[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5096 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5096

    To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to 
  authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants for recruiting, 
  training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups as 
  teachers at public elementary and secondary schools, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 2010

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to 
  authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants for recruiting, 
  training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups as 
  teachers at public elementary and secondary schools, and for other 
                               purposes.

    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 ``Diverse Teachers Recruitment Act of 
2010''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Department of Education statistics reveal a lack of 
        diversity among public schoolteachers. During the school year 
        of 2007 through 2008, an estimated 83.1 percent of public 
        schoolteachers were Caucasian, while 7.1 percent were Latino, 7 
        percent were African-American, and 1.2 percent were Asian. Of 
        all public schoolteachers, 24.1 percent were male and 75.9 
        percent were female.
            (2) Some experts believe the lack of diversity can leave 
        students in underrepresented groups without role models to whom 
        they can relate, which may lead to poorer performance in the 
        classroom. Statistics show that students in some 
        underrepresented groups have lower standardized test scores and 
        lower graduation rates.
            (3) Teacher demographics should better reflect those of the 
        population as a whole, ensuring that students have role models 
        from diverse backgrounds and racial and ethnic groups and of 
        different genders.

SEC. 3. RECRUITMENT, TRAINING, AND RETENTION OF TEACHERS FROM 
              UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS.

    (a) In General.--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 new part:

    ``PART E--RECRUITMENT, TRAINING, AND RETENTION OF TEACHERS FROM 
                        UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS

``SEC. 2501. GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Authorization.--From amounts appropriated under section 2505, 
the Secretary shall make grants on a competitive basis to eligible 
entities for recruiting, training, and retaining individuals from 
underrepresented groups as teachers at public elementary schools and 
secondary schools.
    ``(b) Eligibility.--The Secretary may only make a grant under 
subsection (a) to an eligible entity that--
            ``(1) serves schools that have difficulty recruiting, 
        training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented 
        groups as teachers; and
            ``(2) submits an application at such time, in such form, 
        and containing such information and assurances as the Secretary 
        may require, including--
                    ``(A) a description of how the activities the 
                eligible entity carries out with grant funds will 
                ensure the recruitment, training, and retention of a 
                significant number of individuals from underrepresented 
                groups; and
                    ``(B) a description of the difficulty recruiting, 
                training, and retaining individuals from 
                underrepresented groups experienced by the schools 
                served by the eligible entity.
    ``(c) Priority.--In making grants under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall give priority to--
            ``(1) local educational agencies (or consortia of local 
        educational agencies) that serve the most high-need schools; 
        and
            ``(2) local educational agencies (or consortia of local 
        educational agencies) that serve schools with the highest 
        percentages of minority individuals in their student 
        populations.
    ``(d) Matching Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may not make a grant to an 
        eligible entity under subsection (a) unless the eligible entity 
        agrees that, with respect to the costs to be incurred by the 
        eligible entity in carrying out the activities for which the 
        grant is awarded, the eligible entity will make available non-
        Federal contributions in an amount equal to not less than 10 
        percent of the Federal funds provided under the grant.
            ``(2) Satisfying matching requirement.--The non-Federal 
        contributions required under paragraph (1) may be--
                    ``(A) in cash or in-kind, including services, 
                fairly evaluated; and
                    ``(B) from--
                            ``(i) any private source; or
                            ``(ii) a State educational agency or local 
                        educational agency.
            ``(3) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive or reduce the non-
        Federal contribution required by paragraph (1) if the eligible 
        entity involved demonstrates that it cannot meet the 
        contribution requirement due to financial hardship.

``SEC. 2502. REPORTS TO SECRETARY.

    ``An eligible entity receiving a grant under section 2501(a) shall 
submit to the Secretary not later than 90 days after the end of each 
school year in which the entity receives grant funds a report that 
contains--
            ``(1) a description of the activities for which the entity 
        used grant funds during such school year;
            ``(2) data concerning, with respect to the schools served 
        by the entity--
                    ``(A) the number of individuals from 
                underrepresented groups that began teaching during such 
                school year;
                    ``(B) the retention rate of teachers who are 
                individuals from underrepresented groups;
                    ``(C) in the case of the report covering the last 
                school year in which the entity receives grant funds, 
                indicators of student academic achievement during such 
                school year as compared with previous school years, 
                disaggregated, if possible, by the achievement of--
                            ``(i) economically disadvantaged students;
                            ``(ii) students from major racial groups;
                            ``(iii) students with disabilities; and
                            ``(iv) students with limited English 
                        proficiency;
                    ``(D) student graduation rates for the school year 
                covered by the report as compared with previous school 
                years, if applicable in the case of the schools served 
                by the entity; and
                    ``(E) student attendance rates for the school year 
                covered by the report as compared with previous school 
                years; and
            ``(3) a description of and data regarding such 
        characteristics of the schools served by the entity, and the 
        students of such schools, as the Secretary considers 
        appropriate, including the number and percentage of students in 
        each of the groups listed in clauses (i) through (iv) of 
        paragraph (2)(C).

``SEC. 2503. BEST PRACTICES INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall evaluate the success of the 
activities carried out by eligible entities using grant funds received 
under section 2501(a) and compile a database of best practices for 
recruiting, training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented 
groups as public elementary and secondary school teachers. The 
Secretary shall make such database available to eligible entities 
(regardless of whether such entities have received grants under such 
section) through an Internet Web site.
    ``(b) Funds Available.--Of the amounts appropriated to carry out 
this part for a fiscal year, the Secretary may use not more than 10 
percent to carry out this section during such fiscal year.

``SEC. 2504. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this part, the following definitions apply:
            ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) a local educational agency (or consortium of 
                local educational agencies); or
                    ``(B) an entity that--
                            ``(i) has entered into a partnership with a 
                        local educational agency (or consortium of 
                        local educational agencies) in which the local 
                        educational agency (or consortium of local 
                        educational agencies) is the primary partner; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) is a private nonprofit organization, 
                        educational service agency, institution of 
                        higher education, or State educational agency.
            ``(2) High-need high school.--The term `high-need high 
        school' means a secondary school--
                    ``(A) in which the entering grade of the school is 
                not lower than grade 9 and that includes grade 12; and
                    ``(B) that has a graduation rate of not more than 
                65 percent in each of the 2 academic years prior to the 
                submission of the grant application.
            ``(3) High-need middle school.--The term `high-need middle 
        school' means a secondary school--
                    ``(A) in which the entering grade is not lower than 
                grade 6 and the highest grade is not higher than grade 
                9; and
                    ``(B) from which not less than 35 percent of the 
                students who complete such school enroll in a high-need 
                high school.
            ``(4) High-need school.--The term `high-need school' means 
        a public school, including a charter school (as such term is 
        defined in section 5210(1))--
                    ``(A) in which not less than 40 percent of the 
                enrolled students are eligible to receive free or 
                reduced price lunches under section 9(b) of the Richard 
                B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
                1758(b)); or
                    ``(B) that is a high-need high school or a high-
                need middle school.
            ``(5) Individual from an underrepresented group.--The term 
        `individual from an underrepresented group' means an individual 
        who is a member of a racial group or gender that has 
        historically been underrepresented among teachers in public 
        primary and secondary schools in the United States.
            ``(6) Minority individual.--The term `minority individual' 
        means an individual who is a member of a racial group that has 
        historically been underrepresented among teachers in public 
        primary and secondary schools in the United States.

``SEC. 2505. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 
such sums as are necessary for fiscal years 2010 through 2015.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 2 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by adding 
after the item related to section 2441 the following:

     Part E--Recruitment, Training, and Retention of Teachers From 
                        Underrepresented Groups

Sec. 2501. Grant program.
Sec. 2502. Reports to Secretary.
Sec. 2503. Best practices information clearinghouse.
Sec. 2504. Definitions.
Sec. 2505. Authorization of appropriations.
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