On July 30, Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the bipartisan New Essential Education Discoveries (NEED) Act in the Senate (S. 4841). This is the companion to the House bill (H.R. 6691) introduced last December by Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA). The Senate introduction of the NEED Act is a significant step toward developing a more robust education research and development (R&D) infrastructure to improve student outcomes across the country. This introduction underscores the bipartisan, bicameral call to enhance our education R&D ecosystem and improve our nation’s competitiveness, key objectives of the Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI).
The NEED Act has a strong and diverse base of support, with nearly 70 organizations and individuals endorsing the bill. It received endorsements from AERDF, American Federation of Teachers, Colorado Succeeds, Data Quality Campaign, Digital Promise Global, Federation of American Scientists, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, New Classrooms, The Education Trust, Transcend, and many others. You can find the full list here.
Additionally, the NEED Act received the support of national security and education experts (including ALI members) who contributed to the Aspen Strategy Group’s 2024 report, Fortifying America’s Future: Pathways for National Competitiveness.
The Senate introduction of the NEED Act is a significant step toward a more robust education R&D infrastructure.
If passed, the NEED Act would establish a National Center for Advanced Development in Education (NCADE) as a fifth center at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). NCADE would be modeled after the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and advance informed-risk, high-reward education R&D projects. By focusing on innovative and interdisciplinary approaches, NCADE would be positioned to discover transformative breakthroughs in education. This new center would address the shortage of technical talent in high-tech industries by harnessing the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence, and developing new tools, curricula, and teaching methods to better prepare students for these fields. This would ensure the U.S. workforce remains competitive and capable of meeting the demands of rapidly evolving industries.
AREA and the NEED Act would support greater infrastructure and investments in education R&D to ensure the U.S. retains its status as a leader in innovation and a global superpower.
Education research has been a salient topic on Capitol Hill lately, with the introduction of the bipartisan Advancing Research in Education (AREA) Act (S. 3392) in the Senate in early December by the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Ranking Member Bill Cassidy (R-LA). AREA would modernize the Education Sciences Reform Act (ESRA) to increase the quality and inclusiveness of education R&D and evaluation; strengthen state and local education R&D capacity; and ensure IES makes evidence more actionable for educators and students. AREA will provide a much-needed update to ESRA, as it has never been reauthorized since it was enacted in 2002.
Together, AREA and the NEED Act would support greater infrastructure and investments in education R&D to ensure the U.S. retains its status as a leader in innovation and a global superpower. Thank you to Senators Bennet and Cornyn for introducing the NEED Act in the Senate, and I look forward to working with Congress to ensure every child in America has an education grounded in evidence.
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