[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1209 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1209

             Improving teacher preparation and recruitment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 23, 1997

   Mr. Kennedy (for himself, Mr. Dodd, and Mr. Kerry) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                       Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
             Improving teacher preparation and recruitment.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 is amended by adding the following:

      ``TITLE V--EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT, PREPARATION, AND INDUCTION

``Sec. 501. Findings.
``Sec. 502. Purpose.
``Sec. 503. Authorization of appropriations.
                   ``Part A--Lighthouse Partnerships

``Sec. 511. Definitions.
``Sec. 512. Grants to Lighthouse Partnerships.
``Sec. 513. Preapplication and applications.
``Sec. 514. Uses of funds.
``Sec. 515. Selection of applications.
``Sec. 516. Evaluation.
``Sec. 517. National activities.
        ``Part B--Recruiting New Teachers for Underserved Areas

``Sec. 521. Program authorized.
``Sec. 522. Definitions.
``Sec. 523. Grant conditions.
``Sec. 524. Grant applications.
``Sec. 525. Uses of funds.
``Sec. 526. Selection of applicants.
``Sec. 527. Duration and amount of assistance; relation to other 
                            assistance.
``Sec. 528. Scholarship conditions.
``Sec. 529. Service requirements.
``Sec. 530. Evaluation.
``Sec. 531. National activities.

      ``TITLE V--EDUCATOR RECRUITMENT, PREPARATION, AND INDUCTION

                               ``findings

    ``Sec. 501. The Congress finds as follows:
            ``(1) What teachers know and can do has a critical impact 
        on student achievement, yet too often prospective teachers are 
        not receiving the initial preparation they need in order to 
        teach children from diverse backgrounds to challenging 
        standards.
            ``(2) A number of elementary and secondary schools 
        throughout the United States are implementing educational 
        reform strategies that are research-based, have records of 
        demonstrated effectiveness in enabling students to achieve high 
        State or local standards, are replicable in diverse and 
        challenging circumstances, and are supported by networks of 
        researchers and experienced practitioners. Yet preparation to 
        implement these strategies is not generally a central component 
        of initial teacher preparation.
            ``(3) Institutions of higher education that provide 
        teachers for urban and rural schools that enroll concentrations 
        of children from low-income families often have the greatest 
        need to restructure their teacher preparation programs because 
        the teachers they graduate will face the greatest classroom 
        challenges.
            ``(4) Improvement of teacher preparation in mathematics and 
        reading represents a particular challenge for American 
        education. For example, most future elementary and middle-
        school mathematics teachers take no more than one or two 
        college-level mathematics courses, and these courses are not 
designed for prospective teachers and do not cover the mathematics 
content that elementary and middle-school teachers should teach to 
enable students to meet challenging mathematics standards. In reading, 
most teacher preparation programs have not incorporated the large body 
of research on effective reading instruction.
            ``(5) If current trends continue, American schools will 
        need to hire more than two million teachers in the next decade 
        to educate an increasing number of students and to replace 
        current teachers who will retire or leave the profession. High-
        poverty urban and rural schools will experience the most severe 
        teacher shortages. Of the more than two million teachers 
        needed, approximately 15 percent, or 345,000, will be needed in 
        central cities, in schools with large concentrations of low-
        income students. An additional 207,000 teachers will be needed 
        in isolated, and often poor, rural areas. Recent trends in the 
        number of people preparing to enter teaching indicate that the 
        normal operation of the labor market, by itself, will not 
        produce the number of qualified teachers schools will need.
            ``(6) Schools are already having trouble recruiting 
        qualified teachers. Nearly three-quarters of physical science 
        students and one-third of English students in high-poverty 
        schools take classes with teachers who lack even a college 
        minor in their field. The National Commission on Teaching and 
        America's Future found that 50,000 uncertified individuals 
        annually enter teaching because schools, frequently those in 
        urban and rural areas with large concentrations of children 
        from low-income families, cannot find all the certified 
        teachers they need.
            ``(7) Teaching excellence and diversity are inextricably 
        connected. By bringing distinctive life experiences and 
        perspectives into the classroom, enriching the instructional 
        curriculum and the school climate, and strengthening 
        connections to parents and communities, teachers from diverse 
        racial and ethnic groups, and those with disabilities, enhance 
        the quality of American education. Yet today, while one-third 
        of American students are members of minority groups, members of 
        racial and ethnic minority groups make up only 13 percent of 
        the teaching force and nearly half the school districts in the 
        Nation have no minority teachers. In addition, few individuals 
        with disabilities are teaching in American classrooms.
            ``(8) The Federal Government, by itself, cannot ensure 
        needed improvements in teacher preparation or solve the problem 
        of teacher shortages. However, the Government can make limited, 
        targeted investments that--
                    ``(A) encourage more institutions of higher 
                education that operate teacher preparation programs, 
                working in partnership with local educational agencies 
                and States, to adopt the practices and strategies of 
                the best programs;
                    ``(B) encourage a more diverse mix of Americans to 
                enter teaching and complete high-quality preparation 
                programs; and
                    ``(C) encourage more Americans to serve as teachers 
                in underserved communities.

                               ``purpose

    ``Sec. 502. The purpose of this title is to help meet the national 
need to recruit, prepare, and retain a high-quality and diverse supply 
of elementary and secondary education teachers, and to help meet the 
needs of schools in urban and rural areas with concentrations of 
children from low-income families, by--
            ``(1) authorizing support for partnerships among 
        institutions of higher education that operate exemplary teacher 
        preparation programs, other institutions of higher education 
        seeking to improve their programs, public elementary and 
        secondary schools, and States, in order to improve the quality 
        of the initial preparation of teachers for high-poverty 
        communities;
            ``(2) authorizing support for partnerships to increase the 
        number and diversity of students who enter teacher education 
        programs and complete high-quality preparation programs, and to 
        increase the quality of teaching in underserved urban and rural 
        communities; and
            ``(3) encouraging, through such partnerships, the creation 
        of a more diverse teaching force, through the recruitment and 
        preparation of minority individuals, including language 
        minority individuals, and individuals with disabilities to 
        enter teaching.

                   ``authorization of appropriations

    ``Sec. 503. (a) Authorization for Parts A and B.--There are 
authorized to be appropriated--
            ``(1) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and such sums as may 
        be necessary for each of the four succeeding fiscal years to 
        carry out the program of Lighthouse Partnerships under part A; 
        and
            ``(2) $37,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and such sums as may 
        be necessary for each of the four succeeding fiscal years to 
        carry out the program of Recruiting New Teachers for 
        Underserved Areas under part B.
    ``(b) Transition.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
Secretary may use funds appropriated under subsection (a) to make 
continuation awards for projects that were funded under subpart 2 of 
part E of title V of this Act, as in effect prior to enactment of 
(inset name of reauthorization Act).

                   ``Part A--Lighthouse Partnerships

                             ``definitions

    ``Sec. 511. As used in this part, the following terms have the 
following meanings:
            ``(1)(A) The term `lead institution' means an institution 
        of higher education that--
                    ``(i) operates an exemplary teacher preparation 
                program of significant size in one or more areas of 
                teacher preparation, which may include the preparation 
                of principals and other educational administrators;
                    ``(ii) desires to assist other institutions of 
                higher education in improving their programs and to 
                serve as a national model for effective teacher 
                preparation; and
                    ``(iii) places a significant percentage of its 
                teacher preparation graduates in teaching positions in 
                urban and rural communities with concentrations of 
                children from low-income families.
            ``(B) A lead institution may participate in a consortium 
        with one or more two-year colleges with which it has 
        articulation agreements relating to teacher preparation.
            ``(2) The term `lighthouse partnership' means a partnership 
        of a lead institution, partner institutions, and State and 
        local educational agencies, that is dedicated to improving the 
        quality of teacher preparation programs. Within each 
        partnership, the lead institution shall act as the fiscal agent 
        for the grant.
            ``(3) The term `local educational agency' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 14101(18) of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965.
            ``(4) The term `partner institution' means an institution 
        of higher education that--
                    ``(A) prepares teachers for their initial entry 
                into the teaching profession;
                    ``(B) desires to improve its program with 
                assistance from a lead institution; and
                    ``(C) prepares teachers for teaching positions in 
                urban and rural communities with concentrations of 
                children from low-income families.
            ``(5) The term `teacher preparation program' means a 
        program operated by an institution of higher education that 
        prepares students to obtain initial teacher license and to 
        teach in elementary and secondary schools. Such a program may 
        also prepare students to become preschool teachers if the 
        institution serves a State or school districts in which 
        preschool education is provided as free, public education.

                  ``grants to lighthouse partnerships

    ``Sec. 512. (a) Grants Authorized.--
            (1) From funds appropriated under section 503(a)(1) for 
        this part for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall make 
        competitive grants to lighthouse partnerships.
            ``(2) Each grant under paragraph (1) shall be for a period 
        not to exceed five years.
            ``(3) The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) make continuation awards, for the second and 
                succeeding years, only after determining that the 
                partnership is making satisfactory progress in carrying 
                out the grant; and
                    ``(B) conduct an intensive review of the 
                partnership's progress, with the assistance of outside 
                experts, before making the continuation award for the 
                fourth year of the grant.
    ``(b) Limitation.--No partnership may receive more than two grants 
under this part.

                   ``preapplications and applications

    Sec. 513. (a) Preapplications.--Each lead institution that wishes 
to participate in a lighthouse partnership that will apply for a grant 
under this part shall submit a preapplication to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
may require, except that the lead institution need not identify the 
other members of the partnership until it submits an application under 
subsection (b). The Secretary shall use a peer review process to review 
these preapplications.
    ``(b) Applications Required.--Any lighthouse partnership desiring 
to receive a grant under this part shall submit an application to the 
Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing such information 
as the Secretary may require.
    ``(c) Contents.--Each application shall include--
            ``(1) a description of the teacher preparation program 
        operated by the lead institution, including information on the 
        curriculum, the faculty, and the number and characteristics of 
        students served;
            ``(2) evidence of the quality of the institution's teacher 
        preparation program, covering--
                    ``(A) the extent to which the institution provides 
                a coherent program that--
                            ``(i) reflects the best of what is known, 
                        from research and practice;
                            ``(ii) prepares teachers to implement 
                        research-based instructional programs of 
                        demonstrated effectiveness and to teach their 
                        students, particularly those in high-poverty 
                        schools, to high State and local content 
                        standards; and
                            ``(iii) reflects high standards for 
                        teaching, such as the standards of the National 
                        Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and 
                        for teacher education;
                    ``(B) the commitment of the institution to its 
                program of teacher preparation;
                    ``(C) the connection between the institution's 
                teacher preparation program and its departments or 
                schools of arts and sciences, to ensure the integration 
                of pedagogy and content in teacher preparation;
                    ``(D) the extent to which the institution operates 
                a clinically based teacher preparation program, 
                particularly in high-poverty schools, through which 
                prospective teachers participate in intensive, 
                structured clinical experiences, with extensive faculty 
                involvement, throughout their preservice education, and 
                the extent to which those experiences are integrated 
                into the curriculum;
                    ``(E) the extent to which the institution's program 
                offers continuous assistance to its graduates during 
                their initial years in the classroom;
                    ``(F) the extent to which the institution's program 
                meets the needs of, and has strong connection with, 
                elementary and secondary education (particularly with 
                urban and rural schools and school systems that serve 
                concentrations of students from low-income families and 
                with the education reforms under way in the 
                institution's State), which may include the involvement 
                of elementary and secondary educators in the continuing 
                development, improvement, and implementation of the 
                teacher preparation program;
                    ``(G) the success of the institution in preparing 
                teachers to teach individuals from diverse populations 
                effectively;
                    ``(H) the extent to which the institution is 
                preparing teachers to use technology to teach children 
                to high standards;
                    ``(I) the record of the institution's teacher 
                preparation program is attracting and graduating a 
                diverse student body (including the recruitment and 
                enrollment of individuals with disabilities);
                    ``(J) the procedures the institution uses to 
                measure the quality of its teacher preparation program 
                (including the extent to which graduates improve their 
                subject matter knowledge and teaching ability as a 
                result of their participation in the program) and to 
                improve its program, using information generated 
                through those procedures;
                    ``(K) the success of the program in graduating 
                students who are fully qualified to teach to high 
                standards in the State or region served by the 
                institution;
                    ``(L) the quality of the program's graduates, as 
                documented through such evidence as the graduates' 
                record of obtaining (and retaining) teaching positions 
                and the opinions of school district officials, in the 
                State or region, of the quality of those graduates;
                    ``(M) if applicable, the quality of the 
                institution's program for the preparation of school 
                principals and other school administrators, and of the 
                success of that program; and
                    ``(N) involvement and leadership of the institution 
                in national, regional, and State efforts to improve 
                teacher education and licensure;
            ``(3) evidence of the extent to which--
                    ``(A) graduates have taken teaching positions in 
                urban and rural schools in communities with 
                concentrations of students from low-income families; 
                and
                    ``(B) the institution recruits and serves students 
                (such as education paraprofessionals) from those 
                communities;
            ``(4) evidence of the experience of the lead institution in 
        creating or participating in networks with other institutions 
        to improve the quality of teacher preparation programs;
            ``(5) a description of how the partnership will operate a 
        program under this part, including--
                    ``(A) a description of the governance structure 
                that the partnership will establish (through a written 
                partnership agreement) for the grant, which shall 
                include the active involvement of high-level 
                administrators of the lead institution and 
                representatives of--
                            ``(i) both the teacher preparation program 
                        and the school or department of arts and 
                        sciences in the lead institution;
                            ``(ii) the partner institutions involved 
                        with the grant;
                            ``(iii) local educational agencies 
                        (including teachers and other school-level 
                        officials) served by the lead institution and 
                        one or more of the partner institutions; and
                            ``(iv) State officials with authority over 
                        teacher licensure and teacher preparation in 
                        the States in which the lead institution and 
                        one or more of the partner institutions are 
                        located;
                    ``(B) a description of how the partnership will 
                fully engage local educational agencies in the 
                activities carried out under the grant, including how 
                the partnership will use grant funds to address the 
                teacher training needs of the local educational 
                agencies that are members of the partnership, 
                consistent with section 514;
                    ``(C) a description of how the activities 
                undertaken with the grant will support, and be 
                integrated with, the educational reforms under way in 
                the States of the lead and the partner institutions, 
                including a description of plans for coordinating 
                activities carried out under the grant with activities 
                carried out under other Federal or State professional 
                development programs or activities designed to improve 
                pre-service and in-service teacher training; and
                    ``(D) a description of--
                            ``(i) the measurable goals the partnership 
                        expects to achieve through the grant; 
                        including--
                                    ``(I) goals for improvements in the 
                                teacher preparation programs of the 
                                partner institutions;
                                    ``(II) goals for improvements in 
                                the quality, and increases in the 
                                number, of the graduates of teacher 
                                preparation programs operated by 
                                members of the partnership who take 
                                teaching positions in high-poverty 
                                schools of the local educational 
                                agencies in the partnership;
                                    ``(III) goals for meeting the 
                                teacher preparation needs of the local 
                                educational agencies in the 
                                partnership, in order to improve 
                                student achievement; and
                                    ``(IV) such other goals, consistent 
                                with the purposes of this part, as the 
                                partnership may select;
                            ``(ii) how the partnership will achieve the 
                        goal of increased diversity among its teacher 
                        preparation graduates; and
                            ``(iii) how the partnership will determine 
                        whether it is meeting the goals described in 
                        clauses (i) and (ii); and
    ``(6) a description of the partnership's plan for 
institutionalizing the activities it is carrying out under this part, 
so that those activities will continue once Federal funding ceases.

                            ``uses of funds

    ``Sec. 514. (a) Required Activities.--In order to increase the 
quality and number of teachers it is preparing for positions in urban 
and rural areas with concentrations of low-income families, and to 
increase the diversity of elementary and secondary teachers, each 
partnership selected to receive a grant under this part shall use the 
grant funds for each of the following purposes:
            ``(1) Further development, refinement, assessment of, and 
        dissemination of information on, the teacher preparation 
        programs operated by the lead institution, including activities 
        that document, for other institutions nationally and for 
        policymakers, effective practices in teacher preparation and 
        that produce curricular and other materials for use by other 
        institutions preparing teachers.
            ``(2) Technical assistance by the lead institution to the 
        partner institutions in improving the partner institutions' 
        teacher preparation programs (and, if applicable, their 
        principal and other administrator preparation programs), based 
        on the experience of the lead institution and the particular 
        needs of the partners.
            ``(3) Making subgrants to the partner institutions for 
        implementation of program improvements at those institutions, 
        through adoption or adaptation of the teacher preparation 
        practices of the lead institution, to meet the needs of the 
        high-poverty schools in the urban and rural communities they 
        serve. Each partnership shall use at least 40 percent of its 
        grant for this purpose.
            ``(4) Joint activities with the local educational agencies 
        in the partnership, and with other local educational agencies, 
        that increase the involvement of classroom teachers and school 
        administrators in the design and implementation of teacher 
        preparation programs operated by the lead and partner 
        institutions (and thereby make those programs more responsive 
        to the needs of teachers and administrators), and other 
        activities to improve teaching and administration, and to 
        support new teachers, in the high-poverty schools of those 
        local educational agencies.
            ``(5) Cooperation and interaction with other lighthouse 
        partnerships and with other institutions, organizations, and 
        public agencies, on activities aimed at the improvement of 
        teacher preparation nationally, including improvement of 
        teacher licensure and relicensure requirements.
            ``(6) Assessment of the effectiveness of the activities 
        carried out under the grant, including the extent to which the 
        partnership is achieving its goals under section 513(c)(5)(D).
    ``(b) Optional Activities.--Each partnership selected to receive a 
grant under this part may also use the grant funds for joint activities 
with States that promote the development and implementation of State 
policies to facilitate the improvement of teacher preparation programs 
(and, if applicable, principal and other administrator preparation 
programs) within the States, as a component of comprehensive education 
reforms.

                      ``selection of applications

    ``Sec. 515. (a) Peer Review.--The Secretary shall, using a peer 
review process, select applicants to receive grants under this part on 
the basis of--
            ``(1) the quality of the teacher preparation program 
        operated by the lead institution in a proposed partnership;
            ``(2) the quality of the partnership's plan for carrying 
        out activities under the grant; and
            ``(3) the capacity of the lead institution and its partners 
        to carry out the proposed activities successfully.
    ``(b) Criteria.--(1) In selecting grantees under this part, the 
Secretary shall seek to ensure that--
            ``(A) lighthouse partnerships represent a variety of 
        approaches to teacher preparation;
            ``(B) lead institutions represent a variety of institutions 
        of higher education; and
            ``(C) there is an equitable geographic distribution of 
        awards.
    ``(2) In addition to complying with paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall give special consideration to applications for--
            ``(A) projects that are likely to have the most significant 
        impact on the quality of teaching in high-poverty urban and 
        rural schools;
            ``(B) projects that are likely to result in improvement of 
        teacher preparation in the areas of mathematics and reading; 
        and
            ``(C) projects that are likely to prepare a significant 
        number of minority individuals, including language minority 
        individuals, and individuals with disabilities to be effective 
        teachers.
            ``(c) Second Five-Year Grants.--In selecting grantees to 
        receive second grants under this part, the Secretary shall give 
        a preference to applicants whose projects have resulted in--
            ``(1) the placement and retention of a substantial number 
        of high-qualify graduates in teaching positions in underserved, 
        high-poverty schools;
            ``(2) the adoption of effective teacher preparation 
        programs, particularly those meeting the needs of high-poverty 
        urban and rural areas, by the partner institutions; and
            ``(3) effective partnerships with elementary and secondary 
        schools that are supporting improvements in student 
        achievement.

                              ``evaluation

    ``Sec. 516. The Secretary shall provide for an evaluation of the 
program carried out under this part, including an assessment of such 
issues as--
            ``(1) the extent to which the activities carried out 
        through Lighthouse Partnership grants result in significant and 
        positive changes in the teacher preparation programs operated 
        by partner institutions, as well as improvements in the 
        programs operated by lead institutions, that are likely to lead 
        to improvements in teaching and learning;
            ``(2) the extent to which Lighthouse Partnership grants 
        enhance the effectiveness, including the technological 
        proficiency, and the diversity, of students completing teacher 
        preparation programs in the institutions of higher education 
        participating in the grants; and
            ``(3) the involvement of elementary and secondary schools 
        and school districts serving concentrations of children from 
        low-income families in the activities carried out under this 
        part, and the extent to which those activities result in 
        benefits to those schools and districts, including information 
        on the extent to which involvement in the grants improves the 
        instructional programs and the educational outcomes for 
        students in those schools and districts.

                         ``national activities

    ``Sec. 517. The Secretary may reserve up to 5 percent of the funds 
appropriated to carry out this part for any fiscal year for--
            ``(1) peer review of applications;
            ``(2) evaluation of the program under section 516, and 
        measurement of its effectiveness in accordance with the 
        Government Performance and Results Act of 1993;
            ``(3) conferences and networks of lighthouse partnerships, 
        and other entities, in order to facilitate the exchange of 
        information and ideas among the participating partnerships and 
        other institutions, agencies, and individuals, including 
        recipients of funds under part B of this title, who are 
        interested in the improvement of teacher preparation and 
        parallel improvements in principal and administrator 
        preparation; and
            ``(4) technical assistance and other activities to enhance 
        the success of the program carried out under this part or of 
        teacher education more generally.

        ``Part B--Recruiting New Teachers for Underserved Areas

                          ``program authorized

    ``Sec. 521. From funds appropriated to carry out this part under 
section 503(a)(2) for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall make 
competitive grants to eligibile applicants for programs that--
            ``(1) provide scholarships and, as necessary, support 
        services for students with high potential to become 
effective teachers, particularly minority students, including language 
minority students, and students with disabilities, seeking to complete 
teacher preparation programs;
            ``(2) increase the quality and number of new teachers 
        nationally; and
            ``(3) increase the ability of schools in underserved areas 
        to recruit a qualified teaching staff.

                             ``definitions

    ``Sec. 522. As used in this part, the following terms have the 
following meanings:
            ``(1)(A) The term `eligible applicant' means a partnership 
        of--
                    ``(i) an institution of higher education that 
                grants baccalaureate degrees and prepares teachers for 
                their initial entry into the teaching profession; and
                    ``(ii) one or more local educational agencies that 
                are in underserved areas.
            ``(B) Such a partnership may also include--
                    ``(i) two-year colleges that operate teacher 
                preparation programs and maintain articulation 
                agreements, with the baccalaureate-granting 
                institution, for the transfer of credits in teacher 
                preparation;
                    ``(ii) State agencies that have responsibility for 
                policies related to teacher preparation and licensure; 
                and
                    ``(iii) other public and private, nonprofit 
                agencies and organizations that serve, or are located 
                in, communities served by the local educational 
                agencies in the partnership, and that have an interest 
                in teacher recruitment, preparation, and induction.
            ``(2) The term `local educational agency' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 14101(18) of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965.
            ``(3) The term `support services' includes--
                    ``(A) academic advice and counseling;
                    ``(B) tutorial services;
                    ``(C) mentoring; and
                    ``(D) child care and transportation, if funding for 
                those services cannot be arranged from other sources; 
                and
            ``(4) The term `underserved area' means--
                    ``(A) the three local educational agencies in the 
                State that have the highest numbers of children, ages 5 
                through 17, from families below the poverty level 
                (based on data satisfactory to the Secretary); and
                    ``(B) any other local educational agency in which 
                the percentage of such children is at least 20 percent, 
                or the number of such children is at least 10,000.

                           ``grant conditions

    ``Sec. 523. (a) Grants Authorized.--
            ``(1)(A) The Secretary shall carry out this part by making 
        competitive grants to eligible applicants.
            ``(B) Each grant under subparagraph (A) shall be for a 
        period not to exceed five years.
            ``(2) The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) make continuation awards, for the second and 
                succeeding years, only after determining that the 
                grantee is making satisfactory progress in carrying out 
                the grant; and
                    ``(B) conduct an intensive review of the grantee's 
                progress, with the assistance of outside experts, 
                before making the award for the fourth year of the 
                grant.
            ``(3) No partnership may receive more than two grants under 
        this subsection.
    ``(b) Matching Requirement.--
            ``(1) The Federal share of the cost of activities carried 
        out under a grant made under subsection (a) shall not exceed--
                    ``(A) 90 percent of the cost in the first year of 
                the grant;
                    ``(B) 80 percent in the second year;
                    ``(C) 70 percent in the third year;
                    ``(D) 60 percent in the fourth year; and
                    ``(E) 50 percent in the fifth year and any 
                succeeding year (including each year of the second 
                grant, if any).
            ``(2) The non-Federal share of activities carried out with 
        a grant under subsection (a) may be provided in cash or in 
        kind, fairly evaluated, and may be obtained from any non-
        Federal public or private source.
    ``(c) Planning Grants.--
            ``(1) The Secretary may make planning grants to eligible 
        applicants that are not yet ready to implement programs under 
        subsection (a).
            ``(2) Each planning grant shall be for a period of not more 
        than one year, which shall be in addition to the period of any 
        grant under subsection (a).
            ``(3) Any recipient of a planning grant under this 
        subsection that wishes to receive a grant under subsection 
        (a)(1) shall separately apply for a competitive grant under 
        that subsection.

                          ``grant applications

    ``Sec. 524. (a) Applications Required.--Any eligible applicant 
desiring to receive a grant under this part shall submit an application 
at such time, in such form, and containing such information as the 
Secretary may require.
    ``(b) Application Contents.--Each application for a grant under 
section 523(a) shall include--
            ``(1) a designation of the institution or agency, within 
        the partnership, that will serve as the fiscal agent for the 
        grant;
            ``(2) information on the quality of the institution's 
        teacher preparation program, which may include the types of 
        information described in section 513(c)(2), and how the 
        applicant will ensure, through improvements in its teacher 
        preparation practices or other appropriate strategies, that 
        scholarship recipients will receive high-quality preparation;
            ``(3) a description of the assessment the institution, the 
        local educational agency partners, and other partners have 
        undertaken--
                    ``(A) to determine--
                            ``(i) the most critical needs of the local 
                        educational agencies, particularly the needs of 
                        schools in high-poverty areas, for new teachers 
                        (which may include teachers in particular 
                        subject areas or at certain grade levels, 
                        including the prekindergarten level, minority 
                        teachers, and teachers who are disabled who 
                        will contribute to the diversity of the local 
                        educational agency's teachers, or teachers who 
                        are fluent in languages spoken by students in 
                        the local educational agency); and
                            ``(ii) how the project carried out under 
                        the grant will address those needs; and
                    ``(B) that reflects the input of all significant 
                entities in the community (including organizations 
                representing teachers and parents) that have an 
                interest in teacher recruitment, preparation, and 
                induction;
            ``(4) a description of the project the applicant will carry 
        out with the grant, including information on--
                    ``(A) the recruitment and outreach efforts the 
                applicant will undertake to publicize the availability 
                of scholarships and other assistance under the program;
                    ``(B)(i) the number and types of students that the 
                applicant will serve under the program, which may 
                include education paraprofessionals seeking to achieve 
                full teacher certification; teachers whom the partner 
                local educational agencies have hired under `emergency 
                certification' procedures; or former military 
                personnel, mid-career professionals, or AmeriCorps or 
                Peace Corps volunteers, who desire to enter teaching; 
                and
                    ``(ii) the criteria that the applicant will use in 
                selecting those students, including criteria to 
                determine whether individuals have the capacity to 
                benefit from the program, complete teacher 
                certification requirements, and become effective 
                teachers;
                    ``(C) the activities the applicant will carry out 
                under the grant, including a description of, and 
                justification for, any support services the institution 
                will offer to participating students;
                    ``(D) the number and funding range of the 
                scholarships the institution will provide to students; 
                and
                    ``(E) the procedures the institution will establish 
                for entering into, and enforcing, agreements with 
                scholarship recipients regarding their fulfillment of 
                the service commitment described in section 529;
            ``(5) a description of how the institution will use funds 
        provided under the grant only to increase the number of 
        students with high potential to be effective teachers, 
        participating in its teacher preparation programs, or in the 
        particular type or types of preparation programs that the 
grant would support, or to increase the number of their graduates with 
high potential to be effective teachers who are minority individuals, 
including language minority individuals, or individuals with 
disabilities;
            ``(6) a description of commitments, by the partner local 
        educational agencies, to hire qualified scholarship recipients 
        in their schools and in the subject areas or grade levels for 
        which the recipients will be trained, and a description of the 
        actions the grantee institution, the local educational 
        agencies, and the other partners will take to facilitate the 
        successful transition of those recipients into teaching; and
            ``(7) a description of the applicant's plan for 
        institutionalizing the activities it is carrying out under this 
        part, so that those activities will continue once Federal 
        funding ceases.

                            ``uses of funds

    ``Sec. 525. (a) In General.--Each grantee under section 523(a) 
shall use the grant funds for the following:
            ``(1) Scholarships to help students pay the costs of 
        tuition, room, board, and other expenses of completing a 
        teacher preparation program.
            ``(2) Support services, if needed to enable scholarship 
        recipients to complete postsecondary education programs.
            ``(3) Follow-up services provided to former scholarship 
        recipients during their first three years of teaching.
            ``(4) Payments to partner local educational agencies, if 
        needed to enable them to permit paraprofessional staff to 
        participate in teacher preparation programs (such as the cost 
        of `release time' for those staff).
            ``(5) If appropriate, and if no other funds are available, 
        paying the costs of additional courses taken by former 
        scholarship recipients during their initial three years of 
        teaching.
    ``(b) Planning Grants.--A recipient of a planning grant under 
section 523(c) shall use the grant funds for the costs of planning for 
the implementation of a grant under section 523(a).

                       ``selection of applicants

    ``Sec. 526. (a) Peer Review.--The Secretary, using a peer review 
process, shall select applicants to receive funding under this part on 
the basis of--
            ``(1) the quality of the teacher preparation program 
        offered by the institution;
            ``(2) the quality of the program that would be carried out 
        under the application; and
            ``(3) the capacity of the partnership to carry out the 
        grant successfully.
    ``(b) Criteria.--(1) In making selections, the Secretary shall seek 
to ensure that--
            ``(A) in the aggregate, grantees carry out a variety of 
        approaches to preparing new teachers; and
            ``(B) there is an equitable geographic distribution of 
        awards.
    ``(2) In addition to complying with paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall give special consideration to--
            ``(A) applications most likely to result in the preparation 
        of increased numbers of individuals with high potential for 
        effective teaching who are minority individuals, including 
        language minority individuals, and individuals with 
        disabilities; and
            ``(B) applications from historically Black colleges and 
        universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and Tribal 
        Colleges and Universities, as defined in title III of this Act.
    ``(c) Second Five-Year Grants.--In selecting grantees to receive 
second grants under this part, the Secretary shall give a preference to 
applicants whose projects have resulted in--
            ``(1) the placement and retention of a substantial number 
        of high-quality graduates in teaching positions in underserved, 
        high-poverty schools;
            ``(2) the adoption of effective programs that meet the 
        teacher preparation needs of high-poverty urban and rural 
        areas; and
            ``(3) effective partnerships with elementary and secondary 
        schools that are supporting improvements in student 
        achievement.

   ``duration and amount of assistance; relation to other assistance

    ``Sec. 527. (a) Duration of Assistance.--No individual may receive 
scholarship assistance under this part--
            ``(1) for more than five years of postsecondary education; 
        and
            ``(2) unless that individual satisfies the requirements of 
        section 484(a)(5) of this Act.
    ``(b) Amount of Assistance.--No individual may receive an award 
under this program that exceeds the cost of attendance, as defined in 
section 472 of this Act, at the institution the individual is 
attending.
    ``(C) Relation to Other Assistance.--A scholarship awarded under 
this part--
            ``(1) shall not be reduced on the basis of the individual's 
        receipt of other forms of Federal student financial assistance; 
        and
            ``(2) shall be regarded as other financial assistance 
        available to the student, within the meaning of sections 471(3) 
        and 480(j)(1) of this Act, in determining the student's 
        eligibility for grant, loan, or work assistance under title IV 
        of this Act.

                        ``scholarship conditions

    ``Sec. 528. (a) In General.--A recipient of a scholarship under 
this part shall continue to receive that assistance only as long as he 
or she is--
            ``(1) enrolled as a full-time student and pursuing a course 
        of study leading to teacher certification, unless he or she is 
        working in a public school (as a paraprofessional, or as a 
        teacher under emergency credentials) while participating in the 
        program; and
            ``(2) maintaining satisfactory progress as determined by 
        the institution.
    ``(b) Special Rule. Each grantee shall modify the application of 
section 527(a)(1) and of subsection (a)(1) of this section to the 
extent necessary to accommodate the rights of students with 
disabilities under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

                         ``service requirements

    ``Sec. 529. (a) Requirement.--Each partnership receiving a grant 
under this part shall enter into an agreement, with each student to 
whom it awards a scholarship under this part, providing that a 
scholarship recipient who completes a teacher preparation program under 
this part shall, within five years of completing that program, teach 
full-time for at least three years in a high-poverty school in an 
underserved geographic area or repay the amount of the scholarship, 
under the terms and conditions established by the Secretary.
    ``(b) Regulations. The Secretary shall prescribe regulations 
relating to the requirements of subsection (a), including any 
provisions for waiver of those requirements.

                              ``evaluation

    ``Sec. 530. The Secretary shall provide for an evaluation of the 
program carried out under this part, which shall asses such issues as--
            ``(1) whether institutions taking part in the partnerships 
        are successful in preparing scholarship recipients to teach to 
        high State and local standards;
            ``(2) whether scholarship recipients are successful in 
        completing teacher preparation programs, becoming fully 
        certified teachers, and obtaining teaching positions in 
        underserved areas, and whether they continue teaching in those 
        areas over a period of years;
            ``(3) the national impact of the program in assisting local 
        educational agencies in underserved areas to recruit, prepare, 
        and retain diverse, high-quality teachers in the areas in which 
        they have the greatest needs;
            ``(4) the long-term impact of the grants on teacher 
        preparation programs conducted by grantees and on grantees' 
        relationships with their partner local educational agencies and 
        other partners; and
            ``(5) the relative effectiveness of different approaches 
        for preparing new teachers to teach in underserved areas, 
        including their effectiveness in preparing new teachers to 
        teach to high content and performance standards.

                         ``national activities

    ``Sec. 531. The Secretary may retain up to five percent of the 
funds appropriated for this part for any fiscal year for--
            ``(1) peer review of applications;
            ``(2) conducting the evaluation required under section 530; 
        and
            ``(3) technical assistance and other activities to 
        facilitate the exchange of information and ideas among 
        participating partnerships, and other activities to enhance the 
        success of the program carried out under this part.''.
                                 <all>