Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “ARPA–ED” Act.
ARPA–ED
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Education to carry out the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Education to fund directed development projects to support targeted breakthroughs in teaching and learning.
Sec. 2 Establishment of the Advanced research project agency-education
Program established— From the amounts appropriated for section 14007 of division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5), the Secretary of Education may reserve up to 30 percent to—
establish and carry out the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Education (in this Act referred to as “ARPA–ED”) to—
identify and promote advances in learning, fundamental and applied sciences, and engineering that may be translated into new learning technologies;
develop, test, and evaluate new learning technologies and related processes; and
accelerate transformational technological advances in education;
convene an advisory panel under subsection (d); and
carry out the evaluation and dissemination requirements under subsection (e).
Appointments—
Director— ARPA–ED shall be under the direction of the Director of ARPA–ED, who shall be appointed by the Secretary.
Qualified individuals— The Secretary shall appoint, for a term of not more than 4 years, qualified individuals who represent scientific, engineering, professional, and other personnel with expertise in carrying out the activities described in this section to positions in ARPA–ED, at rates of compensation determined by the Secretary, without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, except that such rates of compensation shall not to exceed the rate for level I of the Executive Schedule under section 5312 of such title.
Functions of ARPA–ED— Upon consultation with the advisory panel convened under subsection (d), the Secretary shall select public and private entities to carry out the activities described in subsection (a)(1) by—
awarding such entities grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or cash prizes; or
entering into such other transactions with such entities as the Secretary may prescribe in regulations.
Advisory panel—
In general— The Secretary shall convene an advisory panel to advise and consult with the Secretary, Director, and the qualified individuals appointed under subsection (b)(2) on—
ensuring that the awards made and transaction entered into under subsection (c) are consistent with the purposes described in subsection (a)(1); and
ensuring the relevance, accessibility, and utility of such awards and transactions to education practitioners.
Appointment of members— The Secretary shall appoint the following qualified individuals to serve on the advisory panel:
Education practitioners.
Experts in technology.
Specialists in rapid gains in student achievement and school turnaround.
Specialists in personalized learning.
Researchers, including at least one representative from a comprehensive center established under 203 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9602) or the regional laboratories system established under section 174 of the Education Sciences Reform Act (20 U.S.C. 9564).
Other individuals with expertise who will contribute to the overall rigor and quality of ARPA–ED.
Applicability of FACA— The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the panel convened under this subsection and any appointee to such panel shall not be considered an “employee” under section 2105 of title 5, United States Code.
Evaluation and dissemination—
Evaluation— The Secretary shall obtain independent, periodic, and rigorous evaluation of—
the effectiveness of the processes ARPA–Ed is using to achieve the purposes described in subsection (a)(1);
the relevance, accessibility, and utility of the awards made and transactions entered into under subsection (c) to education practitioners; and
the effectiveness of the projects carried out through such awards and transactions, using evidence standards developed in consultation with the Institute of Education Sciences, and the suitability of such projects for further investment or increased scale.
Dissemination and use— The Secretary shall disseminate information to education practitioners, including teachers, principals, and local and State superintendents, on effective practices and technologies developed under ARPA–ED, as appropriate, through—
the comprehensive centers established under 203 of the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9602);
the regional laboratories system established under section 174 of the Education Sciences Reform Act (20 U.S.C. 9564); and
such other means as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
Administrative requirements— Notwithstanding section 437(d) of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232(d)), the Secretary shall establish such processes as may be necessary for the Secretary to manage and administer ARPA–ED, which are not constrained by other Department-wide administrative requirements that may prevent ARPA–ED from carrying out the purposes described in subsection (a)(1).
Definitions— For purposes of this Act:
Department— The term Department means the Department of Education.
Director— The term Director means the Director of ARPA–ED.
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.