S 2543 — Language Education Data Enhancement Act

In this subchapter: (1) (A) In general The terms “elementary school”, “secondary school”, “local educational agency”, and “State educational agency” have the meanings given those terms in section 7801 of this title. (B) Outlying areas The term “outlying areas” has the meaning given such term in section 6331(c) of this title. (C) Freely associated states The term “freely associated states” means the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. (2) Applied research The term “applied research” means research— (A) to gain knowledge or understanding necessary for determining the means by which a recognized and specific need may be met; and (B) that is specifically directed to the advancement of practice in the field of education. (3) Basic research The term “basic research” means research— (A) to gain fundamental knowledge or understanding of phenomena and observable facts, without specific application toward processes or products; and (B) for the advancement of knowledge in the field of education. (4) Board The term “Board” means the National Board for Education Sciences established under section 9516 of this title. (5) Bureau The term “Bureau” means the Bureau of Indian Affairs. (6) Comprehensive center The term “comprehensive center” means an entity established under section 9602 of this title. (7) Department The term “Department” means the Department of Education. (8) Development The term “development” means the systematic use of knowledge or understanding gained from the findings of scientifically valid research and the shaping of that knowledge or understanding into products or processes that can be applied and evaluated and may prove useful in areas such as the preparation of materials and new methods of instruction and practices in teaching, that lead to the improvement of the academic skills of students, and that are replicable in different educational settings. (9) Director The term “Director” means the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences. (10) Dissemination The term “dissemination” means the communication and transfer of the results of scientifically valid research, statistics, and evaluations, in forms that are understandable, easily accessible, and usable, or adaptable for use in, the improvement of educational practice by teachers, administrators, librarians, other practitioners, researchers, parents, policymakers, and the public, through technical assistance, publications, electronic transfer, and other means. (11) Early childhood educator The term “early childhood educator” means a person providing, or employed by a provider of, nonresidential child care services (including center-based, family-based, and in-home child care services) that is legally operating under State law, and that complies with applicable State and local requirements for the provision of child care services to children at any age from birth through the age at which a child may start kindergarten in that State. (12) Field-initiated research The term “field-initiated research” means basic research or applied research in which specific questions and methods of study are generated by investigators (including teachers and other practitioners) and that conforms to standards of scientifically valid research. (13) Historically Black college or university The term “historically Black college or university” means a part B institution as defined in section 1061 of this title. (14) Institute The term “Institute” means the Institute of Education Sciences established under section 9511 of this title. (15) Institution of higher education The term “institution of higher education” has the meaning given that term in section 1001(a) of this title. (16) National research and development center The term “national research and development center” means a research and development center supported under section 9533(c) of this title. (17) Provider of early childhood services The term “provider of early...

(a) General duties The Research Center shall— (1) maintain published peer-review standards and standards for the conduct and evaluation of all research and development carried out under the auspices of the Research Center in accordance with this part; (2) propose to the Director a research plan that— (A) is consistent with the priorities and mission of the Institute and the mission of the Research Center and includes the activities described in paragraph (3); and (B) shall be carried out pursuant to paragraph (4) and, as appropriate, be updated and modified; (3) carry out specific, long-term research activities that are consistent with the priorities and mission of the Institute, and are approved by the Director; (4) implement the plan proposed under paragraph (2) to carry out scientifically valid research that— (A) uses objective and measurable indicators, including timelines, that are used to assess the progress and results of such research; (B) meets the procedures for peer review established by the Director under section 9514(f)(5) of this title and the standards of research described in section 9534 of this title; and (C) includes both basic research and applied research, which shall include research conducted through field-initiated research and ongoing research initiatives; (5) promote the use of scientifically valid research within the Federal Government, including active participation in interagency research projects described in section 9518 of this title; (6) ensure that research conducted under the direction of the Research Center is relevant to education practice and policy; (7) synthesize and disseminate, through the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, the findings and results of education research conducted or supported by the Research Center; (8) assist the Director in the preparation of a biennial report, as described in section 9519 of this title; (9) carry out research on successful State and local education reform activities, including those that result in increased academic achievement and in closing the achievement gap, as approved by the Director; (10) carry out research initiatives regarding the impact of technology, including— (A) research into how technology affects student achievement; (B) long-term research into cognition and learning issues as they relate to the uses of technology; (C) rigorous, peer-reviewed, large-scale, long-term, and broadly applicable empirical research that is designed to determine which approaches to the use of technology are most effective and cost-efficient in practice and under what conditions; and (D) field-based research on how teachers implement technology and Internet-based resources in the classroom, including an understanding 1 how these resources are being accessed, put to use, and the effectiveness of such resources; and (11) carry out research that is rigorous, peer-reviewed, and large scale to determine which methods of mathematics and science teaching are most effective, cost efficient, and able to be applied, duplicated, and scaled up for use in elementary and secondary classrooms, including in low-performing schools, to improve the teaching of, and student achievement in, mathematics and science as required under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.). (b) Eligibility Research carried out under subsection (a) through contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements shall be carried out only by recipients with the ability and capacity to conduct scientifically valid research. (c) National research and development centers (1) Support In carrying out activities under subsection (a)(3), the Research Commissioner shall support not less than 8 national research and development centers. The Research Commissioner shall assign each of the 8 national research and development centers not less than 1 of the topics described in paragraph (2). In addition, the Research Commissioner may assign each of the 8 n...

(a) General duties The Statistics Center shall collect, report, analyze, and disseminate statistical data related to education in the United States and in other nations, including— (1) collecting, acquiring, compiling (where appropriate, on a State-by-State basis), and disseminating full and complete statistics (disaggregated by the population characteristics described in paragraph (3)) on the condition and progress of education, at the preschool, elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and adult levels in the United States, including data on— (A) State and local education reform activities; (B) State and local early childhood school readiness activities; (C) student achievement in, at a minimum, the core academic areas of reading, mathematics, and science at all levels of education; (D) secondary school completions, dropouts, and adult literacy and reading skills; (E) access to, and opportunity for, postsecondary education, including data on financial aid to postsecondary students; (F) teaching, including— (i) data on in-service professional development, including a comparison of courses taken in the core academic areas of reading, mathematics, and science with courses in noncore academic areas, including technology courses; and (ii) the percentage of teachers who meet the applicable State certification and licensure requirements, including any requirements for certification obtained through alternative routes to certification, or, with regard to special education teachers, the qualifications described in section 1412(a)(14)(C) of this title.1 in each State and, where feasible, in each local educational agency and school; (G) instruction, the conditions of the education workplace, and the supply of, and demand for, teachers; (H) the incidence, frequency, seriousness, and nature of violence affecting students, school personnel, and other individuals participating in school activities, as well as other indices of school safety, including information regarding— (i) the relationship between victims and perpetrators; (ii) demographic characteristics of the victims and perpetrators; and (iii) the type of weapons used in incidents, as classified in the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; (I) the financing and management of education, including data on revenues and expenditures; (J) the social and economic status of children, including their academic achievement; (K) the existence and use of educational technology and access to the Internet by students and teachers in elementary schools and secondary schools; (L) access to, and opportunity for, early childhood education; (M) the availability of, and access to, before-school and after-school programs (including such programs during school recesses); (N) student participation in and completion of secondary and postsecondary vocational and technical education programs by specific program area; and (O) the existence and use of school libraries; (2) conducting and publishing reports on the meaning and significance of the statistics described in paragraph (1); (3) collecting, analyzing, cross-tabulating, and reporting, to the extent feasible, information by gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, limited English proficiency, mobility, disability, urban, rural, suburban districts, and other population characteristics, when such disaggregated information will facilitate educational and policy decisionmaking; (4) assisting public and private educational agencies, organizations, and institutions in improving and automating statistical and data collection activities, which may include assisting State educational agencies and local educational agencies with the disaggregation of data and with the development of longitudinal student data systems; (5) determining voluntary standards and guidelines to assist State educational agencies in developing statewide longitudinal data systems that link individual student data consistent with the requirements of the Elementa...