[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 524 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 524
To establish a laboratory science pilot program at the National Science
Foundation.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 17, 2007
Mr. Hinojosa (for himself, Mr. Gordon of Tennessee, Ms. Eddie Bernice
Johnson of Texas, and Mr. Baca) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a laboratory science pilot program at the National Science
Foundation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) To remain competitive in science and technology in the
global economy, the United States must increase the number of
students graduating from high school prepared to pursue
postsecondary education in science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics.
(2) There is broad agreement in the scientific community
that learning science requires direct involvement by students
in scientific inquiry and that laboratory experience is so
integral to the nature of science that it must be included in
every science program for every science student.
(3) In America's Lab Report, the National Research Council
concluded that the current quality of laboratory experiences is
poor for most students and that educators and researchers do
not agree on how to define high school science laboratories or
on their purpose, hampering the accumulation of research on how
to improve labs.
(4) The National Research Council found that schools with
higher concentrations of non-Asian minorities and schools with
higher concentrations of poor students are less likely to have
adequate laboratory facilities than other schools.
(5) The Government Accountability Office reported that 49.1
percent of schools where the minority student population is
greater than 50.5 percent reported not meeting functional
requirements for laboratory science well or at all.
(6) 40 percent of those college students who left the
science fields reported some problems related to high school
science preparation, including lack of laboratory experience
and no introduction to theoretical or to analytical modes of
thought.
(7) It is in the national interest for the Federal
Government to invest in research and demonstration projects to
improve the teaching of laboratory science in the Nation's high
schools.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM.
Section 8(8) of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act
of 2002 is amended--
(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (F) as
clauses (i) through (vi), respectively;
(2) by inserting ``(A)'' before ``A program of
competitive''; and
(3) by inserting at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(B) In accordance with subparagraph (A)(v), the Director
shall establish a pilot program designated as `Partnerships for
Access to Laboratory Science' to award grants to partnerships
to improve laboratories and provide instrumentation as part of
a comprehensive program to enhance the quality of mathematics,
science, engineering, and technology instruction at the
secondary school level. Grants under this subparagraph may be
used for--
``(i) purchase, rental, or leasing of equipment,
instrumentation, and other scientific educational
materials;
``(ii) maintenance, renovation, and improvement of
laboratory facilities;
``(iii) professional development and training for
teachers;
``(iv) development of instructional programs
designed to integrate the laboratory experience with
classroom instruction and to be consistent with State
mathematics and science academic achievement standards;
``(v) training in laboratory safety for school
personnel;
``(vi) design and implementation of hands-on
laboratory experiences to encourage the interest of
individuals identified in section 33 or 34 of the
Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42
U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b) in mathematics, science,
engineering, and technology and help prepare such
individuals to pursue postsecondary studies in these
fields; and
``(vii) assessment of the activities funded under
this subparagraph.
``(C) Grants awarded under subparagraph (B) shall be to a
partnership that--
``(i) includes an institution of higher education
or a community college;
``(ii) includes a high-need local educational
agency;
``(iii) includes a business or eligible nonprofit
organization; and
``(iv) may include a State educational agency,
other public agency, National Laboratory, or community-
based organization.
``(D) The Federal share of the cost of activities carried
out using amounts from a grant under subparagraph (B) shall not
exceed 50 percent.''.
SEC. 3. REPORT.
The Director of the National Science Foundation shall evaluate the
effectiveness of activities carried out under the pilot projects funded
by the grant program established pursuant to the amendment made by
section 1 in improving student performance in mathematics, science,
engineering, and technology. A report documenting the results of that
evaluation shall be submitted to the Committee on Science and
Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committees on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation and on Health, Education, Labor,
and Pensions of the Senate not later than 5 years after the date of
enactment of this Act. The report shall identify best practices and
materials developed and demonstrated by grant awardees.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science
Foundation to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary for
each of the 3 succeeding fiscal years.
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