[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 402 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 402

To establish a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 
                     Master Teacher Corps program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 5, 2015

  Mr. Franken introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) 
                     Master Teacher Corps 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 ``STEM Master Teacher Corps Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Numerous recent reports by national advisory groups, 
        including the President's Council of Advisors on Science and 
        Technology and the committees of the National Academies, have 
        highlighted the need to raise student achievement in science, 
        technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this 
        section as ``STEM'') fields to enable the United States to 
        maintain its competitive edge in the global economy.
            (2) Success in the American workforce increasingly requires 
        STEM skills.
            (3) According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will 
        be 6,750,000 STEM-related job openings by 2020, as defined by 
        the Occupational Information Network.
            (4) Recent standardized tests show United States students' 
        mathematics and science performance is only average or below 
        average compared with their international peers. According to 
        the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, 
        60 percent of United States eighth graders failed to meet the 
        intermediate international benchmark in mathematics and 27 
        percent failed to reach the same benchmark in science.
            (5) Too few American students graduate from high school 
        with the interest and the preparation to successfully pursue 
        STEM degrees in college. Well over one-half of college students 
        in China and Japan major in STEM fields, compared with only a 
        third of students in the United States.
            (6) Several researchers, including at Stanford University, 
        have found that the effects of well-prepared teachers on 
        student achievement can be stronger than the influences of 
        student background factors, such as poverty, language 
        background, and minority status.
            (7) The Harvard Graduate School of Education report 
        entitled ``Who Stays in Teaching and Why'' cites research that 
        shows more young people would consider teaching if it offered 
        more opportunities for advancement, and that if schools fail to 
        offer teachers these opportunities throughout their teaching 
        careers, the schools may risk losing them permanently. It also 
        reports that well-implemented mentoring and induction programs 
        provide the support novice teachers need to feel satisfied and 
        remain in their schools.
            (8) Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have 
        found that STEM teachers migrate within the teaching profession 
        to better paying jobs at better-funded schools, resulting in 
        local imbalances and leaving schools in high-poverty 
        communities struggling to find knowledgeable teachers.
            (9) Individuals with strong STEM skills have opportunities 
        for more lucrative careers outside of teaching. According to 
        the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 
        (OECD), the United States ranks in the bottom third of OECD 
        countries in terms of teacher salary relative to other 
        occupations requiring tertiary education. Furthermore, data 
        from the National Association of Colleges and Employers show 
        the average salary offered to recent college graduates in 2012 
        in certain STEM-related fields was up to $20,000 higher than 
        that offered to new secondary school teachers and up to $23,000 
        higher than that offered to new elementary school and middle 
        school teachers.

SEC. 3. STEM MASTER TEACHER CORPS.

    (a) In General.--Subpart 5 of part A of title II of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6651 et seq.) is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting before section 2151 the following:

   ``CHAPTER A--NATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF DEMONSTRATED EFFECTIVENESS'';

        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:

                 ``CHAPTER B--STEM MASTER TEACHER CORPS

``SEC. 2155. PURPOSE.

    ``The purpose of this chapter is to establish a STEM Master Teacher 
Corps program that--
            ``(1) elevates the status of the STEM teaching profession 
        by recognizing and rewarding outstanding STEM teachers;
            ``(2) attracts and retains effective STEM teachers, 
        particularly in high-need schools, by offering them additional 
        compensation, instructional resources, and instructional 
        leadership roles; and
            ``(3) creates a network of outstanding STEM teacher-leaders 
        who will--
                    ``(A) share best practices and resources;
                    ``(B) take on leadership responsibilities in their 
                schools, districts, States (if part of the 
                participating area), or consortia with the authority to 
                provide professional support to their STEM colleagues 
                not participating in the STEM Master Teacher Corps;
                    ``(C) aid in the development and retention of 
                beginning teachers by serving as their role models and 
                providing them with instructional support; and
                    ``(D) inform the development of STEM education 
                policy.

``SEC. 2156. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this chapter:
            ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
        consortium of local educational agencies or 1 or more State 
        educational agencies, acting in partnership with 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 STEM teachers.
            ``(2) High-need school.--The term `high-need school' means 
        a public school, which may be a public charter school, that 
        meets 1 or more of the following criteria:
                    ``(A) Not less than 40 percent of the students 
                enrolled at the school--
                            ``(i) receive or are eligible to receive a 
                        free or reduced price lunch under the Richard 
                        B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        1751 et seq.); or
                            ``(ii) are from low-income families, as 
                        determined using 1 of the measures of poverty 
                        specified under section 1113(a)(5).
                    ``(B) The school is among the lowest performing 10 
                percent of schools in the State in which it is located.
                    ``(C) In the case of a public high school, the 
                school has a graduation rate of 65 percent or less.
                    ``(D) In the case of a public school containing 
                middle grades, the school feeds into a public high 
                school that has a graduation rate of 65 percent or 
                less.
            ``(3) Participating area.--The term `participating area' 
        means--
                    ``(A) in the case of an eligible entity that 
                includes a State educational agency or consortium of 
                State educational agencies, the State or States; or
                    ``(B) in the case of an eligible entity that 
                includes a consortium of local educational agencies, 
                the area served by such agencies.
            ``(4) Rural school.--The term `rural school' means a public 
        school--
                    ``(A) designated with a school locale code of 
                Distant Town, Remote Town, Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, 
                or Remote Rural; and
                    ``(B) served by a local educational agency in which 
                not less than two-thirds of the students served by the 
                agency attend a school designated with 1 of the school 
                locale codes listed in subparagraph (A).
            ``(5) STEM.--The term `STEM' means science, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics.

``SEC. 2157. STEM MASTER TEACHER CORPS PROGRAM.

    ``(a) In General.--
            ``(1) Grants authorized.--The Secretary, in consultation 
        with the Director of the National Science Foundation and the 
        heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, as determined by 
        the Secretary, shall establish a STEM Master Teacher Corps 
        program by awarding, on a competitive basis, 1 or more grants 
        of not less than $15,000,000 each to eligible entities to 
        enable the eligible entities to establish the program, in 
        accordance with section 2159.
            ``(2) Planning grants.--The Secretary may award planning 
        grants to eligible entities to enable the entities to make 
        plans to establish the program, in accordance with section 
        2159.
    ``(b) Duration of Grant.--
            ``(1) In general.--A grant awarded under this chapter shall 
        be for a period of not more than 5 years.
            ``(2) Review.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) review, 3 years after an eligible entity is 
                awarded a grant under this chapter, the performance of 
                the entity during the 3-year period; and
                    ``(B) fund the remaining grant period for such 
                entity if the Secretary determines, based on such 
                review, that the entity is achieving satisfactory 
                results.
    ``(c) Matching Requirement.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), an 
        eligible entity that receives a grant under this chapter shall 
        provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to not less 
        than 50 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 50-
                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 chapter.

``SEC. 2158. APPLICATION.

    ``(a) In General.--An eligible entity desiring a grant under this 
chapter 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 STEM 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 participating 
        area, such as the rural-urban continuum codes and proportion of 
        high-need schools served, and the type of activities proposed 
        for recruitment of Corps members;
            ``(2) a description of the roles and responsibilities that 
        each participating local educational agency, State, institution 
        of higher education, or nonprofit organization, as applicable, 
        will have;
            ``(3) a demonstration that the entity has sufficient 
        capacity to carry out the activities described in section 2159;
            ``(4) a description of the member selection process and 
        criteria that the applicant will use to select members of the 
        STEM Master Teacher Corps, in accordance with section 2159(b);
            ``(5) a description of how the eligible entity intends to 
        facilitate networking and sharing of best practices and 
        educational resources relating to STEM education among Corps 
        members, particularly at rural schools, if applicable, and make 
        a selection of these best practices and resources more widely 
        available to other teachers and the STEM educational community, 
        including through electronic means;
            ``(6) a demonstration that the entity has a clear plan 
        for--
                    ``(A) offering research-based professional 
                development to Corps members, including--
                            ``(i) training on instructional leadership;
                            ``(ii) mentoring;
                            ``(iii) engaging and effectively teaching 
                        historically underachieving or underrepresented 
                        groups in STEM fields, such as girls, 
                        minorities, low-income students, students who 
                        are limited English proficient, and students 
                        who are children with disabilities; and
                            ``(iv) effective STEM teaching methods, 
                        such as incorporating hands-on STEM projects 
                        into their lesson plans; and
                    ``(B) tracking the effectiveness of such 
                professional development;
            ``(7) a demonstration that the entity has a clear plan for 
        evaluating the impact of the professional support provided by 
        STEM Master Teacher Corps members to other teachers in their 
        school, district, State (if part of the participating area), or 
        consortium;
            ``(8) a description of how the local educational agencies 
        and schools served by the eligible entity intend to align STEM 
        Master Teacher Corps members' duties with school systems and 
        activities already in place, if applicable, such as 
        professional development and mentoring;
            ``(9) an explanation of how STEM Master Teacher Corps 
        members will be afforded the time, authority, and resources to 
        fulfill requirements under the program, and how other teachers 
        will be afforded the time to receive professional support from 
        Corps members;
            ``(10) a demonstration that the entity has a clear plan for 
        oversight to ensure that STEM Master Teacher Corps members 
        carry out the responsibilities described in section 2159(c) to 
        the fullest extent practicable, and a description of the 
        actions to be taken if a member does not carry out such 
        responsibilities; and
            ``(11) a description of how the grant funds will be 
        financially managed.
    ``(c) Criteria for Awarding Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants under 
        this chapter on the basis of merit considering, at a minimum, 
        the following:
                    ``(A) The extent to which the local educational 
                agencies that are part of the eligible entity are 
                committed to integrating the program into existing 
                school structures, policies, operations, and budgets, 
                such as by enabling STEM Master Teacher Corps members 
                to take on leadership roles in their schools, 
                districts, States (if part of the participating area), 
                or consortia, in addition to their classroom duties, 
                including assisting in the development and 
                implementation of professional development activities 
                and driving the instructional program of the school.
                    ``(B) The quality of the proposed professional 
                development, teacher leadership and mentorship 
                activities, and networking opportunities.
                    ``(C) Demonstration that the local educational 
                agencies and schools they serve have removed barriers 
                to full participation in the program, including 
                affording Corps members and the teachers they mentor 
                the time to participate in activities required by the 
                program.
                    ``(D) The number and quality of the individuals 
                that will be served by the program.
                    ``(E) The capacity of the eligible entity to 
                effectively carry out the program.
            ``(2) Priority.--In awarding grants under this chapter, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to--
                    ``(A) eligible entities that intend to include 
                large numbers of teachers in the STEM Master Teacher 
                Corps; and
                    ``(B) eligible entities that intend to include 
                rural schools, particularly high-need rural schools, in 
                the participating area to be served.

``SEC. 2159. REQUIRED USE OF FUNDS.

    ``(a) In General.--An eligible entity receiving a grant under this 
chapter shall use grant funds to--
            ``(1) administer the selection of teachers for membership 
        in the STEM Master Teacher Corps, in accordance with the 
        requirements of subsection (b);
            ``(2) provide compensation to each public school teacher 
        who is selected and serves as a member of the STEM 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--
                            ``(i) in the case of a teacher who teaches 
                        at a public school, including a charter school, 
                        that is a high-need school, $15,000 per year 
                        for each year the teacher serves as a member of 
                        the Corps; and
                            ``(ii) in the case of a teacher who teaches 
                        at a public school, including a charter school, 
                        that is not a high-need school, $5,000 per year 
                        for each year the teacher serves as a member of 
                        the Corps;
            ``(3) provide research-based professional development 
        activities for members of the STEM Master Teacher Corps, as 
        described in subsection 2158(b)(6), and track the effectiveness 
        of such professional development in order to determine whether 
        to alter professional development activities;
            ``(4) provide discretionary resources for STEM Master 
        Teacher Corps members at high-need public schools to use in 
        their classrooms and schools, including for afterschool 
        activities, to enrich STEM education and to facilitate long-
        distance networking, mentoring, and sharing of best practices, 
        including equipment and technology;
            ``(5) assist in coordinating instructional leadership roles 
        for STEM Master Teacher Corps members and mentoring 
        relationships between STEM Master Teacher Corps members and 
        other teachers in the same school, school district, State (if 
        part of the participating area), or consortium in which the 
        Corps members serve as instructional leaders;
            ``(6) facilitate efforts by STEM Master Teacher Corps 
        members to inform STEM education policy at the national, State, 
        and local levels;
            ``(7) help defray costs associated with affording STEM 
        Master Teacher Corps members the time to fulfill their duties 
        as Corps members; and
            ``(8) support other activities that advance the purpose of 
        this chapter.
    ``(b) Selecting Members of the STEM Master Teacher Corps.--
            ``(1) Selection criteria for corps members.--The eligible 
        entity shall select, as members of the STEM Master Teacher 
        Corps, exemplary STEM teachers at the elementary school and 
        secondary school levels who teach in the participating area, 
        which may also include special education teachers and teachers 
        of limited English proficient students who teach a STEM 
        subject. In selecting the members, the eligible entity shall--
                    ``(A) make decisions based on the teacher's--
                            ``(i) ability to improve student academic 
                        achievement in the STEM fields, as demonstrated 
                        by, if applicable, student academic growth in 
                        such fields;
                            ``(ii) ability to enhance student 
                        engagement in such fields;
                            ``(iii) record of leadership in the 
                        teacher's school and involvement in 
                        professional and outreach activities;
                            ``(iv) record of teaching students not on 
                        grade level or not on track to graduate ready 
                        for higher education or a career; and
                            ``(v) demonstrated ability to facilitate 
                        student academic achievement growth with the 
                        students described in clause (iv), where such 
                        measures are available; and
                    ``(B) evaluate the teacher's ability and record 
                based on multiple measures, such as--
                            ``(i) teacher evaluations of pedagogical 
                        skills;
                            ``(ii) an assessment of content knowledge;
                            ``(iii) the performance and improvement of 
                        the teacher's students on tests;
                            ``(iv) demonstration of practical 
                        professional experience in the teacher's 
                        discipline, such as having worked in industry 
                        or research;
                            ``(v) involvement in STEM discipline 
                        professional societies;
                            ``(vi) STEM outreach and community 
                        involvement; and
                            ``(vii) certification by the National Board 
                        for Professional Teaching Standards, or other 
                        equivalently rigorous, performance-based, peer-
                        reviewed certification, as a high-performing 
                        teacher.
            ``(2) Overall corps membership requirements.--An eligible 
        entity receiving a grant under this chapter shall ensure that--
                    ``(A) not more than 5 percent of the STEM teachers 
                who teach in the participating area are members of the 
                Corps;
                    ``(B) not less than 75 percent of the STEM Master 
                Teacher Corps members are teachers at high-need 
                schools;
                    ``(C) the proportion of STEM Master Teacher Corps 
                members in the participating area who teach at rural 
                high-need schools is not less than the proportion of 
                all teachers who teach at rural high-need schools in 
                the participating area;
                    ``(D) there are multiple cohorts of STEM Master 
                Teacher Corps members; and
                    ``(E) the STEM Master Teacher Corps includes 
                teachers from each of the disciplines of science, 
                technology, engineering, and mathematics, if teachers 
                from each of these disciplines meeting the standards of 
                Corps membership are available in the participating 
                area.
            ``(3) Participation of private school teachers.--An 
        eligible entity may select STEM teachers who teach at private 
        schools in the participating area to be members of the STEM 
        Master Teacher Corps, except that--
                    ``(A) not more than 5 percent of teachers selected 
                as STEM Master Teacher Corps members shall be teachers 
                at private schools; and
                    ``(B) private school teachers shall not be eligible 
                for compensation described in subsection (a)(2), 
                discretionary resource funds described in subsection 
                (a)(4), or for defrayment funds described in subsection 
                (a)(7).
    ``(c) Corps Member Requirements.--Each teacher selected to be a 
member of the STEM Master Teacher Corps who wishes to join the Corps 
shall enter into an agreement with the eligible entity, under which the 
teacher shall, as a condition of receiving the compensation described 
in subsection (a)(2) and the discretionary resources described in 
subsection (a)(4), agree to carry out the responsibilities of a master 
teacher as required by the eligible entity, including--
            ``(1) participating in professional development activities 
        offered by the program;
            ``(2) networking and sharing best practices and educational 
        resources with other members of the STEM Master Teacher Corps; 
        and
            ``(3) contributing to the professional development of the 
        teacher's colleagues, which may include providing school-based 
        professional support to other STEM teachers through regular 
        weekly professional development sessions and individual 
        coaching, where possible, leading professional learning 
        communities, and taking on other instructional leadership roles 
        in the teacher's school, district, State (if part of the 
        participating area), or consortium.
    ``(d) Collection for Noncompliance.--
            ``(1) Monitoring compliance.--Each eligible entity that 
        receives a grant under this chapter shall monitor whether each 
        teacher the entity selects to be a member of the STEM Master 
        Teacher Corps is in compliance with the Corps member 
        requirements described in subsection (c).
            ``(2) Collection of repayment.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A teacher selected to be a 
                member of the STEM Master Teacher Corps shall repay the 
                additional compensation provided for a school year 
                described in subsection (a)(2) to the eligible entity 
                if--
                            ``(i) the entity finds the teacher not in 
                        compliance with the Corps member requirements 
                        described in subsection (c) 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.
                    ``(B) Compensation returned to the treasury.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Except as provided in 
                        clause (ii), an eligible entity that receives 
                        repaid compensation under subparagraph (A) 
                        shall return such compensation to the United 
                        States Treasury.
                            ``(ii) Administrative costs.--An eligible 
                        entity that receives repaid compensation under 
                        subparagraph (A) may retain a percentage, 
                        determined by the Secretary, of such repayment 
                        to defray administrative costs associated with 
                        the collection.

``SEC. 2160. REPORT AND EVALUATION.

    ``(a) Administrative and Reporting Costs.--Of the amounts 
appropriated for this chapter for any fiscal year, the Secretary may 
use not more than 6 percent of the funds appropriated for such fiscal 
year for administrative costs and report and evaluation costs under 
this section, except that the Secretary may use not more than 3 percent 
of the funds appropriated for such fiscal year for administrative 
costs.
    ``(b) Reports to the Secretary.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each eligible entity receiving a grant 
        under this chapter shall provide an annual report to the 
        Secretary that--
                    ``(A) summarizes the activities assisted under the 
                grant and program outcomes; and
                    ``(B) includes, with respect to each member of the 
                STEM Master Teacher Corps, the following:
                            ``(i) The name of the member.
                            ``(ii) The school at which the member 
                        teaches and the location of such school.
                            ``(iii) The subject area the member 
                        teaches.
                            ``(iv) The grade level the member teaches.
            ``(2) Publication.--Each eligible entity receiving a grant 
        under this chapter shall publicize the information described in 
        paragraph (1)(B).
    ``(c) 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 chapter, particularly with regard to the program's 
        success in achieving the purpose described in section 2155;
            ``(2) identify optimal strategies for the design, 
        implementation, and continuing development of the STEM Master 
        Teacher Corps program; and
            ``(3) identify best practices for developing, supporting, 
        and retaining STEM teachers based on lessons learned from the 
        program.
    ``(d) Dissemination.--The Secretary shall disseminate findings from 
the evaluation conducted under subsection (c) to the STEM education 
field and make the findings publicly available.
    ``(e) 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.

``SEC. 2161. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this chapter 
such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2016 through 
2020.''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in section 2 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended--
            (1) by inserting after the item relating to subpart 5 of 
        part A of title II the following:

   ``Chapter A--National Activities of Demonstrated Effectiveness'';

        and
            (2) by inserting after the item relating to section 2151 
        the following:

                 ``Chapter B--STEM Master Teacher Corps

``Sec. 2155. Purpose.
``Sec. 2156. Definitions.
``Sec. 2157. STEM Master Teacher Corps Program.
``Sec. 2158. Application.
``Sec. 2159. Required use of funds.
``Sec. 2160. Report and evaluation.
``Sec. 2161. Authorization of appropriations.''.
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