Bonamici, Fitzpatrick Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Accelerate Education Research

WASHINGTON, DC [12/9/25] -Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduced bipartisan legislation to spur innovation in teaching and learning techniques.

The New Essential Education Discoveries (NEED) Act of 2025 would improve student learning by creating a National Center for Advanced Development in Education (NCADE) to promote informed-risk, high-reward education research. The new national center would focus on developing and disseminating effective practices and tools to improve students' academic performance and close longstanding achievement gaps. The NCADE would be the fifth center under the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and follow a successful model similar to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

"Strengthening education is the best way to improve lives and sustain the economy," said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. "Technology is evolving rapidly and there are many ways it can help students learn and close opportunity gaps. The NEED Act will empower researchers to develop new educational strategies and technologies that are based in science."

"To prepare every student to thrive in a rapidly changing world, we must pursue innovation with both ambition and accountability," said Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. "The NEED Act builds a smarter bridge between research and the classroom-accelerating evidence-based breakthroughs, strengthening data transparency, and empowering educators with tools that deliver real results. This bipartisan effort is about stronger outcomes for students, greater opportunity for families, and a more competitive workforce for America."

"Everyone should have the information they need to make informed decisions about their own education and workforce pathways, support individuals navigating these pathways, and create policies that might help others navigate smoother pathways," said Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger, president and CEO, Data Quality Campaign. "Data Quality Campaign applauds the efforts of Rep. Bonamici and Rep. Fitzpatrick to reimagine statewide longitudinal data systems as tools for providing better support, transparency, and high-quality data to individuals navigating their journeys through education and the workforce."

"Teachers across the country are constantly looking for ways to innovate given the ever evolving demands they face in their classrooms," said Kira Orange Jones, CEO of Teach Plus. "The NEED Act bolsters those efforts as it improves the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems to gather accurate data that will inform the field of the challenges we see in classrooms and identify opportunities to advance innovative practices to better serve our students. We applaud the efforts of Rep. Bonamici and Rep. Fitzpatrick to bring forth meaningful investments that innovate and advance teaching and learning."

The NEED Act would also modernize Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) and help states better track the progress and outcomes of students through K-12 and into the workforce.

The legislation is endorsed by: AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Accelerate - The National Collaborative for Accelerated Learning, AERDF (Advanced Education Research and Development Fund), All4Ed, Alliance for Learning Innovation, America Forward, American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association Services, Applied Learning Insights, Beyond100K, Buck Institute Education/PBLWorks, CAST, Committee for Children, Common Cents Education Consulting, Consortium for State Education Support, Dan Lips (Senior Fellow, Foundation for American Innovation), Data Quality Campaign, Digital Promise Global, EDGE Partners, The Education Trust, Education Knowledge Broker Network, Education Reform Now Advocacy, Education Reimagined, Educators for Excellence, EdVenture Lab, ExcelinEd in Action, Federation of American Scientists, Foundation for Deeper Learning, FullScale, High Tech High Graduate School of Education, InnovateEDU, Institute for Educational Leadership, jeffweldLLC, John Bailey (Former White House Domestic Policy Advisor), KB Stack Consulting LLC, Knowledge Alliance, Kumar Garg (Renaissance Philanthropy), Laura Holian (Research Director, AnLar) and Kristin Gagnier (Senior Research Scientist, AnLar), Learner-Centered Collaborative, LearnerStudio, The Learning Agency, Learning Disabilities Association of America, Learning Heroes, LearningForge LLC, Mark Schneider (Former Director of the Institute of Education Sciences), National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Council on Teacher Quality, National Girls Collaborative, National Parents Union, New Classrooms, New Leaders, reDesign, Reinvention Lab at Teach For America, Results for America, SETDA, SRI, Teach For America, Teach Plus, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, The Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), The Study Group, Thomas B. Fordham Institute, TNTP, Transcend, the University of Oregon, and Zarek Drozda (Executive Director, Data Science 4 Everyone).

A summary of the legislation can be found here, and the full text of the legislation can be found here.

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