
edge on the science of learning currently exists; how-
ever, educational materials and practices are rarely
aligned to this knowledge, and new education theo-
ries are often incorporated in classrooms on the
basis of only tenuously supported data;
(5) a cultural divide between education re-
searchers and education practitioners—such as
teachers—currently exists;
(6) an expert panel convened by the National
Research Council recommended in 1999 that more
education research be focused on issues of impor-
tance to education practitioners and be conducted by
teams of both traditional researchers and teachers
and other education practitioners;
(7) the education research effort to date is typi-
fied by a largely scattershot approach, with little co-
ordination of the research effort or focus on particu-
larly compelling questions; and
(8) a 1999 report from the National Research
Council entitled ‘‘Improving Student Learning’’ rec-
ommended the adoption of a national, strategic edu-
cation research program that would focus efforts on
a limited number of the most critically important re-
search questions.
SEC. 2. RESEARCH ON LEARNING.
(a) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose of integrating
scientific disciplines in relation to research on learning,
and gaining a better understanding of how such research
and educational practice can be reconciled, the National
Science Foundation shall continue to support research on
learning, focusing on the following 4 areas:
(1) Brain research as a foundation for research
on human learning.
(2) Behavioral, cognitive, affective, and social
aspects of human learning.
(3) Science, mathematics, engineering, and
technological learning in formal and informal edu-
cational settings.
(4) Learning in complex educational systems.
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science
Foundation for carrying out this section $29,000,000 for
fiscal year 2002, $33,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, and
$37,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.
SEC. 3. RESEARCH ON LEARNING CENTERS.
(a) DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH PRIORITIES.—The
Director of the National Science Foundation (in this Act
referred to as the ‘‘Director’’), in consultation with the
National Academy of Sciences, shall review past research
on learning, assess current research efforts, and not later
than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act
develop a set of specific education research priorities to
provide the strategic focus of the Centers established
under subsection (b). The Director shall ensure that the
development of such priorities is informed by the most
pressing needs of the education system.
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF CENTERS.—The Director
shall make grants for the establishment of not more than
5 Centers of Research on Learning. The purpose of these
Centers shall be to integrate the work of multidisciplinary
teams of researchers, education practitioners, and policy-
makers to support the research priorities developed under
subsection (a), and to facilitate the incorporation of the
results of that research into educational practice. Grant
awards under this subsection shall be made through an
open, peer-reviewed competition.
(c) STRATEGIC FOCUS OF CENTERS.—Each Center
shall focus on addressing one of the specific education re-
search priorities developed by the Director under sub-
section (a).
(d) ACTIVITIES
OF CENTERS.—The Centers shall
promote active collaborations among physical, biological,
and social science researchers, education practitioners,
and policymakers. The Centers shall be responsible for—
(1) evaluating existing research and designing,
conducting, or coordinating research that addresses
the Center’s strategic focus;
(2) stimulating research in relevant areas with-
in the larger research community and synthesizing
the findings from among this community;
(3) planning future research;
(4) facilitating the dissemination of research re-
sults to education practitioners and the incorpora-
tion of those research results into the education sys-
tem; and