WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) introduced bipartisan legislation to help schools and colleges make dramatic advancements in teaching and learning by creating a national center that advances high-risk, high-reward education research projects.
The New Essential Education Discoveries (NEED) Act would create a National Center for Advanced Development in Education (NCADE) dedicated to developing and disseminating innovative, cutting-edge practices and tools, such as voice recognition software to assess emerging readiness gaps and dyslexia, and digital learning platforms to help students recover lost learning time from the pandemic. The new center would use a model similar to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
“Congress has a responsibility to provide our schools, our children, and parents with the best education resources possible,” said Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. “Our bipartisan NEED Act will establish a national center dedicated to developing and sharing best practices for teaching and learning in the 21st century. I urge my colleagues to join us in providing the tools necessary to ensure that every student reaches their full potential.”
“There is tremendous potential for new research and emerging technologies to help close learning gaps, but these projects often lack the funding and support they need to reach our students,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “Using the best data and the best ideas at all levels in a student’s educational path will allow educators to identify what is working and what needs to be done better. The NEED Act will make innovation in education a priority and invest in projects that make a difference for students, putting them on a path to long-term success.”
NCADE will be housed under the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and retain the flexibility necessary to advance projects geared toward closing historic opportunity and achievement gaps between different groups of students. The bill also makes significant investments in improving Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS), helping states better track students’ progress through K-12 and into the workforce.
"The NEED Act will establish essential infrastructure for education R&D and redresses the historical neglect of this important area,” said Dan Correa, CEO of the Federation of American Scientists. “The programs will incubate game-changing solutions in education, especially for disadvantaged students, and it will help states collect and utilize learning and workforce data."
The legislation is endorsed by: Advanced Education Research and Development Fund (AERDF); Data Quality Campaign; Digital Promise Global; EDGE Consulting Partners; EdTech Evidence Exchange; Education Reform Now; The Education Trust; Federation of American Scientists / The Day One Project; Lincoln Network; InnovateEDU; Learn Launch; The Learning Agency; LearningForge LLC; LearnPlatform; New Classrooms Innovation Partners; New Leaders; State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA); Teach Plus; The Tech Interactive; John Bailey, Former White House Domestic Policy Advisor; Mario Cardona, Professor of Practice and Director of Policy, Arizona State University - Children's Equity Project; and Kumar Garg, Schmidt Futures.
A summary of the legislation can be found here, and the full text of the legislation can be found here.
###