[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 10, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4874-S4876]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself and Mr. Dodd):
  S. 990. A bill to provide a grant program to support the 
establishment and operation of Teachers Professional Development 
Institutes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce, along with 
my colleague from Connecticut, Mr. Dodd, legislation that will bolster 
the content and pedagogical knowledge of our K-12 teacher workforce. 
This measure provides resources and incentives to enlist college and 
university faculties in partnerships with public school districts 
throughout the Nation in an effort to strengthen public school 
instruction.
  My proposal will establish, over the next five years, forty new 
Teacher Professional Development Institutes in locales throughout the 
Nation. Based on the model which has been operating at Yale University 
and the City of New Haven for over 25 years, Teacher Professional 
Development Institutes consist of partnerships between one or more 
institutions of higher education and local, economically disadvantaged 
public school systems. These Institutes will strengthen the present 
teacher workforce by giving participants an opportunity to gain more 
sophisticated content knowledge and instructional skills, and will 
provide them a chance to develop--in conjunction with their Institute 
colleagues--practical curriculum units that they can implement in their 
classrooms and share with their schools and districts.
  Since 1978, the Yale-New Haven Institute has offered five to seven 
thirteen-session seminars each year, led by Yale faculty, on topics 
that teachers have selected to enhance their teaching mastery. To begin 
the process, teacher representatives from the Institute solicit 
teachers throughout the school district for ideas on how to help meet 
their perceived needs--for example, improving content area knowledge, 
preparing instructional materials, managing the classroom, or 
addressing accountability standards. As a consensus emerges regarding 
seminar content, the Institute director identifies and enlists 
university faculty members with the appropriate expertise, interest, 
and desire to lead the seminar. Because the topics are ultimately 
determined by the teachers who participate, seminars offer content 
which teachers believe is pertinent, valuable, and practical for both 
themselves and their students.
  It is, in fact, the cooperative and emergent nature of the Institute 
seminar planning process that ensures its success--rigorous topical 
instruction

[[Page S4875]]

and relevant materials are provided based on participants' self-
identified needs. Granted the opportunity to examine and act on their 
own skills and knowledge, teachers gain a sense of self-sufficiency, 
and are more enthusiastic about their participation. Teachers gain 
further confidence as they practice using the materials they obtain and 
develop among their peers, ensuring that the experience not only 
increases their subject-matter proficiency, but also provides immediate 
hands-on active learning materials that can be transferred to the 
classroom. In short, by allowing teachers to determine the seminar 
subjects and providing them the resources to develop curricula relevant 
to their classroom and their students, the Institutes empower teachers. 
Teachers are the front line--they are the interface between the 
educational system and the students it aspires to shape and inform--and 
they know what should be done to improve their schools and increase 
student achievement. The Teacher Professional Development Institutes 
promote this philosophy.
  From 1999-2002, the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute conducted a 
National Demonstration Project to create comparable Institutes at four 
diverse sites with large concentrations of disadvantaged students. 
These demonstration projects were located in Pittsburgh, PA; Houston, 
TX; Albuquerque, NM; and Santa Ana, CA. Based on the success of that 
Project, the Institute has launched the Yale National Initiative--a 
long-term endeavor to establish exemplary Teachers Institutes in states 
throughout the nation, just as the legislation I have introduced would 
do.
  Follow-up evaluations have garnered encouraging reactions from 
teachers who have participated both in the Yale-New Haven Institute and 
in the demonstration Institutes. These data strongly support the 
conclusions that virtually all teachers felt substantially strengthened 
in their mastery of content knowledge and that they developed increased 
expectations for students' achievement. Further, because of their 
personal 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--in fact, 
ninety-five percent of all participating teachers reported them to be 
beneficial. Finally, study results have found that these Institutes 
foster teacher leadership, develop supportive teacher networks, 
heighten university faculty commitments to improving K-12 public 
education, and create more positive partnerships between school 
districts and institutions of higher education--something I believe is 
essential to improving students' readiness for college.
  Several studies assert that teacher quality is the single most 
important school-related factor in determining student achievement. 
Accordingly, the No Child Left Behind Act requires a ``highly 
qualified'' teacher to be in every classroom by the end of the 2005-
2006 academic year. Effective teacher professional development programs 
that focus on content area and pedagogical knowledge are proven means 
of enhancing the success of classroom teachers and helping to meet the 
``highly qualified'' criteria. Yet, a 2003 Government Accountability 
Office Report on Teacher Quality found that many state and local school 
districts view shortcomings in their current professional development 
practices as a significant barrier to meeting this requirement. These 
local agencies are looking for innovative, research-proven alternatives 
to their current programs, and this is precisely what Teacher 
Professional Development Institutes will provide.
  Nationwide, projects developed to conform to the Yale-New Haven 
Institute model have proven to be successful in providing innovative 
teacher professional development. Virtually all 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 and would provide high quality professional 
development to educators and policy makers throughout the Nation. In 
this way, we can set high standards for effective teacher professional 
development as we have done for student achievement outcomes.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the Teachers Professional 
Development Institutes Act be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 990

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

     SECTION 1. TEACHERS 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--TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES

     ``SEC. 241. SHORT TITLE.

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

     ``SEC. 242. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       ``(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       ``(1) Ongoing, subject-specific teacher professional 
     development is essential to improved student learning.
       ``(2) The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 calls for a 
     highly qualified teacher in every core-subject classroom; 
     attaining this goal will require innovative and effective 
     approaches to improving the quality of teaching.
       ``(3) The Teachers Institute Model is an innovative and 
     proven approach that encourages collaboration between urban 
     school teachers and university faculty. The model focuses on 
     teachers' continuing academic preparation and on the personal 
     and collaborative application of their studies in their 
     classrooms, schools, and districts.
       ``(4) The Teachers Institute Model has a proven record, as 
     demonstrated by the success of a 3-year national 
     demonstration pilot project (referred to in this part as the 
     `National Demonstration Project') in several United States 
     cities.
       ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this part is to provide 
     Federal assistance to support the establishment and operation 
     of Teachers Professional Development 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 and pedagogical skills 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 professional development institute.--The 
     term `Teachers Professional Development 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 Professional Development 
     Institutes to encourage the establishment and operation of 
     Teachers Professional Development Institutes; and
       ``(2) to provide technical assistance, either directly or 
     through existing Teachers Professional Development 
     Institutes, to assist local educational agencies and 
     institutions of higher education in preparing to establish 
     and in operating Teachers Professional Development 
     Institutes.
       ``(b) Selection Criteria.--In selecting a Teachers 
     Professional Development Institute for a grant under this 
     part, the Secretary shall consider--
       ``(1) the extent to which the proposed Teachers 
     Professional Development Institute will serve a community 
     with a significant low-income population;
       ``(2) the extent to which the proposed Teachers 
     Professional Development 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 Professional 
     Development 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

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       ``(4) the extent to which the proposed Teachers 
     Professional Development 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 Professional Development Institute.
       ``(c) Consultation.--
       ``(1) In general.--In evaluating applications under 
     subsection (b), the Secretary may request the advice and 
     assistance of existing Teachers Professional Development 
     Institutes.
       ``(2) State agencies.--If the Secretary receives 2 or more 
     applications for new Teachers Professional Development 
     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 
     Professional Development 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.--A Teachers Professional Development 
     Institute that receives a grant under this part may use the 
     grant funds--
       ``(1) for the planning and development of applications for 
     the establishment of Teachers Professional Development 
     Institutes;
       ``(2) to provide assistance to existing Teachers 
     Professional Development Institutes established during the 
     National Demonstration Project to enable the Teachers 
     Professional Development Institutes--
       ``(A) to further develop existing Teachers Professional 
     Development Institutes; or
       ``(B) to support the planning and development of 
     applications for new Teachers Professional Development 
     Institutes;
       ``(3) for the salary and necessary expenses of a full-time 
     director to plan and manage such Teachers Professional 
     Development Institute and to act as liaison between the 
     participating local educational agency and institution of 
     higher education;
       ``(4) to provide suitable office space, staff, equipment, 
     and supplies, and to pay other operating expenses for the 
     development and maintenance of Teachers Professional 
     Development Institutes;
       ``(5) to provide stipends for teachers participating in 
     collaborative seminars in the sciences and humanities, and to 
     provide remuneration for those members of the higher 
     education faculty who lead the seminars; and
       ``(6) to provide for the dissemination through print and 
     electronic means of curriculum units prepared in conjunction 
     with Teachers Professional Development Institutes seminars.
       ``(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 Professional 
     Development Institutes. For the purpose of this subsection, 
     the Secretary may contract with existing Teachers 
     Professional Development 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 Professional Development 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 
     Professional Development 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 Professional Development Institute 
     shall enter into a comprehensive agreement covering the 
     entire period of the grant.

     ``SEC. 247. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.

       ``(a) Report.--Each Teachers Professional Development 
     Institute receiving a grant under this part shall report 
     annually on the progress of the Teachers Professional 
     Development 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 
     Professional Development Institutes.
       ``(c) Revocation.--If the Secretary determines that a 
     Teachers Professional Development 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 2006;
       ``(2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
       ``(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
       ``(4) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and
       ``(5) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.''.
                                 ______