[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2211 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2211

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
for a system of professional learning to continuously improve educator 
   effectiveness, student achievement, and overall school and system 
                  performance, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 16, 2011

Mr. Polis (for himself, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Richardson, Mr. Carnahan, Mr. 
   Conyers, and Mr. Payne) introduced the following bill; which was 
        referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
for a system of professional learning to continuously improve educator 
   effectiveness, student achievement, and overall school and system 
                  performance, 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 ``Great Teaching for Great Schools Act 
of 2011''.

SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal 
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to 
be made to a section or other provision of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.).

SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Teacher quality is the single most important school 
        factor influencing student learning and achievement.
            (2) Principal leadership is second only to classroom 
        instruction in terms of school-related factors which affect 
        student learning, especially in high-needs schools.
            (3) Available experimental studies indicate that there is a 
        direct correlation between professional learning and student 
        performance. A set of programs that offered substantial 
        professional learning, ranging from 30 to 100 hours in total, 
        spread over six to 12 months, showed a positive and significant 
        effect on student achievement gains. According to the research, 
        the intensive professional learning efforts that offered an 
        average of 49 hours in a year boosted student performance by 
        approximately 21 percentile points.
            (4) In a study of policies in States performing above 
        national averages on the National Assessment of Educational 
        Progress (NAEP) conducted by the Stanford Center for 
        Opportunity Policy in Education for Learning Forward, the 
        authors found that State policies and systems that ensure 
        accountability and monitor professional development are 
        critical factors in implementing effective professional 
        learning.
            (5) In order to maximize educator effectiveness on a large 
        scale, high-performing education systems implement a 
        comprehensive human capital management system that addresses 3 
        purposes--individualized growth, schoolwide improvement, and 
        program implementation.
            (6) In a 2007, study of California high schools that 
        consistently outperformed schools with similar demographics and 
        risk-factors, authors identified ``teacher support and 
        training'' or collaborative professional learning as a 
        consistent strategy implemented in schools that beat the odds.
            (7) In a five-year University of California, Los Angeles 
        study of schools receiving funding under title I of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 
        et seq.), serving more than 14,000 students, the team 
        documented the significant contribution of teacher learning 
        teams as part of the school improvement model evaluated. 
        Achievement rose by 41 percent overall, and 54 percent for 
        Hispanic students.
            (8) Studies that benchmark United States academic 
        performance against that of other developed nations that are 
        outperforming the United States have stressed the importance of 
        and need for improved professional learning for teachers, 
        principals, and other school instructional leaders.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to build the capacity of 
educators, particularly teachers and principals in our Nation's schools 
through systematic, sustained, coherent school and team-based, job-
embedded professional learning.

SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE FOR LOCAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT.

    Section 1003(g)(1) (20 U.S.C. 6303(g)(1)) is amended by inserting 
before the period ``and section 2501(d)''.

SEC. 5. LOCAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT.

    Title II (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:

  ``PART E--BUILDING SCHOOL AND SYSTEM CAPACITY FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING

``SEC. 2501. LOCAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) Allocations to State Educational Agencies.--
            ``(1) Program authorized.--From the amounts appropriated 
        under subsection (h) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
        allocate funds to State educational agencies in proportion to 
        the funds received by the State educational agencies for the 
        fiscal year under title I to enable the State educational 
        agencies to provide subgrants to local educational agencies for 
        the purpose of providing for a system of professional 
        development in schools, as defined in section 9101(34).
            ``(2) Reallocations.--If a State educational agency does 
        not receive funds under this subsection, the Secretary shall 
        reallocate such funds to other States in the same proportion 
        funds are allocated under paragraph (1).
            ``(3) Use of grants.--A State educational agency that 
        receives an allocation under this subsection shall--
                    ``(A) reserve 95 percent of the funds to make 
                subgrants to local educational agencies; and
                    ``(B) use the remainder of the funds for 
                administrative activities in carrying out this part.
    ``(b) Priority and Proportionality.--
            ``(1) Priority.--In awarding subgrants under this part, a 
        State educational agency shall--
                    ``(A) give priority to local educational agencies 
                that demonstrate the greatest need for subgrant funds, 
                by demonstrating that--
                            ``(i) children eligible for free and 
                        reduced priced lunches under the Richard B. 
                        Russell National School Lunch Act constitute 
                        not less than 40 percent of the total 
                        population of children aged 5 to 17 served by 
                        the agency;
                            ``(ii) the agency serves a school 
                        identified for school improvement under section 
                        1116(b)(1) that fails to make adequate yearly 
                        progress, as defined by the State under section 
                        1111(b)(2), by the end of the second full 
                        school year after the identification and is 
                        identified for corrective action under section 
                        1116(b)(7); and
                            ``(iii) the agency serves schools with an 
                        average graduation rate that is less than 65 
                        percent; and
                    ``(B) to the extent practicable, ensure that 
                subgrants awarded under this subsection are equitably 
                distributed among local educational agencies serving 
                urban and rural areas.
    ``(c) Local Educational Agency Application.--
            ``(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a subgrant 
        under this part, a local educational agency shall submit an 
        application to the State educational agency at such time, in 
        such manner, and containing such information as the State 
        educational agency may reasonably require.
            ``(2) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall include--
                    ``(A) a description of how the local educational 
                agency will assist schools identified for corrective 
                action under section 1116(b)(7), and low-achieving 
                secondary schools with graduation rates of less than 65 
                percent, in--
                            ``(i) providing for a system of 
                        professional development to continuously 
                        improve educator effectiveness, student 
                        achievement, and overall school and system 
                        performance;
                            ``(ii) providing protected release time for 
                        educators to engage in collaborative team-based 
                        learning multiple times per week or several 
                        hours per week; and
                            ``(iii) leveraging resources such as 
                        teaching standards, formative assessments, 
                        teacher portfolio processes, evidence-based 
                        instructional practices, and teacher 
                        development protocols to guide educator 
                        learning; and
                    ``(B) a description of how the local educational 
                agency will--
                            ``(i) include educator input, including 
                        that of teachers and principals, in the 
                        development and implementation of the system of 
                        professional learning;
                            ``(ii) evaluate under subsection (e) the 
                        effectiveness of the system of professional 
                        learning described in subsection (d) carried 
                        out with the subgrant received under this part;
                            ``(iii) prepare, support, and utilize 
                        internal teacher leaders, coaches, or content 
                        experts to facilitate school-based professional 
                        learning; and
                            ``(iv) ensure that the professional 
                        learning carried out with the subgrant received 
                        under this part is integrated and aligned with 
                        the State's school improvement efforts under 
                        sections 1116 and 1117, and individualized 
                        professional development informed by educator 
                        evaluations.
    ``(d) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--A local educational agency that receives 
        a subgrant under this part shall use the subgrant funds for the 
        following purposes:
                    ``(A) To improve teacher, principal, and other 
                instructional staff quality through professional 
                development.
                    ``(B) To increase principals', coaches', and 
                teacher leaders' knowledge and skills in--
                            ``(i) assisting the school to--
                                    ``(I) provide professional learning 
                                for educators in analyzing student, 
                                school, and teacher performance data to 
                                inform decision making and improvement 
                                efforts;
                                    ``(II) analyze student, school, and 
                                teacher performance data;
                                    ``(III) clarify school improvement 
                                goals;
                                    ``(IV) develop and implement a 
                                system of professional learning aligned 
                                with student achievement needs and 
                                educator learning goals;
                                    ``(V) allocate resources for 
                                school-based educators to develop and 
                                implement an effective system of 
                                educator professional learning aligned 
                                with the school's revised improvement 
                                plan required under section 1116(b);
                                    ``(VI) make available opportunities 
                                for team-learning activities that focus 
                                on increasing pedagogical and content 
                                knowledge in academic subjects that are 
                                aligned to student learning goals;
                                    ``(VII) select and implement 
                                strategies and interventions to improve 
                                student achievement and educator 
                                effectiveness, particularly to increase 
                                teacher and school leader 
                                effectiveness, increase graduation 
                                rates, and ensure students graduate 
                                prepared for success in college and 
                                careers; and
                                    ``(VIII) design, create, and 
                                evaluate the results of curriculum-
                                based diagnostic and performance 
                                assessments; and
                            ``(ii) utilizing internal teacher leaders, 
                        coaches, or content experts to--
                                    ``(I) support classroom learning;
                                    ``(II) facilitate effective 
                                collaboration skills across learning 
                                communities and transfer knowledge from 
                                peers teaching and leading at high-
                                performing classrooms and schools; and
                                    ``(III) support the implementation 
                                of instructional strategies through 
                                structured mentoring and coaching;
                    ``(C) To increase principals' knowledge and skills 
                necessary for leading effective professional learning, 
                including--
                            ``(i) establishing a shared vision of 
                        school success among all school stakeholders, 
                        including teachers, parents, community 
                        organizations and related stakeholders by--
                                    ``(I) seeking leadership 
                                contributions from parents, community 
                                organizations, and other school 
                                stakeholders;
                                    ``(II) engaging the community to 
                                create shared responsibility for 
                                student and school success; and
                                    ``(III) engaging in partnerships 
                                between elementary schools, secondary 
                                schools, and institutes of higher 
                                education to ensure the vertical 
                                alignment of student learning outcomes;
                            ``(ii) establishing the school as a 
                        professional learning community in which--
                                    ``(I) there is a culture of 
                                continuous learning for adults that is 
                                tied to student learning and school 
                                goals;
                                    ``(II) there is time for team 
                                collaboration focused on professional 
                                learning and evaluating and improving 
                                instructional practice;
                                    ``(III) educators are able to 
                                analyze and use data to drive 
                                instruction;
                                    ``(IV) professional learning is 
                                evaluated and connected to all of the 
                                school academic achievement goals; and
                                    ``(V) members of the faculty engage 
                                in leadership roles that contribute to 
                                school improvement efforts; and
                            ``(iii) promoting the effective use of data 
                        by educators, including--
                                    ``(I) the use of multiple data 
                                sources as diagnostic tools to identify 
                                barriers to student success and drive 
                                instructional improvement;
                                    ``(II) the review and analysis of 
                                student work to determine whether 
                                students are achieving State academic 
                                content and achievement standards; and
                                    ``(III) the use of classroom 
                                observations to ensure that all 
                                students are provided meaningful 
                                learning opportunities that promote 
                                active engagement; and
                                    ``(IV) support for a standards-
                                aligned academic instructional program 
                                that sets rigorous goals for each 
                                student and a school culture that 
                                allows for and encourages students to 
                                reach those goals through ensuring that 
                                learning is aligned to established 
                                State academic standards by--
                                            ``(aa) ensuring that State 
                                        academic content standards 
                                        serve as the basis for the 
                                        creation of curriculum and 
                                        instruction; and
                                            ``(bb) monitoring and 
                                        adjusting the alignment of 
                                        standards, curriculum, 
                                        assessments, and instruction; 
                                        and
                    ``(D) To support coaches, principals, and 
                administrators to--
                            ``(i) respond to developmental and 
                        contextual needs and promote the ongoing 
                        examination of classroom practice;
                            ``(ii) collect and share observation data 
                        to help teachers improve their practice;
                            ``(iii) assist teachers with strategies to 
                        identify student needs, plan for differentiated 
                        instruction, and ensure equitable learning 
                        outcomes;
                            ``(iv) identify strategic solutions to 
                        challenging situations; and
                            ``(v) facilitate and convene teachers for 
                        meaningful and responsive team-based learning.
            ``(2) Special rule.--A local educational agency that 
        receives a subgrant under this part shall use not less than 10 
        percent of the subgrant funds for professional learning for 
        principals.
    ``(e) Evaluation.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each local educational agency carrying 
        out the system of professional learning described in subsection 
        (d) using a subgrant received under this part shall include, as 
        part of such system, a formal evaluation system to determine 
        the effectiveness of the program on not less than--
                    ``(A) teacher instructional practice;
                    ``(B) student learning gains;
                    ``(C) teacher retention;
                    ``(D) student graduation and college readiness 
                rates, as applicable;
                    ``(E) student attendance rates; and
                    ``(F) teacher efficacy.
            ``(2) Local educational agency and school effectiveness.--
        The formal evaluation system described in paragraph (1) shall 
        also measure the effectiveness of each local educational agency 
        receiving a subgrant under this part and each school receiving 
        assistance from the agency under this part, in--
                    ``(A) ensuring that school protected release time 
                for professional learning occurs multiple times per 
                week or the equivalent of several hours;
                    ``(B) implementing on-going, research-based 
                professional learning for teacher leaders, coaches, 
                principals, and administrators;
                    ``(C) ensuring that coaches, teachers, and schools 
                are using data to inform instructional practices; and
                    ``(D) ensuring that the system of professional 
                learning described in subsection (d) that is carried 
                out using subgrant funds received under this part is 
                integrated and aligned with the State's school 
                improvement efforts under sections 1116 and 1117.
            ``(3) Conduct of evaluation.--The evaluation of a local 
        educational agency under the formal evaluation system described 
        in paragraph (1) shall be conducted by the agency. In 
        conducting the evaluation, the local educational agency may 
        request and use subgrant funds received under this part to 
        receive assistance from the State, an institution of higher 
        education, or an external agency that is experienced in 
        conducting qualitative research. Such evaluation shall be 
        developed in collaboration with groups, such as--
                    ``(A) teacher leaders with track records of success 
                in the classroom;
                    ``(B) institutions of higher education involved 
                with teacher induction and professional development 
                located within the State; and
                    ``(C) local teacher organizations.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $500,000,000 for fiscal year 
2012 and such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding fiscal year.
    ``(g) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Graduation rate.--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.
            ``(2) Local educational agency.--The term `local 
        educational agency'--
                    ``(A) has the meaning given such term in section 
                9101;
                    ``(B) includes any public charter school that 
                constitutes a local educational agency under State law; 
                and
                    ``(C) includes a consortium of local educational 
                agencies acting together.''.

SEC. 6. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DEFINED.

    Section 9101(34) (20 U.S.C. 7801(34)) is amended to read as 
follows:
            ``(34) Professional development.--The term `professional 
        development' means a comprehensive system of professional 
        learning to increase educator effectiveness in improving 
        student learning and achievement means that--
                    ``(A) fosters collective responsibility for 
                improved student performance;
                    ``(B) is comprised of professional learning that--
                            ``(i) is aligned with rigorous State 
                        student academic achievement standards as well 
                        as related local educational agency and school 
                        improvement goals;
                            ``(ii) is conducted among educators at the 
                        school and facilitated by well-prepared school 
                        principals and school-based professional 
                        development coaches, mentors, master teachers, 
                        or other teacher leaders; and
                            ``(iii) primarily occurs several times per 
                        week, or the equivalent of several hours per 
                        week, among established teams of teachers, 
                        principals, and other instructional staff 
                        members where the teams of educators engage in 
                        a continuous cycle of improvement that--
                                    ``(I) evaluates student, teacher, 
                                and school learning needs through a 
                                thorough review of data on teacher and 
                                student performance;
                                    ``(II) defines a clear set of 
                                educator learning goals based on the 
                                rigorous analysis of the data;
                                    ``(III) achieves the educator 
                                learning goals based identified in 
                                subclause (II) by implementing 
                                coherent, sustained, and evidence-based 
                                learning strategies, such as lesson 
                                study and the development of formative 
                                assessments, that improve instructional 
                                effectiveness and student achievement;
                                    ``(IV) provides job-embedded 
                                coaching or other forms of assistance 
                                to support the transfer of new 
                                knowledge and skills to the classroom;
                                    ``(V) regularly assesses the 
                                effectiveness of the professional 
                                development in achieving identified 
                                learning goals, improving teaching, and 
                                assisting all students in meeting 
                                challenging State academic achievement 
                                standards;
                                    ``(VI) informs ongoing improvements 
                                in teaching and student learning; and
                                    ``(VII) may be supported by 
                                external assistance; and
                    ``(C) may be supported by activities such as 
                courses, workshops, institutes, networks, and 
                conferences that--
                            ``(i) address the learning goals and 
                        objectives established by educators at the 
                        school level;
                            ``(ii) advance the ongoing school-based 
                        professional learning; and
                            ``(iii) are provided for by for-profit and 
                        non-profit entities outside the school such as 
                        universities, education service agencies, 
                        technical assistance providers, networks of 
                        content-area specialists, and other education 
                        organizations and associations.''.
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