[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1926 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1926

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve 
 student achievement by helping local educational agencies improve the 
 quality of, and technology training for, teachers, to improve teacher 
  accountability, and to enhance the leadership skills of principals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 16, 1999

  Mrs. Murray introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve 
 student achievement by helping local educational agencies improve the 
 quality of, and technology training for, teachers, to improve teacher 
  accountability, and to enhance the leadership skills of principals.

    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 ``Quality and Accountability are Best 
for Children Act''.

SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal 
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to 
be made to a section or other provision of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.).

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Academically qualified, highly trained and professional 
        teachers are a critical component in children's educational 
        success.
            (2) The Department of Education has reported that our 
        Nation will need to hire 2,200,000 more teachers during the 10-
        year period beginning in fiscal year 2000.
            (3) Newspaper accounts from the 18th century described 
        teachers as well-respected, but ill-rewarded.
            (4) In 1999, because many individuals view teaching as a 
        thankless profession which garners little respect, little 
        support, and little money, nearly 50 percent of those who enter 
        teaching leave the profession within 5 years.
            (5) Sixty-three percent of parents and teachers believe 
        that accountability systems with financial rewards are a good 
        idea, and would motivate teachers to work harder to improve 
        student achievement.
            (6) Paying professional salaries is integral to teacher 
        retention. The State of Connecticut, for example, has been able 
        to improve student achievement, eliminate its teacher shortage, 
        and retain highly qualified teachers by offering the highest 
        salaries in the Nation (an average of $51,727 per year).
            (7) Dissemination of information regarding the teacher 
        corps working at individual elementary schools and secondary 
        schools, and accountability procedures enforced by the local 
        educational agency can provide an important tool for parents 
        and taxpayers to measure the quality of the elementary schools 
        or secondary schools and to hold the schools and teachers 
        accountable for improving student performance.
            (8) Although elementary school and secondary school 
        teachers need the most up-to-date skills possible to ensure 
        that students are equipped to deal with a complex economy and 
        society, less than 50 percent of such teachers report that they 
        are competent in using technology effectively in the classroom.
            (9) Although principals and other administrators are the 
        educational leaders and chief executive officers of our 
        Nation's elementary schools and secondary schools, and research 
        strongly suggests that strong leadership from the principal is 
        the single most important factor in effective schools, research 
        also has revealed that the characteristics of a good principal 
        are not necessarily those things for which principals are 
        trained and rewarded.

SEC. 4. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to recruit the best and the brightest candidates to 
        teach in public elementary schools and secondary schools by 
        looking to young people, people from special populations, mid-
        career professionals, and others as potential new teachers;
            (2) to offer retention incentives to highly qualified 
        teachers to keep the teachers in the classroom;
            (3) to reward elementary schools and secondary schools 
        that, and teachers in such schools who, succeed in improving 
        student achievement;
            (4) to hold elementary school and secondary school teachers 
        accountable for achieving high levels of professionalism, 
        including possessing expert knowledge and skills in the subject 
        areas in which the teachers teach, being actively involved in 
        all aspects of the school community, and being committed to the 
        academic success of students, by providing parents and the 
        school community with specific information about the 
        qualifications of the local teaching corps;
            (5) to improve teacher professional development in the uses 
        of technology in teaching and learning and in the study of 
        technology, and to help local communities to use technology as 
        a vehicle to improve teacher professional development; and
            (6) to improve the professional development of elementary 
        school and secondary school principals and other administrators 
        to ensure that the principals and administrators are the 
        community's educational leaders, and have sophisticated 
        knowledge about student achievement, school safety, management, 
        evaluation, and community outreach.

SEC. 5. IMPROVING TEACHER RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, REWARDS, AND 
              ACCOUNTABILITY.

    Title II (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating part E as part G;
            (2) by redesignating sections 2401 and 2402 (20 U.S.C. 
        6701, 6702) as sections 2601 and 2602, respectively; and
            (3) by inserting after part D the following:

   ``PART E--IMPROVING TEACHER RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, REWARDS, AND 
                             ACCOUNTABILITY

``SEC. 2401. DEFINITIONS.

    ``For purposes of this part:
            ``(1) Outlying areas.--The term `outlying area' means the 
        United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
            ``(2) State.--The term `State' means each of the several 
        States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and the 
        Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

``SEC. 2402. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    ``(a) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary shall award a grant, from 
allotments under subsection (b), to each State to enable the State to 
provide grants to local educational agencies to carry out activities 
consistent with section 2404.
    ``(b) Reservations and allotments.--
            ``(1) Reservations.--From the amount appropriated under 
        section 2406 to carry out this part for each fiscal year, the 
        Secretary shall reserve--
                    ``(A) a total of 1 percent of such amount for 
                payments to--
                            ``(i) the Secretary of the Interior for 
                        activities, that are approved by the Secretary 
                        and consistent with this part, in schools 
                        operated or supported by the Bureau of Indian 
                        Affairs, on the basis of the schools' 
                        respective needs for assistance under this 
                        part; and
                            ``(ii) the outlying areas, to be allotted 
                        in accordance with their respective needs for 
                        assistance under this part as determined by the 
                        Secretary, for activities that are approved by 
                        the Secretary and consistent with this part; 
                        and
                    ``(B) 0.5 percent to enable the Secretary directly 
                or through programs with State educational agencies and 
                local educational agencies--
                            ``(i) to offer incentives to teachers to 
                        obtain certification from the National Board 
                        for Professional Teaching Standards;
                            ``(ii) to create student loan forgiveness 
                        programs;
                            ``(iii) to report on and disseminate 
                        successful activities assisted under this part; 
                        and
                            ``(iv) to provide technical assistance to 
                        States and local educational agencies to assist 
                        the States and agencies in using technology in 
                        the recruitment, processing, hiring, and 
                        placement of qualified teaching candidates.
            ``(2) Allotments to states.--From the amount appropriated 
        under section 2406 for any fiscal year that remains after 
        making the reservations under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
        shall allot to each State an amount that bears the same 
        relationship to the remainder as the number of children, aged 5 
        to 17, enrolled in the public and private nonprofit elementary 
        schools and secondary schools in the State bears to the number 
        of such children enrolled in such schools in all States.
    ``(c) Within-State Allocations.--Each State receiving an allotment 
under subsection (b)(2)--
            ``(1) shall reserve $100,000 of the allotment for a fiscal 
        year--
                    ``(A) to support the Christa McAuliffe awards, the 
                National Teacher of the Year awards, and other awards 
                that confer respect and recognition upon outstanding 
                teachers; and
                    ``(B) to establish other forms of conferring 
                respect and recognition upon distinguished teachers;
            ``(2) shall reserve not more than \1/2\ of 1 percent of the 
        grant funds for a fiscal year, or $50,000, whichever is 
        greater, for the administrative costs of carrying out this 
        part; and
            ``(3) shall allocate the amount that remains after 
        reserving funds under paragraphs (1) and (2) among local 
        educational agencies in the State by allocating to each local 
        educational agency in the State submitting an application that 
        is consistent with section 2403 an amount that bears the same 
        relationship to the remainder as the number of children, aged 5 
        to 17, enrolled in the public and private nonprofit elementary 
        schools and secondary schools served by the local educational 
        agency bears to the number of such children enrolled in such 
        schools served by all local educational agencies in the State.

``SEC. 2403. LOCAL APPLICATIONS.

    Each local educational agency desiring assistance under section 
2402(c)(3) shall submit an application to the State educational agency 
at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as 
the State educational agency may reasonably require. At a minimum, the 
application shall contain a description of the programs to be assisted 
under this part consistent with section 2404.

``SEC. 2404. USE OF FUNDS.

    ``(a) In General.--Each local educational agency receiving funds 
under this part shall use the funds to carry out activities described 
in subsections (b) and (c) that are designed to improve student 
achievement by improving the quality of the local teacher corps, 
including improving recruitment and retention of highly qualified new 
teachers, offering rewards to teachers based on teachers' successes, 
and holding teachers accountable for the results attained by the 
teachers by notifying the community in the school district served by 
the local educational agency about the local educational agency's 
efforts to improve teacher quality.
    ``(b) Recruitment, Retention, and Rewards.--
            ``(1) Teacher recruitment.--A local educational agency may 
        support teacher recruitment activities by--
                    ``(A) establishing or expanding teacher academies, 
                teachers-recruiting-future-teachers programs, and 
                programs designed to encourage secondary school 
                students to pursue a career in teaching;
                    ``(B) establishing or expanding paraprofessional 
                training programs, paraprofessional-to-teacher career 
                ladders, and other programs designed to improve the 
                training and supervision of paraprofessionals;
                    ``(C) establishing or expanding programs designed 
                to assist mid-career professionals to become 
                certificated teachers;
                    ``(D) reaching out to communities of color or other 
                special populations to make teachers teaching in the 
                elementary schools and secondary schools served by the 
                local educational agency more reflective of the student 
                demographics (at the time of the outreach and as 
                anticipated in the future) in such schools;
                    ``(E) placing advertisements, attending college job 
                fairs, offering signing bonuses, or engaging in other 
                efforts designed to recruit highly qualified new 
                teachers; and
                    ``(F) establishing activities, and coordinating 
                with existing activities, designed to help recruit the 
                highest quality new teachers, such as--
                            ``(i) offering student loan forgiveness;
                            ``(ii) offering assistance for newly hired 
                        teachers to reach higher levels of State 
                        certification or certification from the 
                        National Board for Professional Teaching 
                        Standards; and
                            ``(iii) recruiting new teachers in specific 
                        disciplines, including mathematics and science.
            ``(2) Teacher retention.--A local educational agency may 
        support teacher retention activities by--
                    ``(A) offering stipends or bonuses to teachers who 
                seek further subject matter endorsements and advanced 
                levels of State certification or certification from the 
                National Board for Professional Teaching Standards;
                    ``(B) establishing or expanding local initiatives, 
                such as mentor teacher programs, that are specifically 
                designed to retain teachers during the teachers' first 
                5 years of teaching;
                    ``(C) supporting other teacher retention activities 
                that are consistent with local educational agency 
                criteria for mentor teacher job classifications or 
                master teacher job classifications, including--
                            ``(i) establishing such classifications;
                            ``(ii) establishing career ladders for 
                        mentor teachers or master teachers; and
                            ``(iii) providing teachers with time 
                        outside the classroom to improve the teachers' 
                        teaching skills while preserving the teachers' 
                        job, pay, and benefits, including providing 
                        sabbaticals, research opportunities, such as 
                        the Fulbright Academic Exchange Programs, and 
                        the opportunity to work in an industry or a 
                        not-for-profit organization; and
                    ``(D) supporting local initiatives specifically 
                designed to retain experienced teachers beyond the 
                teacher's first 5 years of teaching.
            ``(3) Rewards.--A local educational agency may reward--
                    ``(A) elementary schools and secondary schools by 
                providing bonuses or financial awards to the schools, 
                with priority given to financially needy schools, based 
                on--
                            ``(i) the school's increased percentage of 
                        highly qualified teachers teaching in the 
                        school; or
                            ``(ii) other measures demonstrating an 
                        improvement in the quality of teachers teaching 
                        in the school, including an improvement in the 
                        school's recruitment and retention of teachers, 
                        a reduction in out-of-field placement of 
                        teachers, an increased percentage of 
                        certificated staff teaching in the school, an 
                        increase in the number of teachers in the 
                        school attaining higher levels of 
                        certification, and a school's adoption of 
                        professional development programs that improve 
                        curricula; and
                    ``(B) highly qualified elementary school and 
                secondary school teachers by offering a 1-time bonus, 
                reward, or stipend of not more than $5,000 to teachers 
                who are certified by the National Board for 
                Professional Teaching Standards.
    ``(c) Accountability.--An elementary school or secondary school 
receiving assistance under this part, and the local educational agency 
serving that school, shall provide an annual report to parents, the 
general public, and the State educational agency, in easily 
understandable language, containing--
            ``(1) information regarding--
                    ``(A) the demographic makeup and professional 
                credentials of the agency's teacher corps;
                    ``(B) efforts to increase student achievement by 
                improving the recruitment, retention, and rewarding of 
teachers, and improving accountability for teachers; and
                    ``(C) local programs assisted, expenditures made, 
                and results achieved under this part in terms of 
                measurable improvements in teacher quality and student 
                achievement; and
            ``(2) notification of the community served by the local 
        educational agency with respect to local educational agency 
        policies regarding teacher accountability.

``SEC. 2405. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

    ``(a) Supplement Not Supplant.--A local educational agency shall 
use funds under this part to supplement, and not to supplant, State and 
local funds that, in the absence of funds provided under this part, 
would otherwise be spent for activities under this part.
    ``(b) Prohibition.--No local educational agency shall use funds 
provided under this part to increase the salaries of or to provide 
benefits to teachers, other than providing professional development 
programs, bonuses, and enrichment programs described in section 2404.
    ``(c) Professional Development.--If a local educational agency uses 
funds made available under this part for professional development 
activities, the local educational agency shall ensure the equitable 
participation of private nonprofit elementary schools and secondary 
schools in such activities.
    ``(d) Coordination.--A local educational agency shall coordinate 
any professional development activities carried out under this part 
with activities carried out under title II of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965, if the local educational agency is participating in programs 
funded under such title.
    ``(e) Administrative Expenses.--A local educational agency 
receiving grant funds under this part may use not more than 3 percent 
of the grant funds for any fiscal year for the cost of administering 
this part.
    ``(f) Report.--Each State receiving funds under this part shall 
submit an annual report to the Secretary containing information 
regarding activities assisted under this part.

``SEC. 2406. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``For the purpose of carrying out this part, there are authorized 
to be appropriated $2,100,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such sums as 
may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.

             ``PART F--EXCELLENT PRINCIPALS CHALLENGE GRANT

``SEC. 2501. GRANTS TO STATES FOR THE TRAINING OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND 
              SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS.

    ``(a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts appropriated under section 
2504, the Secretary shall award grants to State educational agencies or 
consortia of State educational agencies that submit applications 
consistent with subsection (d), to enable such agencies or consortia to 
provide, on a statewide basis, professional development services for 
elementary school and secondary school principals designed to enhance 
the principals' leadership skills.
    ``(b) Reservations and Awards.--
            ``(1) Reservations.--From the amount appropriated under 
        section 2503 to carry out this part for each fiscal year, the 
        Secretary may reserve not more than 2 percent to develop model 
        national programs, in accordance with section 2502, that 
        provide activities described in subsection (e) for elementary 
        school and secondary school principals.
            ``(2) Awards to states.--From the amount appropriated under 
        section 2504 for a fiscal year and remaining after the 
        Secretary makes the reservation under paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall award grants, in an amount determined by the 
        Secretary, to State educational agencies and consortia of State 
        educational agencies on the basis of--
                    ``(A) the quality of the proposed uses of the grant 
                funds; and
                    ``(B) the educational needs of the State or States.
    ``(c) Matching Requirement.--
            ``(1) In general.--The amount provided to a State 
        educational agency or consortia under subsection (b)(2) shall 
        not exceed 75 percent of the cost of the program described in 
        the application submitted pursuant to subsection (d).
            ``(2) Non-federal contributions.--The non-Federal share of 
        payments under this section may be in cash or in kind, fairly 
        evaluated, including planned equipment or services. Amounts 
        provided by the Federal Government, and any portion of any 
        service subsidized by the Federal Government, may not be 
        included in determining the amount of the non-Federal share.
            ``(3) Waiver.--The Secretary shall promulgate regulations 
        to waive the matching requirement of paragraph (1) with respect 
        to State educational agencies or consortia of State educational 
        agencies that the Secretary determines serve low-income areas.
    ``(d) Application Required.--Each State educational agency or 
consortia of State educational agencies desiring a grant under 
subsection (b)(2) shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary 
shall reasonably require. At a minimum, the application shall contain--
            ``(1) a description of the activities to be assisted under 
        this section consistent with subsection (e); and
            ``(2) an assurance that--
                    ``(A) matching funds will be provided in accordance 
                with subsection (c); and
                    ``(B) elementary school and secondary school 
                principals in the State were involved in developing the 
                application and the proposed uses of grant funds.
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--A State educational agency or consortia of 
State educational agencies receiving a grant under this part shall use 
the grant funds to provide, on a statewide basis, professional 
development services and training to increase the instructional 
leadership and other skills of principals in elementary schools and 
secondary schools. Such activities may include activities--
            ``(1) to provide principals with knowledge of--
                    ``(A) effective instructional leadership skills and 
                practices; and
                    ``(B) comprehensive whole-school approaches and 
                programs that improve teaching and learning;
            ``(2) to provide training in effective, fair evaluation and 
        supervision of school staff, and to provide training in 
        improvement of instruction; and
            ``(3) to improve understanding of the effective uses of 
        educational technology, and to incorporate technology into the 
        instructional program and the operation and management of the 
        school;
            ``(4) to improve knowledge of State content and performance 
        standards and appropriate related curriculum;
            ``(5) to improve the development of effective programs, the 
        assessment of program effectiveness, and other related 
        programs;
            ``(6) to enhance and develop school management and business 
        skills;
            ``(7) to improve training in school safety and discipline;
            ``(8) to improve training in school finance, grant-writing 
        and fund-raising; and
            ``(9) to improve training regarding school legal 
        requirements.
    ``(f) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term `State' 
means each of the several States of the United States, the District of 
Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

``SEC. 2502. MODEL NATIONAL PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) In General.--From the amounts reserved under section 
2501(b)(1), the Secretary, in consultation with the Commission 
described in subsection (b), shall develop model national programs to 
provide activities described in section 2501(e) for elementary school 
and secondary school principals.
    ``(b) Commission.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall appoint a 
        Commission--
                    ``(A) to examine existing professional development 
                programs for elementary school and secondary school 
                principals; and
                    ``(B) to provide, not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of the Quality and Accountability are 
                Best for Children Act, a report regarding the best 
                practices to help elementary school and secondary 
                school principals in multiple education environments 
                across our Nation.
            ``(2) Membership.--The Commission shall consist of 
        representatives of local educational agencies, State 
        educational agencies, departments of education within 
        institutions of higher education, elementary school and 
        secondary school principals, education organizations, community 
        and business groups, and labor organizations.

``SEC. 2503. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

    ``(a) Supplement Not Supplant.--A State educational agency or 
consortium of State educational agencies shall use funds under this 
part to supplement, and not to supplant, State and local funds that, in 
the absence of funds provided under this part, would otherwise be spent 
for activities under this part.
    ``(b) Professional Development.--If a State educational agency or 
consortium of State educational agencies uses funds made available 
under this part for professional development activities, the State 
educational agency or consortium of State educational agencies shall 
ensure the equitable participation of private nonprofit elementary 
schools and secondary schools in such activities.

``SEC. 2504. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.

    ``For the purpose of carrying out this part, there are authorized 
to be appropriated, $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2001 
through 2004 to carry out this part.''

SEC. 6. AMENDMENTS REGARDING IMPROVING TEACHER TECHNOLOGY TRAINING.

    (a) Statement of Purpose for Title I.--Section 1001(d)(4) (20 
U.S.C. 6301(d)(4)) is amended by inserting ``, giving particular 
attention to the role technology can play in professional development 
and improved teaching and learning'' before the semicolon.
    (b) School Improvement.--Section 1116(c)(3) (20 U.S.C. 6317(c)(3)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) In carrying out professional development 
                under this paragraph an elementary school or secondary 
                school shall give particular attention to professional 
                development that incorporates technology used to 
                improve teaching and learning.''.
    (c) Professional Development.--Section 1119(b) (20 U.S.C. 6320(b)) 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' after 
                the semicolon;
                    (B) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(F) include instruction in the use of 
                technology.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by striking subparagraph (D); and
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) through (I) 
                as subparagraphs (D) through (H), respectively.
    (d) Purposes for Title II.--Section 2002(2) (20 U.S.C. 6602(2)) is 
amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``and'' after the 
        semicolon;
            (2) in subparagraph (F), by striking the period and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(G) uses technology to enhance the teaching and 
                learning process.''.
    (e) National Teacher Training Project.--Section 2103(b)(2) (20 
U.S.C. 6623(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(J) Technology.''.
    (f) Local Plan for Improving Teaching and Learning.--Section 
2208(d)(1)(F) (20 U.S.C. 6648(d)(1)(F)) is amended by inserting ``, 
technologies,'' after ``strategies''.
    (g) Authorized Activities.--Section 2210(b)(2)(C) (20 U.S.C. 
6650(b)(2)(C)) is amended by inserting ``, and in particular 
technology,'' after ``practices''.
    (h) Higher Education Activities.--Section 2211(a)(1)(C) (20 U.S.C. 
6651(a)(1)(C)) is amended by inserting ``, including technological 
innovation,'' after ``innovation''.
                                 <all>