[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2212 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2212

  To support the establishment and operation of Teachers Professional 
                        Development Institutes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 19, 2007

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 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.

    (a) In General.--Part A of title II of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

       ``Subpart 6--Teachers Professional Development Institutes

``SEC. 2161. SHORT TITLE.

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

``SEC. 2162. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    ``(a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            ``(1) Teaching is central to the educational process and 
        the ongoing professional development of teachers in the 
        subjects they teach is essential for improved student learning.
            ``(2) Attaining the goal of the No Child Left Behind Act of 
        2001 (Public Law 107-110)--having a classroom teacher who is 
        highly qualified in every academic subject the teacher 
        teaches--will require innovative and effective approaches to 
        improving the quality of teaching.
            ``(3) The Teachers Institute Model focuses on the 
        continuing academic preparation of schoolteachers and the 
        application of what they study to their classrooms and 
        potentially to the classrooms of other teachers.
            ``(4) The Teachers Institute Model was developed initially 
        by the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute and has successfully 
        operated there for 30 years.
            ``(5) The Teachers Institute Model has also been 
        successfully demonstrated over a 3-year period in a national 
        demonstration project in cities larger than New Haven.
    ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this subpart is to provide Federal 
assistance to support the establishment and operation of Teachers 
Institutes for local educational agencies that serve significant low-
income student populations in States throughout the Nation--
            ``(1) to improve student learning; and
            ``(2) to enhance the quality of teaching and strengthen the 
        subject matter mastery and the pedagogical skills of current 
        teachers through continuing teacher preparation.

``SEC. 2163. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this subpart:
            ``(1) Significant low-income population.--The term 
        `significant low-income population' means a population of which 
        not less than 25 percent of the individuals included are from 
        families with incomes below the poverty line, as determined by 
        the Secretary on the basis of the most recent satisfactory 
        data.
            ``(2) Teachers institute.--The term `Teachers Institute' 
        means a partnership or joint venture between 1 or more 
        institutions of higher education, and 1 or more local 
        educational agencies with significant low-income populations, 
        that 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.

``SEC. 2164. AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized--
            ``(1) to award grants to encourage the establishment and 
        operation of Teachers Institutes; and
            ``(2) to provide technical assistance, either directly or 
        through the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, to assist local 
        educational agencies and institutions of higher education in 
        preparing to establish and in operating Teachers Institutes.
    ``(b) Selection Criteria.--In selecting Teachers Institutes for 
grants under this subpart, the Secretary shall consider--
            ``(1) the extent to which the proposed Institute will serve 
        a community or communities that have a significant low-income 
        population;
            ``(2) the extent to which the proposed Institute will 
        follow the understandings and necessary procedures that have 
        been developed following the National Demonstration Project, as 
        described in section 2166;
            ``(3) the extent to which the local educational agency has 
        a high percentage of teachers who are unprepared or 
        underprepared to teach the core academic subjects they are 
        assigned to teach; and
            ``(4) the extent to which the proposed Teachers 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 Institute.
    ``(c) Consultation.--
            ``(1) In general.--In evaluating applications under 
        subsection (b), the Secretary may request the advice and 
        assistance of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute or other 
        Teachers Institutes.
            ``(2) State agencies.--If the Secretary receives 2 or more 
        applications from local educational agencies within the same 
        State, the Secretary shall consult with the State educational 
        agency regarding the applications.
    ``(d) Fiscal Agent.--For the purpose of this subpart, 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 subpart.
    ``(e) Limitations.--A grant under this subpart--
            ``(1) shall provide grant funds 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. 2165. ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) In General.--Grant funds under this subpart may be used--
            ``(1) for the planning and development of proposals for the 
        establishment of Teachers Institutes;
            ``(2) for additional assistance to the Teachers Institutes 
        established during the National Demonstration Project for their 
        further development and for their support of the planning and 
        development of proposals under paragraph (1);
            ``(3) for the salary and necessary expenses of a full-time 
        director to plan and manage the Teachers Institute and to act 
        as liaison between the local educational agency or agencies and 
        the institution or institutions of higher education 
        participating in the Institute;
            ``(4) to provide suitable office space, staff, equipment, 
        and supplies, and to pay other operating expenses, for the 
        Teachers Institute;
            ``(5) to provide a stipend for teachers participating in 
        collaborative seminars in the sciences and humanities and to 
        provide remuneration for members of the faculty of the 
        participating institution of higher education leading the 
        seminars; and
            ``(6) to provide for the dissemination through print and 
        electronic means of curriculum units prepared in the seminars 
        conducted by the Teachers Institute.
    ``(b) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may use not more than 50 
percent of the funds appropriated to carry out this subpart to provide 
technical assistance to facilitate the establishment and operation of 
Teachers Institutes. For the purpose of this subsection, the Secretary 
may contract with the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute to provide all 
or a part of the technical assistance under this subsection.

``SEC. 2166. UNDERSTANDINGS AND PROCEDURES.

    ``A Teachers Institute funded under this subpart shall abide by the 
following understandings and procedures:
            ``(1) Partnership.--The essential relationship of a 
        Teachers Institute is a partnership between a local educational 
        agency and an institution of higher education. A grantee shall 
        demonstrate a long-term commitment on behalf of the 
        participating local educational agency and an institution of 
        higher education to the support, including the financial 
        support, of the work of the Teachers Institute.
            ``(2) Seminars.--A Teachers Institute sponsors seminars led 
        by faculty of the institution of higher education partner and 
        attended by teachers from the local educational agency partner. 
        A grantee shall provide participating teachers the ability to 
        play an essential role in planning, organizing, conducting, and 
        evaluating the seminars and in encouraging the future 
        participation of other teachers.
            ``(3) Curriculum unit.--The seminar uses a collaborative 
        process, in a collegial environment, to develop a curriculum 
        unit for use by participating teachers that sets forth the 
        subject matter to be presented and the pedagogical strategies 
        to be employed. A grantee shall enable participating teachers 
        to develop a curriculum unit, based on the subject matter 
        presented, for use in their classrooms.
            ``(4) Eligibility and remuneration.--Seminars are open to 
        all partnership teachers with teaching assignments relevant to 
        the seminar topics. Seminar leaders receive remuneration for 
        their work and participating teachers receive an honorarium or 
        stipend upon the successful completion of the seminar. A 
        grantee shall provide seminar leaders and participating 
        teachers remuneration to allow them to participate in the 
        Institute.
            ``(5) Direction.--The operations of a Teachers Institute 
        are managed by a full-time director who reports to both 
        partners but is accountable to the institution of higher 
        education partner. A grantee shall appoint a director to manage 
        and coordinate the work of the Institute.
            ``(6) Evaluation.--A grantee shall annually review the 
        activities of the Institute and disseminate the results to 
        members of the Institute's partnership community.

``SEC. 2167. APPLICATION, APPROVAL, AND AGREEMENT.

    ``(a) In General.--To receive a grant under this subpart, a 
Teachers Institute shall submit an application to the Secretary that--
            ``(1) meets the requirement of this subpart and any 
        regulations under this subpart;
            ``(2) includes a description of how the Teachers 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 2164(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 subpart; and
            ``(2) notify the applicant within 90 days of the receipt of 
        a completed application of the Secretary's determination.
    ``(c) Agreement.--Upon approval of an application, the Secretary 
and the applicant shall enter into a comprehensive agreement covering 
the entire period of the grant.

``SEC. 2168. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.

    ``(a) Report.--Each Teachers Institute receiving a grant under this 
subpart shall report annually to the Secretary on the progress of the 
Institute in achieving the purpose of this subpart.
    ``(b) Evaluation and Dissemination.--The Secretary shall evaluate 
the activities funded under this subpart and submit an annual report 
regarding the activities assisted under this subpart to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives. The 
Secretary shall broadly disseminate successful practices developed by 
Teachers Institutes.
    ``(c) Revocation.--If the Secretary determines that a Teachers 
Institute is not making substantial progress in meeting the purposes of 
the grant by the end of the second year of the grant under this 
subpart, the Secretary may take appropriate action, including 
revocation of further payments under the grant, to ensure that the 
funds available under this subpart are used in the most effective 
manner.

``SEC. 2169. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated for grants, including 
planning grants, and technical assistance under this subpart--
            ``(1) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
            ``(2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            ``(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
            ``(4) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
            ``(5) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 note) is amended by 
inserting after the item relating to section 2151 the following:

       ``subpart 6--teachers professional development institutes

``Sec. 2161. Short title.
``Sec. 2162. Findings and purpose.
``Sec. 2163. Definitions.
``Sec. 2164. Authority to make grants.
``Sec. 2165. Eligible activities.
``Sec. 2166. Understandings and procedures.
``Sec. 2167. Application, approval, and agreement.
``Sec. 2168. Reports and evaluations.
``Sec. 2169. Authorization of appropriations.''.
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