[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 84 (Thursday, June 17, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7005-S7007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself and Mr. Dodd):
  S. 2538. A bill to provide a grant program to support the 
establishment and operation of Teachers Institutes; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation, 
along with my colleague from Connecticut, Mr. Dodd, that will 
strengthen the content and pedagogy knowledge of our present K-12 
teacher workforce and thus ultimately raise student achievement.
  My proposal would establish eight new Teacher Professional 
Development Institutes throughout the Nation each year over the next 
five years based on the model which has been operating at Yale 
University for over 25 years. Every Teacher Institute would consist of 
a partnership between an institution of higher education and the local 
public school system in which a significant proportion of the students 
come from low-income households. These Institutes will strengthen the 
present teacher workforce by giving each participant an opportunity to 
gain more sophisticated content knowledge and a chance to develop 
curriculum units with other colleagues that can be directly applied in 
their classrooms. We know that teachers gain confidence and enthusiasm 
when they have a deeper understanding of the subject matter that they 
teach and this translates into higher expectations for their students 
and thus, an increase in student achievement.
  The Teacher Professional Development Institutes are based on the 
Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute model that has been in existence 
since 1978. For over 25 years, the Institute has offered six or seven 
thirteen-session seminars each year, led by Yale faculty, on topics 
that teachers have selected to enhance their mastery of the 
specific subject area that they teach. The subject selection process 
begins with representatives from the Institutes soliciting ideas from 
teachers throughout the school district for topics on which teachers 
feel they need to have additional preparation, topics that will assist 
them in preparing materials they need for their students, or topics 
that will assist them in addressing the standards that the school 
district requires. As a consensus emerges about desired seminar 
subjects, the Institute director identifies university faculty members 
with the appropriate expertise, interest and desire to lead the 
seminar. University faculty members, especially those who have led 
Institute seminars before, may sometimes suggest seminars they would 
like to lead, and these ideas are circulated by the representatives as 
well. The final decisions on which seminar topics are offered are 
ultimately made by the teachers who participate. In this way, the 
offerings are designed to respond to what teachers believe is needed 
and useful for both themselves and their students.

  The cooperative nature of the Institute seminar planning process 
ensures its success: Institutes offer seminars and relevant materials 
on topics teachers have identified and feel are needed for their own 
preparation as well as what they know will motivate and engage their 
students. Teachers enthusiastically take part in rigorous seminars they 
have requested, and as part of the program, practice using the 
materials they have obtained and developed. This helps ensure that the 
experience not only increases their preparation in the subjects they 
are assigned to teach, but also their participation in an Institute 
seminar gives them immediate hands-on active learning materials that 
can be used in the classroom. In short, by allowing teachers to 
determine the seminar subjects and providing them the resources to 
develop relevant curricula for their classroom and their students, the 
Institutes empower teachers. Teachers know their students best and they 
know what should be done to improve schools and increase student 
learning. The Teacher Professional Development Institutes promote this 
philosophy.
  From 1999-2002, the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute launched a 
National

[[Page S7006]]

Demonstration Project to create comparable Institutes at four diverse 
sites with large concentrations of disadvantaged students. These 
demonstration projects are located in Pittsburgh, PA, Houston, TX, 
Albuquerque, NM, and Santa Ana, CA.
  Follow-up evaluations have earned very positive results from the 
teacher participants in the Yale-New Haven Institute, as well as the 
four demonstration sites. The data strongly support the conclusion that 
virtually all teachers felt substantially strengthened in their mastery 
of content knowledge and they also developed increased expectations for 
what their students could achieve. In addition, because of their 
involvement in the course selection and curriculum development process, 
teacher participants have found these seminars to be especially 
relevant and useful in their classroom practices. Ninety-five percent 
of all participating teachers reported that the seminars were useful. 
These Institutes have also served to foster teacher leadership, to 
develop supportive teacher networks, to heighten university faculty 
commitments to improving K-12 public education, and to foster more 
positive partnerships between school districts and institutions of 
higher education.
  By some studies, teacher quality is the single most important school-
related factor in determining student achievement. In support of this, 
the No Child Left Behind Act requires a ``highly qualified'' teacher to 
be in every classroom by the end of 2005-2006. Effective teacher 
professional development programs that focus on subject and pedagogy 
knowledge are a proven method for enhancing the success of a teacher in 
the classroom and in helping them meet the highly qualified criteria.

  Though a K-12 teacher shortage is forecast in the near-term and many 
new teachers will be entering our schools, those teachers who are 
presently on the job will do the majority of teaching in the classrooms 
in the very near future. For this reason, it is imperative to invest in 
methods to strengthen our present teaching workforce. Like many 
professions, the quality of our teachers could diminish if their 
professional development is neglected. Research has shown that positive 
educational achievements occur when coursework in a teachers' specific 
content area is combined with pedagogy techniques. This is what the 
Teacher Professional Development Institutes Act strives to accomplish.
  The Yale-New Haven Institutes have already proven to be a successful 
model for teacher professional development as demonstrated by the high 
caliper curriculum unit plans that teacher participants have developed 
and placed on the web and by the evaluations that support the 
conclusion that virtually all the teacher participants felt 
substantially strengthened in their mastery of content knowledge and 
their teaching skills. My proposal would open this opportunity to many 
more urban teachers throughout the nation.
  I urge my colleagues to act favorably on this measure. I ask 
unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2538

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

     SECTION 1. TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES.

       Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1021 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

         ``PART C--TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES

     ``SEC. 241. SHORT TITLE.

       ``This part may be cited as the `Teacher Professional 
     Development Institutes Act'.

     ``SEC. 242. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       ``(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       ``(1) The ongoing professional development of teachers in 
     the subjects the teachers teach is essential for improved 
     student learning.
       ``(2) Attaining the goal of the No Child Left Behind Act of 
     2001, of having a teacher who is highly qualified in every 
     core subject classroom, will require innovative and effective 
     approaches to improving the quality of teaching.
       ``(3) The Teachers Institute Model is an innovative 
     approach that encourages a collaboration between urban school 
     teachers and university faculty. The Teachers Institute Model 
     focuses on the continuing academic preparation of school 
     teachers and the application of what the teachers study to 
     their classrooms and potentially to the classrooms of other 
     teachers.
       ``(4) The Teachers Institute Model has also been 
     successfully demonstrated over a 3-year period in a National 
     Demonstration Project (hereafter in this part referred to as 
     the `National Demonstration Project') in several cities.
       ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this part is to provide 
     Federal assistance to support the establishment and operation 
     of Teachers Institutes for local educational agencies that 
     serve significant low-income populations in States throughout 
     the Nation--
       ``(1) to improve student learning; and
       ``(2) to enhance the quality of teaching by strengthening 
     the subject matter mastery of current teachers through 
     continuing teacher preparation.

     ``SEC. 243. DEFINITIONS.

       ``In this part:
       ``(1) Poverty line.--The term `poverty line' means the 
     poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management and 
     Budget, and revised annually in accordance with section 
     673(2) of the Community Services Block Grant Act) applicable 
     to a family of the size involved.
       ``(2) Significant low-income population.--The term 
     `significant low-income population' means a student 
     population of which not less than 25 percent are from 
     families with incomes below the poverty line.
       ``(3) State.--The term `State' means each of the several 
     States of the United States, the District of Columbia, and 
     the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
       ``(4) Teachers institute.--The term `Teachers Institute' 
     means a partnership or joint venture between or among 1 or 
     more institutions of higher education, and 1 or more local 
     educational agencies serving a significant low-income 
     population, which partnership or joint venture--
       ``(A) is entered into for the purpose of improving the 
     quality of teaching and learning through collaborative 
     seminars designed to enhance both the subject matter and the 
     pedagogical resources of the seminar participants; and
       ``(B) works in collaboration to determine the direction and 
     content of the collaborative seminars.

     ``SEC. 244. GRANT AUTHORITY.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized--
       ``(1) to award grants to Teachers Institutes to encourage 
     the establishment and operation of Teachers Institutes; and
       ``(2) to provide technical assistance, either directly or 
     through existing Teachers Institutes, to assist local 
     educational agencies and institutions of higher education in 
     preparing to establish and in operating Teachers Institutes.
       ``(b) Selection Criteria.--In selecting a Teachers 
     Institute for a grant under this part, the Secretary shall 
     consider--
       ``(1) the extent to which the proposed Teachers Institute 
     will serve a community with a significant low-income 
     population;
       ``(2) the extent to which the proposed Teachers Institute 
     will follow the Understandings and Necessary Procedures that 
     have been developed following the National Demonstration 
     Project;
       ``(3) the extent to which the local educational agency 
     participating in the proposed Teachers Institute has a high 
     percentage of teachers who are unprepared or under prepared 
     to teach the core academic subjects the teachers are assigned 
     to teach; and
       ``(4) the extent to which the proposed Teachers Institute 
     will receive a level of support from the community and other 
     sources that will ensure the requisite long-term commitment 
     for the success of a Teachers Institute.
       ``(c) Consultation.--
       ``(1) In general.--In evaluating applications under 
     subsection (b), the Secretary may request the advice and 
     assistance of existing Teachers Institutes.
       ``(2) State agencies.--If the Secretary receives 2 or more 
     applications for new Teachers Institutes that propose serving 
     the same State, the Secretary shall consult with the State 
     educational agency regarding the applications.
       ``(d) Fiscal agent.--For the purpose of this part, an 
     institution of higher education participating in a Teachers 
     Institute shall serve as the fiscal agent for the receipt of 
     grant funds under this part.
       ``(e) Limitations.--A grant under this part--
       ``(1) shall be awarded for a period not to exceed 5 years; 
     and
       ``(2) shall not exceed 50 percent of the total costs of the 
     eligible activities, as determined by the Secretary.

     ``SEC. 245. ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.

       ``(a) In General.--Grant funds awarded under this part may 
     be used--
       ``(1) for the planning and development of applications for 
     the establishment of Teachers Institutes;
       ``(2) to provide assistance to the Teachers Institutes 
     established during the National Demonstration Project to 
     enable the Teachers Institutes--
       ``(A) to develop further the Teachers Institutes; or
       ``(B) to support the planning and development of 
     applications for new Teachers Institutes;
       ``(3) for the salary and necessary expenses of a full-time 
     director to plan and manage the Teachers Institute and to act 
     as liaison

[[Page S7007]]

     between the local educational agency and the institution of 
     higher education participating in the Teachers Institute;
       ``(4) to provide suitable office space, staff, equipment, 
     and supplies, and to pay other operating expenses, for the 
     Teachers Institute;
       ``(5) to provide a stipend for teachers participating in 
     collaborative seminars in the sciences and humanities, and to 
     provide remuneration for those members of the faculty of the 
     institution of higher education participating in the Teachers 
     Institute who lead the seminars; and
       ``(6) to provide for the dissemination through print and 
     electronic means of curriculum units prepared in the seminars 
     conducted by the Teachers Institute.
       ``(b) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may use not more 
     than 50 percent of the funds appropriated to carry out this 
     part to provide technical assistance to facilitate the 
     establishment and operation of Teachers Institutes. For the 
     purpose of this subsection, the Secretary may contract with 
     existing Teachers Institutes to provide all or a part of the 
     technical assistance under this subsection.

     ``SEC. 246. APPLICATION, APPROVAL, AND AGREEMENT.

       ``(a) In General.--To receive a grant under this part, a 
     Teachers Institute shall submit an application to the 
     Secretary that--
       ``(1) meets the requirement of this part and any 
     regulations under this part;
       ``(2) includes a description of how the Teachers Institute 
     intends to use funds provided under the grant;
       ``(3) includes such information as the Secretary may 
     require to apply the criteria described in section 244(b);
       ``(4) includes measurable objectives for the use of the 
     funds provided under the grant; and
       ``(5) contains such other information and assurances as the 
     Secretary may require.
       ``(b) Approval.--The Secretary shall--
       ``(1) promptly evaluate an application received for a grant 
     under this part; and
       ``(2) notify the applicant within 90 days of the receipt of 
     a completed application of the Secretary's approval or 
     disapproval of the application.
       ``(c) Agreement.--Upon approval of an application, the 
     Secretary and the Teachers Institute shall enter into a 
     comprehensive agreement covering the entire period of the 
     grant.

     ``SEC. 247. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.

       ``(a) Report.--Each Teachers Institute receiving a grant 
     under this part shall report annually on the progress of the 
     Teachers Institute in achieving the purpose of this part and 
     the purposes of the grant.
       ``(b) Evaluation and Dissemination.--
       ``(1) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall evaluate the 
     activities funded under this part and submit an annual report 
     regarding the activities to the Committee on Health, 
     Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of 
     Representatives.
       ``(2) Dissemination.--The Secretary shall broadly 
     disseminate successful practices developed by Teachers 
     Institutes.
       ``(c) Revocation.--If the Secretary determines that a 
     Teachers Institute is not making substantial progress in 
     achieving the purpose of this part and the purposes of the 
     grant by the end of the second year of the grant under this 
     part, the Secretary may take appropriate action, including 
     revocation of further payments under the grant, to ensure 
     that the funds available under this part are used in the most 
     effective manner.

     ``SEC. 248. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     part--
       ``(1) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
       ``(2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;
       ``(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
       ``(4) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
       ``(5) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.''.
                                 ______