[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 16, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14616-S14620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. MURRAY:
  S. 1926. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to improve student achievement by helping local educational 
agencies improve the quality of, and technology training for, teachers, 
to improve teacher accountability, and to enhance the leadership skills 
of principals; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.


quality and accountability are best for children act (quality abcs act)

 Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, today I introduce a bill entitled 
the ``Quality and Accountability Are Best for Children Act.'' Every 
child in every classroom in America deserves to have a fully-qualified 
teacher; this legislation takes a comprehensive approach to helping 
communities make that a reality. The bill should be seen as 
complementary to the professional development sections of last year's 
Higher Education Act, and to the professional development sections of 
S. 7, the Public Schools Excellence Act. It should also be seen as part 
of a comprehensive strategy to forge a strong partnership on education 
between the Congress and the teachers, families, and students in 
communities across America which it serves.
  While my efforts today are to address educator quality issues, I also 
recently introduced S. 1773, the Youth and Adult School Partnership Act 
of 1999, and S. 1772, the Family and School Partnership Act of 1999. In 
addition, I have been working for some time to pass S. 1304, the Time 
for Schools Act. All these efforts work in concert, to address the very 
real needs of our local schools when it comes to investing in the 
strategies that work, and in making it possible to involve all the 
necessary members of our local school communities in the decisions that 
affect them.
  I have spoken before about what I have heard from the literally 
thousands of families and students and educators and community leaders 
I have met. I have spoken about how most Americans want an increased 
but appropriate federal role in education. They want decisions about 
how to help students achieve at higher levels to be made in the local 
school, but they also want increased federal funds--help where help is 
needed--to support their local efforts. Most people are shocked to 
learn that their federal government only devotes 1.6 percent of overall 
spending to education.
  I have spoken before about how the federal class size reduction 
initiative has at its core a streamlined funding mechanism that targets 
funds to a goal and then holds the school accountable to the local 
community for making progress toward that goal. I have talked about how 
important I feel this funding mechanism can be as a way for us to look 
at other federal programs in education. I have spoken about the 
importance of keeping the federal role firmly in mind: to ensure 
opportunity on the one hand, and to fund shared national priorities on 
the other. In addition, we must ensure accountability for results at 
every step along the way.
  We need to remember that what families and students and educators and 
community leaders have asked us for is targeted help and support, to 
fund such efforts as reducing class size, and providing for special 
education students, and after-school programs, and school 
modernization, and education technology, and school safety and other 
efforts. Our responsibility is to give them the help they have sought, 
and no topic is more important to them than funding the necessary steps 
it will take to help local schools improve the quality of their corps 
of educators. We must rethink how educators are taught, and how we 
support their learning of the new skills it takes to teach students the 
basics and ``new basics'' that it will take for them to succeed in 
today's complex world.

  In addition, we must fund local schools' efforts to recruit, retain 
and reward the world's finest corps of educators. And assure that their 
local communities can hold them accountable for doing so.
  Today I introduce the Quality and Accountability are Best for 
Children Act, or Quality ABCs Act. This bill will help school districts 
improve the quality of their educator corps, and help

[[Page S14617]]

communities hold schools accountable for results. Since all communities 
are struggling to improve the quality of their teaching force, funds 
are provided at a level that allow all school districts to participate. 
It will authorize an additional formula grant, based on enrollment, in 
the amount of $2 billion per year for teacher quality improvement, plus 
$100 million per year for principal professional development. Funds 
will supplement current federal, state, and local professional 
development efforts, and school districts are encouraged to use 
existing law, waivers, of Ed Flex authority to coordinate activities at 
the local level.
  With the goal of reducing paperwork and avoiding lengthy program 
descriptions, my legislation is based on the bipartisan mechanism 
agreed to under the fiscal year 1999 Appropriations Class Size 
Reduction Initiative. Applications are streamlined, school districts 
can use money flexibly at the local level, as long as they target funds 
to improving educator quality in at least one of three subject areas 
(recruitment, retention, and rewards) and school districts are 
accountable to the local community in the form of a report card 
describing district efforts to improve teacher quality.
  School district are required to use funds to improve educator 
quality, but have a broad range of options to do so.
  To recruit new teachers, school districts may use tools such as the 
following:
  Establishing or expanding teacher academies, teachers-recruiting-
future-teacher programs, and programs to encourage high school and 
middle school students to pursue a career in teaching;
  Establishing or expanding para-professional training programs, 
paraeducator-to-teacher career ladders or other efforts to improve the 
training and supervision of para-educators;
  Establishing or expanding programs for mid-career professionals to 
become certificated teachers;
  Reaching out to communities of color or other special populations to 
make the teaching corps more reflective of current and future student 
demographics:
  Placing advertisements, attending college job fairs, offering signing 
bonuses, and other recruitment efforts;
  Embarking on and coordinating with other activities to help recruit 
the best quality teaching corps, such as: offering forgivable loans; 
assisting new hires to reach higher levels of state certification or to 
become national board certified teachers; recruiting new teachers in 
specific disciplines including math and science;
  In addition, the Secretary of Education will be authorized directly, 
or by creating programs at the state or local level to:
  Offer incentives for teachers to achieve national board 
certification;
  Create forgivable loan programs under the current student aid 
programs;
  Report on successful efforts and take part in dissemination 
activities;
  Provide technical assistance to states and school districts to assist 
them to use technology in recruitment, processing, hiring, and 
placement of qualified teaching candidates.
  To retain teachers, school districts may:
  Use funds to offer or stipends or bonuses to educators to seek 
further subject matter endorsements, advanced levels of state 
certification or national board certification. These retention efforts 
can also fund other local initiatives specifically designed, such as 
mentor teacher programs, to retain teachers in the first 5 years of 
teaching;
  Local education agencies can use funds, within district criteria for 
mentor or master teacher criteria, for a range of retention activities: 
mentor and/or master teacher job classification/career ladders; 
sabbatical/research activities such as the Fulbright program, or 
working in industry/non-profit world to improve teacher education; or 
other activities that keep teachers fresh while preserving their job 
slot/pay/benefits. These retention efforts can also fund other local 
initiatives specifically designed to retain experienced teachers, 
beyond the first five years of teaching;
  To reward teachers:
  School districts can reward elementary and secondary schools, based 
on improvement in the proportion of highly qualified teachers or other 
measures of teacher quality--improved recruiting, retention, improved 
``in endorsement'' ratio, higher percentage of certificated staff, 
higher levels of certification, professional development curricular 
improvement;
  School districts can provide teachers with a one-time bonus/reward of 
$5,000 for achieving national board certification;
  Each state will receive $100,000 to support the McAuliffe awards and 
National Teacher of the year awards to create additional forms of 
conferring respect and recognition upon distinguished educators.

  The bill requires school district report cards to contain information 
about efforts they have undertaken to improve the recruiting, 
retention, rewarding, and accountability for teachers. Reports include 
which programs were offered locally, how much of the funding was spent 
on which efforts, and what results were achieved in terms of measurable 
improvements to teacher quality and student achievement.
  Each report card shall include information about how parents and 
other community members can access processes under school district 
policies regarding teacher accountability.
  The bill includes an effort to provide, on a statewide basis, 
professional development services for public elementary school and 
secondary school principals designed to enhance the principals' 
educational leadership skills.
  The programs will provide principals with:
  Knowledge of effective instructional leadership skills and practices;
  Comprehensive whole-school approaches and programs that improve 
teaching and learning;
  Improved understanding of the effective uses of educational 
technology, including best practices for incorporating technology into 
the instructional program and management of the school;
  Increased knowledge of State content and performance standards, and 
appropriate related curriculum;
  Assistance in the development of effective programs, and strategies 
for assessing the effectiveness of such programs;
  Training in effective, fair evaluation and supervision of school 
staff, and training in improvement of instruction;
  Assistance in the enhancement and development of the principals' 
overall school management and business skills;
  Knowledge of school safety and discipline practices, school law, and 
school funding issues.
  The bill also includes the K-12 school sections of my teacher 
Technology Training Act. Last year, I included in the Higher Education 
Act provisions to improve pre-service teacher training offered by 
universities, by including technology in teacher training. The Quality 
ABCs Act will take the relevant steps to integrate technology into the 
professional development offered by school districts.
  This bill is only one step but it is a necessary one. We cannot 
succeed in improving student learning if we do not also invest in the 
quality of our educators. We must assure that schools can use all the 
tools at their disposal to do what's necessary, and the Quality ABCs 
Act funds the recruitment, retention, rewards and accountability 
measures essential to their success.
  In all these pieces of legislation, whether I am a sponsor or a 
cosponsor, my approach is to offer help where help is needed. Schools 
face increasing challenges and higher expectations from their 
communities and from all Americans.

  Now is not the time for easy answers. Too many have suggested that 
it's all about paperwork or all about trust or all about bureaucracy. 
We must take steps to squeeze the most out of every dollar, and make 
things more efficient, but, as we've seen with the funding mechanism 
under the class size reduction initiative, local flexibility, targeted 
to a specific purpose, with local accountability built in, can work 
very well.
  But even that approach is only a partial answer. Helping all our 
schools perform for all students now and into the next century is a 
monumental task. None of these challenges is easy. The kind of student 
success we are hoping for will not happen without an actual, working 
partnership among local

[[Page S14618]]

schools and school districts, state and regional education agencies, 
and the federal government. The success will not happen without a 
partnership between educators and families and young people and 
community leaders.
  No person, school, or government entity has the resources, the 
research, the leadership, the experience, or the capability to go it 
alone. People cannot succeed in a global economy without an education 
that is world-class, relevant, and sufficiently funded. We all must 
work together as a nation if we want to succeed as a nation in a 
complex world. We owe this kind of perspective to our children and to 
our future. We must all strive to find the areas where we agree. Only a 
shared vision of the future of education will help us all to move 
toward our destination. Let us take that first step together.
  Mr. President, the drafting of these bills would have been impossible 
without the efforts of two legislative fe3llows in my office, Ann Mary 
Ifekwunigwe and Peter Hatch. I thank them for their work.
  Mr. President, I ask that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  The bill follows:

                                S. 1926

       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 ``Quality and Accountability 
     are Best for Children Act''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this 
     Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an 
     amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the 
     reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 
     other provision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
     of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.).

     SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Academically qualified, highly trained and professional 
     teachers are a critical component in children's educational 
     success.
       (2) The Department of Education has reported that our 
     Nation will need to hire 2,200,000 more teachers during the 
     10-year period beginning in fiscal year 2000.
       (3) Newspaper accounts from the 18th century described 
     teachers as well-respected, but ill-rewarded.
       (4) In 1999, because many individuals view teaching as a 
     thankless profession which garners little respect, little 
     support, and little money, nearly 50 percent of those who 
     enter teaching leave the profession within 5 years.
       (5) Sixty-three percent of parents and teachers believe 
     that accountability systems with financial rewards are a good 
     idea, and would motivate teachers to work harder to improve 
     student achievement.
       (6) Paying professional salaries is integral to teacher 
     retention. The State of Connecticut, for example, has been 
     able to improve student achievement, eliminate its teacher 
     shortage, and retain highly qualified teachers by offering 
     the highest salaries in the Nation (an average of $51,727 per 
     year).
       (7) Dissemination of information regarding the teacher 
     corps working at individual elementary schools and secondary 
     schools, and accountability procedures enforced by the local 
     educational agency can provide an important tool for parents 
     and taxpayers to measure the quality of the elementary 
     schools or secondary schools and to hold the schools and 
     teachers accountable for improving student performance.
       (8) Although elementary school and secondary school 
     teachers need the most up-to-date skills possible to ensure 
     that students are equipped to deal with a complex economy and 
     society, less than 50 percent of such teachers report that 
     they are competent in using technology effectively in the 
     classroom.
       (9) Although principals and other administrators are the 
     educational leaders and chief executive officers of our 
     Nation's elementary schools and secondary schools, and 
     research strongly suggests that strong leadership from the 
     principal is the single most important factor in effective 
     schools, research also has revealed that the characteristics 
     of a good principal are not necessarily those things for 
     which principals are trained and rewarded.

     SEC. 4. PURPOSES.

       The purposes of this Act are--
       (1) to recruit the best and the brightest candidates to 
     teach in public elementary schools and secondary schools by 
     looking to young people, people from special populations, 
     mid-career professionals, and others as potential new 
     teachers;
       (2) to offer retention incentives to highly qualified 
     teachers to keep the teachers in the classroom;
       (3) to reward elementary schools and secondary schools 
     that, and teachers in such schools who, succeed in improving 
     student achievement;
       (4) to hold elementary school and secondary school teachers 
     accountable for achieving high levels of professionalism, 
     including possessing expert knowledge and skills in the 
     subject areas in which the teachers teach, being actively 
     involved in all aspects of the school community, and being 
     committed to the academic success of students, by providing 
     parents and the school community with specific information 
     about the qualifications of the local teaching corps;
       (5) to improve teacher professional development in the uses 
     of technology in teaching and learning and in the study of 
     technology, and to help local communities to use technology 
     as a vehicle to improve teacher professional development; and
       (6) to improve the professional development of elementary 
     school and secondary school principals and other 
     administrators to ensure that the principals and 
     administrators are the community's educational leaders, and 
     have sophisticated knowledge about student achievement, 
     school safety, management, evaluation, and community 
     outreach.

     SEC. 5. IMPROVING TEACHER RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, REWARDS, 
                   AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

       Title II (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating part E as part G;
       (2) by redesignating sections 2401 and 2402 (20 U.S.C. 
     6701, 6702) as sections 2601 and 2602, respectively; and
       (3) by inserting after part D the following:

   ``PART E--IMPROVING TEACHER RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, REWARDS, AND 
                            ACCOUNTABILITY;

     ``SEC. 2401. DEFINITIONS.

       ``For purposes of this part:
       ``(1) Outlying Areas.--The term `outlying area' means the 
     United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
     Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
       ``(2) State.--The term `State' means each of the several 
     States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and 
     the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

     ``SEC. 2402. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

       ``(a) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary shall award a 
     grant, from allotments under subsection (b), to each State to 
     enable the State to provide grants to local educational 
     agencies to carry out activities consistent with section 
     2404.
       ``(b) Reservations and allotments.--
       ``(1) Reservations.--From the amount appropriated under 
     section 2406 to carry out this part for each fiscal year, the 
     Secretary shall reserve--
       ``(A) a total of 1 percent of such amount for payments to--
       ``(i) the Secretary of the Interior for activities, that 
     are approved by the Secretary and consistent with this part, 
     in schools operated or supported by the Bureau of Indian 
     Affairs, on the basis of the schools' respective needs for 
     assistance under this part; and
       ``(ii) the outlying areas, to be allotted in accordance 
     with their respective needs for assistance under this part as 
     determined by the Secretary, for activities that are approved 
     by the Secretary and consistent with this part; and
       ``(B) 0.5 percent to enable the Secretary directly or 
     through programs with State educational agencies and local 
     educational agencies--
       ``(i) to offer incentives to teachers to obtain 
     certification from the National Board for Professional 
     Teaching Standards;
       ``(ii) to create student loan forgiveness programs;
       ``(iii) to report on and disseminate successful activities 
     assisted under this part; and
       ``(iv) to provide technical assistance to States and local 
     educational agencies to assist the States and agencies in 
     using technology in the recruitment, processing, hiring, and 
     placement of qualified teaching candidates.
       ``(2) Allotments to states.--From the amount appropriated 
     under section 2406 for any fiscal year that remains after 
     making the reservations under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
     shall allot to each State an amount that bears the same 
     relationship to the remainder as the number of children, aged 
     5 to 17, enrolled in the public and private nonprofit 
     elementary schools and secondary schools in the State bears 
     to the number of such children enrolled in such schools in 
     all States.
       ``(c) Within-State Allocations.--Each State receiving an 
     allotment under subsection (b)(2)--
       ``(1) shall reserve $100,000 of the allotment for a fiscal 
     year--
       ``(A) to support the Christa McAuliffe awards, the National 
     Teacher of the Year awards, and other awards that confer 
     respect and recognition upon outstanding teachers; and
       ``(B) to establish other forms of conferring respect and 
     recognition upon distinguished teachers;
       ``(2) shall reserve not more than \1/2\ of 1 percent of the 
     grant funds for a fiscal year, or $50,000, whichever is 
     greater, for the administrative costs of carrying out this 
     part; and
       ``(3) shall allocate the amount that remains after 
     reserving funds under paragraphs (1) and (2) among local 
     educational agencies in the State by allocating to each local 
     educational agency in the State submitting an application 
     that is consistent with section 2403 an amount that bears the 
     same relationship to the remainder as the number of children, 
     aged 5 to 17, enrolled in the public and private nonprofit 
     elementary schools and secondary schools served by the local 
     educational agency bears to the number of such children 
     enrolled in such schools served by all local educational 
     agencies in the State.

[[Page S14619]]

     ``SEC. 2403. LOCAL APPLICATIONS.

       Each local educational agency desiring assistance under 
     section 2402(c)(3) 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 reasonably require. At a minimum, the application 
     shall contain a description of the programs to be assisted 
     under this part consistent with section 2404.

     ``SEC. 2404. USE OF FUNDS.

       ``(a) In General.--Each local educational agency receiving 
     funds under this part shall use the funds to carry out 
     activities described in subsections (b) and (c) that are 
     designed to improve student achievement by improving the 
     quality of the local teacher corps, including improving 
     recruitment and retention of highly qualified new teachers, 
     offering rewards to teachers based on teachers' successes, 
     and holding teachers accountable for the results attained by 
     the teachers by notifying the community in the school 
     district served by the local educational agency about the 
     local educational agency's efforts to improve teacher 
     quality.
       ``(b) Recruitment, Retention, and Rewards.--
       ``(1) Teacher recruitment.--A local educational agency may 
     support teacher recruitment activities by--
       ``(A) establishing or expanding teacher academies, 
     teachers-recruiting-future-teachers programs, and programs 
     designed to encourage secondary school students to pursue a 
     career in teaching;
       ``(B) establishing or expanding paraprofessional training 
     programs, paraprofessional-to-teacher career ladders, and 
     other programs designed to improve the training and 
     supervision of paraprofessionals;
       ``(C) establishing or expanding programs designed to assist 
     mid-career professionals to become certificated teachers;
       ``(D) reaching out to communities of color or other special 
     populations to make teachers teaching in the elementary 
     schools and secondary schools served by the local educational 
     agency more reflective of the student demographics (at the 
     time of the outreach and as anticipated in the future) in 
     such schools;
       ``(E) placing advertisements, attending college job fairs, 
     offering signing bonuses, or engaging in other efforts 
     designed to recruit highly qualified new teachers; and
       ``(F) establishing activities, and coordinating with 
     existing activities, designed to help recruit the highest 
     quality new teachers, such as--
       ``(i) offering student loan forgiveness;
       ``(ii) offering assistance for newly hired teachers to 
     reach higher levels of State certification or certification 
     from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; 
     and
       ``(iii) recruiting new teachers in specific disciplines, 
     including mathematics and science.
       ``(2) Teacher retention.--A local educational agency may 
     support teacher retention activities by--
       ``(A) offering stipends or bonuses to teachers who seek 
     further subject matter endorsements and advanced levels of 
     State certification or certification from the National Board 
     for Professional Teaching Standards;
       ``(B) establishing or expanding local initiatives, such as 
     mentor teacher programs, that are specifically designed to 
     retain teachers during the teachers' first 5 years of 
     teaching;
       ``(C) supporting other teacher retention activities that 
     are consistent with local educational agency criteria for 
     mentor teacher job classifications or master teacher job 
     classifications, including--
       ``(i) establishing such classifications;
       ``(ii) establishing career ladders for mentor teachers or 
     master teachers; and
       ``(iii) providing teachers with time outside the classroom 
     to improve the teachers' teaching skills while preserving the 
     teachers' job, pay, and benefits, including providing 
     sabbaticals, research opportunities, such as the Fulbright 
     Academic Exchange Programs, and the opportunity to work in an 
     industry or a not-for-profit organization; and
       ``(D) supporting local initiatives specifically designed to 
     retain experienced teachers beyond the teacher's first 5 
     years of teaching.
       ``(3) Rewards.--A local educational agency may reward--
       (A) elementary schools and secondary schools by providing 
     bonuses or financial awards to the schools, with priority 
     given to financially needy schools, based on--
       ``(i) the school's increased percentage of highly qualified 
     teachers teaching in the school; or
       ``(ii) other measures demonstrating an improvement in the 
     quality of teachers teaching in the school, including an 
     improvement in the school's recruitment and retention of 
     teachers, a reduction in out-of-field placement of teachers, 
     an increased percentage of certificated staff teaching in the 
     school, an increase in the number of teachers in the school 
     attaining higher levels of certification, and a school's 
     adoption of professional development programs that improve 
     curricula; and
       ``(B) highly qualified elementary school and secondary 
     school teachers by offering a 1-time bonus, reward, or 
     stipend of not more than $5,000 to teachers who are certified 
     by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
       ``(c) Accountability.--An elementary school or secondary 
     school receiving assistance under this part, and the local 
     educational agency serving that school, shall provide an 
     annual report to parents, the general public, and the State 
     educational agency, in easily understandable language, 
     containing--
       (1) information regarding--
       ``(A) the demographic makeup and professional credentials 
     of the agency's teacher corps;
       ``(B) efforts to increase student achievement by improving 
     the recruitment, retention, and rewarding of teachers, and 
     improving accountability for teachers; and
       ``(C) local programs assisted, expenditures made, and 
     results achieved under this part in terms of measurable 
     improvements in teacher quality and student achievement; and
       ``(2) notification of the community served by the local 
     educational agency with respect to local educational agency 
     policies regarding teacher accountability.

     ``SEC. 2405. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

       ``(a) Supplement Not Supplant.--A local educational agency 
     shall use funds under this part to supplement, and not to 
     supplant, State and local funds that, in the absence of funds 
     provided under this part, would otherwise be spent for 
     activities under this part.
       ``(b) Prohibition.--No local educational agency shall use 
     funds provided under this part to increase the salaries of or 
     to provide benefits to teachers, other than providing 
     professional development programs, bonuses, and enrichment 
     programs described in section 2404.
       ``(c) Professional Development.--If a local educational 
     agency uses funds made available under this part for 
     professional development activities, the local educational 
     agency shall ensure the equitable participation of private 
     nonprofit elementary schools and secondary schools in such 
     activities.
       ``(d) Coordination.--A local educational agency shall 
     coordinate any professional development activities carried 
     out under this part with activities carried out under title 
     II of the Higher Education Act of 1965, if the local 
     educational agency is participating in programs funded under 
     such title.
       ``(e) Administrative Expenses.--A local educational agency 
     receiving grant funds under this part may use not more than 3 
     percent of the grant funds for any fiscal year for the cost 
     of administering this part.
       ``(f) Report.--Each State receiving funds under this part 
     shall submit an annual report to the Secretary containing 
     information regarding activities assisted under this part.

     ``SEC. 2406. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``For the purpose of carrying out this part, there are 
     authorized to be appropriated $2,100,000,000 for fiscal year 
     2001 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 4 
     succeeding fiscal years.

             ``PART F--EXCELLENT PRINCIPALS CHALLENGE GRANT

     ``SEC. 2501. GRANTS TO STATES FOR THE TRAINING OF ELEMENTARY 
                   SCHOOL AND SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS.

       ``(a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts appropriated under 
     section 2504, the Secretary shall award grants to State 
     educational agencies or consortia of State educational 
     agencies that submit applications consistent with subsection 
     (d), to enable such agencies or consortia to provide, on a 
     statewide basis, professional development services for 
     elementary school and secondary school principals designed to 
     enhance the principals' leadership skills.
       ``(b) Reservations and Awards.--
       ``(1) Reservations.--From the amount appropriated under 
     section 2503 to carry out this part for each fiscal year, the 
     Secretary may reserve not more than 2 percent to develop 
     model national programs, in accordance with section 2502, 
     that provide activities described in subsection (e) for 
     elementary school and secondary school principals.
       ``(2) Awards to states.--From the amount appropriated under 
     section 2504 for a fiscal year and remaining after the 
     Secretary makes the reservation under paragraph (1), the 
     Secretary shall award grants, in an amount determined by the 
     Secretary, to State educational agencies and consortia of 
     State educational agencies on the basis of--
       ``(A) the quality of the proposed uses of the grant funds; 
     and
       ``(B) the educational needs of the State or States.
       ``(c) Matching Requirement.--
       ``(1) In general.--The amount provided to a State 
     educational agency or consortia under subsection (b)(2) shall 
     not exceed 75 percent of the cost of the program described in 
     the application submitted pursuant to subsection (d).
       ``(2) Non-federal contributions.--The non-Federal share of 
     payments under this section may be in cash or in kind, fairly 
     evaluated, including planned equipment or services. Amounts 
     provided by the Federal Government, and any portion of any 
     service subsidized by the Federal Government, may not be 
     included in determining the amount of the non-Federal share.
       ``(3) Waiver.--The Secretary shall promulgate regulations 
     to waive the matching requirement of paragraph (1) with 
     respect to State educational agencies or consortia of State 
     educational agencies that the Secretary determines serve low-
     income areas.
       ``(d) Application required.--Each State educational agency 
     or consortia of State educational agencies desiring a grant 
     under subsection (b)(2) shall submit an application to the 
     Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
     information as the Secretary shall reasonably require. At a 
     minimum, the application shall contain--

[[Page S14620]]

       ``(1) a description of the activities to be assisted under 
     this section consistent with subsection (e); and
       ``(2) an assurance that--
       ``(A) matching funds will be provided in accordance with 
     subsection (c); and
       ``(B) elementary school and secondary school principals in 
     the State were involved in developing the application and the 
     proposed uses of grant funds.
       ``(e) Use of Funds.--A State educational agency or 
     consortia of State educational agencies receiving a grant 
     under this part shall use the grant funds to provide, on a 
     statewide basis, professional development services and 
     training to increase the instructional leadership and other 
     skills of principals in elementary schools and secondary 
     schools. Such activities may include activities--
       ``(1) to provide principals with knowledge of--
       ``(A) effective instructional leadership skills and 
     practices; and
       ``(B) comprehensive whole-school approaches and programs 
     that improve teaching and learning;
       ``(2) to provide training in effective, fair evaluation and 
     supervision of school staff, and to provide training in 
     improvement of instruction; and
       ``(3) to improve understanding of the effective uses of 
     educational technology, and to incorporate technology into 
     the instructional program and the operation and management of 
     the school;
       ``(4) to improve knowledge of State content and performance 
     standards and appropriate related curriculum;
       ``(5) to improve the development of effective programs, the 
     assessment of program effectiveness, and other related 
     programs;
       ``(6) to enhance and develop school management and business 
     skills;
       ``(7) to improve training in school safety and discipline;
       ``(8) to improve training in school finance, grant-writing 
     and fund-raising; and
       ``(9) to improve training regarding school legal 
     requirements.
       ``(f) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term 
     `State' means each of the several States of the United 
     States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of 
     Puerto Rico.

     ``SEC. 2502. MODEL NATIONAL PROGRAMS.

       ``(a) In General.--From the amounts reserved under section 
     2501(b)(1), the Secretary, in consultation with the 
     Commission described in subsection (b), shall develop model 
     national programs to provide activities described in section 
     2501(e) for elementary school and secondary school 
     principals.
       ``(b) Commission.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall appoint a 
     Commission--
       ``(A) to examine existing professional development programs 
     for elementary school and secondary school principals; and
       ``(B) to provide, not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of the Quality and Accountability are Best for 
     Children Act, a report regarding the best practices to help 
     elementary school and secondary school principals in multiple 
     education environments across our Nation.
       ``(2) Membership.--The Commission shall consist of 
     representatives of local educational agencies, State 
     educational agencies, departments of education within 
     institutions of higher education, elementary school and 
     secondary school principals, education organizations, 
     community and business groups, and labor organizations.

     ``SEC. 2503. GENERAL PROVISIONS.

       ``(a) Supplement Not Supplant.--A State educational agency 
     or consortium of State educational agencies shall use funds 
     under this part to supplement, and not to supplant, State and 
     local funds that, in the absence of funds provided under this 
     part, would otherwise be spent for activities under this 
     part.
       ``(b) Professional Development.--If a State educational 
     agency or consortium of State educational agencies uses funds 
     made available under this part for professional development 
     activities, the State educational agency or consortium of 
     State educational agencies shall ensure the equitable 
     participation of private nonprofit elementary schools and 
     secondary schools in such activities.

     ``SEC. 2504. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; SUPPLEMENT NOT 
                   SUPPLANT.

       ``For the purpose of carrying out this part, there are 
     authorized to be appropriated, $100,000,000 for each of the 
     fiscal years 2001 through 2004 to carry out this part.

     SEC. 6. AMENDMENTS REGARDING IMPROVING TEACHER TECHNOLOGY 
                   TRAINING.

       (a) Statement of Purpose for Title I.--Section 1001(d)(4) 
     (20 U.S.C. 6301(d)(4)) is amended by inserting ``, giving 
     particular attention to the role technology can play in 
     professional development and improved teaching and learning'' 
     before the semicolon.
       (b) School Improvement.--Section 1116(c)(3) (20 U.S.C. 
     6317(c)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) In carrying out professional development under this 
     paragraph an elementary school or secondary school shall give 
     particular attention to professional development that 
     incorporates technology used to improve teaching and 
     learning.''.
       (c) Professional Development.--Section 1119(b) (20 U.S.C. 
     6320(b)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)--
       (A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (B) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(F) include instruction in the use of technology.''; and
       (2) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) by striking subparagraph (D); and
       (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) through (I) as 
     subparagraphs (D) through (H), respectively.
       (d) Purposes for Title II.--Section 2002(2) (20 U.S.C. 
     6602(2)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (2) in subparagraph (F), by striking the period and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(G) uses technology to enhance the teaching and learning 
     process.''.
       (e) National Teacher Training Project.--Section 2103(b)(2) 
     (20 U.S.C. 6623(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(J) Technology.''.
       (f) Local Plan for Improving Teaching and Learning.--
     Section 2208(d)(1)(F) (20 U.S.C. 6648(d)(1)(F)) is amended by 
     inserting ``, technologies,'' after ``strategies''.
       (g) Authorized Activities.--Section 2210(b)(2)(C) (20 
     U.S.C. 6650(b)(2)(C)) is amended by inserting ``, and in 
     particular technology,'' after ``practices''.
       (h) Higher Education Activities.--Section 2211(a)(1)(C) (20 
     U.S.C. 6651(a)(1)(C)) is amended by inserting ``, including 
     technological innovation,'' after ``innovation''.
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