[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4143 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4143

   To establish a national teaching fellowship program to encourage 
  individuals to enter and remain in the field of teaching at public 
                                schools.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 30, 2000

 Mr. Price of North Carolina introduced the following bill; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a national teaching fellowship program to encourage 
  individuals to enter and remain in the field of teaching at public 
                                schools.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Teaching Fellows Act of 2000''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The United States faces an increasing need for high-
        quality educators.
            (2) Up to 1,000,000 of the country's 3,000,000 teachers 
        will retire in the next 5 years. American schools will have to 
        hire 2,200,000 teachers by 2010.
            (3) The Congress desires to inspire promising high school 
        seniors and accomplished persons currently involved in the 
        field of education to become certified teachers.
            (4) The opportunity created by a fellowship program would 
        allow persons in the field of education the financial 
        opportunity to obtain a quality education which they would use 
        to teach America's youth.
            (5) The Congress desires to motivate those who go into the 
        field of teaching to become career educators.
            (6) Many teacher assistants have received their training at 
        community colleges and have the potential and desire to obtain 
        degrees in education and certification as teachers.
            (7) Rural communities could greatly benefit from 
        encouraging those in the community who already have an interest 
        in teaching to pursue a degree in education and become career 
        educators.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

    Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et 
seq.) is amended--
            (1) by striking out the head of such title and inserting 
        the following:

                      ``TITLE II--TEACHER QUALITY

      ``Part A--Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants for States and 
                            Partnerships'';

            (2) by striking out ``this title'' each place it appears in 
        section 201 through 209 and inserting ``this part''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new part:

           ``Part B--Federal Teaching and Partnership Fellows

``SEC. 211. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM BENEFITING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to encourage 
promising high school seniors to enter the field of teaching and become 
career educators.
    ``(b) Establishment of Federal Teaching Fellows Program for High 
School Seniors.--
            ``(1) Use of funds for scholarships.--From the funds 
        appropriated under subsection (g), the Secretary shall make 
        grants available to States for the purpose of establishing 
        State Teaching Fellows Program to provide scholarships for 
        Teaching Fellows. Such scholarships shall be used to pay for 
        higher education tuition, fees, and other costs of attendance.
            ``(2) Selection of fellows.--Teaching Fellows shall be 
        selected from individuals who--
                    ``(A) at the time of application, are high school 
                seniors;
                    ``(B) are United States citizens or legal aliens;
                    ``(C) are residents of the State sponsoring the 
                Fellows Program to which they are applying; and
                    ``(D) meet the criteria established under 
                subsection (d)(1)(B).
    ``(c) Competition for Federal Funds.--
            ``(1) State application to program.--The governor of each 
        State desiring to participate in the Partnership Program shall 
        designate a single State agency to submit an application to the 
        Secretary and to administer the State Fellows Program. Such 
        agency shall have a full-time staff and may be a division of 
        the State's education department, an independent government 
        agency, or a non-profit organization. Any such application 
        shall be submitted to the Secretary at such time, and contain 
        such information, as the Secretary shall require.
            ``(2) Competitive selection.--From the applications 
        submitted by State agencies, the Secretary shall approve those 
        applications that the Secretary determines to be the most 
        promising in carrying out the purposes of the Fellows Program. 
        Each State whose application is selected by the Secretary to 
        participate in the Fellows Program shall receive funds to offer 
        scholarships in an amount determined by the Secretary in light 
        of the amount of the total appropriation for the Fellows 
        Program, the relative size of the State's student population, 
        and the funding necessary to administer a viable State Fellows 
        Program. Such funds shall go to the State agency designated in 
        subsection (c)(1).
    ``(d) Requirements for State Receipt of Federal Funds.--Each State 
participating in the Fellows Program shall--
            ``(1) provide information and assurances--
                    ``(A) identifying the institutions of higher 
                education within the State, either private or public, 
                that will participate in the Fellows Program;
                    ``(B) establishing specific, rigorous criteria to 
                be used in selecting Teaching Fellows;
                    ``(C) providing that the State will offer no less 
                than $6,500 per year in scholarships to each Fellow;
                    ``(D) providing that each participating institution 
                will provide a full-time faculty member to serve as the 
                Fellows Program director and to work closely with the 
                State agency to administer the campus program and 
                create and execute the extra-curricular enrichment 
                programs;
                    ``(E) describing mandatory extra-curricular 
                enrichment programs and activities as part of the 
                State's Fellows Program that--
                            ``(i) are designed to motivate students to 
                        become career educators;
                            ``(ii) provide Teaching Fellows with a 
                        multidisciplinary education;
                            ``(iii) are offered regularly during each 
                        year of schooling (including during intervals 
                        between periods of enrollment); and
                            ``(iv) expose Fellows to the State's 
                        business, political, demographic, and economic 
                        climate and help Fellows develop leadership 
                        qualities; and
                    ``(F) establishing procedures for the distribution 
                of scholarships and administration of service 
                obligation oversight;
            ``(2) provide an assurance that the State agency shall 
        match the Federal funds provided under this section by 
        providing at least 25 percent of the total cost of the Fellows 
        Program;
            ``(3) use funds received under this section only to 
        supplement the amount of funds that would, in the absence of 
        such Federal funds, be made available from non-Federal sources 
        for the purposes of this section, and not to supplant such 
        funds; and
            ``(4) provide an assurance that Teaching Fellows fulfill 
        their teaching commitments at United States public schools 
        within that State only.
    ``(e) Conversion to Loan.--
            ``(1) Obligation to repay.--The Fellows Program shall 
        require that a Teaching Fellow agree to repay a pro rata 
        amount, as determined by the State agency, of the scholarship 
        received from the Fellows Program, and to pay interest on such 
        pro rata amount at an annual rate of 10 percent until such pro 
        rata amount is repaid, if the recipient fails to comply with 
        one of the following:
                    ``(A) Within 7 years after graduation the recipient 
                of the scholarship teaches for 4 years at a public 
                school.
                    ``(B) Within 7 years after graduation the recipient 
                teaches for 3 consecutive years, unless the recipient 
                takes an approved leave of absence, a public school 
                that at the time the recipient accepts employment is a 
                low-performing school system as defined by the United 
                States Department of Education.
            ``(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply if the 
        State agency finds that it is impossible for the recipient to 
        teach for 4 years, within 7 years after the recipient 
        graduates, at a public school because of the death or permanent 
        disability of the recipient.
    ``(f) Revolving Funding.--Any funds repaid by a Teaching Fellow 
pursuant to subsection (e) may be retained by the State agency for 
making available additional scholarships under this section.
    ``(g) Funds.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this section $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such sums as may be 
necessary for the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
    ``(h) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Fellows program.--The term `Fellows Program' means 
        the program established under this section.
            ``(2) Teaching fellows.--The term `Teaching Fellow' means 
        an individual selected for an award of financial assistance 
        under this section.
            ``(3) State.--The term `State' includes the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
            ``(4) State agency.--The term `State agency' means the 
        agency designated pursuant to subsection (c)(1).

``SEC. 212. FEDERAL TEACHING FELLOWS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to encourage members 
of the education community, such as teaching assistants and other 
public employees, who are not yet certified teachers to obtain a degree 
in education.
    ``(b) Establishment of Federal Teaching Fellows Program for High 
School Seniors.--
            ``(1) Use of funds for scholarships.--From the funds 
        appropriated under subsection (h), the Secretary shall make 
        grants available to States for the purpose of establishing 
        Partnership Programs between associate-degree-granting 
        institutions and bachelor-degree-granting institutions.
            ``(2) Selection of fellows.--Partnership Fellows shall be 
        selected from individuals who--
                    ``(A) are United States citizens or legal aliens;
                    ``(B) are residents of the State sponsoring the 
                partnership program to which they are applying; and
                    ``(C) meet the criteria established under 
                subsection (e)(1).
    ``(c) Competition for Federal Funds.--
            ``(1) State review and submission.--The governor of each 
        State desiring to participate in the Partnership Program shall 
        designate a single State education department or agency--
                    ``(A) to receive and review partnership proposals 
                from associate-degree-granting institutions and 
                bachelor-degree-granting institutions within the State;
                    ``(B) to determine which proposals delineate 
                Partnership Programs to be created between associate-
                degree-granting institutions and bachelor-degree-
granting institutions that are the most promising in carrying out the 
purposes of this section;
                    ``(C) to submit the partnership proposals that are 
                approved by the State agency to the Secretary for 
                competitive selection in the form of one single 
                partnership proposal application; and
                    ``(D) to administer the funds available under this 
                section.
            ``(2) Competitive selection.--From the partnership proposal 
        applications submitted by State agencies under paragraph (1), 
        the Secretary shall select for funding under this section those 
        applications that the Secretary determines to be the most 
        promising in carrying out the purposes of the Partnership 
        Program. The Secretary shall distribute the awards for each 
        selected application to the State agency that submitted the 
        application.
    ``(d) Requirements for State Receipt of Federal Funds.--A State 
agency that submits a partnership proposal application to the Secretary 
under subsection (c) shall provide to the Secretary such information 
and assurances as the Secretary may require to demonstrate that the 
State will comply with the following requirements:
            ``(1) Any State whose partnership proposal application is 
        selected to receive Federal funds as authorized by this section 
        shall match the Federal funding by providing at least 25 
        percent of the total cost of the Partnership Program or 
        Programs.
            ``(2) The State agency may reserve up to 20 percent of its 
        Federal funding to be used for administrative costs associated 
        with the creation of articulation agreements between one or 
        more associate-degree-granting institutions and one or more 
        bachelor-degree-granting institutions that detail the 
        partnership arrangement between the institutions. Such reserved 
        administrative funds shall be made available to the associate-
        degree-granting institution in order to make its curricula 
        compatible with the bachelor-degree-granting institution's 
        requirements and to allow the associate-degree-granting 
        institution to sponsor extra-curricular activities for its 
        Fellows as specified in subsection (e)(3).
            ``(3) The State agency shall be responsible for determining 
        how the funds provided under this section are allocated among 
        specific partnership proposals.
            ``(4) The State agency shall be responsible for assuring 
        such funds are used to provide full-time Partnership Fellows 
        with scholarships of no less than $6,500 per year, or a total 
        of $26,000, over a course of 6 years. Partnership Fellows 
        pursuing a part-time course load, as defined by the institution 
        attended, shall receive a pro rata scholarship. The scholarship 
        amount shall be a fraction of the full-time scholarship amount 
        and shall be reduced according to the number of credits being 
        pursued. Partnership Programs also may make scholarship funds 
        available during the period of student teaching as prescribed 
        by subsection (e)(6).
            ``(5) The State agency will use funds received under this 
        section only to supplement the amount of funds that would, in 
        the absence of such Federal funds, be made available from non-
        Federal sources for the purposes of this section, and not to 
        supplant such funds.
    ``(e) Requirements for Partnership Proposals.--Each partnership 
proposal under this section shall be submitted by one or more 
associate-degree-granting institutions and one or more bachelor-degree-
granting institutions and shall propose the establishment of a program 
allowing individuals, such as those currently in the education field, 
to complete a bachelor's degree in education. Such proposals shall 
include--
            ``(1) identification of specific, rigorous criteria to be 
        used in selecting Partnership Fellows, including outstanding 
        achievement in the field of education, a firm commitment to the 
        field of education, and aptitude to succeed as a teacher;
            ``(2) designation of a full-time faculty member at each 
        participating institution to serve as the Partnership Program 
        director and to work closely with the State agency to 
        administer the program and create and execute the extra-
        curricular enrichment programs;
            ``(3) mandatory extra-curricular enrichment programs and 
        activities as part of the State's Fellows Program that--
                    ``(A) are designed to motivate students to become 
                career educators;
                    ``(B) provide Fellows with a multidisciplinary 
                education;
                    ``(C) are offered regularly during each year of 
                schooling (including during intervals between periods 
                of enrollment); and
                    ``(D) expose Fellows to the State's business, 
                political, demographic, and economic climate and help 
                Fellows develop leadership qualities;
            ``(4) a specific description of how the proposed 
        Partnership Program will provide individuals in rural or 
        underserved communities access to the opportunities created by 
        the Partnership Program;
            ``(5) a description of how the program will accommodate 
        Partnership Fellows who must maintain employment while pursuing 
        a degree, whether via distance learning methods, minimum credit 
        requirements, or other programs;
            ``(6) a description of how the program will assist 
        Partnership Fellows in accordance with subsection (d)(4) during 
        the period of student teaching should they be otherwise 
        financially unable to complete such a requirement; and
            ``(7) an itemized account of how the funds will be 
        allocated to best achieve the goals of the Partnership Program.
    ``(f) Conversion to Loan.--
            ``(1) Obligation to repay.--The Partnership Program shall 
        require that a Partnership Fellow agree to repay a pro rata 
        amount, as determined by the State agency, of the scholarship 
        received from the Partnership Program, and to pay interest on 
        such pro rata amount at an annual rate of 10 percent until such 
        pro rata amount is repaid, if the recipient fails to comply 
        with one of the following:
                    ``(A) Within 7 years after graduation the recipient 
                of the scholarship teaches for 4 years at a public 
                school.
                    ``(B) Within 7 years after graduation the recipient 
                teaches for 3 consecutive years, unless the recipient 
                takes an approved leave of absence, at a public school 
                that at the time the recipient accepts employment is a 
                low-performing school system as defined by the United 
                States Department of Education.
            ``(2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply if the 
        State agency finds that it is impossible for the recipient to 
        teach for 4 years, within 7 years after the recipient 
        graduates, at a public school because of the death or permanent 
        disability of the recipient.
    ``(g) Revolving Funding.--Any funds repaid by a Partnership Fellow 
pursuant to subsection (f) may be retained by the State agency for 
making available additional scholarships under this section.
    ``(h) Funds.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this section $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such sums as 
necessary for the 4 subsequent fiscal years.
    ``(i) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Partnership program.--the term `Partnership Program' 
        means the program established under this section.
            ``(2) Partnership fellows.--The term `Partnership Fellow' 
        means an individual selected for an award of financial 
        assistance under this section.
            ``(3) State.--The term `State' includes the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
            ``(4) State agency.--The term `State agency' means the 
        agency designated pursuant to subsection (c)(1).''.
                                 <all>