1.This Act may be cited as
the Student Internship Opportunity
Act
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)According to the
Department of Labor, nearly two-thirds of new jobs created nationally between
2004 and 2014 will be filled by workers with some postsecondary education, as
will almost 90 percent of jobs with higher than average growth and higher than
average earnings created over the same period. Individuals with less education
are more likely to be unemployed or out of the labor force.
(2)Research
demonstrates that students exposed to integrated curricula combined with
work–based learning and career guidance earned 18 percent more over a 4-year
period after high school graduation. Working for a moderate number of hours
during high school can also positively impact the future educational and
occupational attainment of students.
(3)69 percent of
students who drop out of high school state that they were not engaged in the
high school curriculum and experience.
(4)The relevance of
coursework to postsecondary education and career are important to student
motivation and engagement. One study found that abstract academic education
unconnected to a career was only satisfying to students who were certain that
they would get a baccalaureate degree to meet their career aspirations.
(5)Research shows
that many people learn better when they are taught concepts in context. When
coordinated with the academic coursework of students, work-based learning can
reinforce and strengthen academic competencies. By allowing students to apply
what they are learning to real-life situations and problems of significance,
work-based learning opportunities can help youth develop 21st century skills,
such as problem solving, critical thinking, teamwork, and project management.
By providing students with first-hand exposure to jobs and industry
professionals, work-based learning can deepen career aspirations and
employability skills.
(6)In a recent State
study, students enrolled in comprehensive career and technical education
programs improved their grade point averages more than those in a comparison
group, and had similar post–high school outcomes despite being lower-achieving
and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
(7)A comprehensive
review of research on work-based learning found evidence that work-based
learning can foster development of problem identification, flexible problem
solving, and other higher-order thinking skills, as needed in both higher
education and careers.
(8)According to the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Program for
International Student Assessment (PISA) defines problem solving as the capacity
of an individual to engage in cognitive processing to understand and resolve
problem situations where a solution is not immediately obvious. The definition
includes the willingness to engage with such situations in order to achieve
one’s potential as a constructive and reflective citizen.
3.The purpose of this Act is to provide
secondary school students with the opportunity to participate in a high-quality
internship program as part of a broader school districtwide work-based learning
program, in order to increase the number of students who—
(1)graduate from secondary schools with
work-based experience; and
(2)are well-prepared to pursue a full range of
postsecondary opportunities, including 2-year and 4-year programs of study at
institutions of higher education, apprenticeships, military service, technical
training, and employment in in-demand industry sectors or occupations.
4.In this Act:
(1)The term career awareness means activities
designed to build student awareness of the variety of careers available for the
purpose of identifying areas of interest.
(2)The term career exploration means
activities designed for students to explore a variety of career options,
including any career prerequisites, for the purpose of increasing student
engagement and motivation and informing student decisionmaking.
(3)The term career practicum means activities
that extend and deepen classroom work and support the development of college
and career readiness skills through real-world work experience and engagement
with adults outside of school.
(4)College and
career readiness skillsThe term college and career
readiness skills means—
(A)academic skills
and competencies;
(B)problem solving
and critical thinking skills;
(C)the ability to
work collaboratively;
(D)the ability to
communicate effectively using a variety of mediums;
(E)interpersonal and
intrapersonal college and career ready skills such as initiative, perseverance,
self-direction, and professionalism;
(F)technical and
occupation-specific skills; and
(G)knowledge of the
varying aspects and positions within an industry, including specific workplace
skills, context, and culture.
(5)The term eligible entity means an entity
that—
(A)is comprised of 1
or more local educational agencies or area career and technical education
schools (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302));
(B)has entered into
a memorandum of understanding with not less than 1 business or industry partner
in an in-demand industry sector or occupation, a State or local workforce
board, a community-based or nonprofit organization, or a qualified
intermediary; and
(C)may include an
institution of higher education.
(6)In-demand
industry sector or occupation
(A)The term in-demand industry sector or
occupation means—
(i)an
industry sector that—
(I)has a substantial
current or potential impact on the regional economy overall, including
attracting or retaining businesses or quality jobs (including, at a minimum,
jobs that lead to economic self-sufficiency and opportunities for advancement)
in the region;
(II)contributes to
the growth of other supporting businesses or the growth of other industry
sectors within the region;
(III)provides
workers with jobs that have competitive, family-sustaining wages and benefits;
and
(IV)includes
occupations that provide opportunities for career advancement; or
(ii)an
occupation that—
(I)has a significant
presence in an industry sector;
(II)has a shortage
of available skilled workers;
(III)pays
competitive, family-sustaining wages and benefits that enable workers to
achieve economic self-sufficiency, or can reasonably be expected to lead to a
position with such wages and benefits;
(IV)provides
opportunities for career advancement; and
(V)has a significant
impact in the economy of a region.
(B)The
determination of whether an industry sector or occupation is an in-demand
industry sector or occupation under this paragraph shall—
(i)be
made by the applicant and reviewed by the Secretary during the application
process;
(ii)be
made using State or regional business and labor market projections, including
the use of labor market information; and
(iii)be aligned with
the in-demand industry sectors or occupations identified by the State Workforce
Investment Board or by the local workforce investment board (as established in
section 111 or 117, respectively, of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (20
U.S.C. 2821, 2832)) for a region, where applicable.
(7)Institution of
higher educationThe term institution of higher
education has the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
(8)The
term internship means the culminating experience in a work-based
learning continuum that—
(A)is youth-centered
and supports student internship plans;
(B)provides
secondary school students with opportunities to acquire college and career
readiness skills and investigate fields of interest related to the career and
postsecondary education goals of the students;
(C)is informed by
regional labor market information;
(D)is aligned with,
and reinforces, the academic and technical coursework and curriculum of
participating students and promotes the development of college and career
readiness skills;
(E)ensures that
participating students receive compensation for their work, such as secondary
or postsecondary academic credit, payment for postsecondary education, a wage
or stipend, payment for certification exams, or a combination thereof;
(F)provides a
meaningful contribution to the organizational goals of the internship
provider;
(G)facilitates
opportunities for a participating student to engage in a structured reflection
of the experience of the student and receive a performance assessment by the
supervisor of the student;
(H)is of significant
duration and frequency over the course of the school year, semester, or summer;
and
(I)complies with the
Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.) and the regulations
promulgated under that Act.
(9)The term local educational agency
has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(10)The term qualified intermediary means
an entity that—
(A)has demonstrated
expertise to engage, build, connect, convene, sustain, and evaluate the
performance of partnerships with entities such as—
(i)employers;
(ii)industries;
(iii)schools;
(iv)community-based
organizations;
(v)institutions of
higher education;
(vi)social service
organizations;
(vii)economic
development organizations; and
(viii)workforce
systems;
(B)facilitates
services, resources, and supports to youth and the organizations and systems
that are designed to serve them, including—
(i)connecting
employers to classrooms;
(ii)designing and
implementing a work-based learning continuum;
(iii)developing or
providing curricula;
(iv)delivering
professional development; and
(v)connecting
students to internships and other work-based learning opportunities; and
(C)has the capacity
to interpret and translate labor market information to inform the development
of work-based learning opportunities.
(11)The term secondary school has the meaning
given the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(12)Secondary
school graduation rateThe term secondary school
graduation rate
means the 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate, which
is—
(A)the number of
students who graduated in 4 years with a regular diploma; divided by
(B)the number of
students in the original 9th grade cohort for the graduating class—
(i)plus the number
of students who transferred in to the cohort's grade at the secondary school
during the 4-year cohort period; and
(ii)minus the number
of students who transferred out of the cohort's grade at the secondary school
during the 4-year cohort period.
(13)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
(14)The term student internship plan
means a written plan—
(A)developed for the
purpose of identifying—
(i)student goals and
learning objectives; and
(ii)the role of
work-based learning in meeting those goals; and
(B)agreed to
by—
(i)the
secondary school student (and the parent or legal guardian of the student if
the student is less than 18 years old);
(ii)a
qualified representative from the school at which the student is enrolled, such
as the school principal, teacher, guidance counselor, or college and career
counselor; and
(iii)the internship
supervisor or provider.
(15)The term work-based learning means
coordinated, sequenced, applied learning opportunities for students
that—
(A)are part of a
broader work-based learning continuum that includes both pre- and
post-internship activities;
(B)are available at
each secondary school that is served by a local educational agency that
participates in the grant program under this Act, and may be scaled across
grades within the individual secondary school;
(C)are integrated
with academic coursework; and
(D)can occur in a
workplace or community setting, and may include service-learning.
(16)Work-based
learning continuumThe term work-based learning
continuum means a continuum of work-based learning experiences
that—
(A)help build and
develop college and career readiness skills among participating students,
including career awareness, career exploration, and career practicum;
and
(B)culminates in an
internship and may include other activities and experiences designed to
strengthen college and career readiness skills through applied learning.
5.
(a)The Secretary is authorized to award grants, on a
competitive basis, to eligible entities for the development and implementation
of equitable, comprehensive, districtwide opportunities for secondary school
students to participate in an internship program as part of a broader
work-based learning continuum.
(b)Each
grant awarded shall be for a minimum of a 3-year period and a maximum of a
5-year period and may be renewed based on performance as determined by the
Secretary.
(c)The Secretary shall ensure that each grant awarded to an
eligible entity under this Act is of sufficient size and scope to enable the
eligible entity to carry out the grant activities described in section
7.
(d)The Secretary shall ensure that grants under this
Act are awarded to eligible entities that—
(1)meet the grant
application requirements described in section 6; and
(2)represent
different geographic regions of the United States, including urban and rural
areas.
(e)From the amounts appropriated under section 9, the
Secretary shall reserve not less than 1 percent and not more than 2 percent
for—
(1)the evaluation of
activities implemented under this Act;
(2)technical
assistance; and
(3)the dissemination
of information on effective internship and work-based learning programs.
6.
(a)An eligible entity desiring 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.
(b)Contents of
internship planEach application submitted under this section
shall include the goals and strategies for developing and providing secondary
school students with an opportunity to participate in a student-focused
internship program as the culminating experience of a broader work-based
learning continuum, including—
(1)a description of
how the work-based learning program will address rigorous academic content
knowledge that prepares secondary school students for success in institutions
of higher education and careers without the need for remediation at the
postsecondary level;
(2)a description of
the work-based learning continuum that will prepare and provide opportunities
for secondary school students to participate in an internship as a culminating
experience in the continuum, which description shall include—
(A)the internship
program implementation timeline;
(B)a description of
any changes to the secondary school schedule, including restructuring or
extending the school day and coordination with any after-school or
out-of-school-time programs;
(C)the number,
percentage, and grade level of students to be served under the grant;
(D)the creation and
implementation of student internship plans for each student served;
(E)a description of
the opportunities for students to engage in structured reflection on their
student internship plan and internship experiences;
(F)a plan for
pre-internship preparation for the students, such as review of regional labor
market information, employer classroom visits, field trips, or
job-shadowing;
(G)a plan for
classroom-based internship support activities;
(H)a plan for
student transportation;
(I)a plan for
post-internship activities; and
(J)a description of
the participant compensation for the work of the participating students, such
as wages, stipends, or the number of secondary or postsecondary credits
participants may receive upon completion of the internship program;
(3)a description of
how the work-based learning continuum and internship experience will improve
outcomes for low-income and underserved students, based on evidence;
(4)identification of
program goals and performance indicators, including student academic
performance indicators and student participation, attendance, engagement, and
internship completion, and other outcomes, such as secondary school graduation,
institution of higher education enrollment, and decreased need for
postsecondary remediation;
(5)a plan to
assess—
(A)the performance
of the intern against college and career readiness skills and attributes;
and
(B)the quality of
each internship program in the areas of internship experience, preparation,
connection to an in-demand industry sector or occupation, responsibilities, and
engagement;
(6)a memorandum of
understanding between members of the eligible entity and a description of
partnership requirements and expectations and individual member
responsibilities;
(7)where applicable,
a memorandum of understanding between the eligible entity and an institution of
higher education regarding the provision and cost of any postsecondary credits
earned by participating students;
(8)the
identification of, and a plan to address, any State or local worker’s
compensation, minimum work age, safety, or liability issues for work-based
learning that occurs outside of school property or outside of regular school
hours;
(9)an assurance that
the internship provider complies with all provisions of the Fair Labor
Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 201 et seq.);
(10)an assurance
that business or industry employees are neither replaced nor displaced by an
intern participating in the program;
(11)an assessment
of, and a plan to address, any attendance policies, scheduling policies, or
other policies related to compensating interns, including the number of credits
that may be earned and time students may spend outside of the classroom, that
may serve as barriers to program implementation or graduation from secondary
school in the standard number of years;
(12)the means by
which the eligible entity will encourage and support the full participation of
secondary school students who are children with disabilities, as defined in
section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C.
1401), students from low-income families, and diverse learners, including
English language learners, in the activities funded under the grant;
(13)an assurance
that students are not tracked or directed into certain internships or career
paths and that a variety of internship choices of comparable rigor and quality
are provided to students;
(14)a description of
supplemental support services provided, such as academic counseling and
counseling regarding institutions of higher education and careers, including
the provision of labor market information and mentoring;
(15)a plan that
provides professional development opportunities, including time and resources
to enable participation, to teachers and internship supervisors and employers
to ensure that student internships are aligned with and reinforce academic
content and college and career readiness skills;
(16)a plan
that—
(A)supports ongoing
communication between participating teachers, administrators, and internship
supervisors or employers in an effort to share and monitor student data and to
assess and support student performance; and
(B)ensures that such
communication and student data sharing complies with the requirements,
including requirements for consent, of section 444 of the General Education
Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g) (commonly known as the “Family Educational
Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”);
(17)a program
sustainability plan that—
(A)leverages Federal
and non-Federal funding (including in-kind resources);
(B)builds a
broad-based coalition of support among secondary schools, employers, parents,
institutions of higher education, State or local workforce boards, community
based organizations, philanthropy, and other partners through outreach and
communication efforts; and
(C)may establish an
advisory board that includes representatives from participating schools,
businesses, community-based organizations, philanthropy, institutions of higher
education, workforce boards, and qualified intermediaries;
(18)the requirement
of a cash or in-kind match from employer partners, such as covering the cost of
transportation, training, and materials;
(19)a description of
how the strategies implemented under this Act strengthen, leverage, do not
duplicate, and align with programs within the community served that are funded
under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.), the Carl
D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.),
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.),
and the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.); and
(20)in the case of
an eligible entity that includes a local educational agency that serves more
than 1 secondary school, if districtwide implementation is not feasible within
1 year, a description of how the local educational agency will increase the
scale of the grant program on an annual basis such that all secondary schools
served by the local educational agency will be served by the grant program
before the end of the grant period or prior to the time of grant
renewal.
7.
(a)An eligible entity that receives a grant under this Act
shall use funds to implement districtwide opportunities for students to
participate in an internship program as part of a work-based learning
continuum, including—
(1)providing
professional development and supporting ongoing communication and opportunities
for coordination, including through—
(A)the use of
technology between teachers and internship supervisors or employers;
(B)data sharing that
complies with the requirements, including requirements for consent, of section
444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g) (commonly known
as the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”) and the development
of ways to support student participation and success to ensure that—
(i)internship
activities and responsibilities are aligned with and reinforce academic content
and college and career readiness skills; and
(ii)classroom
teaching incorporates high-quality connections to work-based learning;
and
(C)supporting
student placement and student and program assessment;
(2)providing
nonacademic and academic support, such as tutoring, to support the improvement
of skills;
(3)increasing
student access to school-based college and career counselors and integrated
supports;
(4)providing or
facilitating the transportation required for a student to fully participate in
the activities funded under the grant;
(5)developing and
implementing a work-based learning and internship program curriculum and
assessments to ensure that internship activities and responsibilities are
aligned to and reinforce academic content and college and career readiness
skills;
(6)providing for the
cost of postsecondary credits for participating secondary students such that
the credits are of no cost to the student;
(7)restructuring the
school day—
(A)to accommodate
work-based learning opportunities and scheduling; and
(B)to allow
participating students to earn course credit for participation in an internship
program that may occur outside of school hours or during the summer, in
addition to during regular school hours;
(8)providing
technological support, including investments in data systems and sharing of
data (in compliance with the requirements, including requirements for consent,
of section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g)
(commonly known as the “Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974”)
between members of the eligible entity, such as student attendance, credit
accrual, and performance-based assessments in an effort to monitor, evaluate,
and support student progress;
(9)contracting with
qualified intermediaries to connect students to and support high-quality
internships and work-based learning opportunities; and
(10)providing
technical assistance and support to internship providers in implementing the
internship program.
(b)An
eligible entity that receives a grant under this Act shall not use grant funds
to pay salaries to participating students or to pay salaries to, or on behalf
of, internship providers.
8.Each eligible entity that receives a grant
under this Act shall annually, for each year of the grant, make available to
the Secretary and to the public a report that includes information
about—
(1)the number of secondary schools and the
number of students that are participating in the eligible entity's program
under this Act;
(2)best practices; and
(3)a description of program outcomes and the
impact of the grant program on student learning and achievement, which
shall—
(A)be based on the data that is collected in
accordance with the indicators described in section 6(b)(4) and the assessment
plan described in section 6(b)(5);
(B)include any increases in secondary school
graduation rates or rates of enrollment in an institution of higher education;
and
(C)include student
data that is disaggregated by gender, by each major racial and ethnic group, by
English proficiency status, by migrant status, by students with disabilities as
compared to nondisabled students, and by economically disadvantaged students as
compared to students who are not economically disadvantaged, except that, in
the case of a local educational agency or a school, such disaggregation shall
not be required in a case in which the number of students in a category is
insufficient to yield statistically reliable information or the results would
reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student.
9.Authorization of
appropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such sums as may be
necessary for each of the fiscal years 2013 through 2018.