[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2428 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2428

To establish a grant program for innovative partnerships among teacher 
 preparation programs, local educational agencies, and community-based 
  organizations to expand access to high-quality tutoring in hard-to-
      staff schools and high-need schools, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 20, 2023

   Mr. Booker (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Murphy, and Mr. Wicker) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a grant program for innovative partnerships among teacher 
 preparation programs, local educational agencies, and community-based 
  organizations to expand access to high-quality tutoring in hard-to-
      staff schools and high-need schools, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Partnering Aspiring Teachers with 
High-need Schools to Tutor Act of 2023'' or the ``PATHS to Tutor Act of 
2023''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR HIGH-QUALITY TUTORING.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Educational service agency.--The term ``educational 
        service agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 8101 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801).
            (2) Educator preparation program.--The term ``educator 
        preparation program'' means a State-accredited program at a 
        public or nonprofit institution of higher education or other 
        nonprofit provider that prepares individuals to serve as 
        educators.
            (3) Hard-to-staff school.--The term ``hard-to-staff 
        school'' means a high-need school that has a high rate of 
        teacher turnover or a large concentration of teachers in their 
        first or second year of teaching.
            (4) High-need school.--The term ``high-need school'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 2211 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6631).
            (5) High-quality tutoring.--The term ``high-quality 
        tutoring'' means tutoring--
                    (A) that is provided by a tutor;
                    (B) that is one-on-one or in a small group not to 
                exceed a ratio of 1 tutor to 4 students, or a small 
                group ratio based on evidence determined sufficient by 
                the State educational agency in the State in which the 
                tutoring takes place;
                    (C) that includes plans and time for tutors to 
                collaborate;
                    (D) that--
                            (i) includes multiple sessions each week 
                        that are of sufficient length, such as the 
                        length of a regularly scheduled class or 
                        period; and
                            (ii) is--
                                    (I) embedded in the school 
                                schedule, preferably during the regular 
                                school day or tightly integrated to the 
                                regular school day and provided before 
                                or after school; or
                                    (II) during school vacations;
                    (E) in which content and grade-specific tutors are 
                matched with students;
                    (F) that is aligned to local standards and 
                curriculum;
                    (G) that includes high-quality pre-service training 
                and ongoing professional support;
                    (H) that a local consortium facilitates by--
                            (i) the local educational agency and 
                        schools in the local consortium supporting 
                        tutors through direct supervision and feedback; 
                        and
                            (ii) the faculty or staff of the educator 
                        preparation program in the local consortium 
                        providing additional capacity; and
                    (I) where tutors are adequately compensated for 
                their work.
            (6) Local consortium.--The term ``local consortium'' means 
        a consortium consisting of community partners as follows:
                    (A) The consortium shall include the following 
                entities, one or both of which shall serve as the lead 
                entity of the consortium:
                            (i) A local educational agency, an 
                        individual school, or an educational service 
                        agency.
                            (ii) An educator preparation program.
                    (B) The consortium may include a community partner, 
                such as--
                            (i) a community-based organization;
                            (ii) a child- and youth-serving 
                        organization or agency;
                            (iii) an institution of higher education, 
                        as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher 
                        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a));
                            (iv) a foundation;
                            (v) an educator organization;
                            (vi) an organization representing education 
                        professionals;
                            (vii) a local government, including a 
                        government agency serving children and youth, 
                        such as a child welfare and juvenile justice 
                        agency;
                            (viii) an organization representing 
                        students; or
                            (ix) an organization representing parents.
            (7) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            (8) Mentor.--The term ``mentor'' means an experienced 
        educator, including a teacher-educator at an educator 
        preparation program, dedicated to advising a tutor or 
        administering the tutoring program.
            (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (10) Tutor.--The term ``tutor'' means--
                    (A) a postsecondary student, including one who is 
                enrolled in an educator preparation program;
                    (B) a recent graduate of an educator preparation 
                program;
                    (C) an individual serving as an education 
                paraprofessional or teaching aide; or
                    (D) a fully certified and licensed educator (such 
                as a recently retired educator, an educator 
                experiencing a gap in employment due to COVID-induced 
                budget cuts, or an educator providing tutoring before 
                or after school or during the summer).
    (b) Demonstration Competitive Grant Program.--The Secretary shall 
award grants, on a competitive basis, to local consortia to enable the 
local consortia to carry out high-quality tutoring, especially at hard-
to-staff schools or high-need schools.
    (c) Application.--A local consortium that desires to receive a 
grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary 
at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as 
the Secretary may require, including the following:
            (1) A description of the local consortium, including which 
        public or nonprofit entity participating in the local 
        consortium shall serve as the fiscal agent for the local 
        consortium.
            (2) A description of the strategy for recruitment, careful 
        selection, and matching of tutors with hard-to-staff schools 
        and high-need schools.
            (3) A description of the pre-service training and ongoing 
        professional support for tutors.
            (4) A list of hard-to-staff schools and high-need schools, 
        and the grades that will be supported in each school, 
        identified by the local consortium to receive a comprehensive, 
        coordinated continuum of services and support.
            (5) A description of how the high-quality tutoring program 
        plans to accelerate student learning.
            (6) A description of how the local consortium will ensure 
        that the high-quality tutoring provided under such program does 
        not result in the tracking or negative labeling of students, or 
        remediation.
            (7) A description of the duration of the high-quality 
        tutoring, including the duration of sessions, the number of 
        days a week tutoring will occur, and the length in weeks the 
        tutoring will occur.
            (8) An assurance that the local consortium will align high-
        quality tutoring to the local curriculum and standards of the 
        local educational agency and school and will be designed to 
        support student success in the classroom.
            (9) A description of materials and supports and how they 
        are aligned with the local curriculum and standards of the 
        local educational agency and school.
            (10) A description of how the high-quality tutoring program 
        will build school capacity in the schools in which the tutors 
        will serve.
            (11) An assurance that the local consortium will leverage 
        tutors to supplement, not supplant, existing staff.
            (12) A description of how tutors will be adequately 
        compensated.
            (13) An assurance that the local consortium will use funds 
        to supplement and not supplant funds otherwise available to 
        carry out high-quality tutoring and will not use any funds to 
        replace teaching positions with tutoring positions.
            (14) A description of how the tutoring program will 
        incorporate research-based social-emotional learning practices, 
        trauma-informed learning practices, and culturally and 
        linguistically responsive practices.
    (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to local consortia that plan to support high-need 
schools in building student learning capacity by using tutors who--
            (1) are postsecondary students who are enrolled in educator 
        preparation programs; or
            (2) are enrolled in a historically Black college or 
        university (defined as a part B institution under section 322 
        of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061)) or 
        another minority-serving institution (defined as an eligible 
        institution under section 371(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
        1067q(a))).
    (e) Use of Funds.--A local consortium that receives a grant under 
this section may use the grant funds for the following:
            (1) Matching, training, and placing tutors with schools to 
        deliver high-quality tutoring.
            (2) Supporting tutors to work with small groups of students 
        attending high-need schools wherein tutors are providing 
        supervision and instruction, and providing the tutors with time 
        for collaboration with mentors.
            (3) Matching tutors in the high-quality tutoring program 
        with mentors.
            (4) Providing stipends to such tutors and mentors.
            (5) Purchasing instructional materials and connectivity 
        resources, including internet access and accessible devices.
            (6) Providing transportation for students attending the 
        high-quality tutoring program.
            (7) Providing meals and snacks for students attending the 
        high-quality tutoring program.
            (8) Providing facilities for conducting the high-quality 
        tutoring program.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        carry out this section $500,000,000.
            (2) Allocation.--From the amounts appropriated to carry out 
        this section--
                    (A) not less than 85 percent shall be used for 
                directly supporting students, including providing 
                stipends to tutors and mentors in the high-quality 
                tutoring program, providing transportation, meals, and 
                snacks, and purchasing instructional materials and 
                connectivity resources for students; and
                    (B) not more than 15 percent shall be used for 
                other uses in carrying out this section.

SEC. 3. COORDINATION WITH THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY 
              SERVICE.

    (a) Interagency Agreement.--The Secretary of Education 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 tutor positions under a program funded under section 2, 
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 provider of high-quality tutoring 
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 tutors upon completion of 
service under a program funded under section 2.
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