[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2538 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2538

 To provide a grant program to support the establishment and operation 
                        of Teachers Institutes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 17, 2004

Mr. Lieberman (for himself and Mr. Dodd) introduced the following bill; 
     which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide a grant program to support the establishment and operation 
                        of Teachers Institutes.

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

SECTION 1. TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES.

    Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

         ``PART C--TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES

``SEC. 241. SHORT TITLE.

    ``This part may be cited as the `Teacher Professional Development 
Institutes Act'.

``SEC. 242. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    ``(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            ``(1) The ongoing professional development of teachers in 
        the subjects the teachers teach is essential for improved 
        student learning.
            ``(2) Attaining the goal of the No Child Left Behind Act of 
        2001, of having a teacher who is highly qualified in every core 
        subject classroom, will require innovative and effective 
        approaches to improving the quality of teaching.
            ``(3) The Teachers Institute Model is an innovative 
        approach that encourages a collaboration between urban school 
        teachers and university faculty. The Teachers Institute Model 
        focuses on the continuing academic preparation of school 
        teachers and the application of what the teachers study to 
        their classrooms and potentially to the classrooms of other 
        teachers.
            ``(4) The Teachers Institute Model has also been 
        successfully demonstrated over a 3-year period in a National 
        Demonstration Project (hereafter in this part referred to as 
        the `National Demonstration Project') in several cities.
    ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this part is to provide Federal 
assistance to support the establishment and operation of Teachers 
Institutes for local educational agencies that serve significant low-
income populations in States throughout the Nation--
            ``(1) to improve student learning; and
            ``(2) to enhance the quality of teaching by strengthening 
        the subject matter mastery of current teachers through 
        continuing teacher preparation.

``SEC. 243. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this part:
            ``(1) Poverty line.--The term `poverty line' means 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.
            ``(2) Significant low-income population.--The term 
        `significant low-income population' means a student population 
        of which not less than 25 percent are from families with 
        incomes below the poverty line.
            ``(3) State.--The term `State' means each of the several 
        States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and the 
        Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
            ``(4) Teachers institute.--The term `Teachers Institute' 
        means a partnership or joint venture between or among 1 or more 
        institutions of higher education, and 1 or more local 
        educational agencies serving a significant low-income 
        population, which partnership or joint venture--
                    ``(A) is entered into for the purpose of improving 
                the quality of teaching and learning through 
                collaborative seminars designed to enhance both the 
                subject matter and the pedagogical resources of the 
                seminar participants; and
                    ``(B) works in collaboration to determine the 
                direction and content of the collaborative seminars.

``SEC. 244. GRANT AUTHORITY.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized--
            ``(1) to award grants to Teachers Institutes to encourage 
        the establishment and operation of Teachers Institutes; and
            ``(2) to provide technical assistance, either directly or 
        through existing Teachers Institutes, to assist local 
        educational agencies and institutions of higher education in 
        preparing to establish and in operating Teachers Institutes.
    ``(b) Selection Criteria.--In selecting a Teachers Institute for a 
grant under this part, the Secretary shall consider--
            ``(1) the extent to which the proposed Teachers Institute 
        will serve a community with a significant low-income 
        population;
            ``(2) the extent to which the proposed Teachers Institute 
        will follow the Understandings and Necessary Procedures that 
        have been developed following the National Demonstration 
        Project;
            ``(3) the extent to which the local educational agency 
        participating in the proposed Teachers Institute has a high 
        percentage of teachers who are unprepared or under prepared to 
        teach the core academic subjects the teachers are assigned to 
        teach; and
            ``(4) the extent to which the proposed Teachers Institute 
        will receive a level of support from the community and other 
        sources that will ensure the requisite long-term commitment for 
        the success of a Teachers Institute.
    ``(c) Consultation.--
            ``(1) In general.--In evaluating applications under 
        subsection (b), the Secretary may request the advice and 
        assistance of existing Teachers Institutes.
            ``(2) State agencies.--If the Secretary receives 2 or more 
        applications for new Teachers Institutes that propose serving 
        the same State, the Secretary shall consult with the State 
        educational agency regarding the applications.
    ``(d) Fiscal Agent.--For the purpose of this part, an institution 
of higher education participating in a Teachers Institute shall serve 
as the fiscal agent for the receipt of grant funds under this part.
    ``(e) Limitations.--A grant under this part--
            ``(1) shall be awarded for a period not to exceed 5 years; 
        and
            ``(2) shall not exceed 50 percent of the total costs of the 
        eligible activities, as determined by the Secretary.

``SEC. 245. ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) In General.--Grant funds awarded under this part may be 
used--
            ``(1) for the planning and development of applications for 
        the establishment of Teachers Institutes;
            ``(2) to provide assistance to the Teachers Institutes 
        established during the National Demonstration Project to enable 
        the Teachers Institutes--
                    ``(A) to develop further the Teachers Institutes; 
                or
                    ``(B) to support the planning and development of 
                applications for new Teachers Institutes;
            ``(3) for the salary and necessary expenses of a full-time 
        director to plan and manage the Teachers Institute and to act 
        as liaison between the local educational agency and the 
        institution of higher education participating in the Teachers 
        Institute;
            ``(4) to provide suitable office space, staff, equipment, 
        and supplies, and to pay other operating expenses, for the 
        Teachers Institute;
            ``(5) to provide a stipend for teachers participating in 
        collaborative seminars in the sciences and humanities, and to 
        provide remuneration for those members of the faculty of the 
        institution of higher education participating in the Teachers 
        Institute who lead the seminars; and
            ``(6) to provide for the dissemination through print and 
        electronic means of curriculum units prepared in the seminars 
        conducted by the Teachers Institute.
    ``(b) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may use not more than 50 
percent of the funds appropriated to carry out this part to provide 
technical assistance to facilitate the establishment and operation of 
Teachers Institutes. For the purpose of this subsection, the Secretary 
may contract with existing Teachers Institutes to provide all or a part 
of the technical assistance under this subsection.

``SEC. 246. APPLICATION, APPROVAL, AND AGREEMENT.

    ``(a) In General.--To receive a grant under this part, a Teachers 
Institute shall submit an application to the Secretary that--
            ``(1) meets the requirement of this part and any 
        regulations under this part;
            ``(2) includes a description of how the Teachers Institute 
        intends to use funds provided under the grant;
            ``(3) includes such information as the Secretary may 
        require to apply the criteria described in section 244(b);
            ``(4) includes measurable objectives for the use of the 
        funds provided under the grant; and
            ``(5) contains such other information and assurances as the 
        Secretary may require.
    ``(b) Approval.--The Secretary shall--
            ``(1) promptly evaluate an application received for a grant 
        under this part; and
            ``(2) notify the applicant within 90 days of the receipt of 
        a completed application of the Secretary's approval or 
        disapproval of the application.
    ``(c) Agreement.--Upon approval of an application, the Secretary 
and the Teachers Institute shall enter into a comprehensive agreement 
covering the entire period of the grant.

``SEC. 247. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.

    ``(a) Report.--Each Teachers Institute receiving a grant under this 
part shall report annually on the progress of the Teachers Institute in 
achieving the purpose of this part and the purposes of the grant.
    ``(b) Evaluation and Dissemination.--
            ``(1) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall evaluate the 
        activities funded under this part and submit an annual report 
        regarding the activities to the Committee on Health, Education, 
        Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on 
        Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives.
            ``(2) Dissemination.--The Secretary shall broadly 
        disseminate successful practices developed by Teachers 
        Institutes.
    ``(c) Revocation.--If the Secretary determines that a Teachers 
Institute is not making substantial progress in achieving the purpose 
of this part and the purposes of the grant by the end of the second 
year of the grant under this part, the Secretary may take appropriate 
action, including revocation of further payments under the grant, to 
ensure that the funds available under this part are used in the most 
effective manner.

``SEC. 248. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part--
            ``(1) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
            ``(2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;
            ``(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
            ``(4) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
            ``(5) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.''.
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