National Education Research and Statistics Act of 2000

Summary

National Education Research and Statistics Act of 2000 - Reauthorizes and revises educational research and statistical programs of the Department of Education (ED), including the National Institute for Education Research, the National Center for Education Statistics, the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the National Assessment Governing Board, and a new program of America's Tests in Reading and Mathematics. (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of Education to take appropriate actions to provide for a smooth transition for programs and activities authorized under the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 to programs and activities under this Act. Title I: National Education Research Act - National Education Research Act - Sets forth various declarations of U.S. policy with respect to providing every person a high-quality education, including: (1) helping to solve the problems of U.S. education and promoting sustained improvement of elementary and secondary, postsecondary, and adult education; (2) advancing the practice of education as an art, science, and profession; (3) strengthening the scientific and technological foundations of education; and (4) building an effective education research and development system. Part A: National Institute for Education Research - Sets forth provisions for the National Institute for Education Research (the Institute), including ones relating to its mission, scope of authority, priorities, Director, Senior Scientist, employees, standards, and peer review. (Sec. 112) Provides for the National Education Research Board (the Board). Directs the Board to: (1) establish policy guidelines for the Institute; (2) review and approve peer-review procedures adopted by the Institute; (3) advise the Director on the development of activities to be supported by the Institute; and (4) present to the Director recommendations for strengthening education research, improving methods of collecting and disseminating education research findings, and promoting implementation of education reform based on education research findings. (Sec. 113) Requires the Director to establish one or more panels of experts to provide ongoing advice to the Institute in its planning, management, and evaluation of major programs of research and development. Authorizes appropriations. Part B: Activities of the Institute - Sets forth authorized activities of the Institute. (Sec. 122) Directs the Institute to support not more than ten national research and development centers to carry out coherent, sustained, long-term research to advance theory and practice related to core issues and concerns within their particular mission areas. Requires each center to have a mission area directly related to the specific priorities of the Institute and to serve as a source of expert knowledge about its particular mission area. Directs the Institute to award competitive, renewable five-year grants for such centers to institutions of higher education or nonprofit research organizations. (Sec. 123) Directs the Institute to support field-initiated studies that address priority research and development needs. (Sec. 124) Directs the Institute to support not more than ten regional educational laboratories to conduct applied research, develop strategies, programs, and materials, and provide technical assistance in response to the specific needs of schools, districts, and State educational agencies related to helping all students meet high academic standards. Directs the Institute to award competitive five-year grants for such laboratories to public or private organizations or institutions. Requires laboratories to participate in a technical assistance network with ED and its other federally supported technical assistance providers. (Sec. 125) Directs the Institute to maintain and support an Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), which shall be a system of information clearinghouses using the World Wide Web and other advanced telecommunications technologies to make high-quality, research-based information related to education available to teachers, administrators, policymakers, parents, researchers, students, and the public. Requires such clearinghouses to participate in a technical assistance network with ED and its other federally supported technical assistance providers. (Sec. 126) Directs the Institute to maintain a National Library of Education to make information related to education available to ED employees, contractors and grantees, other Federal agencies and employees, and members of the public. Title II: National Education Statistics Act - National Education Statistics Act - Revises, reauthorizes, and redesignates the National Education Statistics Act of 1994 as the National Education Statistics Act. (Sec. 203) Revises provisions for the National Center for Education Statistics (the Center) in ED. Authorizes the Center's Commissioner to appoint a Deputy Commissioner (as well as Associate Commissioners). Directs the Commissioner to ensure that the Center collects, analyzes, and reports education information and statistics in a timely manner that meets the highest methodological standards, is objective and free of partisan influence, and is relevant and useful to practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public. Sets forth provisions for appointment and reappointment of Center employees. (Sec. 204) Includes adult education among the education levels for which the Center is to gather and disseminate data. Directs the Commissioner to make customer service a priority and to ensure a high level of customer satisfaction through specified means. (Sec. 205) Gives the Commissioner final authority within ED over decisions regarding the implementation of data collection activities, including the appropriateness of specific collection methodologies, consistent with specified requirements. (Sec. 206) Directs the Commissioner to: (1) establish procedures to ensure annual Center reports are relevant, of high quality, useful to customers, and subject to rigorous peer review; and (2) afford appropriate ED offices an opportunity to review and comment on such reports before their publication. (Sec. 207) Revises provisions for the Advisory Council on Education Statistics with respect to membership and duties. (Sec. 208) Includes electronic dissemination, where possible, among the forms which the Center must use in giving interested parties direct access to its data. (Sec. 209) Includes data on early childhood education and adult education among the types of data which may be produced by cooperative education statistics systems. Eliminates provisions for a model data system. (Sec. 211) Authorizes appropriations for the Center. (Sec. 212) Revises requirements for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Extends the authorization of appropriations. (Sec. 213) Revises provisions for the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 215) Establishes a new program, America's Tests in Reading and Mathematics (ATRM). Directs NAGB to develop and make available valid tests that assess the individual performance of fourth-grade students in reading, and eighth-grade students in mathematics, for voluntary use by States, local educational agencies (LEAs), private schools, other educational entities, and parents. Requires all such tests to be based on, and be at least as rigorous as, the content frameworks and performance levels used for the NAEP. Prohibits the Federal Government from: (1) requiring participation by any State, LEA, private school, other educational entity, or individual in any such tests; (2) making participation in such a test a condition for receiving Federal funds; or (3) requiring test participants or administrators to report test results to the Federal Government. Prohibits States, LEAs, schools, or other educational entities from using such test results in making decisions involving: (1) retention or graduation of students; (2) rewarding or punishing of a teacher, school, or district; and (3) closing or State take-over of schools. Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Amendments to Other Laws - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act, and specified Federal law relating to Federal officials, to conform with this Act.

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3 official files

• Introduced in House (text)

  Introduced in House · EN · 27 July 2000

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• Introduced in House (PDF)

  Introduced in House · EN · 27 July 2000

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• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 27 July 2000

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