Findings

The Congress finds as follows: (1)The United States is facing a continuing crisis in writing in schools and in the workplace. (2)Nationwide reports show that nearly 1/3 of high school graduates are not ready for college-level English composition courses. (3)Writing is a threshold skill for both employment and promotion; deficiencies in writing skills have resulted in annual private-sector costs for providing writing training as high as $3,100,000,000. (4)Writing is a central feature in State and local educational standards in all disciplines. (5)Since 1973, the only national program to address the writing problem in the Nation’s schools has been the National Writing Project’s network of collaborative university-school programs. (6)Evaluations of the National Writing Project document significant gains in student performance in writing and effective classroom practices. (7)The National Writing Project has become a model for programs to improve teaching in such other fields as mathematics, science, history, civics and government, geography, reading and literature, technology, performing arts, and foreign languages. (8)Each year, more that 135,000 teachers directly benefit from National Writing Project programs in nearly 200 sites located in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Reauthorization

Subpart 2 of part C of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6701 et seq.) is amended to read as follows:

National Writing Project

2331.

Purposes

The purposes of this subpart are— (1)to support and promote the expansion of the National Writing Project network of sites so that teachers in every region of the United States will have access to a National Writing Project program; (2)to ensure the consistent high quality of the sites through ongoing review, evaluation, and technical assistance; (3)to support and promote the establishment of programs to disseminate effective practices and research findings about the teaching of writing; and (4)to coordinate activities assisted under this subpart with activities assisted under this Act.

2332.

National Writing Project

(a)

Authorization

The Secretary is authorized to award a grant to the National Writing Project, a nonprofit educational organization that has as its primary purpose the improvement of the quality of student writing and learning (hereafter in this section referred to as the grantee) to improve the teaching of writing and the use of writing as a part of the learning process in our Nation's classrooms. (b)

Requirements of Grant

The grant shall provide that— (1)the grantee will enter into contracts with institutions of higher education or other nonprofit educational providers (hereafter in this section referred to as contractors) under which the contractors will agree to establish, operate, and provide the non-Federal share of the cost of teacher training programs in effective approaches and processes for the teaching of writing; (2)funds made available by the Secretary to the grantee pursuant to any contract entered into under this section will be used to pay the Federal share of the cost of establishing and operating teacher training programs as provided in paragraph (1); and (3)the grantee will meet such other conditions and standards as the Secretary determines to be necessary to assure compliance with the provisions of this section and will provide such technical assistance as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. (c)

Teacher Training Programs

The teacher training programs authorized in subsection (a) shall— (1)be conducted during the school year and during the summer months; (2)train teachers who teach grades kindergarten through college; (3)select teachers to become members of a National Writing Project teacher network whose members will conduct writing workshops for other teachers in the area served by each National Writing Project site; and (4)encourage teachers from all disciplines to participate in such teacher training programs. (d)

Federal Share

(1)

In general

Except as provided in paragraph (2) or (3) and for purposes of subsection (a), the term Federal share means, with respect to the costs of teacher training programs authorized in subsection (a), 50 percent of such costs to the contractor. (2)

Waiver

The Secretary may waive the provisions of paragraph (1) on a case-by-case basis if the National Advisory Board described in subsection (e) determines, on the basis of financial need, that such waiver is necessary. (3)

Maximum

The Federal share of the costs of teacher training programs conducted pursuant to subsection (a) may not exceed $150,000 for any one contractor, or $300,000 for a statewide program administered by any one contractor in at least five sites throughout the State. (e)

National Advisory Board

(1)

Establishment

The National Writing Project shall establish and operate a National Advisory Board. (2)

Composition

The National Advisory Board established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall consist of— (A)national educational leaders; (B)leaders in the field of writing; and (C)such other individuals as the National Writing Project determines necessary. (3)

Duties

The National Advisory Board established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall— (A)advise the National Writing Project on national issues related to student writing and the teaching of writing; (B)review the activities and programs of the National Writing Project; and (C)support the continued development of the National Writing Project. (f)

Evaluation

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall conduct an independent evaluation by grant or contract of the teacher training programs administered pursuant to this subpart. Such evaluation shall specify the amount of funds expended by the National Writing Project and each contractor receiving assistance under this section for administrative costs. The results of such evaluation shall be made available to the appropriate committees of Congress. (2)

Funding limitation

The Secretary shall reserve not more than $150,000 from the total amount appropriated pursuant to the authority of subsection (h) for fiscal year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years, to conduct the evaluation described in paragraph (1). (g)

Application Review

(1)

Review board

The National Writing Project shall establish and operate a National Review Board that shall consist of— (A)leaders in the field of research in writing; and (B)such other individuals as the National Writing Project deems necessary. (2)

Duties

The National Review Board shall— (A)review all applications for assistance under this subsection; and (B)recommend applications for assistance under this subsection for funding by the National Writing Project. (h)

Authorization of Appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subpart $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2008 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.