[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 990 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 990

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 10, 2005

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 Professional Development Institutes.

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

SECTION 1. TEACHERS 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--TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES

``SEC. 241. SHORT TITLE.

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

``SEC. 242. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    ``(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            ``(1) Ongoing, subject-specific teacher professional 
        development is essential to improved student learning.
            ``(2) The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 calls for a 
        highly qualified teacher in every core-subject classroom; 
        attaining this goal will require innovative and effective 
        approaches to improving the quality of teaching.
            ``(3) The Teachers Institute Model is an innovative and 
        proven approach that encourages collaboration between urban 
        school teachers and university faculty. The model focuses on 
        teachers' continuing academic preparation and on the personal 
        and collaborative application of their studies in their 
        classrooms, schools, and districts.
            ``(4) The Teachers Institute Model has a proven record, as 
        demonstrated by the success of a 3-year national demonstration 
        pilot project (referred to in this part as the `National 
        Demonstration Project') in several United States cities.
    ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this part is to provide Federal 
assistance to support the establishment and operation of Teachers 
Professional Development 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 and pedagogical skills 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 professional development institute.--The 
        term `Teachers Professional Development 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 Professional Development 
        Institutes to encourage the establishment and operation of 
        Teachers Professional Development Institutes; and
            ``(2) to provide technical assistance, either directly or 
        through existing Teachers Professional Development Institutes, 
        to assist local educational agencies and institutions of higher 
        education in preparing to establish and in operating Teachers 
        Professional Development Institutes.
    ``(b) Selection Criteria.--In selecting a Teachers Professional 
Development Institute for a grant under this part, the Secretary shall 
consider--
            ``(1) the extent to which the proposed Teachers 
        Professional Development Institute will serve a community with 
        a significant low-income population;
            ``(2) the extent to which the proposed Teachers 
        Professional Development 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 Professional Development 
        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 
        Professional Development 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 Professional Development Institute.
    ``(c) Consultation.--
            ``(1) In general.--In evaluating applications under 
        subsection (b), the Secretary may request the advice and 
        assistance of existing Teachers Professional Development 
        Institutes.
            ``(2) State agencies.--If the Secretary receives 2 or more 
        applications for new Teachers Professional Development 
        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 Professional 
Development 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.--A Teachers Professional Development Institute 
that receives a grant under this part may use the grant funds--
            ``(1) for the planning and development of applications for 
        the establishment of Teachers Professional Development 
        Institutes;
            ``(2) to provide assistance to existing Teachers 
        Professional Development Institutes established during the 
        National Demonstration Project to enable the Teachers 
        Professional Development Institutes--
                    ``(A) to further develop existing Teachers 
                Professional Development Institutes; or
                    ``(B) to support the planning and development of 
                applications for new Teachers Professional Development 
                Institutes;
            ``(3) for the salary and necessary expenses of a full-time 
        director to plan and manage such Teachers Professional 
        Development Institute and to act as liaison between the 
        participating local educational agency and institution of 
        higher education;
            ``(4) to provide suitable office space, staff, equipment, 
        and supplies, and to pay other operating expenses for the 
        development and maintenance of Teachers Professional 
        Development Institutes;
            ``(5) to provide stipends for teachers participating in 
        collaborative seminars in the sciences and humanities, and to 
        provide remuneration for those members of the higher education 
        faculty who lead the seminars; and
            ``(6) to provide for the dissemination through print and 
        electronic means of curriculum units prepared in conjunction 
        with Teachers Professional Development Institutes seminars.
    ``(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 Professional Development Institutes. For the purpose of this 
subsection, the Secretary may contract with existing Teachers 
Professional Development 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 
Professional Development 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 
        Professional Development 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 Professional Development Institute shall enter into a 
comprehensive agreement covering the entire period of the grant.

``SEC. 247. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.

    ``(a) Report.--Each Teachers Professional Development Institute 
receiving a grant under this part shall report annually on the progress 
of the Teachers Professional Development 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 
        Professional Development Institutes.
    ``(c) Revocation.--If the Secretary determines that a Teachers 
Professional Development 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 2006;
            ``(2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
            ``(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
            ``(4) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and
            ``(5) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.''.
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