[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3523 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3523

  To develop a generation of school leaders who are committed to, and 
  effective in, increasing student achievement and to ensure that all 
   low-income, under-performing schools are led by effective school 
        leaders who are well-prepared to foster student success.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 11, 2007

 Mrs. Davis of California (for herself and Ms. Carson) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                                 Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To develop a generation of school leaders who are committed to, and 
  effective in, increasing student achievement and to ensure that all 
   low-income, under-performing schools are led by effective school 
        leaders who are well-prepared to foster student success.

    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 ``Improving the Leadership and 
Effectiveness of Administrators for Districts Act of 2007'' or the ``I 
LEAD Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. SCHOOL LEADERSHIP.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) In the next 5 years, the number of openings for school 
        principals is expected to grow by 20 percent and the number of 
        principals retiring is likely to see a marked increase. The 
        resulting principal shortage is expected to pose the greatest 
        challenge for urban and rural local educational agencies with 
        large concentrations of high-poverty and under-performing 
        schools, as those local educational agencies often attract the 
        fewest new principals.
            (2) Literature from the American Educational Research 
        Association concludes that school leadership has significant 
        effects on student learning. School leaders can have positive 
        effects on student achievement, primarily by galvanizing effort 
        around ambitious goals and by establishing conditions that 
        support teachers and help students succeed.
            (3) School leaders, especially in under-performing schools, 
        are often unprepared to foster student success, as the leaders 
        themselves do not receive the proper support, resources, and 
        professional development needed to become effective leaders.
            (4) A 2003 Public Agenda report found that 72 percent of 
        superintendents and 67 percent of principals agree that the 
        typical leadership training that administrators receive does 
        not give administrators ``what it takes to run today's school 
        district''.
            (5) State educational leaders currently lack concrete 
        benchmarks against which school leaders can be measured to 
        determine adequacy. State educational agencies and local 
        educational agencies also lack the funds necessary to recruit, 
        train, and maintain successful school leaders.
    (b) School Leadership.--Section 2151(b) of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6651(b)) is amended to read 
as follows:
    ``(b) School Leadership.--
            ``(1) Purposes.--The purposes of this subsection are--
                    ``(A) to develop a generation of school leaders who 
                are committed to, and effective in, increasing student 
                achievement; and
                    ``(B) to ensure that all under-performing schools 
                are led by well-trained, well-supported, effective 
                school leaders.
            ``(2) National principal recruitment program.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to 
                establish and carry out a national principal 
                recruitment program to assist high-need local 
                educational agencies in recruiting and training 
                principals (including assistant principals) through 
                such activities as--
                            ``(i) providing financial incentives to 
                        aspiring new principals;
                            ``(ii) providing stipends to principals 
                        who--
                                    ``(I) have a demonstrated record of 
                                effectiveness; and
                                    ``(II) mentor new principals;
                            ``(iii) carrying out professional 
                        development programs in instructional 
                        leadership and management; and
                            ``(iv) providing incentives that are 
                        appropriate for teachers or individuals from 
                        other fields who want to become principals and 
                        that are effective in retaining new principals.
                    ``(B) Grants.--The Secretary shall carry out this 
                paragraph by making grants, on a competitive basis, 
                to--
                            ``(i) high-need local educational agencies;
                            ``(ii) consortia of high-need local 
                        educational agencies; and
                            ``(iii) partnerships of high-need local 
                        educational agencies and either or both--
                                    ``(I) non-profit organizations; and
                                    ``(II) institutions of higher 
                                education.
            ``(3) Evaluation and model school leadership initiative 
        implementation grants.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a 
                national competitive grant program to award School 
                Leadership Partnership Grants to eligible entities to 
                enable the eligible entities--
                            ``(i) to carry out research-based 
                        evaluations described in subparagraph (D) 
                        examining the effectiveness of current State 
                        requirements for school leader certification or 
                        licensure and methods of recruiting, training, 
                        and retaining effective school leaders who 
                        improve student achievement at schools that 
                        receive funding under part A of title I;
                            ``(ii) to develop recommendations described 
                        in subparagraph (E) to build upon the State 
                        school leader certification or licensure 
                        process; and
                            ``(iii) to create model School Leadership 
                        Initiatives in accordance with subparagraph (F) 
                        by implementing such plans.
                    ``(B) Amount of grants.--The amount of a grant 
                under this paragraph shall be based on a formula 
                developed by the Secretary that takes into 
                consideration--
                            ``(i) the size of the school-age population 
                        served by the eligible entity; and
                            ``(ii) the availability of additional 
                        resources to support the implementation of the 
                        evaluation and the recommendations for 
                        improvements to the State certification or 
                        licensure process as well as improvements to 
                        the best practices for recruiting, training, 
                        and retaining school leaders.
                    ``(C) Application.--An eligible entity desiring a 
                grant under this paragraph shall submit an application 
                to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
                containing such information as the Secretary may 
                require. The application shall demonstrate that--
                            ``(i) the results of the evaluation under 
                        subparagraph (D) will be used to recommend 
                        changes in the State certification or licensure 
                        process and best practices for recruiting, 
                        training, and retaining effective school 
                        leaders; and
                            ``(ii) the eligible entity is well-
                        positioned to implement a successful 
                        evaluation, as determined by--
                                    ``(I) a strong commitment to school 
                                leadership among the local school 
                                superintendents, teachers, parents, and 
                                the local community, such as private 
                                sector and higher education leaders; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) an ability to leverage 
                                additional funding to carry out the 
                                evaluation as well as the 
                                recommendations made as a result of the 
                                evaluation.
                    ``(D) Evaluation.--
                            ``(i) In general.--An eligible entity 
                        receiving a grant under this paragraph shall 
                        use grant funds to contract with an external 
                        agency that is experienced in conducting 
                        qualitative research to carry out a research-
                        based evaluation of the school leader 
                        certification or licensure process in effect in 
                        the State, as well as current practices to 
                        recruit, train, and retain school leaders, as 
                        of the time of the evaluation, and the effect 
                        of such methods on student achievement.
                            ``(ii) Development.--The evaluation 
                        described in clause (i) shall be developed in 
                        collaboration with groups such as--
                                    ``(I) veteran school leaders with 
                                track records of demonstrated gains in 
                                student achievement;
                                    ``(II) institutions of higher 
                                education involved with school 
                                leadership development located within 
                                the State; and
                                    ``(III) organizations that 
                                represent school leaders.
                            ``(iii) Measurement.--The evaluation 
                        described in clause (i) shall include a 
                        measurement of the following student 
                        achievement indicators for the State:
                                    ``(I) Student achievement on the 
                                State academic assessments described in 
                                section 1111(b)(3).
                                    ``(II) Secondary school graduation 
                                rates, if applicable.
                                    ``(III) The degree of family and 
                                community support for students' 
                                education.
                                    ``(IV) The rate of students 
                                entering college after graduation.
                                    ``(V) Interviews and questionnaires 
                                of students and teachers.
                                    ``(VI) The number of students 
                                taking Advanced Placement courses.
                                    ``(VII) Literacy rates.
                                    ``(VIII) Retention rates for school 
                                leaders, particularly in schools that 
                                have not made adequate yearly progress 
                                (as defined in section 1111(b)(2)(C)) 
                                for 1 or more of the school years 
                                following the date of enactment of the 
                                No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 
                                (Public Law 107-110).
                                    ``(IX) A determination whether a 
                                school has a safe climate for academic 
                                achievement based on verifiable data 
                                reported in a consistent and uniform 
                                matter as prescribed by the state 
                                education agency, including the number 
                                of suspensions and expulsions, school-
                                related crime data, and other 
                                indicators.
                                    ``(X) The administration of a 
                                positive school climate survey of 
                                students, parents, and school personnel 
                                that measures student self-discipline 
                                and attention to school work, tolerance 
                                for other students and teachers, 
                                students' care and respect for one 
                                another, mutual cooperation between 
                                students, student attention to task and 
                                concern for achievement at school, and 
                                teacher morale.
                                    ``(XI) Student and teacher 
                                attendance rates.
                                    ``(XII) Any other factor that the 
                                Secretary determines is of significant 
                                importance and necessary to substitute 
                                for an existing criterion listed in 
                                this clause.
                        The Secretary shall provide criteria on what 
                        the best practices are for implementation and 
                        monitoring of the policies relating to 
                        subclauses (V) and (X).
                            ``(iv) Submission of evaluation.--After the 
                        completion of the evaluation under this 
                        subparagraph, an eligible entity receiving a 
                        grant under this paragraph shall submit a copy 
                        of the evaluation to the Secretary for approval 
                        under clause (v).
                            ``(v) Approval.--The Secretary shall review 
                        an evaluation submitted under clause (iv), and 
                        shall approve or reject the evaluation based on 
                        the extent the evaluation meets the criteria 
                        described in this subparagraph.
                    ``(E) Building upon state requirements for school 
                leader certification or licensure.--
                            ``(i) In general.--In the case of an 
                        eligible entity receiving a grant under this 
                        paragraph whose evaluation under subparagraph 
                        (D) demonstrates that the school leadership 
                        recruitment and training as well as the 
                        licensure or certification process of the State 
                        does have potential for improvement, as 
                        measured by the student achievement and other 
                        indicators described in subparagraph (D)(iii), 
                        the eligible entity, in collaboration with the 
                        groups described in subparagraph (D)(ii), shall 
                        make recommendations to the State Department of 
                        Education based on the data from the evaluation 
                        developed under this paragraph for with the 
                        goal of improving the effectiveness of school 
                        leadership recruitment and training and 
                        improvements to the state licensure or 
                        certification process.
                            ``(ii) Content.--The plan described under 
                        clause (i) may include the following for 
                        potential school leaders:
                                    ``(I) Innovative recruitment, 
                                selection, and training programs for 
                                individuals within the teaching 
                                profession and from other fields to 
                                enable individuals to become effective 
                                school leaders.
                                    ``(II) Incentives to encourage 
                                veteran and new school leaders to lead 
                                low-income, under-performing schools.
                                    ``(III) Pre-service professional 
                                development programs and on-going 
                                professional development programs by 
                                organizations with histories of driving 
                                student achievement that would provide 
                                professional development through a 
                                partnership with the local educational 
                                agency.
                                    ``(IV) Ongoing support, including 
                                being partnered after the individual is 
                                placed as a school leader with a mentor 
                                who is a school leader with a 
                                demonstrated record of effectiveness to 
                                help design and implement a plan to 
                                improve student achievement at the new 
                                school leader's school.
                                    ``(V) Additional, specialized 
                                training for new principals leading 
                                schools with high populations of 
                                students with disabilities or students 
                                with limited English proficiency.
                                    ``(VI) Any other requirements the 
                                eligible entity developing the plan 
                                determines necessary for increasing 
                                student achievement.
                    ``(F) School leadership initiative 
                implementation.--
                            ``(i) Required activities.--An eligible 
                        entity that receives a grant under this 
                        paragraph and that is required to develop a 
                        plan under subparagraph (E) shall use grant 
                        funds to create a model School Leadership 
                        Initiative by implementing the plan developed 
                        by the eligible entity in either or both of the 
                        following--
                                    ``(I) an urban high-need local 
                                educational agency participating in the 
                                consortium described in paragraph 
                                (6)(A); and
                                    ``(II) a rural high-need local 
                                educational agency participating in 
                                such consortium.
                            ``(ii) Report.--Not later than 60 days 
                        after the last day of the grant period, an 
                        eligible entity that is required to carry out 
                        the activity described in clause (i) shall 
                        prepare and submit to the Secretary an analysis 
                        of the effectiveness of the model School 
                        Leadership Initiative based on evidence of the 
                        program's impact on the student achievement 
                        indicators described in subparagraph (D)(iii).
            ``(4) Study on effectiveness of school leadership 
        initiatives.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The grantee shall contract with 
                an independent research and evaluation firm to 
                determine the effectiveness of the School Leadership 
                Initiative in the recruitment, training, and retraining 
                of school leaders, as well as the effects of such 
                initiatives on student achievement, as compared to the 
                effectiveness of school leaders at similar schools 
                served by local educational agencies not participating 
                in the School Leadership Initiatives described in this 
                subsection. The grantee shall describe the evaluation 
                plan as part of its proposal to the Department, which 
                will develop minimum standards for such evaluations. 
                The evaluation shall begin when the School Leadership 
                Initiative is created.
                    ``(B) Criteria for evaluation.--The criteria for 
                the evaluation under subparagraph (A) shall be based on 
                the student achievement indicators described in 
                paragraph (3)(D)(iii).
            ``(5) Grants for replicating school leadership initiatives 
        and amending school leader certification or licensure 
        requirements.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall award a 
                grant to each eligible entity that received a grant 
                under paragraph (3) and successfully created a model 
                School Leadership Initiative, as determined by the 
                study under paragraph (4), to enable the eligible 
                entity to use the data and research gathered and 
                analyzed by the independent research and evaluation 
                firm under paragraph (4) to implement the improvements 
                deemed successful from the School Leadership Initiative 
                to the State school leader certification or licensure 
                process, as well as expand the successful practices of 
                recruiting, training, and retaining effective school 
                leaders.
                    ``(B) Application.--An eligible entity that 
                received a grant under paragraph (3) and that desires 
                to receive a grant under this paragraph shall submit an 
                application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
                manner, and containing such information as the 
                Secretary may require.
                    ``(C) Amount of grant.--In determining the amount 
                of a grant under this paragraph, the Secretary shall 
                increase the grant amount for each eligible entity that 
                created a successful model School Leadership Initiative 
                under paragraph (3)(G) that also demonstrated 
                significant positive impact on student achievement.
                    ``(D) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the 
                last day of the grant period, an eligible entity 
                receiving a grant under this paragraph shall prepare 
                and submit to the Secretary a report regarding the 
                effectiveness of the program under this paragraph.
            ``(6) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
                means a State educational agency working in partnership 
                with a consortium of high-need local educational 
                agencies, which consortium shall include not less than 
                1 rural high-need local educational agency and not less 
                than 1 urban high-need local educational agency.
                    ``(B) School leader.--The term `school leader' 
                means a principal or assistant principal or an 
                individual on a designated pathway to become prepared 
                to be a principal.
                    ``(C) Under-performing school.--The term `under-
                performing school' means an elementary school or 
                secondary school that has failed to make adequate 
                yearly progress, as defined in section 1111(b)(2)(C), 
                for 1 or more consecutive school years.
            ``(7) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated, to enable the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection and to award not less than a total of 10 grants 
        under paragraphs (3) and (5) for each of 5 consecutive years, 
        such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 
        through 2012.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 2103(b) of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6603(b)) is amended by 
inserting ``(except for section 2151(b))'' after ``subpart 5''.
                                 <all>