[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1250 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1250

   To create and expand innovative teacher and principal preparation 
     programs known as teacher and principal preparation academies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 22, 2011

Mr. Bennet (for himself, Mr. Alexander, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Kirk, and Ms. 
   Landrieu) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To create and expand innovative teacher and principal preparation 
     programs known as teacher and principal preparation academies.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Growing Education 
Achievement Training Academies for Teachers and Principals Act'' or the 
``GREAT Teachers and Principals Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Purpose.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. State grants.
Sec. 5. Subgrants to teacher or principal preparation academies.
Sec. 6. Coordination with the Corporation for National and Community 
                            Service.
Sec. 7. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to encourage innovation in the field of 
teacher and principal preparation by creating and expanding teacher or 
principal preparation academies that will increase the number of 
effective teachers and principals serving in high-needs schools and 
hard-to-staff subjects.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Principal preparation academy.--The term ``principal 
        preparation academy'' means a public or other nonprofit 
        institution for preparing principals that--
                    (A) enters into a charter with a State authorizer 
                that specifies the goals and outcomes expected of the 
                principal preparation academy and the obligations of 
                the State authorizer, including--
                            (i) a requirement that--
                                    (I) principal candidates, or 
                                principals serving on alternative 
                                certificates, licenses, or credentials, 
                                who are enrolled in the principal 
                                preparation academy receive a 
                                significant part of their training 
                                through clinical preparation that 
                                partners the principal candidate with a 
                                mentor principal; and
                                    (II) the academy will provide 
                                instruction to the principal candidate 
                                that links to the clinical preparation 
                                experience;
                            (ii) the number of principals the principal 
                        preparation academy will produce and the 
                        minimum number and percentage of effective 
                        principals with a demonstrated track record of 
                        success in getting a school's students on track 
                        to being career and college ready;
                            (iii) a requirement that a certificate of 
                        completion (or degree, if the principal 
                        preparation academy is, or is affiliated with, 
                        an institution of higher education) will be 
                        conferred upon a graduate from the principal 
                        preparation academy only after the graduate 
                        demonstrates a track record of success in 
                        getting a school's students on track to being 
                        college and career ready;
                            (iv) a requirement that the principal 
                        preparation academy survey the academy's alumni 
                        not less than once every 3 years to track the 
                        number of alumni employed as principals and in 
                        education; and
                            (v) timelines for producing cohorts of 
                        graduates and conferring certificates of 
                        completion (or degrees, if the principal 
                        preparation academy is, or is affiliated with, 
                        an institution of higher education) from the 
                        principal preparation academy;
                    (B) shall not have unnecessary restrictions on the 
                methods the principal preparation academy will use to 
                train principal candidates, including restrictions or 
                requirements--
                            (i) obligating the faculty of the principal 
                        preparation academy faculty to hold advanced 
                        degrees;
                            (ii) obligating such faculty to conduct 
                        academic research;
                            (iii) related to the physical 
                        infrastructure of the principal preparation 
                        academy; or
                            (iv) related to the number of course 
                        credits required as part of the program of 
                        study; and
                    (C) limits admission to its program to candidates 
                who demonstrate strong potential to be effective 
                principals, based on a rigorous, competency-based 
                selection process that reviews a candidate's prior 
                academic achievement or record of professional 
                accomplishment.
            (2) State authorizer.--The term ``State authorizer'' means 
        an entity designated by the State to recognize teacher or 
        principal preparation academies within the State that--
                    (A) may be a nonprofit organization, State 
                educational agency, or other public entity, or 
                consortium of such entities (including a consortium of 
                States); and
                    (B) does not renew a teacher or principal 
                preparation academy's charter if the academy fails to 
                produce the minimum number or percentage of effective 
                teachers or principals, respectively, identified in the 
                academy's charter.
            (3) Teacher preparation academy.--The term ``teacher 
        preparation academy'' means a public or other nonprofit 
        institution for preparing teachers that--
                    (A) enters into a charter with a State authorizer 
                that specifies the goals and outcomes expected of the 
                teacher preparation academy and the obligations of the 
                State authorizer, including--
                            (i) a requirement that--
                                    (I) teacher candidates, or teachers 
                                teaching on alternative certificates, 
                                licenses, or credentials, who are 
                                enrolled in the teacher preparation 
                                academy receive a significant part of 
                                their training through clinical 
                                preparation that partners teacher 
                                candidates with mentor teachers with a 
                                demonstrated track record of success in 
                                improving academic achievement in the 
                                classroom; and
                                    (II) the academy will provide 
                                instruction to teacher candidates that 
                                links to the clinical preparation 
                                experience;
                            (ii) the number of teachers the teacher 
                        preparation academy will produce and the 
                        minimum number and percentage of effective 
                        teachers with a demonstrated track record of 
                        success in getting students on track to being 
                        college and career ready, based on multiple 
                        measures of student achievement;
                            (iii) a requirement that a teacher 
                        preparation academy will only award a 
                        certificate of completion (or degree, if the 
                        teacher preparation academy is, or is 
                        affiliated with, an institution of higher 
                        education) after the graduate demonstrates the 
                        track record of success described in clause 
                        (ii), either as a student teacher or teacher-
                        of-record on an alternative certificate, 
                        license, or credential;
                            (iv) a requirement that the teacher 
                        preparation academy survey the academy's alumni 
                        not less than once every 3 years to track the 
                        number of alumni employed as teachers and in 
                        education; and
                            (v) timelines for producing cohorts of 
                        graduates and conferring certificates of 
                        completion (or degrees, if the teacher 
                        preparation academy is, or is affiliated with, 
                        an institution of higher education) from the 
                        teacher preparation academy;
                    (B) shall not have unnecessary restrictions on the 
                methods or inputs the teacher preparation academy will 
                use to train teacher candidates or teachers teaching on 
                alternative certificates, licenses, or credentials, 
                including restrictions or requirements--
                            (i) obligating the faculty of the teacher 
                        preparation academy to hold advanced degrees;
                            (ii) obligating such faculty to conduct 
                        academic research;
                            (iii) related to the physical 
                        infrastructure of the teacher preparation 
                        academy;
                            (iv) related to the number of course 
                        credits required as part of the program of 
                        study;
                            (v) related to the undergraduate coursework 
                        completed by teachers teaching on alternative 
                        certificates, licenses, or credentials, as long 
                        as such teachers have successfully passed all 
                        relevant State-approved content area 
                        examinations; or
                            (vi) related to obtaining additional 
                        accreditation from a national accrediting body; 
                        and
                    (C) limits admission to its program to candidates 
                who demonstrate strong potential to be effective 
                teachers, based on a rigorous selection process that 
                reviews a candidate's prior academic achievement or 
                record of professional accomplishment.
            (4) Teacher or principal preparation academy.--The term 
        ``teacher or principal preparation academy'' means a teacher 
        preparation academy or a principal preparation academy.

SEC. 4. STATE GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants to 
States having applications approved under subsection (b) to enable such 
States to create or expand teacher or principal preparation academies.
    (b) Applications.--Each State that desires a grant under this Act 
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require. The application shall include--
            (1) an assurance that the State does not have in place 
        legal, statutory, or regulatory barriers to the creation or 
        operation of teacher or principal preparation academies;
            (2) a description of how the State will promote the 
        creation and expansion of teacher or principal preparation 
        academies;
            (3) a description of how the authorization and approval of 
        teacher or principal preparation academies is separate and 
        distinct from the requirements otherwise established by the 
        State for approval of other teacher or principal preparation 
        programs;
            (4) a description of the process the State authorizer will 
        use to authorize and approve a teacher or principal preparation 
        academy that--
                    (A) enables participants in the academy to be 
                eligible for State financial aid to the same extent as 
                participants in other State-approved teacher or 
                principal preparation programs, including alternative 
                certification, licensure, or credential programs;
                    (B) enables teachers who are teaching on 
                alternative certificates, licenses, or credentials to 
                teach in the State while enrolled in a teacher 
                preparation academy; and
                    (C) enables graduates from teacher preparation 
                academies to be eligible to teach in such State and 
                graduates from principal preparation academies to be 
                eligible to be a principal in a school in such State;
            (5) a description of the process the State authorizer will 
        use to monitor the success of--
                    (A) a teacher preparation academy in--
                            (i) producing effective teachers that 
                        demonstrate a track record of success in 
                        getting students on track to being college and 
                        career ready, based on multiple measures of 
                        student achievement; and
                            (ii) preparing teachers to teach in high-
                        needs schools or hard-to-staff subjects; and
                    (B) a principal preparation academy in--
                            (i) producing effective principals that 
                        demonstrate a track record of success in 
                        getting students in a school on track to being 
                        career and college ready; and
                            (ii) preparing principals to serve in high-
                        needs schools or hard-to-staff subjects;
            (6) the criteria the State authorizer will apply in 
        renewing or denying a teacher or principal preparation 
        academy's charter, including the minimum number and percentage 
        of effective teachers or principals such academy must produce 
        in order to renew its charter; and
            (7) an assurance that the State will recognize a 
        certificate of completion (from a teacher or principal 
        preparation academy that is not, or is unaffiliated with, an 
        institution of higher education), as at least the equivalent of 
        a master's degree in education for the purposes of teacher or 
        principal hiring, retention, compensation, and promotion in the 
        State.
    (c) Uses of Funds.--A State receiving a grant under this Act shall 
use grant funds to--
            (1) implement a process by which to--
                    (A) create or designate State authorizers; and
                    (B) create or approve teacher or principal 
                preparation academies;
            (2) support, directly or through a nonprofit intermediary 
        organization, the establishment and operation of teacher or 
        principal preparation academies by assisting entities with the 
        planning, program design, and implementation of such programs; 
        and
            (3) award subgrants to teacher or principal preparation 
        academies in the State in accordance with section 5.

SEC. 5. SUBGRANTS TO TEACHER OR PRINCIPAL PREPARATION ACADEMIES.

    (a) In General.--From the amounts made available under section 
4(c)(3), a State shall award subgrants to nonprofit entities to carry 
out activities described in subsection (d).
    (b) Applications.--Each nonprofit entity desiring a subgrant under 
this section from a State shall submit an application to a State 
authorizer designated by the State to receive such applications. The 
application shall include, at a minimum--
            (1) a description of the teacher or principal preparation 
        academy's proposed curriculum, training of teacher or principal 
        candidates (including clinical training), and approach to 
        teacher or principal development;
            (2) the student achievement outcomes the entity will 
        require of academy graduates before conferring a degree or 
        certificate of completion from the program, with timelines for 
        obtaining such outcomes;
            (3) a multi-year financial and operating model for the 
        entity;
            (4) the qualifications of the entity's chief executive 
        officer or organization leader; and
            (5) a description of how the teacher or principal 
        preparation academy is designed to prepare teachers or 
        principals to serve in high-need areas (including rural areas 
        and Native American communities), or hard-to-staff subjects.
    (c) Priority.--In awarding subgrants under this section, a State 
shall give a priority to entities proposing to expand previously 
existing teacher or principal preparation programs, as of the date of 
application, with a demonstrated track record of success in getting 
students on track to being college and career ready.
    (d) Uses of Funds.--An entity that receives a subgrant under this 
section shall use its subgrant--
            (1) to establish a teacher or principal preparation 
        academy;
            (2) to expand the capacity of a teacher or principal 
        preparation academy;
            (3) to measure the effectiveness of a teacher or principal 
        preparation academy in improving student academic achievement, 
        as demonstrated by getting students on track to be college and 
        career ready; or
            (4) to recruit candidates for a teacher or principal 
        preparation academy who have demonstrated strong potential to 
        be effective teachers or principals, based on a rigorous, 
        competency-based selection process that reviews a candidate's 
        prior academic achievement or record of professional 
        accomplishment.

SEC. 6. COORDINATION WITH THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY 
              SERVICE.

    (a) Interagency Agreement.--The Secretary shall enter into an 
interagency agreement with the Corporation for National and Community 
Service under section 121(b) of the National and Community Service Act 
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571(b)) under which the Corporation shall approve 
positions, for candidates at each teacher or principal preparation 
academy that receives financial assistance under this Act, as approved 
national service positions, as defined in section 101 of the National 
and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511). Such interagency 
agreement shall specify how a degree or certificate of completion for a 
term of service as a participant at a teacher or principal preparation 
academy will be submitted to the Corporation.
    (b) Special Rule.--Notwithstanding section 148 of the National and 
Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12604), the Secretary and the 
Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community 
Service shall develop a program under which national service 
educational awards may be disbursed to a teacher or principal 
preparation academy to cover or reimburse the costs of attending the 
academy.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such 
sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016.
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