Sec. 202. Research recommendations
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Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a contract with the Center for Education of the National Academies to study and identify promising practices for the improvement of middle grades education. The study described in paragraph
(1)shall identify promising practices currently being implemented for the improvement of middle grades education. The study shall be conducted in an open and transparent way that provides interim information to the public about criteria being used to identify— promising practices; the practices that are being considered; and the kind of evidence needed to document effectiveness. The contract entered into pursuant to this subsection shall require that the Center for Education of the National Academies submit to the Secretary, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a final report regarding the study conducted under this subsection not later than 1 year after the date of the commencement of the contract. The Secretary shall make public and post on the website of the Department of Education the findings of the study conducted under this subsection. Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a contract with the Center for Education of the National Academies to review existing research on middle grades education, and on factors that might lead to increased effectiveness and enhanced innovation in middle grades education. The study described in paragraph
(1)shall review research on education programs, practices, and policies, as well as research on the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children in the middle grades age range, in order to provide an enriched understanding of the factors that might lead to the development of innovative and effective middle grades programs, practices, and policies. The study shall focus on— the areas of curriculum, instruction, and assessment (including additional supports for students who are below grade level in reading, writing, mathematics, and science, and the identification of students with disabilities) to better prepare all students for subsequent success in secondary school, postsecondary education, and cognitively challenging employment; the quality of, and supports for, the teacher workforce; aspects of student behavioral and social development, and of social interactions within schools that affect the learning of academic content; the ways in which schools and local educational agencies are organized and operated that may be linked to student outcomes; how development and use of early warning indicator and intervention systems can reduce risk factors for dropping out of school and low academic achievement; and identification of areas where further research and evaluation may be needed on these topics to further the development of effective middle grades practices. The contract entered into pursuant to this subsection shall require that the Center for Education of the National Academies submit to the Secretary, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives a final report regarding the study conducted under this subsection not later than 2 years after the date of commencement of the contract. The Secretary shall make public and post on the website of the Department of Education the findings of the study conducted under this subsection. The Secretary shall carry out each of the following: Create a national clearinghouse, in coordination with entities such as What Works and the Doing What Works Clearinghouses, for research in best practices in the middle grades and in the approaches that successfully take those best practices to scale in schools and local educational agencies. Create a national middle grades database accessible to educational researchers, practitioners, and policymakers that identifies school, classroom, and system-level factors that facilitate or impede student academic achievement in the middle grades. Require the Institute of Education Sciences to develop a strand of field-initiated and scientifically valid research designed to enhance performance of schools serving middle grades students, and of middle grades students who are most at risk of educational failure, which may be coordinated with the regional educational laboratories established under section 174 of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 ( 20 U.S.C. 9564 ), institutions of higher education, agencies recognized for their research work that has been published in peer-reviewed journals, and organizations that have such regional educational laboratories. Such research shall target specific issues such as— effective practices for instruction and assessment in mathematics, science, technology, and literacy; academic interventions for adolescent English language learners; school improvement programs and strategies for closing the academic achievement gap and decreasing rates of suspension and expulsion; evidence-based or, when available, scientifically valid professional development planning targeted to improve pedagogy and student academic achievement; the effects of increased learning or extended school time in the middle grades; and the effects of decreased class size or increased instructional and support staff. Strengthen the work of the existing national research and development centers under section 133(c) of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 ( 20 U.S.C. 9533(c) ), as of the date of enactment of this Act, by adding an educational research and development center dedicated to addressing— curricular, instructional, and assessment issues pertinent to the middle grades (such as mathematics, science, technological fluency, the needs of English language learners, and students with disabilities); comprehensive reforms for low-performing middle grades; and other topics pertinent to improving the academic achievement of middle grades students. Provide grants to nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and others to partner with State educational agencies and local educational agencies to develop, adapt, or replicate effective models for turning around low-performing middle grades.
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