1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to education finance; appropriating money for
1.3 	middle school math and science initiatives.
1.4 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.5 	Section 1. APPROPRIATIONS.
 1.6 		Subdivision 1.Department of education. The sums
1.7 	indicated in this section are appropriated from the general fund
1.8 	to the Department of Education for the fiscal years designated.
1.9 		Subd. 2.Middle school math and science initiatives. For
1.10 	a grant to the Science Museum of Minnesota for the middle school
1.11 	math and science initiatives:
1.12 	$800,000 .....2006 
1.13 	$800,000 .....2007 
1.14 	Of this amount, $500,000 each year is available for the
1.15 	inquiry zone science program and $300,000 each year is available
1.16 	for the healthy schools initiative program.
1.17 	This grant includes funding for an evaluation of the
1.18 	inquiry zone science and healthy schools initiative programs by
1.19 	an independent entity approved in advance by the Department of
1.20 	Education.  By February 1, 2007, based on the evaluation, the
1.21 	department must report to the committees of the legislature
1.22 	having jurisdiction over kindergarten through grade 12 education
1.23 	on the extent to which the inquiry zone science program and the
1.24 	healthy schools initiative program generated greater engagement
2.1 	in science, increased middle school student achievement in
2.2 	science, and improved teachers' confidence and competence in
2.3 	teaching science and math.  The report must be based on a
2.4 	longitudinal evaluation of each of the programs and include
2.5 	disaggregated data on test scores.