§ 7381l. National Laboratories Centers of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics education

• (a) In this section, the term “high-need public secondary school” means a secondary school—
  • (1) in which 40 percent or more of the students attending the school are children from low-income families; or
  • (2) designated with a school locale code of 41, 42, or 43, as determined by the Secretary of Education.
• (b) The Secretary shall establish at each of the National Laboratories a program to support a Center of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (referred to in this section as a “Center of Excellence”) in at least 1 high-need public secondary school located in the region served by the National Laboratory to provide assistance in accordance with subsection (f).
• (c)
  • (1) To comply with subsection (g), each high-need public secondary school selected as a Center of Excellence and the National Laboratory shall form a partnership with a school, department, or program of education at an institution of higher education.
  • (2) The partnership may include a nonprofit entity with demonstrated experience and effectiveness in science or mathematics, as agreed to by other members of the partnership.
• (d)
  • (1) The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall establish criteria to guide the National Laboratories in selecting the sites for Centers of Excellence.
  • (2) A National Laboratory shall select a site for a Center of Excellence through an open, widely-publicized, and competitive process.
• (e) The Secretary shall establish goals and performance assessments for each Center of Excellence authorized under subsection (b).
• (f) Consistent with sections 7381b and 7381c of this title, the Director shall make available necessary assistance for a program established under this section through the use of scientific and engineering staff of a National Laboratory, including the use of staff—
  • (1) to assist teachers in teaching a course at a Center of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; and
  • (2) to use National Laboratory scientific equipment in the teaching of the course.
• (g) A Center of Excellence in a region shall ensure—
  • (1) provision of clinical practicum, student teaching, or internship experiences for science, technology, and mathematics teacher candidates as part of the teacher preparation program of the Center of Excellence;
  • (2) provision of supervision and mentoring for teacher candidates in the teacher preparation program; and
  • (3) to the maximum extent practicable, provision of professional development for veteran teachers in the public secondary schools in the region.
• (h) The Secretary shall consider the results of performance assessments required under subsection (e) in determining the contract award fee of a National Laboratory management and operations contractor.
• (i) The Director shall—
  • (1) develop an evaluation and accountability plan for the activities funded under this section that objectively measures the impact of the activities; and
  • (2) disseminate information obtained from those measurements.
• (j) Nothing in this section displaces or otherwise affects any similar program being carried out as of August 9, 2007 , at any National Laboratory under any other provision of law.