1.This Act may be cited as the
School Principal Recruitment and
Training Act of 2009
.
2.The purpose of this Act is to recruit,
support, and prepare principals to improve student academic achievement at
high-need schools.
3.Congress finds the following:
(1)Research shows
that school leadership quality is second only to teacher quality among
school-related factors in its impact on student learning.
(2)While teacher
quality has the greatest impact on student learning, principal quality is a key
determinant of whether schools can attract and retain effective
teachers.
(3)Many districts
have reported shortages of qualified principals. In most areas of the country,
the problem is not a shortage of certified principals, but rather a shortage of
qualified principals who are willing to take on the challenge of working in
high-need schools and underserved communities.
(4)The quality of
preparation that principals receive influences their willingness to take on the
challenge of leading high-need schools. It also influences their ability to
succeed and their willingness to remain in their positions. Investing in
principal preparation is therefore critical to satisfying the demand for
qualified principals in high-need schools, and decreasing the turnover rate
among principals in those schools.
(5)The Stanford
Educational Leadership Institute recently found that principals who
participated in high-quality pre- and in-service leadership development
programs feel significantly better prepared for virtually every aspect of
principal practice, are more committed to staying in their jobs, spend more
time on instructionally focused work, and make developing and supporting their
teachers a priority.
(6)Most high-need
school districts lack adequate strategies for identifying school staff who
demonstrate the potential to be effective principals, preparing them to lead
high-need schools, and supporting them once they commence their work as
principals.
(7)Principals need
both management and instructional leadership skills to be effective. Yet most
principal preparation programs fail to devote adequate attention and resources
to training principals in instructional leadership.
(8)Without effective
principals, struggling schools will have difficulty using resources provided
under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and other Federal laws
to improve student learning.
4.Program
Establishment and ActivitiesPart 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:
6Principal
recruitment and training grant program
2161.Program
establishment and activities
(a)In
this section:
(1)The term eligible entity means—
(A)a local
educational agency; or
(B)at least 1 of the
following organizations that has a partnership with 1 or more local educational
agencies:
(i)a
nonprofit organization;
(ii)an educational
service agency;
(iii)an institution
of higher education; or
(iv)a
State educational agency.
(2)The term high-need school means a public
school, including a public charter school, that meets 1 or more of the
following criteria:
(A)Not less than 40
percent of the students enrolled are eligible for the school lunch program
established under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act.
(B)In the case of a
public high school, has a graduation rate of 65 percent or less.
(C)In the case of a
public school containing middle grades, feeds into a public high school that
has a graduation rate of 65 percent or less.
(D)Is a rural school
served by a local educational agency that is eligible within the meaning of
section 6211(b)(1) or 6221(b)(1).
(3)The term high school means a secondary school
in which the—
(A)entering grade of
the school is not lower than grade 6; and
(B)highest grade of
the school is—
(i)grade 12;
or
(ii)in the case of a
secondary school approved by a State to issue a regular diploma concurrently
with a postsecondary degree or with not more than 2 years’ worth of
postsecondary academic credit, grade 13.
(4)The term middle grades means any of grades 5
through 8.
(5)The term graduation rate has the meaning given
the term in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(vi), as clarified in section 200.19(b)(1) of
title 34, Code of Federal Regulations.
(b)
(1)National
principal recruitment and training grant programThe Secretary
shall establish a multiyear national principal recruitment and training grant
program to award grants to eligible entities to enable such entities to carry
out activities described in subsection (e).
(2)
(A)
(i)A grant awarded under this section shall be 5 years in
duration.
(ii)The
Secretary may—
(I)renew a grant
awarded under this section based on performance; and
(II)in renewing a
grant under subclause (I), award the grantee increased funding to scale up or
replicate the grantee's program.
(B)The
primary consideration in determining performance shall be the impact of the
grantee's program, as evidenced by improved student learning and outcomes, and
improved school functioning in high-need schools led by principals who have
received training or other support from a program carried out with funds from a
grant awarded under this section. With respect to schools led for 3 or more
years by such principals, the Secretary shall examine whether such schools are
making greater gains in student learning and outcomes, as evidenced by multiple
measures, including secondary school graduation rates, academic assessments,
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate enrollment rates and test
scores, and other student-level outcome data, than similar schools elsewhere.
In determining performance, the Secretary shall consider information provided
in accordance with subsections (f) and (i).
(c)An
eligible entity that desires a grant under this section shall submit to the
Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such
information as the Secretary may require. Such application shall
include—
(1)a demonstration
that the entity has sufficient capacity to implement the activities described
in subsection (e) that the entity proposes to implement;
(2)a demonstration
that the entity has a track record or a clear plan for preparing principal
trainees and principals to improve student academic achievement in high-need
schools; and
(3)a demonstration
that the entity has a track record or a clear plan for providing principals
trained by the entity with the guidance, support, and tools they need to
improve student academic achievement in high-need schools, which may include
providing principals with tangible resources, such as funding to ensure
supports for quality teaching, and decision-making authority over areas such as
personnel, budget, curriculum, or scheduling.
(d)In
awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to
eligible entities that are focused on high-need schools in urban or rural
areas.
(e)
(1)Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this
section shall use grant funds for the following:
(A)To recruit,
select, train, and support aspiring or current principals, or both, for work in
high-need schools, which may include identifying current principals with track
records of transforming student learning and outcomes, and preparing such
principals to lead the highest-need schools.
(B)To provide
aspiring principals selected by the entity with a pre-service residency that is
not less than 1 year in length, combined with focused coursework on
instructional leadership, organizational management, and the use of a variety
of data for purposes of instructional leadership and organizational management,
as well as ongoing support and professional development for at least 2 years
after the aspiring principals complete the residency and commence work as
school leaders.
(C)To provide
mentoring and professional development to current principals selected by the
entity to strengthen the principals' capacity to—
(i)engage in
effective instructional leadership practices; and
(ii)use a variety of
data for purposes of instruction, supervision, evaluation, and development of
teachers and development of highly effective school organizations.
(2)Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this
section shall carry out the following activities:
(A)(i)Recruiting, selecting,
and providing training and professional development to individuals who—
(I)are or aspire to be principals in
high-need schools;
(II)share the belief that every student,
regardless of background, can achieve at high levels;
(III)with respect to aspiring principals,
have been effective teachers, school counselors, or assistant principals, have
knowledge of effective instruction, and have demonstrated a capacity for
leadership; and
(IV)sign an agreement to serve for not less
than 4 years in a high-need school, and upon qualification for and placement in
principalships, work to ensure that the schools they will lead improve student
academic achievement substantially within 3 to 6 years.
(ii)The Secretary shall establish, by
regulation, categories of extenuating circumstances under which an individual
who is unable to fulfill all or part of the individual's service obligation
under clause (i)(IV) may be excused from fulfilling that portion of the service
obligation.
(B)Assessing the
skills of each aspiring principal prior to the individual's pre-service
residency to determine the individual's strengths and improvement needs, and
using such data to assist in developing and refining a data-based professional
development plan that guides the individual's year-long residency. Such
assessment may occur through the aspiring principal selection process described
in subparagraph (A).
(C)For selected
aspiring principals, providing training during a year-long pre-service
residency that includes coaching from an effective principal, hands-on
instructional leadership experience, and a curriculum that may include topics
such as—
(i)effective
instructional practices;
(ii)recruiting,
supporting, and retaining effective staff;
(iii)improving
instructional practices through the purposeful observation and evaluation of
teachers, and through the provision of regular and direct feedback to
teachers;
(iv)providing
teachers and staff with focused, sustained, and research-based professional
development, including job-embedded professional development that supports
teachers and staff in setting their own goals and working in collaboration with
fellow teachers and staff to meet those goals;
(v)developing
distributed leadership teams, which may include principals, assistant
principals, and effective teachers and staff, to implement school improvement
strategies;
(vi)facilitating the
development and implementation of a school vision and strategic plan using a
variety of data providing evidence of student and school outcomes;
(vii)aligning all
aspects of a school culture to student and adult learning;
(viii)monitoring and
improving the alignment and effectiveness of curriculum, instruction, and
assessment, using a variety of data providing evidence of student and school
outcomes;
(ix)addressing the
needs of specific student populations served, such as students with
disabilities, students who are limited English proficient, rural students, and
students who have experienced trauma, homelessness, or placement in the child
welfare system;
(x)using technology
and multiple sources of data to improve classroom instruction;
(xi)ensuring the
integration of high-quality formative and summative assessments into classroom
instruction;
(xii)developing and
managing school organizations, including managing budget resources and school
time to support high quality instruction and student academic achievement, such
as by extending the school day and year and providing common planning time to
teachers and staff; and
(xiii)engaging
community members, including parents, the local educational agency, and other
community leaders, to leverage additional resources to improve student
success.
(D)Providing targeted
professional development and training on topics which may include the topics
described in subparagraph (C), to individuals who have completed the year-long
pre-service residency for at least 2 years after the individuals commence their
work as school leaders in high-need schools or participating current principals
of high-need schools, or both.
(E)Developing and
delivering high-quality, differentiated, school-level support services to meet
the specific needs of high-need schools led by individuals described in
subparagraph (D), which may include—
(i)support for the
design of school-wide improvement plans based on the diagnosis of school
conditions and needs informed by data and analysis of classroom and school
practices;
(ii)support in
conducting successful school-wide assessments;
(iii)support in
organizing and training distributed leadership teams; and
(iv)other assistance
from expert mentors or coaches to support—
(I)analysis and
evaluation of school practices;
(II)development of
strong instructional and organizational capacity;
(III)productive use
of assessments and data; and
(IV)professional
development for staff.
(f)
(1)Annual report to
secretaryAn eligible entity that receives a grant under this
section shall submit an annual report to the Secretary at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including
at minimum—
(A)data on the number
and characteristics of individuals who have received training or other support
from the grantee's program;
(B)data on the
schools led by such individuals, including—
(i)characteristics of
the schools and the students they serve, including the number and percentage of
students in each of the subgroups listed in section
1111(b)(2)(C)(v)(II);
(ii)student academic
achievement growth and other evidence of student academic success,
disaggregated, where possible, by the subgroups listed in section
1111(b)(2)(C)(v);
(iii)student
attendance;
(iv)student secondary
school graduation and college-going rates, if applicable;
(v)Advanced Placement
and International Baccalaureate enrollment rates and test scores, if
applicable; and
(vi)recruitment,
development, and retention of teachers who are deemed to be effective based on
multiple measures;
(C)evidence that
high-need schools led by individuals described in subparagraph (A) have
improved in areas in which those individuals received training or other support
from the grantee's program; and
(D)data on the
policies, systems, and processes developed by the eligible entity for—
(i)identifying and
recruiting aspiring or current principals, or both;
(ii)identifying
schools with the highest need for effective school leaders; and
(iii)providing
aspiring or current principals, or both, with training, support, and tools to
improve student learning and outcomes at high-need schools.
(2)In providing the information pursuant to paragraph (1),
each grantee that serves both aspiring and current principals shall
disaggregate the information relating to principals who were trained to lead
high-need schools by the grantee's program before they commenced their work as
principals and principals who were in principal positions before they received
training or other support from the grantee's program.
(3)An
eligible entity that receives a grant under this section may include in the
annual report under paragraph (1) other evidence of progress in schools led by
principals trained by the entity.
(g)
(1)
(A)An eligible entity that receives a grant under this
section shall contribute to the activities assisted under such grant matching
funds in an amount equal to not less than 20 percent of the amount of the grant
from non-Federal sources.
(B)The matching funds requirement under subparagraph (A) may
be met by—
(i)contributions that
are—
(I)in cash or in
kind, fairly evaluated; and
(II)from any private
source, State educational agency, or local educational agency-determined
allocation of public funding; and
(ii)payments of a
salary or stipend to an aspiring principal during the aspiring principal’s
residency year.
(C)An eligible entity that anticipates using matching funds for
a programmatic cost that is not directly tied to the application's proposed
project shall include in the entity's application a request to the Secretary to
do so, along with a statement of the basis for the request.
(2)The
Secretary may waive or reduce the matching requirement under paragraph (1) if
the eligible entity demonstrates a need for such waiver or reduction due to
financial hardship.
(h)Grant funds provided under this section shall be used to
supplement, and not supplant, any other Federal or State funds otherwise
available to carry out the activities described in this section.
(i)Research,
evaluation, and dissemination
(1)Of the amounts appropriated to carry out this section for a
fiscal year, the Secretary may use not more than 5 percent to carry out this
subsection.
(2)
(A)Research,
evaluation, and dissemination programThe Secretary shall award a
grant to 1 or more research groups for the development of a high-quality
evaluation and information clearinghouse system to facilitate a sharing of best
practices and inform—
(i)the recruitment,
selection, training, and ongoing development of principals for high-need
schools;
(ii)the development
of standards and definitions of principal effectiveness; and
(iii)the development
of system-wide supports and policies critical to fostering the school and
principal-level actions known to most often differentiate the most dramatically
improved schools from others.
(B)The evaluation and information clearinghouse system
described in subparagraph (A) shall accomplish the following:
(i)
(I)Assess the impact of each grantee's program, using
evidence of program outcomes, including—
- (aa)the
movement of principals who received training or other support through a grant
awarded under this section into principal positions in high-need
schools;
- (bb)the
retention of such individuals in those positions; and
- (cc)evidence that
principals who have received training or other support through a grant awarded
under this section are prepared to lead high-need schools, and are effective in
improving and leading such schools.
(II)The
assessment described in subclause (I) shall—
- (aa)examine school
improvement and success based on multiple indicators, including student
academic achievement, student attendance, and graduation and college-going
rates; and
- (bb)include an
analysis of gains which, where possible, should include a value-added analysis
of gains on the indicators described in item (aa) as compared to gains on such
indicators in similar schools;
- (cc)include, where
possible, an examination of the recruitment, development, and retention of
teachers who are determined to be effective based on multiple measures in
high-need schools led by principals who have received training or other support
through a grant awarded under this section; and
- (dd)include an
examination of the changed policies and practices instituted by such principals
at the principals' schools, and the relationship between such policies and
practices to indicators of improved student learning and outcomes at such
schools.
(ii)Factors that
foster or hinder the success of programsIdentify factors that
foster or hinder the successful implementation of each grantee’s
program.
(iii)Evaluate the school-level support provided through each
grantee’s program.
(iv)Alignment of
internal and external factorsIdentify the internal and external
factors, including principal characteristics and skills, as well as principal
accountability, supports, and decision-making authority, that need to be
aligned in order to improve student learning and school success.
(v)Principal and
program attributes and actions associated with dramatic school
improvementIdentify the attributes and actions of principals and
training programs that appear to be associated with dramatic school
improvement.
(vi)Principal and
program attributes and actions associated with minimal school
improvementIdentify the attributes and actions of principals and
training programs that appear to be associated with minimal or no school
improvement.
(vii)Utilize the data described in clauses (i) through (vi)
to provide information to each grantee that the grantee can use to drive
program improvement.
(viii)Generate and
disseminate informationGenerate and disseminate information to
the field about what types of principal recruitment, selection, training,
tools, supports, attributes, and actions are associated with—
(I)substantial school
improvement and student academic achievement growth at the elementary school,
middle school, and high school levels; and
(II)minimal or no
school improvement and student academic achievement growth at the elementary
school, middle school, and high school levels.
(C)The Secretary shall work with each research group
awarded a grant under this paragraph to develop a reporting schedule for a
research, evaluation, and dissemination plan that is approved by the
Secretary.
(3)The Secretary shall submit an annual report to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Education and Labor
of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives on the lessons learned through programs funded with
grants awarded under this section.
(j)Authorization of
AppropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2011
through
2020.
.