[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 408 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 408

To establish a grant program to enable institutions of higher education 
                    to improve schools of education.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 13, 2003

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a grant program to enable institutions of higher education 
                    to improve schools of education.

    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 ``Ready To Educate All Children Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) An estimated 2,000,000 new teachers will be needed over 
        the next decade.
            (2) Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, States must 
        recruit highly qualified teachers by 2006, yet schools in rural 
        areas and high poverty schools have trouble attracting and 
        retaining such teachers.
            (3) A 2000 study by the Education Trust reports that high 
        poverty schools are twice as likely not to have teachers 
        certified in the fields in which they teach as schools that are 
        not high poverty schools, which highlights that high poverty 
        schools will need special help to meet the goals of the No 
        Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
            (4) If the Nation is to improve student achievement and 
        success in school, the United States must encourage and support 
        the training and development of our Nation's teachers, who are 
        the single most important in-school influence on student 
        learning.
            (5) A majority of graduates of schools of education believe 
        that traditional teacher preparation programs left them ill 
        prepared for the challenges and rigors of the classroom.
            (6) Fewer than 36 percent of new teachers feel very well 
        prepared to implement curriculum and performance standards.
            (7) Highly qualified teachers are more effective in 
        impacting student academic achievement because such teachers 
        have high verbal abilities, high content knowledge, and an 
        enhanced ability to know how to teach the content using 
        appropriate pedagogical strategies.
            (8) The difference in annual student achievement growth 
        between having an effective and ineffective teacher can be more 
        than 1 grade level of achievement in academic performance.
            (9) Studies have consistently documented the important 
        connection between a teacher's verbal and cognitive abilities 
        and student achievement.
            (10) Research has shown that there is a positive effect on 
        student achievement when students are taught by teachers with a 
        strong subject-matter background.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to provide grants to 
teacher preparation programs to better prepare teachers to educate all 
children.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Beginning teacher.--The term ``beginning teacher'' 
        means a highly qualified teacher who has taught for not more 
        than 3 years.
            (2) Core academic subjects.--The term ``core academic 
        subjects'' means--
                    (A) mathematics;
                    (B) science;
                    (C) reading (or language arts) and English;
                    (D) social studies, including history, civics, 
                political science, government, geography, and 
                economics;
                    (E) foreign languages; and
                    (F) fine arts, including music, dance, drama, and 
                the visual arts.
            (3) High poverty local educational agency.--The term ``high 
        poverty local educational agency'' means a local educational 
        agency for which the number of children who are served by the 
        agency, aged 5 though 17, and from families with incomes below 
        the poverty line--
                    (A) is not less than 40 percent of the number of 
                all children served by the agency; or
                    (B) is more than 15,000.
            (4) High poverty school.--The term ``high poverty school'' 
        means an elementary school or secondary school that serves a 
        high number or percentage of children from families with 
        incomes below the poverty line.
            (5) Highly qualified.--The term ``highly qualified'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (6) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education''--
                    (A) has the meaning given the term in section 
                101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                1001(a)); and
                    (B) if such an institution prepares teachers and 
                receives Federal funds, means such an institution 
                that--
                            (i) is in full compliance with the 
                        requirements of section 207 of the Higher 
                        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1027); and
                            (ii) does not have a teacher preparation 
                        program identified by a State as low-
                        performing.
            (7) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            (8) Local partner.--The term ``local partner'' means a high 
        poverty local educational agency or a high poverty school.
            (9) Mentoring.--The term ``mentoring'' means activities 
        that consist of structured guidance and regular and ongoing 
        support for beginning teachers.
            (10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (11) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 
        States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico.

SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants on a 
competitive basis to institutions of higher education to establish a 
partnership with a local partner to--
            (1) establish a clinically-based elementary school or 
        secondary school teacher training program; or
            (2) enhance such institution's clinically-based elementary 
        school or secondary school teacher training program.
    (b) Application.--
            (1) In general.--An institution of higher education that 
        desires to receive a grant under subsection (a) shall submit an 
        application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
        require.
            (2) Development.--The institution of higher education shall 
        develop the application in collaboration with 1 or more local 
        partners.
            (3) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall include--
                    (A) a description of any shortages in the State, 
                where the institution of higher education is located, 
                of highly qualified teachers in high poverty schools in 
                core academic subjects;
                    (B) an assessment of the needs of beginning 
                teachers in high poverty schools to be effective in the 
                classroom that is--
                            (i) developed with the involvement of the 
                        local partner; and
                            (ii) based on--
                                    (I) student achievement data in 
                                core academic subjects; and
                                    (II) other indicators of the need 
                                to fully prepare beginning teachers;
                    (C) a description of how the institution of higher 
                education will use funds made available pursuant to a 
                grant awarded under this Act to--
                            (i) improve the quality of the teaching 
                        force; and
                            (ii) decrease the use of out-of-field 
                        placement of teachers;
                    (D) a description of how the institution of higher 
                education will align activities assisted under this Act 
                with challenging State academic content standards and 
                student academic achievement standards, and State 
                assessments, by setting numerical, annual improvement 
                goals;
                    (E) a plan, developed with the extensive 
                participation of the local partner, for addressing 
                long-term teacher recruitment, retention, professional 
                development, and mentoring needs;
                    (F) a description of how the institution of higher 
                education will assist local educational agencies in 
                implementing effective and sustained mentoring and 
                other professional development activities for beginning 
                teachers;
                    (G) a description of how the institution of higher 
                education will work with individuals who successfully 
                complete a teacher education program to become 
                certified or licensed; and
                    (H) a description of how the institution of higher 
                education will prepare teachers to succeed in the 
                classroom.
    (c) Approval.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall approve an application 
        submitted pursuant to subsection (a) if the application meets 
        the requirements of this section and holds reasonable promise 
        of achieving the purpose of this Act.
            (2) Equitable distribution.--To the extent practicable, the 
        Secretary shall ensure an equitable geographic distribution of 
        grants under this section among the regions of the United 
        States.
            (3) Duration of grants.--The Secretary is authorized to 
        make grants under this section for a period of 5 years. At the 
        end of the 5-year period, the grant recipient may apply for an 
        additional grant under this section.
    (d) Uses of Funds.--
            (1) Mandatory uses.--An institution of higher education 
        that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant 
        funds to--
                    (A) establish a partnership with a local partner to 
                establish, or enhance an existing, clinically-based 
                elementary school or secondary school teacher training 
                program to better train teachers for challenges in the 
                classroom;
                    (B) facilitate a partnership among departments of 
                the institution to ensure that future teachers are 
                prepared to teach; and
                    (C) implement a project-based assessment that 
                facilitates the program evaluation developed under 
                subsection (f) and that assesses the impact of the 
                activities undertaken with grant funds awarded under 
                this Act on achieving the purpose of this Act, as well 
                as on institutional policies and practices.
            (2) Additional activities.--An institution of higher 
        education that receives a grant under this section shall use 
        the grant funds for not less than 3 of the following 
        activities:
                    (A) The enhancement of high caliber teaching, 
                including--
                            (i) enabling faculty to spend additional 
                        time in smaller class settings teaching 
                        students pursuing teaching degrees;
                            (ii) providing--
                                    (I) summer school teaching 
                                opportunities for students pursuing 
                                teaching degrees;
                                    (II) additional salary for faculty 
                                members who serve as advisors to 
                                students pursuing teaching degrees; or
                                    (III) stipends for students 
                                pursuing teaching degrees.
                    (B) Opportunities to develop new pedagogical 
                approaches to teaching, including a focus on content 
                knowledge in academic areas such as mathematics, 
                science, foreign language development, history, 
                political science, and special education.
                    (C) Creation of multidisciplinary courses or 
                programs that formalize collaborations for the purpose 
                of improved student instruction.
                    (D) Expansion of innovative mentoring or tutoring 
                programs proven to enhance recruitment of students 
                pursuing teaching degrees or persistence in obtaining a 
                teaching degree.
                    (E) Improvement of undergraduate science, 
                mathematics, engineering, and technology education for 
                nonmajors, including teacher education majors.
    (e) Matching Funds.--Each institution of higher education that 
receives a grant under this section shall demonstrate a financial 
commitment to such institution's school of education by contributing, 
either directly or through private contributions, non-Federal matching 
funds equal to 20 percent of the amount of the grant.
    (f) Assessment, Evaluation, and Dissemination of Information.--
            (1) Program evaluation.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall award not 
        less than 1 grant or contract to an independent evaluative 
        organization to--
                    (A) develop metrics for measuring the impact of the 
                activities authorized under this section on--
                            (i) the number of students enrolled in 
                        education classes;
                            (ii) academic achievement of students 
                        pursuing teaching degrees, including 
                        quantifiable measurements of students' mastery 
                        of content and skills, such as students' grade 
                        point averages;
                            (iii) persistence in completing a teaching 
                        degree, including students who transfer from 
                        departments of education to programs in other 
                        academic disciplines; and
                            (iv) placement during the 2 years after 
                        degree completion in public schools and an 
                        evaluation of the teachers' performance;
                    (B) conduct an evaluation of the impacts of the 
                activities authorized under this section, including a 
                comparison of the funded projects to identify best 
                practices with respect to achieving the purpose of this 
                Act.
            (2) Dissemination of information.--The Secretary shall 
        disseminate, biannually, information on the activities and the 
        results of the projects assisted under this section, including 
        best practices, to institutions of higher education that 
        receive a grant under this section and other interested 
        institutions of higher education.
    (g) Student Loan Eligibility.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, a student who participates in a clinically-based teacher 
training program funded under this Act shall be eligible for student 
assistance under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) during such student's fifth year of a program of 
study for obtaining a teaching degree, if the fifth year of the program 
of study is required under such clinically-based program in order for 
students to obtain the teaching degree.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 through 2009.
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