[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 444 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 444
To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
to support teacher corps programs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 1, 2001
Mr. Wellstone (for himself, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Schumer) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
to support teacher corps programs, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. TEACHER CORPS PROGRAMS.
Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating part E (20 U.S.C. 6701 et seq.) as
part F;
(2) by redesignating sections 2401 and 2402 (20 U.S.C.
6701, 6702) as sections 2501 and 2502, respectively; and
(3) by inserting after part D the following:
``PART E--TEACHER CORPS PROGRAMS
``SEC. 2401. PURPOSES.
``The purposes of this part are as follows:
``(1) To reduce the shortage of qualified teachers in high
poverty urban and rural public elementary schools and secondary
schools.
``(2) To attract high-quality candidates to teach in
geographic and academic subjects of highest need.
``(3) To retain the highest quality teachers in the high
poverty urban and rural schools.
``(4) To establish a program of intensive, sustained
support for new teachers in areas of high need and high
poverty.
``SEC. 2402. DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE APPLICANT.
``(a) In General.--In this part, the term `eligible applicant'
means a Teacher Corps Collaborative (referred to in this part as a
`Collaborative') that contains at least 1 agency or institution,
located in the State in which the Collaborative is established, in each
of the following categories:
``(1) The State educational agency, or the State agency
responsible for teacher licensure or certification.
``(2) A local educational agency that, or a consortia of
local educational agencies in which each participating local
educational agency, serves elementary schools and secondary
schools (referred to individually in this part as a `high-need
school')--
``(A)(i) for which a minimum of 50 percent of the
student population is eligible for a free or reduced
price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National
School Lunch Act; and
``(ii) that have an average rate that is greater
than the State average rate with respect to--
``(I) the number of teacher vacancies,
uncertified or unlicensed teachers, or teachers
placed in teaching positions outside of the
teachers' area of certification or licensing;
or
``(II) teacher turnover; or
``(B)(i) for which the combined student population
is not greater than 800 students, of whom--
``(I) not less than 15 percent of the
students are students from families with
incomes at or below the poverty line (as
defined by the Office of Management and Budget,
and revised annually in accordance with section
673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant
Act) applicable to a family of the size
involved); or
``(II) the percentage of the student
population from families at or below such
poverty line is greater than the median such
percentage for all local educational agencies
in the State; and
``(ii) that have an average rate that is greater
than the State average rate with respect to--
``(I) the number of teacher vacancies,
uncertified or unlicensed teachers, or teachers
placed in teaching positions outside of the
teachers' area of certification or licensing;
or
``(II) teacher turnover.
``(3) An institution of higher education that has
documented success in teacher preparation.
``(b) Additional Members.--A Collaborative may include other
members, such as a tribal college, community college, nonprofit
organization, or professional education organization.
``SEC. 2403. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants, on a
competitive basis, to eligible applicants submitting applications under
section 2404(a) to establish teacher corps programs under this part.
``(b) Peer Review.--The Secretary shall establish a peer review
system to review applications submitted under section 2404(a). The peer
review shall be conducted by peer review panels established by the
Secretary, comprised of professional educators, representatives of
parent, teacher, and community groups, and such other individuals as
the Secretary determines to be necessary.
``(c) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority to an
application submitted by an eligible applicant--
``(1) in a State that has developed, or is in the process
of developing, a system of incentives to encourage effective
teachers and strong teaching candidates to teach in high
poverty urban or rural areas (as determined by the Secretary);
and
``(2) that has documented evidence of experience with a
high-quality preservice or inservice teacher training program.
``(d) Equitable Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure an
equitable geographic distribution of grants among the regions of the
United States and among Collaboratives that represent local educational
agencies described in section 2402(a)(2).
``(e) Duration of Grant.--A grant awarded under this part shall be
awarded for a period of 5 years.
``SEC. 2404. APPLICATION AND PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.
``(a) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
part, members of a Collaborative shall jointly prepare and submit an
application to the Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and
accompanied by such information as the Secretary shall require. At a
minimum, the application shall--
``(1) describe how the Collaborative will meet the teacher
corps program requirements described in subsection (b); and
``(2) describe the individual and collective
responsibilities of members of the Collaborative in meeting the
requirements and goals of the teacher corps program.
``(b) Teacher Corps Program Requirements.--
``(1) Recruitment.--A Collaborative shall broadly recruit
and screen a highly qualified pool of candidates who
demonstrate the potential to become effective teachers. Each
candidate shall meet--
``(A) the requirements described in section
2405(b); and
``(B) any additional standard that the
Collaborative establishes to enhance the quality and
diversity of candidates and to meet the academic and
grade level needs of the Collaborative.
``(2) Required curriculum and placement.--Members of the
Collaborative shall work together to plan and develop a teacher
corps program that includes--
``(A) a curriculum that includes a preservice
training program, for a period not to exceed 1 year,
that provides participants in the teacher corps program
(referred to individually in this part as a `corps
member') with the skills and knowledge necessary to
become effective teachers, by--
``(i) requiring completed hours of study in
basic areas of teaching, such as principles of
learning and child development, effective
teaching strategies, assessments, and classroom
management, and in pedagogy related to the
academic subjects in which a corps member
intends to teach;
``(ii) providing extensive preparation in
the pedagogy of reading to corps members that
intend to teach in the early elementary grades,
including preparation components that focus
on--
``(I) understanding reading
psychology and development;
``(II) understanding the structure
of the English language; and
``(III) learning and applying the
best teaching methods to all aspects of
reading instruction;
``(iii) providing training in the use of
technology as a tool to enhance a corps
member's effectiveness as a teacher and improve
the achievement of the corps member's students;
and
``(iv) focusing on the pedagogical skills
and knowledge that corps members need to enable
all students to meet the State's highest
challenging content and student performance
standards;
``(B) placement of a corps member with a local
educational agency participating in the Collaborative
in a teaching internship that--
``(i) is heavily mentored;
``(ii) provides a reduced teaching load;
``(iii) provides regular opportunities for
the corps member to co-teach with a mentor
teacher, observe other teachers, and be
observed and coached by other teachers; and
``(iv) pays participating corps members a
salary that is lower than a first-year teacher
salary;
``(C) individualized inservice training over the
course of the corps member's first 2 years of full-time
teaching that provides--
``(i) high-quality professional
development, coordinated jointly by members of
the Collaborative, and the hours of study
necessary to provide additional or
supplementary knowledge to meet the specific
needs of the corps member; and
``(ii) ongoing mentoring by a teacher who
meets the criteria for a mentor teacher
described in paragraph (5)(B); and
``(D) collaboration between the Collaborative, and
local community, student, or parent groups, to assist
corps members in enhancing their understanding of the
community in which the members are placed.
``(3) Discretionary activities.--In addition to the
activities described in paragraph (2), a teacher corps program
may include a program of intensive course work, prior to a
corps member's second year in the teacher corps program, that
will provide additional or supplementary knowledge to meet the
specific needs of the corps member.
``(4) Evaluation.--A Collaborative shall evaluate a corps
member and the corps member's course work at regular intervals
during the 2-year period beginning on the first date of the
corps member's participation in the teacher corps program.
``(5) Mentor teachers.--
``(A) In general.--A Collaborative shall develop a
plan for the program, which shall include strategies
for identifying, recruiting, training, and providing
ongoing support to individuals who will serve as mentor
teachers to corps members.
``(B) Mentor teacher requirements.--The plan
described in subparagraph (A) shall specify the
criteria that the Collaborative will use to identify
and select mentor teachers, and at a minimum, shall--
``(i) require a mentor teacher--
``(I) to meet the requirements of
section 2405;
``(II) to have not less than 5
years of teaching experience in a
school located in a school district of
a local educational agency described in
section 2402(a)(2);
``(III) to provide substantial
evidence that the mentor teacher has
been consistently effective in helping
students from school districts referred
to in subclause (II) make substantial
achievement gains; and
``(IV) to be selected for the
program by a peer review process; and
``(ii) require that consideration be given
to a mentor teacher with national board
certification.
``(C) Compensation.--The plan shall specify the
compensation--
``(i) for mentor teachers, including
release time and a reduced work load to ensure
that mentor teachers can provide ongoing
support for corps members; and
``(ii) for corps members, including salary
levels and any stipends that will be provided
during a corps member's summer or preservice
training.
``(6) Assurances.--The plan shall include assurances that--
``(A) the Collaborative will make every effort to
place corps members in elementary schools and secondary
schools with the highest need (as determined by the
Collaborative) in the area served by the participating
local educational agency or consortia of local
educational agencies;
``(B) a corps member will be assigned to teach only
academic subjects and grade levels for which the member
is fully qualified;
``(C) corps members, to the extent practicable,
will be placed in schools with teams of corps members;
and
``(D) no mentor teacher will be assigned to mentor
more than 12 corps members.
``(7) Project evaluation.--In order for the Collaborative
to determine progress toward the Collaborative's program goals
identified in the Collaborative's application submitted under
subsection (a), the plan shall describe how the Collaborative
will conduct evaluations and put in place a system of
accountability, including mechanisms to track corps members,
and to determine the members' effectiveness, progress toward
certification or licensing, and service longevity in the
districts or schools served by the Collaborative.
``(8) Ensuring permanency.--The plan shall demonstrate how
the Collaborative will support and institutionalize the teacher
corps program beyond the duration of the grant period.
``SEC. 2405. CORPS MEMBER QUALIFICATIONS.
``(a) In General.--Each Collaborative shall establish standards for
the acceptance of individual corps members to ensure that--
``(1) each group of corps members--
``(A) includes individuals who have expertise in
and will teach in an academic subject that meets
specific needs of the district served; and
``(B) to the extent practicable, includes members
of populations that are underrepresented in the
teaching profession; and
``(2) each corps member possesses appropriate, high-level
credentials and presents the likelihood of becoming an
effective teacher.
``(b) Qualifications.--
``(1) Candidates intending to teach in elementary
schools.--At a minimum, to be accepted by a teacher corps
program, a candidate who intends to teach at the elementary
school level shall--
``(A) in the case of a candidate who graduated from
an institution of higher education not more than 3
years prior to applying to a teacher corps program--
``(i) possess a record of high academic
achievement at the postsecondary level;
``(ii) possess an outstanding commitment to
working with children and youth; and
``(iii) pass any basic skills and subject
matter tests required by the State for teacher
certification or licensure; and
``(B) in the case of a candidate who graduated from
an institution of higher education more than 3 years
prior to applying to a teacher corps program--
``(i) possess an outstanding commitment to
working with children and youth; and
``(ii) possess a strong professional or
postsecondary record of achievement.
``(2) Candidates intending to teach in secondary schools.--
At a minimum, to be accepted by a teacher corps program, a
candidate who intends to teach at the secondary school level
shall--
``(A) in the case of a candidate who graduated from
an institution of higher education not more than 3
years prior to applying to a teacher corps program--
``(i) meet the requirements described in
paragraph (1)(A); and
``(ii)(I) possess at least an academic
major or postsecondary degree in each academic
subject in which the candidate intends to
teach; or
``(II) if the candidate did not major or
earn a postsecondary degree in an academic
subject in which the candidate intends to
teach, have completed a rigorous course of
instruction in that subject that is equivalent
to having majored in the subject; and
``(B) in the case of a candidate who graduated from
an institution of higher education more than 3 years
prior to applying to a teacher corps program--
``(i) meet the requirements described in
paragraph (1)(B); and
``(ii)(I) possess at least an academic
major or postsecondary degree in each academic
subject in which the candidate intends to
teach; or
``(II) if the candidate did not major or
earn a postsecondary degree in an academic
subject in which the candidate intends to
teach, have completed a rigorous course of
instruction in that subject, such as completion
of a preprofessional preparation program in
that subject.
``(c) Special Rule.--Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A)(ii)(II) and
(B)(ii)(II) of subsection (b)(2), the Collaborative may consider the
candidate to be an eligible corps member and accept the candidate for a
teacher corps program if the candidate has worked successfully and
directly in a field and in a position that provided the candidate with
direct and substantive knowledge in the academic subject in which the
candidate intends to teach.
``(d) Three-Year Commitment to Teaching in Eligible Districts.--
``(1) In general.--In return for acceptance to a teacher
corps program, a corps member shall commit to 3 years of full-
time teaching in a school or district served by a local
educational agency participating in a Collaborative eligible
for funds under this part.
``(2) Reimbursement.--
``(A) In general.--If a corps member leaves the
school district to which the corps member has been
assigned prior to the end of the 3-year period
described in paragraph (1), the corps member shall be
required to reimburse the Department of Education for
the amount of the Federal share of the cost of the
corps member's participation in the teacher corps
program.
``(B) Accountability.--A Collaborative shall be
responsible for including in its application described
in section 2404(a), information on a method of
accountability to assure return of the Federal share.
``(C) Collaborative claims.--A Collaborative that
provides a teacher corps program to a corps member who
leaves the school district as described in subparagraph
(A) may submit a claim to the corps member requiring
the corps member to reimburse the Collaborative for the
amount of the Collaborative's share of the cost
described in subparagraph (A).
``(D) Reduction; waiver.--
``(i) Reduction.--Reimbursements required
under this paragraph may be reduced
proportionally based on the amount of time a
corps member remained in the teacher corps
program beyond the corps member's initial 2
years of service.
``(ii) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the
reimbursements required under this paragraph in
the case of severe hardship to a corps member
who leaves the school district, as described in
subparagraph (A).
``SEC. 2406. LICENSING AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.
``(a) Licensing or Certification.--The State agency responsible for
teacher licensure or certification in the State in which a
Collaborative is established shall ensure that--
``(1) a corps member that successfully completes a teacher
corps program will have the academic requirements necessary for
certification or licensure as a teacher in the State; and
``(2) the teacher corps program provides the academic
credentials necessary to enable a corps member to obtain
permanent teacher certification or licensure.
``(b) Alternative Routes to Certification.--The State agency
described in subsection (a) shall work with the Collaborative to ensure
the Collaborative uses high-quality methods and establishes high-
quality requirements concerning alternative routes to certification, in
order to meet State requirements for certification.
``(c) Priority for Hiring.--A local educational agency or consortia
of local educational agencies participating in a Collaborative shall--
``(1) to the extent practicable, give hiring priority to
teachers who have successfully completed a teacher corps
program; and
``(2) make every effort to place a corps member in an
elementary school or a secondary school that has the greatest
need for qualified teachers.
``SEC. 2407. ACCOUNTABILITY.
``(a) Collaborative Evaluations.--A Collaborative shall annually
submit a report to the Secretary providing information that--
``(1) meets reporting requirements for alternative
certification programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965;
``(2) describes the manner and sites of the Collaborative's
recruiting efforts for the teacher corps program carried out by
the Collaborative;
``(3) specifies the number of candidates recruited,
disaggregated by race, age, and the academic subjects to which
the candidates were assigned;
``(4) specifies the number and percentage of candidates
receiving preliminary and permanent certification and
licensing;
``(5) specifies the number and percentage of candidates
assigned to high-need schools described in section 2402(2);
``(6) describes the quality of performance of candidates
described in paragraph (5);
``(7) specifies the percentage of corps members who are
student teaching for a local educational agency served by the
Collaborative; and
``(8) provides such other information as the Secretary may
require.
``(b) Ineligibility.--
``(1) In general.--If not more than 90 percent of the
graduates of a teacher corps program assisted under this part
for a fiscal year pass applicable State or local initial
teacher licensing or certification examinations, the
Collaborative providing the teacher corps program shall be
ineligible to receive grant funds for the succeeding fiscal
year.
``(2) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the requirement
described in paragraph (1) for Collaboratives serving school
districts that have special circumstances, such as a district
with a small number of corps members.
``(c) Departmental Evaluation and Technical Assistance.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall retain not more than
$2,000,000 of the amount appropriated for a fiscal year under
section 2409--
``(A) to conduct a comprehensive program evaluation
of teacher corps programs, not more than 4 years after
the date on which the Secretary first makes grant
awards under this part; and
``(B) to provide Collaboratives with technical
assistance and information on exemplary programs and
effective practices of recruitment, training, and
mentoring.
``(2) Evaluations.--The comprehensive program evaluation
described in paragraph (1)(A) shall evaluate--
``(A) the effectiveness of individual
Collaboratives in recruiting large numbers of highly
qualified applicants and recruiting, to the extent
practicable, from groups that are underrepresented in
the teaching profession, to meet specific academic
subject and grade level needs of Collaboratives;
``(B) the qualifications of teachers recruited and
trained through the teacher corps program as compared
to other teachers teaching in local educational
agencies participating in a Collaborative;
``(C) the retention rates of corps members as
compared to retention rates of other new teachers
teaching for local educational agencies participating
in a Collaborative; and
``(D) the qualifications of mentor teachers
participating in teacher corps programs and the success
of the mentoring programs.
``SEC. 2408. FEDERAL SHARE; NON-FEDERAL SHARE.
``(a) Payment of Federal Share.--The Secretary shall pay to each
eligible applicant having an application approved under section 2404
the Federal share of the cost of the activities described in the
application.
``(b) Non-Federal Share.--A Collaborative's share of the cost of
the activities described in the Collaborative's application submitted
under section 2404(a)--
``(1) may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated,
including plant, equipment, or services; and
``(2)(A) for the first year for which the Collaborative
receives assistance under this part, shall be not less than 10
percent;
``(B) for the second such year, shall be not less than 20
percent;
``(C) for the third year such year, shall be not less than
30 percent;
``(D) for the fourth such year, shall be not less than 40
percent; and
``(E) for the fifth such year, shall be not less than 50
percent.
``SEC. 2409. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part
$500,000,000 for fiscal year 2002 and such sums as may be necessary for
each of fiscal years 2003 through 2006.''.
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