Bringing Success to Scale program

(a)

Academic achievement awards program

The Secretary is authorized to establish a Bringing Success to Scale program for making academic achievement awards that recognize local educational agencies and schools that meet the requirements described in subsection (b). The Bringing Success to Scale program shall— (1)award grants that designate and reward as Distinguished School Districts such local educational agencies that have made the greatest gains in closing the achievement gap as described in subsection (b)(1), in order that such local educational agencies may serve as models for and provide support to other school districts; (2)award grants that designate and reward— (A)as Distinguished Schools such schools that meet the criteria described in subsection (b)(1); and (B)as Distinguished School Support Organizations, school management or support organizations, nonprofit organizations and human capital providers in order to allow them to work in partnerships with the private sector and philanthropic community in order to— (i)ensure their sustainability and growth; (ii)sustain and expand innovative programs that produce results; and (iii)identify and document the best practices that can be shared with schools and local educational agencies in communities across the country. (b)

Requirements

To receive an award under subsection (a), a local educational agency or school shall— (1)have significantly closed the achievement gap between the groups of students described in section 1111(b)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (2)exceeded the State’s Annual Measurable Objectives consistent with such section 1111(b)(2) for two or more consecutive years; (3)have made significant improvement on other meaningful data such as graduation rates and increased recruitment and placement of high quality teachers and principals; and (4)demonstrate that they have established partnerships with the private sector, which may include philanthropic organizations, and will provide matching funds in order to help bring results to scale. (c)

Criteria

The Secretary shall select, for awards under subsection (a), local educational agencies and schools based on the following criteria: (1)Demonstrated impact in realizing significant gains in student achievement. (2)Demonstrated improvement in at least one of the following indicators: (A)Increased graduation rates. (B)Increased recruitment and placement of outstanding teachers and principals. (C)Increase in the quality of professional development including facilitating use of formative assessments and use of data to improve instruction and the implementation of these practices into classrooms. (D)Increased parental and community involvement. (3)Demonstrate a clear strategy for taking the implications of their work to scale and a sound organizational and growth plan to expand the impact of the organization or program. (4)Demonstrate the establishment of clear measures of success that will be used in the ongoing evaluation and management of the program.l (d)

Authorized activities

Grant funds provided under this section may be used to carry out the following activities: (1)Expansion of highly successful school management organizations. (2)Supporting the growth of human capital organizations, which could include— (A)supporting teacher training programs in order to expand the number of teachers they prepare or the number of sites in which they place teachers; and (B)supporting principal training programs in order to expand the number of principals they prepare or the number of sites in which they place principals; including (C)expanding support for residency based training models in order to host more residents through funding more mentors. (3)Supporting the replication of highly successful practices within local educational agencies, which may include— (A)expanding teacher recruitment, training and development strategies; (B)expanding innovative teacher compensation strategies; (C)supporting principals to become more effective leaders; and (D)supporting and training teachers to be more effective grade level and school leaders and to be more effective in identifying and meeting the specific needs of each child. (4)Promoting more effective parent and community involvement in schools, which could include programs that systematically engage networks of parents to support student learning. (5)Supporting the building and dissemination of educational tools that improve student learning and which could include— (A)high quality assessment systems that teachers can use to modify instruction; (B)classroom technology aids that help target the learning needs of individual students based on past performance; and (C)supporting technical assistance and training which improves: principals’ ability to manage change, teachers’ ability to improve achievement, and district teams’ ability to implement instructional reform at the school or network level. (6)Supporting nonprofit organizations or local educational agencies working with networks of schools with site-based decisionmaking authority, including supporting guidance, technical assistance, and training for implementing a site-based decisionmaking model and scaling up the best and proven practices from these schools across a school network. (7)Supporting educational support organizations that provide high quality before school, after school, or in school academic, emotional, and behavioral supports that may include— (A)high quality exposure to arts, athletic, and service opportunities for students; (B)mentoring programs that provide instructional and behavioral support; and (C)wrap-around service programs that provide social, emotional, or behavioral support to students and parents through school or community-based programming.