[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9384-S9387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED.
  S. 1442. A bill to provide for the professional development of 
elementary and secondary school teachers; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.


                  professional development reform act

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Professional 
Development Reform Act to strengthen and improve professional 
development for teachers and administrators.
  I have long worked to improve the quality of teaching in America's 
classrooms for the simple reason that well-trained and well-prepared 
teachers are central to improving the academic performance and 
achievement of students.
  Last Congress, I introduced the TEACH Act to reform the way our 
prospective teachers are trained. The TEACH Act sought to foster 
partnerships among teacher colleges, schools of arts and sciences, and 
elementary and secondary schools.
  Such partnerships were a central recommendation of the National 
Commission on Teaching and America's Future to reform teacher training, 
and I was pleased that my legislation was included in the renewed 
teacher training title of the Higher Education Act Amendments of 1998.
  As Congress turns to the reauthorization of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act, the focus shifts to new teachers and teachers 
already in the classroom.
  Mr. President, the legislation I introduce today would reform 
professional development, which too often consists of fragmented, one-
shot workshops, at which teachers passively listen to experts and are 
isolated from the practice of teaching.
  We don't expect students to learn their ``ABCs'' after one day of 
lessons, and we shouldn't expect a one-day professional development 
workshop to yield the desired result.
  Research shows that such professional development fails to improve or 
even impact teaching practice.
  Moreover, a recent survey of teachers found that professional 
development is too short term and lacks intensity. In 1998, 
participation in professional development programs typically lasted 
from 1 to 8 hours--the equivalent of only a day or less.
  As a consequence, only about 1 in 5 teachers felt very well prepared 
for addressing the needs of students with

[[Page S9385]]

limited English proficiency, those from culturally diverse backgrounds, 
and those with disabilities, or integrating educational technology into 
the curriculum.
  Instead, research shows that effective professional development 
approaches are sustained, intensive activities that focus on deepening 
teachers knowledge of content; allow teachers to work collaboratively; 
provide opportunities for teachers to practice and reflect upon their 
teaching; are aligned with standards and embedded in the daily work of 
the school; and involve parents and other community members.
  Such high-quality professional development improves student 
achievement. Indeed, a 1998 study in California found that the more 
teachers were engaged in ongoing, curriculum-centered professional 
development, holding school conditions and student characteristics 
constant, the higher their students' mathematics achievement on the 
state's assessment.
  Community School District 2 in New York City is one district which 
has seen its investment in sustained, intensive professional 
development pay off with increases in student achievement. Professional 
development in District 2 is delivered in schools and classrooms and 
focused on system-wide instructional improvement, with intensive 
activities such as observation of exemplary teachers and classrooms 
both inside and outside the district, supervised practice, peer 
networks, and offsite training opportunities.
  Unfortunately, a recent national evaluation of the Eisenhower 
Professional Development program found that the majority of 
professional development activities in the six districts studied did 
not follow such a sustained and intensive approach.
  And, in a recent article in the Providence Journal, some teachers 
noted that professional development for them has revolved around 
sitting and listening to experts talk about standards, rather than 
working closely with teachers and students to refine new methods of 
teaching those standards.
  Unlike the bill passed last week in the other body which would do 
little to address these issues or change professional development, my 
legislation would create a new formula program for professional 
development that is sustained, collaborative, content-centered, 
embedded in the daily work of the school, and aligned with standards 
and school reform efforts.
  To achieve this enhanced professional development, the legislation 
funds the following activities: mentoring; peer observation and 
coaching; curriculum-based content training; dedicated time for 
collaborative lesson planning; opportunities for teachers to visit 
other classrooms to model effective teaching practice; training on 
integrating technology into the curriculum, addressing the specific 
needs of diverse students, and involving parents; professional 
development networks to provide a forum for interaction and exchange of 
information among teachers and administrators; and release time and 
compensation for mentors and substitute teachers to make these 
activities possible.
  The Professional Development Reform Act also requires partnerships 
between elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher 
education for providing training opportunities, including advanced 
content area courses and training to address teacher shortages. In 
fact, preliminary U.S. Department of Education data show that the 
Eisenhower Professional Development activities sponsored by 
institutions of higher education are most effective.
  My legislation will also provide funding for skills and leadership 
training for principals and superintendents, as well as mentors. 
Indeed, ensuring that our principals have the training and support to 
serve as instructional leaders is critical, as is ensuring that mentors 
have the skills necessary to help our newest teachers and other 
teachers who need assistance in the classroom.
  Funding is targeted to Title I schools with the highest percentages 
of students living in poverty, where improvements in professional 
development are needed most.
  My legislation does not eliminate the Eisenhower program, but it does 
require that Eisenhower and other federal, state, and local 
professional development funds be coordinated and used in the manner 
described in our bill--on professional development activities that 
research shows works.
  In addition, the Professional Development Reform Act offers resources 
but it demands results. Strong accountability provisions require that 
school districts and schools which receive funding actually improve 
student performance and increase participation in sustained 
professional development in three years in order to secure additional 
funding.
  In sum, my legislation seeks to ensure that new teachers have the 
support they need to be successful teachers, that all teachers have 
access to high quality professional development regardless of the 
content areas they teach, and that the professional development does 
not isolate teachers, but rather is part of a coordinated and 
comprehensive strategy aligned with standards.
  Not only does the research bear this out as the way to improve 
teaching practice and student learning, but education leaders in my 
home state of Rhode Island, as well as witnesses at a recent Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing stressed the 
importance of this type of professional development.
  Mr. President, the time for action is now as schools must hire an 
estimated 2.2 million new teachers over the next decade due to 
increasing enrollments, the retirement of approximately half of our 
current teaching force, and high attrition rates.
  Ensuring that teachers have the training, assistance, and support to 
increase student achievement and sustain them throughout their careers 
is a great challenge. But we must meet and overcome this challenge if 
we are to reform education and prepare our children for the 21st 
Century.
  The Professional Development Reform Act, by increasing our 
professional development investment and focusing it on the kind of 
activities and opportunities for teachers and administrators that 
research shows is effective, is critical to this effort.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in this essential endeavor by 
cosponsoring this legislation and working for its inclusion in the 
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of this 
legislation be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1442

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

     SECTION 1. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the 
     ``Professional Development Reform Act''.
       (b) Amendments.--Title II of the Elementary and Secondary 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating part E as part F; and
       (2) by inserting after part D the following:

                   ``PART E--PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

     ``SEC. 2351. PURPOSES.

       ``The purposes of this part are as follows:
       ``(1) To improve the academic achievement of students by 
     providing every student with a well-prepared teacher.
       ``(2) To provide every new teacher with structured support, 
     including a qualified and trained mentor, to facilitate the 
     transition into successful teaching.
       ``(3) To ensure that every teacher is given the assistance, 
     tools, and professional development opportunities, throughout 
     the teacher's career, to help the teacher teach to the 
     highest academic standards and help students succeed.
       ``(4) To provide training to prepare and support principals 
     to serve as instructional leaders and to work with teachers 
     to create a school climate that fosters excellence in 
     teaching and learning.
       ``(5) To transform, strengthen, and improve professional 
     development from a fragmented, one-shot approach to 
     sustained, high quality, and intensive activities that--
       ``(A) are collaborative, content-centered, standards-based, 
     results-driven, and embedded in the daily work of the school;
       ``(B) allow teachers regular opportunities to practice and 
     reflect upon their teaching and learning; and
       ``(C) are responsive to teacher needs.

     ``SEC. 2252. DEFINITIONS.

       ``In this part:
       ``(1) Professional development.--The term `professional 
     development' means effective professional development that--
       ``(A) is sustained, high quality, intensive, and 
     comprehensive;
       ``(B) is content-centered, collaborative, school-embedded, 
     tied to practice, focused on student work, supported by 
     research, and aligned with and designed to help elementary 
     school or secondary school students

[[Page S9386]]

     meet challenging State content standards and challenging 
     State student performance standards;
       ``(C) includes structured induction activities that provide 
     ongoing and regular support to new teachers in the initial 
     years of their careers;
       ``(D) includes sustained in-service activities to improve 
     elementary school or secondary school teaching in the core 
     academic subjects, to integrate technology into the 
     curriculum, to improve understanding and the use of student 
     assessments, to improve classroom management skills, to 
     address the specific needs of diverse students, including 
     limited English proficient students, individuals with 
     disabilities, and economically disadvantaged individuals, and 
     to encourage and provide instruction on how to work with and 
     involve parents to foster student achievement; and
       ``(E) includes sustained onsite training opportunities that 
     provide active learning and observational opportunities for 
     elementary school or secondary school teachers to model 
     effective practice.
       ``(2) Administrator.--The term `administrator' means a 
     school principal or superintendent.

     ``SEC. 2353. STATE ALLOTMENT OF FUNDS.

       ``From the amount appropriated under section 2361 that is 
     not reserved under section 2360 for a fiscal year, the 
     Secretary shall make an allotment to each State educational 
     agency having an application approved under section 2354 in 
     an amount that bears the same relation to the amount 
     appropriated under section 2361 that is not reserved under 
     section 2360 for the fiscal year as the amount the State 
     educational agency received under part A of title I for the 
     fiscal year bears to the amount received under such part by 
     all States for the fiscal year.

     ``SEC. 2354. STATE APPLICATIONS.

       ``Each State educational agency desiring an allotment under 
     section 2353 for a fiscal year shall submit to the Secretary 
     an application at such time, in such manner, and accompanied 
     by such information as the Secretary may require. The 
     application shall include--
       ``(1) a description of the strategy to be used to implement 
     State activities described in section 2355;
       ``(2) a description of how the State educational agency 
     will assist local educational agencies in transforming, 
     strengthening, and improving professional development;
       ``(3) a description of how the activities described in 
     section 2355 and the assistance described in paragraph (2) 
     will assist the State in achieving the State's goals for 
     comprehensive education reform, will help all students meet 
     challenging State content standards and challenging State 
     student performance standards, and will help all teachers 
     meet State standards for teaching excellence;
       ``(4) a description of the manner in which the State 
     educational agency will ensure, consistent with the State's 
     comprehensive education reform plan policies, or statutes, 
     that funds provided under this part will be effectively 
     coordinated with all Federal and State professional 
     development funds and activities, including funds and 
     activities under this title, titles I, III, VI, and VII, 
     title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965, section 307 of 
     the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 1999, and the 
     Goals 2000: Educate America Act; and
       ``(5) a description of--
       ``(A) how the State educational agency will collect and 
     utilize data for evaluation of the activities carried out by 
     local educational agencies under this part, including 
     collecting baseline data in order to measure changes in the 
     professional development opportunities provided to teachers 
     and measure improvements in teaching practice and student 
     performance; and
       ``(B) the specific performance measures the State 
     educational agency will use to determine the need for 
     technical assistance described in section 2355(2) and to make 
     a continuation of funding determination under section 2358.

     ``SEC. 2355. STATE ACTIVITIES.

       ``From the amount allotted to a State educational agency 
     under section 2353 for a fiscal year, the State educational 
     agency--
       ``(1) shall reserve not more than 5 percent to support, 
     directly or through grants to or contracts with institutions 
     of higher education, educational nonprofit organizations, 
     professional associations of administrators, or other 
     entities that are responsive to the needs of administrators 
     and teachers, programs that--
       ``(A) provide effective leadership training--
       ``(i) to encourage highly qualified individuals to become 
     administrators; and
       ``(ii) to develop and enhance instructional leadership, 
     school management, parent involvement, mentoring, and staff 
     evaluation skills of administrators; and
       ``(B) provide effective leadership and mentor training--
       ``(i) to encourage highly qualified and effective teachers 
     to become mentors; and
       ``(ii) to develop and enhance the mentoring and peer 
     coaching skills of such qualified and effective teachers;
       ``(2) may reserve not more than 2 percent for providing 
     technical assistance and dissemination of information to 
     schools and local educational agencies to help the schools 
     and local educational agencies implement effective 
     professional development activities that are aligned with 
     challenging State content standards, challenging State 
     student performance standards, and State standards for 
     teaching excellence; and
       ``(3) may reserve not more than 2 percent for evaluating 
     the effectiveness of the professional development provided by 
     schools and local educational agencies under this part in 
     improving teaching practice, increasing the academic 
     achievement of students, and helping students meet 
     challenging State content standards and challenging State 
     student performance standards, and for administrative costs.

     ``SEC. 2356. LOCAL PROVISIONS.

       ``(a) Allocations to Local Educational Agencies.--Each 
     State educational agency receiving an allotment under section 
     2353 for a fiscal year shall make an allocation from the 
     allotted funds that are not reserved under section 2355 for 
     the fiscal year to each local educational agency in the State 
     that is eligible to receive assistance under part A of title 
     I for the fiscal year in an amount that bears the same 
     relation to the allotted funds that are not reserved under 
     section 2355 as the amount the local educational agency 
     received under such part for the fiscal year bears to the 
     amount all local educational agencies in all States received 
     under such part for the fiscal year.
       ``(b) Applications.--Each local educational agency desiring 
     a grant under this part shall submit an application to the 
     State educational agency at such time, in such manner, and 
     accompanied by such information as the State educational 
     agency may require. The application shall include--
       ``(1) a description of how the local educational agency 
     plans--
       ``(A) to work with schools served by the local educational 
     agency that are described in section 2357 to carry out the 
     local activities described in section 2357; and
       ``(B) to meet the purposes described in section 2351;
       ``(2) a description of the manner in which the local 
     educational agency will ensure that--
       ``(A) the grant funds will be used--
       ``(i) to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills 
     necessary to teach students to be proficient or advanced in 
     challenging State content standards and challenging State 
     student performance standards, and any local education reform 
     plans or policies; and
       ``(ii) to help teachers meet standards for teaching 
     excellence; and
       ``(B) funds provided under this part will be effectively 
     coordinated with all Federal, State, and local professional 
     development funds and activities;
       ``(3) a description of the local educational agency's 
     strategy for--
       ``(A) selecting and training highly qualified mentors 
     (utilizing teachers certified by the National Board for 
     Professional Teaching Standards and teachers granted advanced 
     certification as a master or mentor teacher by the State, 
     where possible), for matching such mentors (from the new 
     teachers' teaching disciplines) with the new teachers; and
       ``(B) providing release time for the teachers (utilizing 
     highly qualified substitute teachers and high quality retired 
     teachers, where possible);
       ``(4) a description of how the local educational agency 
     will collect and analyze data on the quality and impact of 
     activities carried out in schools under this part, and the 
     specific performance measures the local educational agency 
     will use in the local educational agency's evaluation 
     process;
       ``(5) a description of the local educational agency's plan 
     to develop and carry out the activities described in section 
     2357 with the extensive participation of administrators, 
     teachers, parents, and the partnering institution described 
     in section 2357(4); and
       ``(6) a description of the local educational agency's 
     strategy to ensure that there is schoolwide participation in 
     the schools to be served.

     ``SEC. 2357. LOCAL ACTIVITIES.

       ``Each local educational agency receiving an allocation 
     under this part shall use the allocation to carry out 
     professional development activities in schools served by the 
     local educational agency that have the highest percentages of 
     students living in poverty, as measured in accordance with 
     section 1113(a)(5), including--
       ``(1) mentoring, team teaching, and peer observation and 
     coaching;
       ``(2) dedicated time for collaborative lesson planning and 
     curriculum development meetings;
       ``(3) consultation with exemplary teachers and short- and 
     long-term visits to other classrooms and schools;
       ``(4) partnering with institutions of higher education and, 
     where appropriate, educational nonprofit organizations, for 
     joint efforts in designing the sustained professional 
     development opportunities, for providing advanced content 
     area courses and other assistance to improve the content 
     knowledge and pedagogical practices of teachers, and, where 
     appropriate, for providing training to address areas of 
     teacher and administrator shortages;
       ``(5) providing release time (including compensation for 
     mentor teachers and substitute teachers as necessary) for 
     activities described in this section; and
       ``(6) developing professional development networks, through 
     Internet links, where available, that--
       ``(A) provide a forum for interaction among teachers and 
     administrators; and
       ``(B) allow the exchange of information regarding advances 
     in content and pedagogy.

[[Page S9387]]

     ``SEC. 2358. CONTINUATION OF FUNDING.

       ``Each local educational agency or school that receives 
     funding under this part shall be eligible to continue to 
     receive the funding after the third year the local 
     educational agency or school receives the funding if the 
     local educational agency or school demonstrates that the 
     local educational agency or school has--
       ``(1) improved student performance;
       ``(2) increased participation in sustained professional 
     development; and
       ``(3) made significant progress toward at least 1 of the 
     following:
       ``(A) Reducing the number of out-of-field placements and 
     teachers with emergency credentials.
       ``(B) Improving teaching practice.
       ``(C) Reducing the new teacher attrition rate for the local 
     educational agency or school.
       ``(D) Increasing partnerships and linkages with 
     institutions of higher education.

     ``SEC. 2359. SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.

       ``Funds made available under this part shall be used to 
     supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, and local 
     funds expended to carry out activities relating to teacher 
     programs or professional development.

     ``SEC. 2360. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.

       ``(a) Reservation.--The Secretary shall reserve not more 
     than 5 percent of the amount appropriated under section 2361 
     for each fiscal year for the national evaluation described in 
     subsection (b) and the dissemination activities described in 
     subsection (c).
       ``(b) National Evaluation.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for an 
     annual, independent, national evaluation of the activities 
     assisted under this part not later than 3 years after the 
     date of enactment of the Professional Development Reform Act. 
     The evaluation shall include information on the impact of the 
     activities assisted under this part on student performance.
       ``(2) State reports.--Each State receiving an allotment 
     under this part shall submit to the Secretary the results of 
     the evaluation described under section 2355(3).
       ``(3) Report to congress.--The Secretary annually shall 
     submit to Congress a report that describes the information in 
     the national evaluation and the State reports.
       ``(c) Dissemination.--The Secretary shall collect and 
     broadly disseminate information (including creating and 
     maintaining a national database or clearinghouse) to help 
     States, local educational agencies, schools, teachers, and 
     institutions of higher education learn about effective 
     professional development policies, practices, and programs, 
     data projections of teacher and administrator supply and 
     demand, and available teaching and administrator 
     opportunities.

     ``SEC. 2361. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     part $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may 
     be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2001 through 
     2004.''.
                                 ______