[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5704 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5704

To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
              to establish a Master Teacher Corp program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 13, 2014

   Mr. Holt introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                Committee on Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
              to establish a Master Teacher Corp program.

    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 ``Master Teacher Corps Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds as follows:
            (1) As stated in The Heart of the Matter, a report 
        published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, our 
        need for a broadly literate population is more urgent than 
        ever.
            (2) As citizens, we need to absorb an ever-growing body of 
        information and to assess the sources of that information.
            (3) As workers, we need to adapt to an ever-accelerating 
        rate of technological change and to reflect on the implications 
        of these changes.
            (4) As members of a global community, we need to look 
        beyond our borders to communicate and interact with individuals 
        from societies and cultures different from our own.
            (5) As a Nation, we need to provide an educational 
        foundation for our future stability and prosperity--drawing on 
        all areas of knowledge.
            (6) Good teachers matter. Students with highly skilled 
        teachers can gain an additional year's worth of learning 
        compared to their peers in other classrooms. Moreover, having 
        an effective teacher for three to four years in a row can erase 
        the income-based achievement gap.
            (7) Attrition among new teachers is exceptionally high. As 
        many as 50 percent of new teachers leave within their first 
        five years teaching. Moreover, many of those leaving are the 
        highly performing new teachers.
            (8) Short-term, in-service professional development has not 
        been found to be effective. Rather, successful professional 
        development is extensive, sustained, focused on content, and 
        embedded in the day-to-day work of teachers.
            (9) Teacher induction and mentoring programs increase job 
        satisfaction and retention among new teachers. Furthermore, 
        research shows that additional young people would consider 
        teaching if the profession offered more opportunities for 
        advancement and collaboration.
            (10) Programs that provide teachers with opportunities to 
        lead and grow, and to be recognized and compensated for their 
        leadership, are key to keeping talented teachers in the 
        classroom.
            (11) A Master Teacher Corps will provide schools a way to 
        use their human capital to improve student achievement by 
        providing their best teachers with an opportunity to share best 
        practices and support other teachers.

SEC. 3. MASTER TEACHER CORPS.

    (a) In General.--Part 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:

                   ``Subpart 6--Master Teacher Corps

``SEC. 2161. DEFINITION.

    ``In this subpart, the term `eligible entity' means--
            ``(1) a consortium of--
                    ``(A) 2 or more local educational agencies;
                    ``(B) 2 or more State educational agencies; or
                    ``(C) 2 or more local educational agencies and 1 or 
                more State educational agencies; acting in partnership 
                with
            ``(2) 1 or more--
                    ``(A) institutions of higher education; or
                    ``(B) nonprofit organizations with a demonstrated 
                record of success in preparing or improving the 
                effectiveness of teachers.

``SEC. 2162. GRANTS AUTHORIZED.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a Master Teacher 
Corps program by awarding, on a competitive basis, 1 or more grants of 
not less than $10,000,000 each to eligible entities to establish the 
program in accordance with section 2164.
    ``(b) Duration of Grant.--A grant awarded under this subpart shall 
be for a period of not more than 5 years.
    ``(c) Matching Requirement.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), an 
        eligible entity that receives a grant under this subpart shall 
        provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to not less 
        than 30 percent of the amount of the grant, which may be 
        provided in cash or in-kind, to carry out the activities 
        supported by the grant.
            ``(2) Exception.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary may waive the 30 
                percent matching requirement under paragraph (1) for an 
                eligible entity that the Secretary determines is unable 
                to meet such requirement. The Secretary shall set a 
                matching requirement for such eligible entities 
                according to the sliding scale described in 
                subparagraph (B).
                    ``(B) Sliding scale.--The amount of a match under 
                subparagraph (A) shall be established based on a 
                sliding fee scale that takes into account--
                            ``(i) the relative poverty of the 
                        population to be targeted by the eligible 
                        entity; and
                            ``(ii) the ability of the eligible entity 
                        to obtain such matching funds.
            ``(3) Consideration.--The Secretary shall not consider an 
        eligible entity's ability to match funds when determining which 
        eligible entities will receive grant awards under this subpart.
    ``(d) Administrative Expenses.--Each eligible entity receiving 
funds under this subpart for a fiscal year may use not more than 5 
percent of such funds for the cost of administering this subpart.

``SEC. 2163. APPLICATION.

    ``(a) In General.--An eligible entity desiring a grant under this 
subpart shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 
require.
    ``(b) Contents.--An application submitted under this section shall 
include--
            ``(1) a description of the Master Teacher Corps program 
        that the eligible entity intends to carry out, including the 
        number of Corps members the entity intends to select, the 
        intended distribution of subjects and grade levels taught, the 
        geographic and economic characteristics of the local 
        educational agencies that are part of the eligible entity;
            ``(2) a description of the types of activities and 
        responsibilities with which the corps members will be involved, 
        which--
                    ``(A) shall include--
                            ``(i) roles around school, local 
                        educational agency, or State policymaking;
                            ``(ii) mentoring and supporting beginning 
                        teachers within subject area;
                            ``(iii) sharing best practices and 
                        resources;
                            ``(iv) networking of master teachers; and
                            ``(v) support for master teachers; and
                    ``(B) may not include typical building 
                administrator roles that are not related to teacher 
                development or student achievement;
            ``(3) a description of strategies the applicant will use to 
        measure impact, such as observations, learning objectives, and 
        student achievement data.
            ``(4) a description of the roles and responsibilities that 
        each higher education or nonprofit institution will have with 
        the eligible entity.
            ``(5) a clear plan for research-based professional 
        development that includes instruction regarding--
                    ``(A) mentoring and supporting adults;
                    ``(B) opportunities to improve knowledge of content 
                area;
                    ``(C) opportunities to learn how to analyze data in 
                ways that can impact instruction; and
                    ``(D) instructional leadership training;
            ``(6) an explanation of how master teachers will be 
        afforded dedicated time, authority, and resources to fulfill 
        requirements, and how other teachers will be afforded time to 
        interact with master teachers, since master teachers may have 
        hybrid roles teaching part-time and engaging in master teacher 
        responsibilities part-time;
            ``(7) a demonstration that the entity has sufficient 
        capacity to carry out the activities described in the 
        application and measure the impact of the program; and
            ``(8) a description of how the grant funds will be 
        financially managed.
    ``(c) Criteria for Awarding Grants.--The Secretary shall award 
grants under this subpart on the basis of merit considering, at a 
minimum, the following:
            ``(1) The extent to which the local educational agencies 
        that are part of the eligible entity are committed to 
        integrating the program into existing school, local educational 
        agency, State, and regional structures.
            ``(2) The quality of the proposed professional development, 
        corps member activities, and leadership roles for master 
        teachers.
            ``(3) The capacity of the eligible entity to effectively 
        carry out the program.
            ``(4) Proposed logistical and scheduling measures that will 
        allow for master teachers to participate.
            ``(5) The diversity of proposed grade levels, subjects, 
        content areas, and skill sets covered by the types of teachers 
        proposed to be selected for the corps.
            ``(6) The geographic and economic diversity of schools 
        proposed to participate in the applicant's program.
            ``(7) The extent that various stakeholders, including 
        teachers, school leaders, administrators, were involved in the 
        process of creating the structure for a master teacher corps in 
        the application.

``SEC. 2164. REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.

    ``(a) In General.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under this 
subpart shall use grant funds for the following:
            ``(1) Selecting teachers into the Master Teachers Corps.
            ``(2) Financially compensating corps members.
            ``(3) Providing research-based professional development.
            ``(4) Assisting with coordination of instructional 
        leadership, mentorship, training, and coaching roles of corps 
        members, includes hiring substitute teachers to fill the role 
        of the master teacher if the teacher is working with other 
        teachers.
            ``(5) Facilitating efforts for master teachers to be 
        involved in policy decisions at the local educational agency, 
        State, and regional levels.
            ``(6) Defraying school and local educational costs 
        associated with corps members fulfilling their 
        responsibilities.
            ``(7) Tracking the effectiveness and impact of the program.
            ``(8) Supporting other activities that advance the purpose 
        of this subpart.
    ``(b) Selecting Members of the Master Teacher Corps.--
            ``(1) Selection criteria for corps members.--
                    ``(A) Experience.--Corps members must have at least 
                5 years of full-time experience as a public or private 
                elementary or secondary school teacher.
                    ``(B) Ratings.--Corps members must have earned the 
                highest rating on their State- or locally-developed 
                evaluations for a majority of their teaching years 
                prior to their application to be part of the corps.
                    ``(C) Other criteria.--Corps members will be 
                selected based on the teacher's--
                            ``(i) ability to improve and enhance 
                        student achievement;
                            ``(ii) ability to focus on individual 
                        student learning needs and tailor instruction 
                        to those needs;
                            ``(iii) ability to address adult learners 
                        in professional development;
                            ``(iv) ability to successfully collaborate 
                        with teachers, school leaders, and staff;
                            ``(v) skill in promoting teacher reflection 
                        through formative assessment processes, 
                        including using evidence of student learning 
                        and student practice;
                            ``(vi) strong interpersonal and oral and 
                        written communication skills;
                            ``(vii) record of leadership in the 
                        teacher's school;
                            ``(viii) participation in student 
                        extracurricular activities and professional and 
                        school outreach activities;
                            ``(ix) record of teaching students not on 
                        grade level or not on track to graduate 
                        college- and career-ready; and
                            ``(x) measurable ability using various 
                        indicators, including National Board 
                        Certification, assessments of content knowledge 
                        and pedagogical skills, and practical 
                        professional experience outside of the 
                        classroom (such as previous work in a content-
                        related industry).
            ``(2) Overall corps membership requirements.--An eligible 
        entity receiving a grant under this subpart shall ensure that 
        not more than 20 percent of the teachers who teach in the 
        participating area are members of the Corps.
            ``(3) Prohibition.--A local educational agency shall not 
        change the status of a teacher from full-time to part-time if 
        that teacher becomes a corps member and is teaching while 
        simultaneously fulfilling the responsibilities of a corps 
        member.
            ``(4) Participation of private school teachers.--An 
        eligible entity may select teachers who teach at private 
        schools in the participating area to be members of the Master 
        Teacher Corps, except that--
                    ``(A) a private school teacher must meet the same 
                requirements and accountability standards as a public 
                school teacher; and
                    ``(B) a private school teacher is not eligible to 
                receive monetary compensation under subsection (c) and 
                their school is not eligible to receive funds to defray 
                the costs associated with affording the teacher time to 
                fulfill the teacher's duties as a Corps member.
    ``(c) Compensation.--
            ``(1) In general.--An eligible entity receiving a grant 
        under this subpart shall use grant funds to provide 
        compensation to each teacher who is selected and serves as a 
        member of the Master Teacher Corps, in recognition of the 
        teacher's teaching accomplishments, leadership, and increased 
        responsibilities, which amount shall--
                    ``(A) supplement, and not supplant, the teacher's 
                base salary; and
                    ``(B) be equal to $10,000 per year for each year 
                the teacher serves as a member of the Corps;
            ``(2) Withholding compensation for noncompliance.--
                    ``(A) Monitoring compliance.--Each eligible entity 
                that receives a grant under this subpart shall monitor 
                whether each teacher the entity selects to be a member 
                of the Master Teacher Corps is in compliance with the 
                Corps member requirements.
                    ``(B) Withholding payment.--A teacher selected to 
                be a member of the Master Teacher Corps may not receive 
                the additional compensation provided for a school year 
                to the eligible entity if--
                            ``(i) the entity finds the teacher not in 
                        compliance with the Corps member requirements 
                        and the entity determines the teacher should no 
                        longer be a member of the Corps for such year; 
                        or
                            ``(ii) the teacher withdraws during such 
                        year from membership in the Corps without an 
                        accepted excuse, as determined by the eligible 
                        entity.

``SEC. 2165. REPORTS AND EVALUATION.

    ``(a) Reports to the Secretary.--Each eligible entity receiving a 
grant under this subpart shall provide an annual report to the 
Secretary that--
            ``(1) summarizes the activities assisted under the grant 
        and program outcomes; and
            ``(2) includes, with respect to each member of the Master 
        Teacher Corps, the following:
                    ``(A) The name of the member.
                    ``(B) The school at which the member teaches and 
                the location of such school.
                    ``(C) The subject or skill area the teacher 
                teaches.
                    ``(D) The grade level the teacher teaches.
    ``(b) IES Evaluation.--The Secretary, acting through the Director 
of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall--
            ``(1) evaluate the implementation and impact of the program 
        under this subpart, particularly with regard to the program's 
        success in achieving the goals of this subpart;
            ``(2) identify successes, best practices, and areas for 
        improvement; and
            ``(3) disseminate findings from the evaluation and make the 
        findings publicly available.
    ``(c) Reports to Congress.--Not later than 4 years after the 
establishment of the program under this chapter, and not later than 2 
years thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce and the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, a report that 
summarizes--
            ``(1) the activities assisted under the program under this 
        chapter;
            ``(2) the outcomes of the program; and
            ``(3) any recommendations regarding changes to, the 
        termination of, or the continuation and expansion of the 
        program.''.
    (b) Funding.--Section 2103 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6603) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(c) Master Teacher Corps.--Of the amount appropriated under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall set aside such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out subpart 6.''.
    (c) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in section 2 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 2151 the following:

                    ``subpart 6--master teacher corps

``Sec. 2161. Definition.
``Sec. 2162. Grants authorized.
``Sec. 2163. Application.
``Sec. 2164. Required uses of funds.
``Sec. 2165. Reports and evaluation.''.

SEC. 4. CONSTRUCTION.

    This Act shall not be construed to increase the amount of 
appropriations that are authorized to be appropriated for any fiscal 
year.
                                 <all>