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
decisionmaking 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 to participating current principals of high-need schools,
or to 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;
- (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 decisionmaking 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 fiscal year 2011 and each of the succeeding 9 fiscal
years.
.