[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 6, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2696-S2699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BURR (for himself and Mr. Bingaman):
  S. 765. A bill to establish a grant program to improve high school 
graduation rates and prepare students for college and work; to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I wish to talk about education, something 
many in this body take very seriously. I rise today to address the 
Nation's dropout crisis. Each day that our schools are open, 
approximately 7,000 students drop out of high school. That is 1.2 
million students annually who do not complete their high school 
education. Almost a third of American students who enter high school in 
the ninth grade drop out of school and never receive their high school 
diploma.
  I know our students, our schools, our communities can do better. To 
ensure that these young people have a better future and that America 
maintains its competitiveness in a global economy, I suggest to all my 
colleagues that we must do better.
  According to a Manhattan Institute study, the high school graduation 
rate for the class of 2003 nationwide was only 70 percent. Thirty 
percent of our students in this country do not cross the goal line of 
graduation. Even more alarming, however, is that high school graduation 
rates for subgroups of students in 2003 were for White students, 78 
percent; African Americans, 55 percent; Hispanics, 53 percent.
  Graduating from high school is a 50-50 proposition in 930 of our high 
schools in our country. Fifty percent of the students in 930 schools do 
not get their high school diplomas. In 2,000 high schools, it is a 60-
40 proposition. Sixty percent are going to get their diploma, 40 
percent will not get their diploma.
  Just last week, my home State of North Carolina released its most 
current data on our State's dropout crisis. Our statistics, likewise, 
point to an urgent need to pay attention to our public high schools and 
these students.
  North Carolina's statewide graduation rate was 68 percent. Yet for 
Black students, that rate falls to 60 percent; for low-income students, 
55 percent; and for Hispanic students, 52 percent. Nearly 80 percent of 
the Nation's high schools that produce the highest number of dropouts 
are in 15 States, and I am embarrassed at the fact that North Carolina 
is one of them.
  To retain our competitive edge in the world economy, America's youths 
must be prepared for the jobs of today and the jobs of the future, jobs 
which increasingly require a postsecondary education. Unfortunately, in 
2003, 3.5 million Americans ages 16 to 25 did not have a high school 
diploma and were not enrolled in school.
  Individuals without a high school diploma experience higher rates of 
unemployment, incarceration, and are more likely to live in poverty and 
receive public assistance than individuals with at least a high school 
diploma.
  We know the statistics, but they are worth repeating. Mr. President, 
4 out of every 10 people ages 16 to 24 without a high school diploma 
receive some type of government assistance. A high school dropout is 
eight times more likely to be incarcerated than a person with a high 
school diploma.
  I am fortunate to represent a State with a rich history in its 
commitment to higher education. The State of North Carolina is the home 
of the Nation's first State university, the University of North 
Carolina at Chapel Hill, which welcomed students for the first time to 
its campus on January 15, 1795. All total, North Carolina has 127 
degree-granting institutions of higher education--75 public and 52 
private. However, North Carolina and the rest of the country cannot 
rest on their laurels with their higher education systems. We should be 
and are proud of our high college-going rate in North Carolina. Yet 
while 64 percent of recent North Carolina high school graduates go on 
to college, that number is far too low.
  There is no silver bullet that will fix our educational system, 
including high school reform which many have talked about. I hope more 
and better research will give us a better direction and maybe better 
answers, but until then, there are a number of things that we can and 
we should be doing to improve what is a problem that must be addressed.
  In particular, we know the three Rs to making our public high schools 
work better for today's students are rigor, relevance, and 
relationships. Today, Senator Jeff Bingaman from New Mexico and I are 
introducing bipartisan legislation, the Graduate for a Better Future 
Act. This is to help turn the tide of our Nation's dropout crisis.
  Senator Bingaman has been a stalwart leader in the Senate on issues 
relating to dropout prevention. I am proud to join him in an effort to 
lower high school dropout rates and to raise high school graduation and 
college-going rates.
  This legislation will create a competitive grant program targeted at 
school districts and high schools with the lowest graduation rates, 
focused on those three Rs of high school reform: rigor, relevance, and 
relationships.
  Funds under this act would be used for models of excellence for 
academically challenging high schools to prepare all students for 
college and for work; to offer academic catchup programs for those 
students who enter high school and do not meet proficient levels in 
mathematics, reading, language arts, or science that enable such 
students to meet proficient levels and remain on track to graduate from 
high school with a regular high school degree; to implement early 
warning systems to quickly identify students at risk of dropping out, 
especially systems that track student absenteeism, one of the greatest 
predictors that a student may drop out of high school; to implement 
comprehensive college guidance programs that ensure all students and 
their parents are regularly notified of high school graduation 
requirements, college requirements for entry, and provide guidance and 
assistance to students in applying for postsecondary education and in 
applying for Federal financial assistance and other State, local, and 
private financial aid and scholarships; to implement a program that 
offers all students opportunities for work-based and experiential 
learning experiences, such as job shadowing, internships, and community 
service so that students make the connection between what they are 
learning in school and how that applies to the workplace that we want 
them to be in; and to implement a student advisement program

[[Page S2697]]

in which all students are assigned to and have regular meetings with an 
academic teacher adviser.
  A recent survey of high school dropouts by Civic Enterprises presents 
a picture of the American high school dropout that is surprising to 
many. I know it surprised me. Eighty-eight percent of those students 
who dropped out of high school had passing grades when they dropped 
out. Let me say that again. Eighty-eight percent of the students who 
dropped out of high school had passing grades which would have enabled 
them to complete their high school diploma. But they dropped out. 
Fifty-eight percent dropped out with 2 or fewer years to complete high 
school; 66 percent said they would have worked harder if expectations 
had been higher; 81 percent recognized that a high school diploma was 
absolutely vital to their success in life; and 74 percent said they 
would have stayed in school if they had it to do all over again.

  Mr. President, this is the point where we get a redo. We get an 
opportunity to make sure students get an opportunity in the next 
generation so they don't make the same mistakes the last ones did.
  Over the past 25 years, the difference in earnings between workers 
with lower and higher levels of education has grown. As my home State 
of North Carolina has experienced, gone are the days when an individual 
with only a high school diploma or GED can find a high-paying job in 
industries such as manufacturing, textiles, or furniture.
  The global economy has changed the marketplace, and the competition 
is no longer the person who sits next to us. It is the person who 
graduates from the school we will never hear about or have an 
opportunity to visit.
  We know more education pays off. Over his or her lifetime, an 
individual without a high school diploma will earn approximately $1.1 
million less than an individual with a bachelor's degree, $1.5 million 
less than an individual with a master's degree, and $2.4 million less 
than an individual with a doctoral degree.
  What is the message to our children and our grandchildren? Is it that 
the future is more competitive than the past, that to be competitive in 
the job market means we have to raise our educational skills, and as 
parents and grandparents, we have to make it happen? The answer is yes.
  The Senate can no longer sit by and accept rates of 30 percent of our 
students who don't cross the goal line of high school and accept that 
without a fight. We can do better, and we should do better.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and with my cosponsor, 
Senator Bingaman, to face our Nation's dropout crisis head on. This is 
a first start. This is the ability to educate parents and students 
about not only how we engage them in the proficiencies they need to be 
competitive but, more importantly, how we teach them that our 
expectations are greater than what they felt in the past.
  It is time that the Senate lead by example to begin to pass 
legislation that has a real impact on the high school graduation rates 
in this country; that we can look back and say it was this legislation 
that started the process, and it was quickly followed up with 
additional legislation that helps our youth compete, regardless of 
where that job is and regardless of who their competition is.
  As this legislation comes before the committee and comes to this 
floor, I urge my colleagues to pay particular attention to the impact 
it has on our children and our grandchildren but, more importantly, on 
our competitiveness in the future.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 765

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Graduate 
     for a Better Future Act''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents to this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Purposes.
Sec. 4. Definitions.
Sec. 5. Program authorized.
Sec. 6. Reporting and accountability.
Sec. 7. Evaluation and report.
Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The high school graduation rate for the class of 2003 
     was only 70 percent nationwide. Thus, almost \1/3\ of 
     American students who enter high school in 9th grade drop out 
     of school and never receive a high school diploma.
       (2) Large disparities exist in the high school graduation 
     rates among various subgroups of students. Although the high 
     school graduation rate for white students was 78 percent in 
     2003, the rate for African American students was only 55 
     percent, and the rate for Hispanic students was only 53 
     percent.
       (3) For students in approximately 2,000 high schools across 
     the United States, the chance of graduating from high school 
     is less than 60 percent.
       (4) In 2003, 3,500,000 Americans ages 16 to 25 did not have 
     a high school diploma and were not enrolled in school.
       (5) To retain its competitive edge in the world economy, it 
     is essential that America's youth be prepared for the jobs of 
     today and for the jobs of the future. Such jobs increasingly 
     require a post-secondary education.
       (6) Individuals without a high school diploma experience 
     higher rates of unemployment, incarceration, living in 
     poverty, and receiving public assistance than individuals 
     with at least a high school diploma.
       (7) Over his or her lifetime, an individual without a high 
     school diploma will earn approximately $1,100,000 less than 
     an individual with a bachelor's degree, $1,500,000 less than 
     an individual with a master's degree, and $2,400,000 less 
     than an individual with a doctoral degree.

     SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

       The purposes of this Act are--
       (1) to create models of excellence for academically 
     rigorous high schools, including early college high schools, 
     in order to prepare all students for college and work;
       (2) to raise high school graduation rates and college-going 
     rates;
       (3) to reduce college remediation rates;
       (4) to create a seamless curriculum between high school and 
     college;
       (5) to improve teaching and curricula to make high school 
     more rigorous and relevant;
       (6) to improve instruction and access to supports for 
     struggling high school students;
       (7) to improve communication between parents, students, and 
     schools; and
       (8) to create, implement, and utilize early warning systems 
     to help identify students at risk of dropping out of high 
     school, especially systems that monitor student absenteeism.

     SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

       (1) Advanced placement or international baccalaureate 
     course.--The term ``Advanced Placement or International 
     Baccalaureate course'' means a course of college-level 
     instruction provided to middle school or secondary school 
     students, terminating in an examination administered by the 
     College Board or the International Baccalaureate 
     Organization.
       (2) College-going rate.--The term ``college-going rate'' 
     means the percentage of high school graduates who enroll at 
     an institution of higher education in the school year 
     immediately following graduation from high school.
       (3) Dual credit courses.--The term ``dual credit course'' 
     means a college course that--
       (A) may be taken at a high school or at an institution of 
     higher education;
       (B) is taught by--
       (i) college faculty; or
       (ii) high school faculty with credentials that the eligible 
     entity determines are appropriate; and
       (C) the successful completion of which can earn high school 
     academic credit as well as college academic credit.
       (4) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
       (A) a State educational agency;
       (B) a national, regional, or statewide nonprofit 
     organization with expertise and experience in working with 
     local educational agencies and high schools to raise high 
     school academic achievement, high school graduation rates, 
     and college-going rates; or
       (C) a partnership consisting of a State educational agency 
     and an entity described in subparagraph (B).
       (5) Eligible local educational agency.--The term ``eligible 
     local educational agency'' means a local educational agency 
     with a high school graduation rate of 60 percent or less--
       (A) in the aggregate; or
       (B) applicable to 2 or more of the following subgroups of 
     high school students served by the local educational agency:
       (i) Economically disadvantaged students.
       (ii) Students from major racial or ethnic groups.
       (6) High school.--The term ``high school'' means a 
     nonprofit institutional day or residential school, including 
     a public charter high school, that provides high school 
     education, as determined under State law.
       (7) High school graduation rate.--The term ``high school 
     graduation rate'' means the percentage of students who 
     graduate from high school with a regular diploma in the 
     standard number of years as measured by

[[Page S2698]]

     a valid and reliable measure of high school graduation rates, 
     such as the averaged freshman graduation rate.
       (8) Institution of higher education.--The term 
     ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
       (9) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
     agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 9101 of 
     the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     7801).
       (10) Parent.--The term ``parent'' has the meaning given the 
     term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
     Education Act of 1965.
       (11) Rigorous secondary school program of study.--The term 
     ``rigorous secondary school program of study'' means a 
     rigorous secondary school program of study recognized as such 
     by the Secretary for purposes of subparagraph (A)(i) or 
     (B)(i) of section 401A(c)(3) of the Higher Education Act of 
     1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a-1(c)(3)).
       (12) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Education.
       (13) State educational agency.--The term ``State 
     educational agency'' has the meaning given the term in 
     section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
     1965.
       (14) Student with a disability.--The term ``student with a 
     disability'' means a child with a disability, as defined in 
     section 602 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 
     Act (20 U.S.C. 1401).

     SEC. 5. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

       (a) In General.--From amounts appropriated under section 8 
     for a fiscal year, the Secretary is authorized to award 
     grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to 
     enable eligible entities to award subgrants to eligible local 
     educational agencies for the authorized activities described 
     in subsection (d).
       (b) Duration.--
       (1) Grants.--The Secretary may award grants under this Act 
     (other than a planning grant under subsection (c)(3)) for a 
     period of not more than 6 years.
       (2) Subgrants.--An eligible entity may award subgrants 
     under this Act for a period of not more than 5 years.
       (c) Eligible Entity Authorized Activities.--
       (1) Distribution.--An eligible entity that receives a grant 
     under this Act--
       (A) shall reserve not more than 15 percent of the grant 
     funds to carry out the activities described in paragraphs (2) 
     through (5); and
       (B) shall use not less than 85 percent of the grant funds 
     to award subgrants, on a competitive basis, to eligible local 
     educational agencies to enable the eligible local educational 
     agencies to carry out the authorized activities described in 
     subsection (d).
       (2) State level planning and administration.--An eligible 
     entity that receives a grant under this Act may use the grant 
     funds reserved under paragraph (1)(A) for planning and 
     administration, including--
       (A) evaluating applications from eligible local educational 
     agencies;
       (B) administering the distribution of subgrants to eligible 
     local educational agencies; and
       (C) assessing and evaluating, on a regular basis, eligible 
     local educational agency activities carried out under this 
     Act, including regularly evaluating the academic rigor of 
     courses at high schools in the State that receive funding 
     under this Act.
       (3) Local educational agency planning grants.--
       (A) In general.--From amounts reserved under paragraph 
     (1)(A), an eligible entity may award a planning grant to an 
     eligible local educational agency.
       (B) Amount.--An eligible entity shall award each planning 
     grant under this paragraph in the amount of $10,000.
       (C) Duration and use of planning grant funds.--Each 
     planning grant shall be--
       (i) awarded for a period of 1 year;
       (ii) nonrenewable; and
       (iii) used to plan and apply for a subgrant awarded under 
     paragraph (1)(B).
       (4) Technical assistance for local educational agencies.--
     An eligible entity that receives a grant under this Act may 
     use the grant funds reserved under paragraph (1)(A) for 
     technical assistance, including--
       (A) assisting eligible local educational agencies in 
     accomplishing the tasks required to implement a program under 
     this Act;
       (B) implementing a program of professional development for 
     teachers and administrators, in high schools that receive 
     funding under this Act, that prepares teachers and 
     administrators to implement the authorized activities 
     described in subsection (d); and
       (C) assisting eligible local educational agencies in 
     designing a program to be assisted under this Act.
       (5) Reporting.--An eligible entity that receives a grant 
     under this Act may use the grant funds reserved under 
     paragraph (1)(A) for annually providing the Secretary with a 
     report on the implementation of this section as required 
     under section 6.
       (d) Eligible Local Educational Agency Authorized 
     Activities.--Each eligible local educational agency receiving 
     a subgrant under this Act, shall use the subgrant funds to 
     carry out each of the following activities:
       (1) To implement a college-preparatory curriculum for all 
     students in a high school served by the eligible local 
     educational agency under this Act (and for students with 
     disabilities in accordance with the individualized education 
     program of the student) that is, at a minimum, aligned with a 
     rigorous secondary school program of study.
       (2) To implement accelerated academic catch-up programs, 
     for students who enter high school not meeting proficient 
     levels of academic achievement in mathematics, reading or 
     language arts, or science, that enable such students to meet 
     the proficient levels of achievement and remain on track to 
     graduate from high school on time with a regular high school 
     diploma.
       (3) To implement an early warning system to quickly 
     identify students at risk of dropping out of high school, 
     including systems that track student absenteeism.
       (4) To implement a system of student and classroom progress 
     monitoring, which may include the adoption and use of 
     diagnostic or formative assessments that--
       (A) measure student academic progress in the core academic 
     areas; and
       (B) may identify areas in which students need additional 
     academic assistance and support.
       (5) To implement a comprehensive college guidance program 
     that--
       (A) will ensure that all students in a high school served 
     by the eligible local educational agency under this Act, and 
     their parents, are regularly notified throughout the 
     students' time in high school, of high school graduation 
     requirements and college entrance requirements; and
       (B) provides guidance and assistance to students in 
     applying to an institution of higher education and in 
     applying for Federal financial aid assistance and other 
     State, local, and private financial aid assistance and 
     scholarships.
       (6) To implement a program that offers, all students in a 
     high school served by the eligible local educational agency 
     under this Act, opportunities for work-based and experiential 
     learning experiences, such as job-shadowing, internships, and 
     community service.
       (7) To implement a program that ensures that all students 
     in a high school served by the eligible local educational 
     agency under this Act, have access to and enroll in courses 
     in which the students may earn college credit for courses 
     taken while in high school, such as a dual credit course, or 
     an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate course.
       (8) To implement a program of student advisement in which 
     all students in a high school served by the eligible local 
     educational agency under this Act are assigned and have 
     regular meetings with an academic teacher advisor.
       (9) To implement a program of teacher professional 
     development and institutional leadership that includes use of 
     diagnostic and formative assessments to identify student and 
     teacher needs, to assess classroom practice, and to improve 
     classroom instruction.
       (e) Applications.--
       (1) Eligible entity.--Each eligible entity desiring a grant 
     under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary 
     at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require. 
     Each application shall--
       (A) include a description of how subgrants made by the 
     eligible entity under this Act will meet the requirements 
     described in subsection (d);
       (B) include a description of the peer review process the 
     eligible entity shall use to evaluate applications from 
     eligible local educational agencies;
       (C) contain an assurance that the eligible entity, and any 
     eligible local educational agencies receiving a subgrant from 
     that eligible entity, will, if requested, participate in the 
     independent evaluation under section 7(1);
       (D) describe how the eligible entity will use grant funds 
     received under this section;
       (E) describe how the eligible entity will assist eligible 
     local educational agencies that receive planning grant funds 
     or subgrant funds under this Act in securing any necessary 
     waivers from the State educational agency that may be 
     required to carry out the requirements of this Act, such as 
     waivers with respect to budgeting, school structure, 
     staffing, and flexible use of resources and time; and
       (F) describe how the eligible entity will assess and 
     evaluate, on a regular basis, eligible local educational 
     agency activities carried out under this Act, including 
     regularly evaluating the academic rigor of courses at high 
     schools in the State that receive funding under this Act.
       (2) Eligible local educational agency.--Each eligible local 
     educational agency desiring a subgrant under this section 
     shall submit an application to the eligible entity at such 
     time and in such manner as the eligible entity may require. 
     Each application shall--
       (A) include a description of each high school that will 
     receive funding from the eligible local educational agency 
     under this Act, including such high school graduation, 
     academic achievement, demographic, and socioeconomic data as 
     the eligible entity may request;
       (B) contain an assurance that academic merit tests will not 
     be used to determine student enrollment in each such high 
     school;
       (C) contain a description of specific outreach and 
     recruitment efforts at each such high school that will be 
     undertaken for student populations historically 
     underrepresented at institutions of higher education;
       (D) contain an assurance that a college-preparatory 
     curriculum will be offered to all students at each such high 
     school (and to students with disabilities in accordance with 
     the individualized education program of the

[[Page S2699]]

     student), that is, at a minimum, aligned with a rigorous 
     secondary school program of study;
       (E) include a comprehensive description of how curriculum 
     at each such high school will be developed, structured, and 
     delivered;
       (F) include clearly delineated benchmarks for improved 
     student academic achievement, high school graduation rates, 
     and college-going rates at each such high school;
       (G) include a description of assessments that will be used 
     at each such high school, including assessments for school 
     accountability purposes and student progress monitoring 
     purposes;
       (H) contain a comprehensive plan for professional 
     development at each such high school that includes intended 
     changes in teaching practices that will result in improved 
     student academic achievement, high school graduation rates, 
     and college-going rates;
       (I) include a detailed description of work-based and 
     experiential learning experiences that will be offered for 
     all students at each such high school, such as job shadowing, 
     internships, and community service;
       (J) contain an assurance that all students at each such 
     high school will be assigned and have regular access to an 
     academic teacher advisor;
       (K) contain an assurance that the eligible local 
     educational agency will grant each such high school any 
     necessary waivers from local educational agency policies and 
     rules that may be required to carry out the requirements of 
     this Act, such as waivers with respect to budgeting, school 
     structure, staffing, and flexible use of resources and time;
       (L) include a plan that details how programs assisted under 
     this Act will be sustained after the end of subgrant funding 
     under this Act;
       (M) in the case of dual credit courses and early college 
     high schools, contain formal agreements between the eligible 
     local educational agency and institutions of higher education 
     that detail shared responsibility for each such high school 
     and students at the high school;
       (N) include a description of school staffing considerations 
     and how teachers will be selected for each such high school;
       (O) include a detailed plan of the college awareness 
     program at each such high school that addresses applying for 
     admission to an institution of higher education and applying 
     for financial aid; and
       (P) contain an assurance that the eligible local 
     educational agency will report to the eligible entity all 
     data necessary for the eligible entity's report under section 
     6.
       (f) Matching Requirement.--
       (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), each eligible 
     entity that receives a grant under this section shall 
     provide, toward the cost of the activities assisted under the 
     grant, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 100 
     percent of the amount of the grant.
       (2) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive all or part of the 
     matching requirement described in paragraph (1) for any 
     fiscal year for an eligible entity if the Secretary 
     determines that applying the matching requirement to such 
     eligible entity would result in serious hardship or an 
     inability to carry out the authorized activities described in 
     subsection (c).
       (3) Supplement not supplant.--Grant funds provided under 
     this Act shall be used to supplement, not supplant, other 
     Federal and State funds available to carry out the activities 
     described in subsection (d).

     SEC. 6. REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

       (a) Collection of Data.--Each eligible entity receiving a 
     grant under this Act shall collect and report annually to the 
     Secretary such information on the results of the activities 
     assisted under the grant as the Secretary may reasonably 
     require, including information on--
       (1) the number and percentage of students in the State who 
     are assisted under this Act and graduate from high school on 
     time with a regular high school diploma;
       (2) the number and percentage of students, at each grade 
     level, in the State who are assisted under this Act and meet 
     or exceed State reading or language arts, mathematics, or 
     science standards, as measured by State academic assessments 
     required under section 1111(b)(3) of the Elementary and 
     Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(3));
       (3) the number and percentage of students, at each grade 
     level, in the State who are assisted under this Act and are 
     on track to graduate from high school on time and with a 
     regular high school diploma;
       (4) the number and percentage of students in the State who 
     are assisted under this Act and participate in work-based and 
     experiential learning experiences, such as job shadowing, 
     internships, community service, and descriptive information 
     on the types of experiences in which such students 
     participated;
       (5) the number and percentage of students, in grades 11 and 
     12, in the State who are assisted under this Act and enrolled 
     in not less than 2 of the following:
       (A) a dual credit course; or
       (B) an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate 
     course;
       (6) the number and percentage of students in the State who 
     are assisted under this Act and receive a passing grade or 
     higher for a dual credit course, or an Advanced Placement or 
     International Baccalaureate course;
       (7) the number and percentage of students in the State who 
     are assisted under this Act and apply to an institution of 
     higher education while still in high school;
       (8) the number and percentage of students in the State who 
     are assisted under this Act and are accepted to an 
     institution of higher education while still in high school;
       (9) the number and percentage of students in the State who 
     are assisted under this Act and enroll in an institution of 
     higher education in the school year immediately following the 
     students' high school graduation;
       (10) the number and percentage of students in the State who 
     are assisted under this Act and enrolled in remedial 
     mathematics or English courses during their freshman year at 
     an institution of higher education;
       (11) the number and percentage of students, in grade 10, in 
     the State who are assisted under this Act and take the PSAT; 
     and
       (12) the number and percentage of students, in grades 11 
     and 12, in the State who are assisted under this Act and take 
     the SAT or ACT, and the students' mean scores on such 
     assessments.
       (b) Reporting of Data.--Each eligible entity receiving a 
     grant under this section shall report the information 
     required under subsection (a) disaggregated in the same 
     manner as information is disaggregated under section 
     1111(h)(1)(C)(i) of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
     Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1111(b)(1)(C)(i)).

     SEC. 7. EVALUATION AND REPORT.

       From the amount appropriated for any fiscal year under 
     section 8, the Secretary shall reserve such sums as may be 
     necessary--
       (1) to conduct an independent evaluation, by grant or by 
     contract, of the program carried out under this Act, which 
     shall include an assessment of the impact of the program on 
     high school graduation rates, college-going rates, and 
     student academic achievement; and
       (2) to prepare and submit a report on the results of the 
     evaluation described in paragraph (1) to the Committee on 
     Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
     Representatives.

     SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     Act $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2008 and such sums as may be 
     necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.
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