article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Education for Democracy Act''. SEC. 2. CIVIC EDUCATION. Part F of title X of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8141 et seq.) is amended to read as follows: ``PART F--CIVIC EDUCATION ``SEC. 10601. SHORT TITLE. ``This part may be cited as the `Education for Democracy Act'. ``SEC. 10602. FINDINGS. ``The Congress finds that-- ``(1) college freshmen surveyed in 1997 by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles demonstrated higher levels of disengagement, both academically and politically, than any previous entering class of students; ``(2) college freshmen in 1997 demonstrated the lowest levels of political interest in the 20-year history of surveys conducted by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles; ``(3) United States secondary school students expressed relatively low levels of interest in politics and economics in a 1999 Harris survey; ``(4) the 28th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll in 1996 indicated that American citizens believe that the Nation's schools, apart from providing a basic education, had a very important role to play in preparing students to be responsible citizens; ``(5) Americans surveyed by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development indicated that only 59 percent had confidence that schools have a major effect on the development of good citizenship; ``(6) teachers too often do not have sufficient expertise in the subjects that they teach, and half of all secondary school history students in America are being taught by teachers with neither a major nor a minor in history; ``(7) secondary school students correctly answered less than half of the questions on a national test of economic knowledge in a 1999 Harris survey; ``(8) the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress indicated that students have only superficial knowledge of, and lacked a depth of understanding regarding, civics; ``(9) civic and economic education are important not only to developing citizenship competencies in the United States but also are critical to supporting political stability and economic health in other democracies, particularly emerging democratic market economies; ``(10) international education exchange programs in civic and economic education have been shown to enhance both educational reform efforts in other democracies and educational quality in United States classrooms; ``(11) more than three quarters of Americans surveyed by the National Constitution Center in 1997 admitted that they knew only some or very little about the Constitution of the United States; and ``(12) the Constitution of the United States is too often viewed within the context of history and not as a living document that shapes current events. ``SEC. 10603. PURPOSE. ``It is the purpose of this part-- ``(1) to improve the quality of civics and government education, and to enhance the attainment of the third and sixth National Education Goals, by educating students about the history and principles of the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights; ``(2) to foster civic competence and responsibility; and ``(3) to improve the quality of civic education and economic education through cooperative civic education and economic education exchange programs with other democratic nations. ``SEC. 10604. GENERAL AUTHORITY. ``(a) Grants and Contracts.-- ``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants to or enter into contracts with-- ``(A) the Center for Civic Education to carry out civic education activities under sections 10605 and 10606; and ``(B) the National Council on Economic Education to carry out economic education activities under section 10606. ``(2) Consultation.--The Secretary shall award the grants and contracts under section 10606 in consultation with the Secretary of State. ``(b) Distribution.--The Secretary shall use not more than 50 percent of the amount appropriated under section 10607(b) for each fiscal year to carry out economic education activities under section 10606. ``SEC. 10605. WE THE PEOPLE PROGRAM. ``(a) The Citizen and the Constitution.-- ``(1) In general.--The Center for Civic Education shall use funds awarded under section 10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The Citizen and the Constitution program in accordance with this subsection. ``(2) Educational activities.--The Citizen and the Constitution program-- ``(A) shall continue and expand the educational activities of the `We the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution' program administered by the Center for Civic Education; ``(B) shall enhance student attainment of challenging content standards in civics and government; and ``(C) shall provide-- ``(i) a course of instruction on the basic principles of our Nation's constitutional democracy and the history of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights; ``(ii) at the request of a participating school, school and community simulated congressional hearings following the course of study; ``(iii) an annual national competition of simulated congressional hearings for secondary school students who wish to participate in such a program; ``(iv) advanced training of teachers about the Constitution of the United States and the political system the United States created; ``(v) materials and methods of instruction, including teacher training, that utilize the latest advancements in educational technology; and ``(vi) civic education materials and services to address specific problems such as the prevention of school violence and the abuse of drugs and alcohol. ``(3) Availability of program.--The education program authorized under this subsection shall be made available to public and private elementary schools and secondary schools, including Bureau funded schools, in the 435 congressional districts, and in the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. ``(b) Project Citizen.-- ``(1) In general.--The Center for Civic Education shall use funds awarded under section 10604(a)(1)(A) to carry out The Project Citizen program in accordance with this subsection. ``(2) Educational activities.--The Project Citizen program-- ``(A) shall continue and expand the educational activities of the `We the People . . . Project Citizen' program administered by the Center for Civic Education; ``(B) shall enhance student attainment of challenging content standards in civics and government; and ``(C) shall provide-- ``(i) a course of instruction at the middle school level on the roles of State and local governments in the Federal system established by the Constitution of the United States; ``(ii) optional school and community simulated State legislative hearings; ``(iii) an annual national showcase or competition; ``(iv) advanced training of teachers on the roles of State and local governments in the Federal system established by the Constitution of the United States; ``(v) materials and methods of instruction, including teacher training, that utilize the latest advancements in educational technology; and ``(vi) civic education materials and services to address specific problems such as the prevention of school violence and the abuse of drugs and alcohol. ``(3) Availability of program.--The education program authorized under this subsection shall be made available to public and private middle schools, including Bureau funded schools, in the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. ``(c) Definition of Bureau Funded School.--In this section the term `Bureau funded school' has the meaning given the term in section 1146 of the Education Amendments of 1978. ``SEC. 10606. COOPERATIVE CIVIC EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC EDUCATION EXCHANGE PROGRAMS. ``(a) Cooperative Education Exchange Programs.--The Center for Civic Education and the National Council on Economic Education shall use funds awarded under section 10604(a)(1) to carry out Cooperative Education Exchange programs in accordance with this section. ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Cooperative Education Exchange programs provided under this section shall be to-- ``(1) make available to educators from eligible countries exemplary curriculum and teacher training programs in civics and government education, and economics education, developed in the United States; ``(2) assist eligible countries in the adaptation, implementation, and institutionalization of such programs; ``(3) create and implement civics and government education, and economic education, programs for students that draw upon the experiences of the participating eligible countries; ``(4) provide a means for the exchange of ideas and experiences in civics and government education, and economic education, among political, educational, governmental, and private sector leaders of participating eligible countries; and ``(5) provide support for-- ``(A) research and evaluation to determine the effects of educational programs on students' development of the knowledge, skills, and traits of character essential for the preservation and improvement of constitutional democracy; and ``(B) effective participation in and the preservation and improvement of an efficient market economy. ``(c) Avoidance of Duplication.--The Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of State to ensure that-- ``(1) activities under this section are not duplicative of other efforts in the eligible countries; and ``(2) partner institutions in the eligible countries are creditable. ``(d) Activities.--The Cooperative Education Exchange programs shall-- ``(1) provide eligible countries with-- ``(A) seminars on the basic principles of United States constitutional democracy and economics, including seminars on the major governmental and economic institutions and systems in the United States, and visits to such institutions; ``(B) visits to school systems, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations conducting exemplary programs in civics and government education, and economic education, in the United States; ``(C) translations and adaptations regarding United States civic and government education, and economic education, curricular programs for students and teachers, and in the case of training programs for teachers translations and adaptations into forms useful in schools in eligible countries, and joint research projects in such areas; ``(D) research and evaluation assistance to determine-- ``(i) the effects of the Cooperative Education Exchange programs on students' development of the knowledge, skills, and traits of character essential for the preservation and improvement of constitutional democracy; and ``(ii) effective participation in and the preservation and improvement of an efficient market economy; ``(2) provide United States participants with-- ``(A) seminars on the histories, economies, and systems of government of eligible countries; ``(B) visits to school systems, institutions of higher education, and organizations conducting exemplary programs in civics and government education, and economic education, located in eligible countries; ``(C) assistance from educators and scholars in eligible countries in the development of curricular materials on the history, government, and economy of such countries that are useful in United States classrooms; ``(D) opportunities to provide onsite demonstrations of United States curricula and pedagogy for educational leaders in eligible countries; and ``(E) research and evaluation assistance to determine-- ``(i) the effects of the Cooperative Education Exchange programs on students' development of the knowledge, skills, and traits of character essential for the preservation and improvement of constitutional democracy; and ``(ii) effective participation in and improvement of an efficient market economy; and ``(3) assist participants from eligible countries and the United States to participate in international conferences on civics and government education, and economic education, for educational leaders, teacher trainers, scholars in related disciplines, and educational policymakers. ``(e) Participants.--The primary participants in the Cooperative Education Exchange programs assisted under this section shall be educational leaders in the areas of civics and government education, and economic education, including curriculum and teacher training specialists, scholars in relevant disciplines, and educational policymakers, and government and private sector leaders from the United States and eligible countries. ``(f) Definition.--For the purpose of this section, the term `eligible country' means a Central European country, an Eastern European country, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the independent states of the former Soviet Union as defined in section 3 of the FREEDOM Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5801), and may include the Republic of Ireland, the province of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, and any developing country as defined in section 209(d) of the Education for the Deaf Act. ``SEC. 10607. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. ``(a) Section 10605.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 10605, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2004. ``(b) Section 10606.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 10606, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 2004.''. SEC. 3. REPEAL. Title VI of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act (20 U.S.C. 5951 et seq.) is repealed.
summary: (Sec. 2) Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to or contracts with: (1) the Center for Civic Education (CCE) to carry out civic education activities under the We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution program and The Project Citizen program, and under Cooperative Educational Exchange programs; and (2) the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE) to carry out economic education activities under Cooperative Educational Exchange programs. Revises requirements for CCE implementation of the We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution program and The Project Citizen program. Sets forth requirements for the Cooperative Educational Exchange programs of civic education by CCE and economic education by NCEE. Makes eligible for such programs Central European countries, an Eastern European country, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and the independent states of the former Soviet Union. Allows such program eligibility also for the Republic of Ireland, the province of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, and any developing country as defined under the Education for the Deaf Act. Authorizes appropriations through FY 2004 for: (1) the We the People... The Citizen and the Constitution program and The Project Citizen program; and (2) the Cooperative Educational Exchange programs. (Sec. 3) Repeals title VI (International Education Program) of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act.