PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 1512 PRINTER'S NO. 3196
No. 1227 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY FLECK, McILHATTAN, BEAR, BELFANTI, BENNINGTON,
BIANCUCCI, BOBACK, BOYD, BROOKS, CAPPELLI, CAUSER, CLYMER,
COSTA, CREIGHTON, CUTLER, DENLINGER, DeWEESE, ELLIS, EVERETT,
FAIRCHILD, GEIST, GEORGE, GERGELY, GIBBONS, GODSHALL,
GOODMAN, GRELL, HARRIS, HELM, HENNESSEY, HESS, HUTCHINSON,
KAUFFMAN, M. KELLER, KESSLER, KING, KORTZ, MACKERETH, MAHER,
MAJOR, MENSCH, MILLARD, MILNE, MOYER, MUNDY, MURT, MUSTIO,
NICKOL, O'NEILL, PEIFER, PETRARCA, PETRI, PHILLIPS, PICKETT,
PYLE, QUIGLEY, QUINN, RAPP, REICHLEY, ROEBUCK, ROSS, SAYLOR,
SCAVELLO, McILVAINE SMITH, SONNEY, STAIRS, STERN,
R. STEVENSON, SURRA, J. TAYLOR, VULAKOVICH, WAGNER, YUDICHAK,
REED, GINGRICH, MAHONEY, FREEMAN, PASHINSKI, SIPTROTH,
FABRIZIO, BEYER, SHIMKUS AND HARHART, MAY 4, 2007
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, FEBRUARY 6, 2008
AN ACT
1 Establishing the Science Technology Partnership Program;
2 ESTABLISHING THE SCIENCE EDUCATION INNOVATION GRANTS PROGRAM; <--
3 and providing for State grants.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Science
8 Technology Partnership Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
1 "Department." The Department of Education of the
2 Commonwealth.
3 "Higher education institution." Any public or private two-
4 year or four-year or higher postsecondary institution in this
5 Commonwealth that has been accredited at the college level by an
6 accrediting agency recognized by the Federal Secretary of
7 Education.
8 "Nonpublic school." A nonpublic kindergarten, elementary
9 school or secondary school at which the compulsory attendance
10 requirements of the Commonwealth may be met and which meets the
11 applicable requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of
12 1964 (Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241).
13 "Partnership." A science technology partnership established
14 under section 4.
15 "Program." The Science Technology Partnership Program
16 established in section 3.
17 "Public school." Any school owned or operated by a public
18 school district established under the act of March 10, 1949
19 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949,
20 including any school established pursuant to Article XVII-A of
21 the Public School Code of 1949.
22 "SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS." A NONPROFIT <--
23 CORPORATION AS DEFINED IN SECTION 510(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE
24 CODE OF 1986 (PUBLIC LAW 99-514, 26 U.S.C. § 1 ET SEQ.) THAT
25 PROVIDES SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
26 INSTRUCTION TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL
27 DISTRICTS IN THIS COMMONWEALTH.
28 "Scientific or technical equipment." Technical or electronic
29 equipment used in teaching science courses, including laboratory
30 equipment. The equipment may include equipment that is not
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1 routinely used in the teaching of science but that is commonly
2 used in the workplace and the fields of health, environment,
3 scientific research, biology, chemistry, geology or other earth
4 sciences, physics or any other scientific field.
5 "Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
6 Section 3. Science Technology Partnership Program.
7 (a) Establishment.--The Science Technology Partnership
8 Program is hereby established. The purpose of the program shall
9 be to improve science education in public schools and, school <--
10 districts and nonpublic schools that are members of science
11 technology partnerships by:
12 (1) Making scientific or technical equipment available
13 to students.
14 (2) Augmenting the science curriculum.
15 (3) Providing additional professional development
16 opportunities to educators in the sciences.
17 (b) Administration.--The department shall administer a grant
18 program that awards grants to qualified higher education
19 institutions that are members of the partnerships.
20 (c) Criteria for funding.--To implement the program, the
21 department shall request proposals from higher education
22 institutions that are members of partnerships and may award
23 grants to such institutions that meet all of the following
24 criteria:
25 (1) Have established a partnership as defined in section
26 4 and provided a copy of the partnership agreement to the
27 department.
28 (2) Demonstrate how the partnership will make science
29 technology equipment available to students enrolled in public
30 and nonpublic schools that are partnership members.
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1 (3) Demonstrate how the partnership will augment the
2 science curriculum of public and nonpublic schools that are
3 partnership members.
4 (4) Demonstrate how the partnership will provide
5 additional professional development opportunities to
6 educators employed by public and nonpublic schools that are
7 partnership members.
8 (5) Have adopted a proposed budget describing the
9 scientific and technical equipment that will be purchased or
10 leased with grant funds.
11 (d) Grant awards.--The department shall award grants in
12 amounts not to exceed $200,000 per subject area, including
13 chemistry, biology, physics, earth and space, for each qualified
14 applicant higher education institution. Grants shall be used for
15 the purchase or lease of scientific or technical equipment and
16 for the development of programs of instruction for members of a
17 partnership.
18 Section 4. Science technology partnerships.
19 (a) Establishment.--A higher education institution may form
20 a partnership with three or more public and nonpublic schools or
21 school districts.
22 (b) Partnership agreement.--The higher education institution
23 and the public schools, nonpublic schools or school districts
24 shall enter into a written agreement defining the
25 responsibilities of the partnership members. The agreement shall
26 include all of the following:
27 (1) The responsibilities of the higher education
28 institution in providing services to each partnership member.
29 (2) The responsibilities of the public schools,
30 nonpublic schools or school districts in coordinating with
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1 the higher education institution.
2 (3) A description of the scientific or technical
3 equipment that shall be provided to each partnership member.
4 (4) A description of the program of instruction that
5 will be provided to each partnership member by the higher
6 education institution.
7 (5) The courses of science instruction and grade levels
8 that will be augmented by scientific or technical equipment
9 through the partnership and how scientific or technical
10 equipment will be used to augment such courses of
11 instruction.
12 (6) The manner in which access to scientific or
13 technical equipment will be provided to students and
14 teachers.
15 (7) The professional development activities that will be
16 provided to science teachers employed by partnership members.
17 (c) Forward to department.--To be eligible to participate in
18 the program, a partnership must forward a certified copy of its
19 partnership agreement to the department.
20 Section 5. Powers and duties of department.
21 The department shall promulgate rules, regulations and
22 procedures necessary to implement the program.
23 Section 6. Annual report.
24 The secretary shall annually submit a report on the program
25 to the Governor, the chairman and minority chairman of the
26 Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and minority
27 chairman of the Education Committee of the House of
28 Representatives. The report shall include all of the following
29 information:
30 (1) A description of the types of the partnerships
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1 created.
2 (2) The number of higher education institutions, public
3 schools, nonpublic schools and public school districts <--
4 participating in the program as members of the partnerships.
5 (3) The number of public and nonpublic school students
6 participating in the program.
7 (4) The dollar amount of grants awarded to each higher
8 education institution and a summary of the institution's
9 expenditures on services related to the partnership.
10 (5) An assessment of the educational impact of the
11 program on the scientific knowledge of students participating
12 in the program.
13 SECTION 7. SCIENCE EDUCATION INNOVATION GRANTS PROGRAM. <--
14 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.--THE SCIENCE EDUCATION INNOVATION GRANTS
15 PROGRAM IS HEREBY ESTABLISHED. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMINISTER
16 THE SCIENCE EDUCATION INNOVATION GRANTS PROGRAM.
17 (B) GRANT RECIPIENTS.--SCIENCE EDUCATION INNOVATION GRANTS
18 SHALL BE AWARDED BY THE DEPARTMENT TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS, HIGHER
19 EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY EDUCATIONAL
20 ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE INNOVATIVE SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL
21 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS WITH HANDS-ON, INQUIRY-BASED
22 LEARNING FOR STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND
23 NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS. NO MORE THAN 10% OF THE TOTAL GRANT FUNDING
24 AWARDED IN ANY ONE SCHOOL YEAR MAY BE AWARDED TO A SCHOOL
25 DISTRICT, HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION OR SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY
26 EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION.
27 (C) CONTENTS OF APPLICATION.--IN ITS APPLICATION TO THE
28 DEPARTMENT FOR GRANT FUNDING, AN ELIGIBLE GRANT RECIPIENT UNDER
29 THIS SECTION SHALL INCLUDE:
30 (1) THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND NONPUBLIC
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1 SCHOOLS WHERE THE PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION WILL BE PROVIDED.
2 (2) A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION AND
3 GRADE LEVELS OF STUDENTS THAT WILL BE PROVIDED INSTRUCTION.
4 (3) A DESCRIPTION OF ANY SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL
5 EQUIPMENT THAT WILL BE USED TO AUGMENT INSTRUCTION.
6 (4) IF APPLICABLE, THE MANNER IN WHICH ACCESS TO
7 SCIENTIFIC OR TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT WILL BE PROVIDED TO
8 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS.
9 (5) IF APPLICABLE, THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
10 ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BE PROVIDED TO SCIENCE TEACHERS.
11 (6) THE QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT MEASURES
12 THAT WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PROGRAM HAS
13 IMPROVED THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS RECEIVING THE
14 PROGRAM OF INSTRUCTION.
15 (D) INFORMATION.--THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DISSEMINATE TO ALL
16 PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS
17 INFORMATION ABOUT THE INNOVATIVE SCIENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
18 AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS AWARDED GRANTS UNDER THIS SECTION SO
19 THAT THESE PROGRAMS MAY BE REPLICATED BY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SCHOOL
20 DISTRICTS AND NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS.
21 (E) ANNUAL REPORT.--THE SECRETARY SHALL ANNUALLY SUBMIT A
22 REPORT ON THE SCIENCE EDUCATION INNOVATION GRANTS PROGRAM TO THE
23 GOVERNOR, THE CHAIRMAN AND MINORITY CHAIRMAN OF THE EDUCATION
24 COMMITTEE OF THE SENATE AND THE CHAIRMAN AND MINORITY CHAIRMAN
25 OF THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. THE
26 REPORT SHALL INCLUDE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
27 (1) THE NUMBER, NAMES AND AMOUNTS OF GRANTS AWARDED TO
28 PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NONPUBLIC SCHOOLS AND PUBLIC SCHOOL
29 DISTRICTS, HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND SCIENCE
30 TECHNOLOGY EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVING GRANTS.
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1 (2) THE NUMBER OF PUBLIC AND NONPUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS
2 PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM.
3 (3) FOR EACH GRANT RECIPIENT, A SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF
4 ITS INNOVATIVE SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAM AND ANY QUALITATIVE
5 OR QUANTITATIVE ACADEMIC RESULTS DUE TO THE PROGRAM.
6 (4) AN ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF THE GRANTS ON THE
7 SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE
8 PROGRAM.
9 Section 7 8. Effective date. <--
10 This act shall take effect immediately.
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