---
kind: "section"
citation: "20 U.S.C. § 9572"
title: "20"
title_heading: "Education"
number: "9572"
heading: "Prohibitions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/20/9572"
units:
  - "Chapter 76 — Education Research, Statistics, Evaluation, Information, and Dissemination"
  - "Subchapter I — Education Sciences Reform"
  - "Part F — General Provisions"
---

# §9572. Prohibitions

- (a) **National database—** Nothing in this subchapter may be construed to authorize the establishment of a nationwide database of individually identifiable information on individuals involved in studies or other collections of data under this subchapter.
- (b) **Federal Government and use of Federal funds—** Nothing in this subchapter may be construed to authorize an officer or employee of the Federal Government to mandate, direct, or control the curriculum, program of instruction, or allocation of [State](/usc/20/9501.md?p=22) or local resources of a [State](/usc/20/9501.md?p=22), [local educational agency](/usc/20/9501.md?p=1-A), or school, or to mandate a [State](/usc/20/9501.md?p=22), or any subdivision thereof, to spend any funds or incur any costs not provided for under this subchapter.
- (c) **Endorsement of curriculum—** Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal law, no funds provided under this subchapter to the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14), including any office, [board](/usc/20/9501.md?p=4), committee, or center of the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14), may be used by the [Institute](/usc/20/9501.md?p=14) to endorse, approve, or sanction any curriculum designed to be used in an [elementary school](/usc/20/9501.md?p=1-A) or [secondary school](/usc/20/9501.md?p=1-A).
- (d) **Federally sponsored testing—**
  - (1) **In general—** Subject to [paragraph (2)](#d-2), no funds provided under this subchapter to the [Secretary](/usc/20/9501.md?p=21) or to the recipient of any award may be used to develop, pilot test, field test, implement, administer, or distribute any federally sponsored national test in reading, mathematics, or any other subject, unless specifically and explicitly authorized by law.
  - (2) **Exceptions—** [Subsection (a)](#a) shall not apply to international comparative assessments developed under the authority of [section 9543(a)(6) of this title](/usc/20/9543.md?p=a-6) or [section 9003(a)(6) of this title](https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=(/us/usc/t20/s9003/a/6)) (as such section was in effect on the day before November 5, 2002) and administered to only a representative sample of pupils in the United States and in foreign nations.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 107–279, title I, § 182, Nov. 5, 2002, 116 Stat. 1971.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

Section 9003 of this title, referred to in subsec. (d)(2), was repealed by Pub. L. 107–279, title IV, § 403(1), Nov. 5, 2002, 116 Stat. 1985.