[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 102 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 102
To provide assistance to address school dropout problems.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 22, 2001
Mr. Bingaman (for himself and Mr. Reid) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide assistance to address school dropout problems.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ASSISTANCE TO ADDRESS SCHOOL DROPOUT PROBLEMS.
Part D of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6421 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``Subpart 4--Assistance to Address School Dropout Problems
``SEC. 1441. SHORT TITLE.
``This subpart may be cited as the `Dropout Prevention Act'.
``SEC. 1442. PURPOSE.
``The purpose of this subpart is to provide for school dropout
prevention and reentry and to raise academic achievement levels by
providing grants, to schools through State educational agencies, that--
``(1) challenge all children to attain their highest
academic potential; and
``(2) ensure that all students have substantial and ongoing
opportunities to do so through schoolwide programs proven
effective in school dropout prevention.
``Chapter 1--Coordinated National Strategy
``SEC. 1451. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized--
``(1) to collect systematic data on the participation in
the programs described in paragraph (2)(C) of individuals
disaggregated within each State, local educational agency, and
school by gender, by each major racial and ethnic group, by
English proficiency status, by migrant status, by students with
disabilities as compared to nondisabled students, and by
economically disadvantaged students as compared to students who
are not economically disadvantaged;
``(2) to establish and to consult with an interagency
working group which shall--
``(A) address inter- and intra-agency program
coordination issues at the Federal level with respect
to school dropout prevention and middle school and
secondary school reentry, assess the targeting of
existing Federal services to students who are most at
risk of dropping out of school, and the cost-
effectiveness of various programs and approaches used
to address school dropout prevention;
``(B) describe the ways in which State and local
agencies can implement effective school dropout
prevention programs using funds from a variety of
Federal programs, including the programs under title I
and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994; and
``(C) address all Federal programs with school
dropout prevention or school reentry elements or
objectives, programs under title I of this Act, the
School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994, subtitle C of
title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, and
other programs; and
``(3) carry out a national recognition program in
accordance with subsection (b) that recognizes schools that
have made extraordinary progress in lowering school dropout
rates under which a public middle school or secondary school
from each State will be recognized.
``(b) Recognition Program.--
``(1) National guidelines.--The Secretary shall develop
uniform national guidelines for the recognition program which
shall be used to recognize schools from nominations submitted
by State educational agencies.
``(2) Eligible schools.--The Secretary may recognize under
the recognition program any public middle school or secondary
school (including a charter school) that has implemented
comprehensive reforms regarding the lowering of school dropout
rates for all students at that school.
``(3) Support.--The Secretary may make monetary awards to
schools recognized under the recognition program in amounts
determined by the Secretary. Amounts received under this
section shall be used for dissemination activities within the
school district or nationally.
``(c) Capacity Building.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, through a contract with a
non-Federal entity, may conduct a capacity building and design
initiative in order to increase the types of proven strategies
for dropout prevention and reentry that address the needs of an
entire school population rather than a subset of students.
``(2) Number and duration.--
``(A) Number.--The Secretary may award not more
than 5 contracts under this subsection.
``(B) Duration.--The Secretary may award a contract
under this subsection for a period of not more than 5
years.
``(d) Support for Existing Reform Networks.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may provide appropriate
support to eligible entities to enable the eligible entities to
provide training, materials, development, and staff assistance
to schools assisted under this chapter.
``(2) Definition of eligible entity.--In this subsection,
the term `eligible entity' means an entity that, prior to the
date of enactment of the Dropout Prevention Act--
``(A) provided training, technical assistance, and
materials to 100 or more elementary schools or
secondary schools; and
``(B) developed and published a specific
educational program or design for use by the schools.
``Chapter 2--National School Dropout Prevention Initiative
``SEC. 1461. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
``(a) Grants.--
``(1) Discretionary grants.--If the sum appropriated under
section 1472 for a fiscal year is less than $250,000,000, then
the Secretary shall use such sum to award grants, on a
competitive basis, to State educational agencies to enable the
State educational agencies to award grants under subsection
(b).
``(2) Formula.--If the sum appropriated under section 1472
for a fiscal year equals or exceeds $250,000,000, then the
Secretary shall use such sum to make an allotment to each State
in an amount that bears the same relation to the sum as the
amount the State received under part A of title I for the
preceding fiscal year bears to the amount received by all
States under such part for the preceding fiscal year.
``(3) Definition of state.--In this chapter, the term
`State' means each of the several States of the United States,
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the
United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of
the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and
the Republic of Palau.
``(b) Grants.--From amounts made available to a State under
subsection (a), the State educational agency may award grants to public
middle schools or secondary schools that serve students in grades 6
through 12, that have school dropout rates which are the highest of all
school dropout rates in the State, to enable the schools to pay only
the startup and implementation costs of effective, sustainable,
coordinated, and whole school dropout prevention programs that involve
activities such as--
``(1) professional development;
``(2) obtaining curricular materials;
``(3) release time for professional staff;
``(4) planning and research;
``(5) remedial education;
``(6) reduction in pupil-to-teacher ratios;
``(7) efforts to meet State student achievement standards;
``(8) counseling and mentoring for at-risk students; and
``(9) comprehensive school reform models.
``(c) Amount.--
``(1) In general.--Subject to subsection (d) and except as
provided in paragraph (2), a grant under this chapter shall be
awarded--
``(A) in the first year that a school receives a
grant payment under this chapter, based on factors such
as--
``(i) school size;
``(ii) costs of the model or set of
prevention and reentry strategies being
implemented; and
``(iii) local cost factors such as poverty
rates;
``(B) in the second such year, in an amount that is
not less than 75 percent of the amount the school
received under this chapter in the first such year;
``(C) in the third year, in an amount that is not
less than 50 percent of the amount the school received
under this chapter in the first such year; and
``(D) in each succeeding year in an amount that is
not less than 30 percent of the amount the school
received under this chapter in the first such year.
``(2) Increases.--The Secretary shall increase the amount
awarded to a school under this chapter by 10 percent if the
school creates smaller learning communities within the school
and the creation is certified by the State educational agency.
``(d) Duration.--A grant under this chapter shall be awarded for a
period of 3 years, and may be continued for a period of 2 additional
years if the State educational agency determines, based on the annual
reports described in section 1467(a), that significant progress has
been made in lowering the school dropout rate for students
participating in the program assisted under this chapter compared to
students at similar schools who are not participating in the program.
``SEC. 1462. STRATEGIES AND CAPACITY BUILDING.
``Each school receiving a grant under this chapter shall implement
research-based, sustainable, and widely replicated, strategies for
school dropout prevention and reentry that address the needs of an
entire school population rather than a subset of students. The
strategies may include--
``(1) specific strategies for targeted purposes, such as
effective early intervention programs designed to identify at-
risk students, effective programs encompassing traditionally
underserved students, including racial and ethnic minorities
and pregnant and parenting teenagers, designed to prevent such
students from dropping out of school, and effective programs to
identify and encourage youth who have already dropped out of
school to reenter school and complete their secondary
education; and
``(2) approaches such as breaking larger schools down into
smaller learning communities and other comprehensive reform
approaches, creating alternative school programs, developing
clear linkages to career skills and employment, and addressing
specific gatekeeper hurdles that often limit student retention
and academic success.
``SEC. 1463. SELECTION OF SCHOOLS.
``(a) School Application.--
``(1) In general.--Each school desiring a grant under this
chapter 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 require.
``(2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph
(1) shall--
``(A) contain a certification from the local
educational agency serving the school that--
``(i) the school has the highest number or
rates of school dropouts in the age group
served by the local educational agency;
``(ii) the local educational agency is
committed to providing ongoing operational
support, for the school's comprehensive reform
plan to address the problem of school dropouts,
for a period of 5 years; and
``(iii) the local educational agency will
support the plan, including--
``(I) release time for teacher
training;
``(II) efforts to coordinate
activities for feeder schools; and
``(III) encouraging other schools
served by the local educational agency
to participate in the plan;
``(B) demonstrate that the faculty and
administration of the school have agreed to apply for
assistance under this chapter, and provide evidence of
the school's willingness and ability to use the funds
under this chapter, including providing an assurance of
the support of 80 percent or more of the professional
staff at the school;
``(C) describe the instructional strategies to be
implemented, how the strategies will serve all
students, and the effectiveness of the strategies;
``(D) describe a budget and timeline for
implementing the strategies;
``(E) contain evidence of coordination with
existing resources;
``(F) provide an assurance that funds provided
under this chapter will supplement and not supplant
other Federal, State, and local funds;
``(G) describe how the activities to be assisted
conform with research-based knowledge about school
dropout prevention and reentry; and
``(H) demonstrate that the school and local
educational agency have agreed to conduct a schoolwide
program under section 1114.
``(b) State Agency Review and Award.--The State educational agency
shall review applications and award grants to schools under subsection
(a) according to a review by a panel of experts on school dropout
prevention.
``(c) Eligibility.--A school is eligible to receive a grant under
this chapter if the school is--
``(1) a public school (including a public alternative
school)--
``(A) that is eligible to receive assistance under
part A of title I, including a comprehensive secondary
school, a vocational or technical secondary school, or
a charter school; and
``(B)(i) that serves students 50 percent or more of
whom are low-income individuals; or
``(ii) with respect to which the feeder schools
that provide the majority of the incoming students to
the school serve students 50 percent or more of whom
are low-income individuals; or
``(2) participating in a schoolwide program under section
1114 during the grant period.
``(d) Community-Based Organizations.--A school that receives a
grant under this chapter may use the grant funds to secure necessary
services from a community-based organization, including private sector
entities, if--
``(1) the school approves the use;
``(2) the funds are used to provide school dropout
prevention and reentry activities related to schoolwide
efforts; and
``(3) the community-based organization has demonstrated the
organization's ability to provide effective services as
described in section 122 of the Workforce Investment Act of
1998.
``(e) Coordination.--Each school that receives a grant under this
chapter shall coordinate the activities assisted under this chapter
with other Federal programs, such as programs assisted under chapter 1
of subpart 2 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965
and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994.
``SEC. 1464. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES.
``Each school that receives a grant under this chapter shall
provide information and technical assistance to other schools within
the school district, including presentations, document-sharing, and
joint staff development.
``SEC. 1465. PROGRESS INCENTIVES.
``Notwithstanding any other provision of law, each local
educational agency that receives funds under title I shall use such
funding to provide assistance to schools served by the agency that have
not made progress toward lowering school dropout rates after receiving
assistance under this chapter for 2 fiscal years.
``SEC. 1466. SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE CALCULATION.
``For purposes of calculating a school dropout rate under this
chapter, a school shall use--
``(1) the annual event school dropout rate for students
leaving a school in a single year determined in accordance with
the National Center for Education Statistics' Common Core of
Data, if available; or
``(2) in other cases, a standard method for calculating the
school dropout rate as determined by the State educational
agency.
``SEC. 1467. REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
``(a) Reporting.--In order to receive funding under this chapter
for a fiscal year after the first fiscal year a school receives funding
under this chapter, the school shall provide, on an annual basis, to
the Secretary and the State educational agency a report regarding the
status of the implementation of activities funded under this chapter,
the outcome data for students at schools assisted under this chapter
disaggregated in the same manner as information under section 1451(a)
(such as dropout rates), and certification of progress from the
eligible entity whose strategies the school is implementing.
``(b) Accountability.--On the basis of the reports submitted under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall evaluate the effect of the
activities assisted under this chapter on school dropout prevention
compared to a control group.
``SEC. 1468. STATE RESPONSIBILITIES.
``(a) Uniform Data Collection.--Within 1 year after the date of
enactment of the Dropout Prevention Act, a State educational agency
that receives funds under this chapter shall report to the Secretary
and statewide, all school district and school data regarding school
dropout rates in the State disaggregated in the same manner as
information under section 1451(a), according to procedures that conform
with the National Center for Education Statistics' Common Core of Data.
``(b) Attendance-Neutral Funding Policies.--Within 2 years after
the date of enactment of the Dropout Prevention Act, a State
educational agency that receives funds under this chapter shall develop
and implement education funding formula policies for public schools
that provide appropriate incentives to retain students in school
throughout the school year, such as--
``(1) a student count methodology that does not determine
annual budgets based on attendance on a single day early in the
academic year; and
``(2) specific incentives for retaining enrolled students
throughout each year.
``(c) Suspension and Expulsion Policies.--Within 2 years after the
date of enactment of the Dropout Prevention Act, a State educational
agency that receives funds under this chapter shall develop uniform,
long-term suspension and expulsion policies (that in the case of a
child with a disability are consistent with the suspension and
expulsion policies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act) for serious infractions resulting in more than 10 days of
exclusion from school per academic year so that similar violations
result in similar penalties.
``(d) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate regulations
implementing subsections (a) through (c).
``Chapter 3--Definitions; Authorization of Appropriations
``SEC. 1471. DEFINITIONS.
``In this subpart:
``(1) Low-income.--The term `low-income', used with respect
to an individual, means an individual determined to be low-
income in accordance with measures described in section
1113(a)(5).
``(2) School dropout.--The term `school dropout' has the
meaning given the term in section 4(17) of the School-to-Work
Opportunities Act of 1994.
``SEC. 1472. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
subpart, $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such sums as may be
necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years, of which--
``(1) 10 percent shall be available to carry out chapter 1;
and
``(2) 90 percent shall be available to carry out chapter
2.''.
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