Amendments
2017—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 115–56 added subsec. (c).
1990—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 101–513 struck out par. (1) designation and par. (2) which authorized use of appropriations to finance education and training for victims of apartheid, for scholarships for students pursuing secondary school education in South Africa, and to provide in-service teacher training programs in South Africa.
1986—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99–440, § 201(a), designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).
Subsec. (b)(2)(C)(i). Pub. L. 99–631 substituted “in-service” for “inservice”.
1985—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99–83, § 306, substituted “for the purposes of this section, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, $180,000,000 for fiscal year 1986 and $180,000,000 for fiscal year 1987” for “for purposes of this section, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, $103,600,000 for the fiscal year 1982 and $103,600,000 for the fiscal year 1983”.
Pub. L. 99–83, § 1211(a)(1), struck out provisions relating to scholarships for South African students for fiscal years 1982 and 1983.
1981—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 97–113 substituted appropriations authorizations of $103,600,000 for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 for such authorization of $101,000,000 for fiscal year 1981 and inserted provision for financing of South African scholarships for education in the United States.
1980—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–533 substituted appropriations authorization of $101,000,000 for fiscal year 1981 for such authorization of $105,000,000 for fiscal year 1980.
1979—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–53, § 103(a), substituted provisions authorizing appropriations of $105,000,000 for fiscal year 1980, for provisions authorizing appropriations of $109,036,000 for fiscal year 1979.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–53, § 103(b), inserted provisions relating to assistance for advanced education and training.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 96–53, § 122, struck out subsec. (c) which authorized availability of appropriations for fiscal years 1977, and 1978 for educational assistance for southern Africa.
1978—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–424 substituted “$109,036,000 for the fiscal year 1979, which amount is” for “$101,800,000 for the fiscal year 1977 and $84,900,000 for the fiscal year 1978, which amounts are”.
1977—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–88, § 104(a), struck out provisions authorizing appropriations of $90,000,000 for fiscal year 1974, $92,000,000 for fiscal year 1975, and $89,200,000 for fiscal year 1976, and inserted provisions authorizing an appropriation of $84,900,000 for fiscal year 1978.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 95–88, § 104(b), inserted “for the fiscal year 1977, and not less than $1,647,000 shall be available for the fiscal year 1978,” after “shall be available”.
1975—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 94–161, § 305(a)(1), (2), designated existing provisions as subsec. (a) and authorized appropriation of $89,200,000 and $101,800,000 for fiscal years 1976 and 1977, respectively.
Subsecs. (b), (c), Pub. L. 94–161, § 305(a)(3), added subsecs. (b) and (c).
1974—Pub. L. 93–559 increased appropriations authorization for fiscal year 1975 to $92,000,000 from $90,000,000.
Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development
Pub. L. 115–56, div. A, Sept. 8, 2017, 131 Stat. 1129, provided that:
“SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
“(a) Short Title.—
This Act [div. A of
Pub. L. 115–56] may be cited as the ‘Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act’ or the ‘READ Act’.
“SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
“(a) Appropriate Congressional Committees.—In this Act, the term ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means—
“(1)
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
“(2)
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
“(3)
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
“(4)
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
“SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE, QUALITY BASIC EDUCATION.
“SEC. 4. COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO PROMOTE BASIC EDUCATION.
“(a) Strategy Required.—Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act [Sept. 8, 2017], the President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a comprehensive United States strategy to be carried out during the following five fiscal years to promote quality basic education in partner countries by—
“(2)
measurably improving the quality of
basic education and learning outcomes.
“(b) Requirement To Consult.—In developing the strategy required under subsection (a), the President shall consult with—
“(4)
local and international nongovernmental organizations, including faith-based organizations and organizations representing students, teachers, and parents, and other development partners engaged in
basic education assistance programs in developing countries.
“(c) Public Comment.—
The President shall provide an opportunity for public comment on the strategy required under subsection (a).
“(d) Elements.—The strategy required under subsection (a)—
“(2) shall seek—
“(A)
to prioritize assistance provided under this subsection to countries that are partners of the United States and whose populations are most in need of improved
basic education, as determined by indicators such as literacy and numeracy rates;
“(B)
to build the capacity of relevant actors in partner countries, including in government and in civil society, to develop and implement
national education plans that measurably improve
basic education;
“(C)
to identify and replicate successful interventions that improve access to and quality of
basic education in conflict settings and in partner countries;
“(D)
to project general levels of resources needed to achieve stated program objectives;
“(E)
to develop means to track implementation in partner countries and ensure that such countries are expending appropriate domestic resources and instituting any relevant legal, regulatory, or institutional reforms needed to achieve stated program objectives;
“(F)
to leverage United States capabilities, including through technical assistance, training, and research; and
“SEC. 5. IMPROVING COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT.
“(a) Senior Coordinator of United States International Basic Education Assistance.—
There is established within the
United States Agency for International Development a Senior Coordinator of United States International
Basic Education Assistance (referred to in this section as the ‘Senior Coordinator’). The Senior Coordinator shall be appointed by the President, shall be a current USAID employee serving in a career or noncareer position in the Senior Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher, and shall serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator.
“(b) Duties.—
“(1) In general.—
The Senior Coordinator shall have primary responsibility for the oversight and coordination of all resources and activities of the United States Government relating to the promotion of international
basic education programs and activities.
“(2) Specific duties.—The Senior Coordinator shall—
“(B)
develop and revise the strategy required under section 4;
“(C)
monitor, evaluate, and report on activities undertaken pursuant to the strategy required under section 4; and
“(D)
establish due diligence criteria for all recipients of funds provided by the United States to carry out activities under this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
“(c) Offset.—
In order to eliminate duplication of effort and activities and to offset any costs incurred by the
United States Agency for International Development in appointing the Senior Coordinator under subsection (a), the President shall, after consulting with
appropriate congressional committees, eliminate a position within the
United States Agency for International Development (unless otherwise authorized or required by law) that the President determines to be necessary to fully offset such costs and eliminate duplication.
“SEC. 6. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS.“The President shall seek to ensure that programs carried out under the strategy required under section 4 shall—
“(1)
apply rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies to determine if programs and activities provided under this subsection [sic] accomplish measurable improvements in literacy, numeracy, or other basic skills development that prepare an individual to be an active, productive member of society and the workforce;
“(2)
include methodological guidance in the implementation plan and support systemic data collection using internationally comparable indicators, norms, and methodologies, to the extent practicable and appropriate;
“(3)
disaggregate all data collected and reported by age, gender, marital status, disability, and location, to the extent practicable and appropriate;
“(4)
include funding for both short- and long-term monitoring and evaluation to enable assessment of the
sustainability and scalability of assistance programs; and
“(5)
support the increased use and public availability of education data for improved decision making, program effectiveness, and monitoring of global progress.
“SEC. 7. TRANSPARENCY AND REPORTING TO CONGRESS.
“(a) Annual Report on the Implementation of Strategy.—Not later than 180 days after [see bracketed note set out below] the end of each fiscal year during which the strategy developed pursuant to section 4(a) is carried out, the President shall—
“(2)
make the report described in paragraph (1) available to the public.
“(b) Matters To Be Included.—The report required under subsection (a) shall include—
“(2)
a description of the extent to which each
partner country selected to receive assistance for
basic education meets the priority criteria specified in section 105(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act [
22 U.S.C. 2151c(c)], as added by section 3; and
“(3)
a description of the progress achieved over the reporting period toward meeting the goals, objectives, benchmarks, and timeframes specified in the strategy developed pursuant to section 4 at the program level, as developed pursuant to monitoring and evaluation specified in section 6, with particular emphasis on whether there are demonstrable student improvements in literacy, numeracy, or other basic skills development that prepare an individual to be an active, productive member of society and the workforce.”
[Pub. L. 117–328, div. K, title VII, § 7060(a)(1)(A), Dec. 29, 2022, 136 Stat. 5080, provided in part:
“That
section 7(a) of Public Law 115–56 [set out above] shall be implemented by substituting ‘the thirtieth day of June following’ for ‘180 days after’.”
]
[Similar provisions were contained in the following prior appropriation act:
[Pub. L. 117–103, div. K, title VII, § 7060(a)(1)(A), Mar. 15, 2022, 136 Stat. 672.]
Delegation of Authorities Under the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development Act
Memorandum of President of the United States, Aug. 31, 2018, 83 F.R. 47795, provided:
Memorandum for the Secretary of State [and] the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3, United States Code, I hereby:
(1) delegate to the Secretary of State the functions and authorities vested in the President by sections 4, 6, and 7 of the Reinforcing Education Accountability in Development (READ) Act, (Div. A, Public Law 115–56) [set out above]; and
(2) delegate to the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development the functions and authorities vested in the President by section 5(c) of the READ Act.
The delegations in this memorandum shall apply to any provisions of any future public laws that are the same or substantially the same as the provisions referenced in this memorandum. The Secretary of State or the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, as appropriate, may redelegate the functions delegated by this memorandum to the extent authorized by law.
The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
