[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 159 (Friday, October 19, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13157-S13159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself and Mr. Dodd):
  S. 2212. A biff to support the establishment and operations of 
Teachers Professional Development 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.
  Our 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 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 
13-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 promoted a 
National Demonstration Project to create comparable Institutes at four 
diverse sites with large concentrations of disadvantaged students. 
These demonstration projects are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 
Houston, Texas, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 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. Mr. President, 95 
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.
  Many agree that teacher quality is the single most important school-
related factor in determining student achievement. 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.
  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. Positive educational 
achievements occur when coursework in a teacher's specific content area 
is combined with pedagogy techniques. This is what the Teacher 
Professional Development Institutes Act strives to accomplish.
  The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute has already proven to be a 
successful model for teacher professional development as demonstrated 
by the high caliber 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. Our 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 text of the bill was ordered to be 
placed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2212

       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.

       (a) In General.--Part A of title II of the Elementary and 
     Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:

       ``Subpart 6--Teachers Professional Development Institutes

     ``SEC. 2161. SHORT TITLE.

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

     ``SEC. 2162. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       ``(a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
       ``(1) Teaching is central to the educational process and 
     the ongoing professional development of teachers in the 
     subjects they

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     teach is essential for improved student learning.
       ``(2) Attaining the goal of the No Child Left Behind Act of 
     2001 (Public Law 107-110)--having a classroom teacher who is 
     highly qualified in every academic subject the teacher 
     teaches--will require innovative and effective approaches to 
     improving the quality of teaching.
       ``(3) The Teachers Institute Model focuses on the 
     continuing academic preparation of schoolteachers and the 
     application of what they study to their classrooms and 
     potentially to the classrooms of other teachers.
       ``(4) The Teachers Institute Model was developed initially 
     by the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute and has successfully 
     operated there for 30 years.
       ``(5) The Teachers Institute Model has also been 
     successfully demonstrated over a 3-year period in a national 
     demonstration project in cities larger than New Haven.
       ``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this subpart is to provide 
     Federal assistance to support the establishment and operation 
     of Teachers Institutes for local educational agencies that 
     serve significant low-income student populations in States 
     throughout the Nation--
       ``(1) to improve student learning; and
       ``(2) to enhance the quality of teaching and strengthen the 
     subject matter mastery and the pedagogical skills of current 
     teachers through continuing teacher preparation.

     ``SEC. 2163. DEFINITIONS.

       ``In this subpart:
       ``(1) Significant low-income population.--The term 
     `significant low-income population' means a population of 
     which not less than 25 percent of the individuals included 
     are from families with incomes below the poverty line, as 
     determined by the Secretary on the basis of the most recent 
     satisfactory data.
       ``(2) Teachers institute.--The term `Teachers Institute' 
     means a partnership or joint venture between 1 or more 
     institutions of higher education, and 1 or more local 
     educational agencies with significant low-income populations, 
     that 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.

     ``SEC. 2164. AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized--
       ``(1) to award grants to encourage the establishment and 
     operation of Teachers Institutes; and
       ``(2) to provide technical assistance, either directly or 
     through the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, to assist 
     local educational agencies and institutions of higher 
     education in preparing to establish and in operating Teachers 
     Institutes.
       ``(b) Selection Criteria.--In selecting Teachers Institutes 
     for grants under this subpart, the Secretary shall consider--
       ``(1) the extent to which the proposed Institute will serve 
     a community or communities that have a significant low-income 
     population;
       ``(2) the extent to which the proposed Institute will 
     follow the understandings and necessary procedures that have 
     been developed following the National Demonstration Project, 
     as described in section 2166;
       ``(3) the extent to which the local educational agency has 
     a high percentage of teachers who are unprepared or 
     underprepared to teach the core academic subjects they 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 the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute or other 
     Teachers Institutes.
       ``(2) State agencies.--If the Secretary receives 2 or more 
     applications from local educational agencies within the same 
     State, the Secretary shall consult with the State educational 
     agency regarding the applications.
       ``(d) Fiscal Agent.--For the purpose of this subpart, 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 subpart.
       ``(e) Limitations.--A grant under this subpart--
       ``(1) shall provide grant funds 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. 2165. ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.

       ``(a) In General.--Grant funds under this subpart may be 
     used--
       ``(1) for the planning and development of proposals for the 
     establishment of Teachers Institutes;
       ``(2) for additional assistance to the Teachers Institutes 
     established during the National Demonstration Project for 
     their further development and for their support of the 
     planning and development of proposals under paragraph (1);
       ``(3) for the salary and necessary expenses of a full-time 
     director to plan and manage the Teachers Institute and to act 
     as liaison between the local educational agency or agencies 
     and the institution or institutions of higher education 
     participating in the 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 members of the faculty of the 
     participating institution of higher education leading 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 
     subpart to provide technical assistance to facilitate the 
     establishment and operation of Teachers Institutes. For the 
     purpose of this subsection, the Secretary may contract with 
     the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute to provide all or a 
     part of the technical assistance under this subsection.

     ``SEC. 2166. UNDERSTANDINGS AND PROCEDURES.

       ``A Teachers Institute funded under this subpart shall 
     abide by the following understandings and procedures:
       ``(1) Partnership.--The essential relationship of a 
     Teachers Institute is a partnership between a local 
     educational agency and an institution of higher education. A 
     grantee shall demonstrate a long-term commitment on behalf of 
     the participating local educational agency and an institution 
     of higher education to the support, including the financial 
     support, of the work of the Teachers Institute.
       ``(2) Seminars.--A Teachers Institute sponsors seminars led 
     by faculty of the institution of higher education partner and 
     attended by teachers from the local educational agency 
     partner. A grantee shall provide participating teachers the 
     ability to play an essential role in planning, organizing, 
     conducting, and evaluating the seminars and in encouraging 
     the future participation of other teachers.
       ``(3) Curriculum unit.--The seminar uses a collaborative 
     process, in a collegial environment, to develop a curriculum 
     unit for use by participating teachers that sets forth the 
     subject matter to be presented and the pedagogical strategies 
     to be employed. A grantee shall enable participating teachers 
     to develop a curriculum unit, based on the subject matter 
     presented, for use in their classrooms.
       ``(4) Eligibility and remuneration.--Seminars are open to 
     all partnership teachers with teaching assignments relevant 
     to the seminar topics. Seminar leaders receive remuneration 
     for their work and participating teachers receive an 
     honorarium or stipend upon the successful completion of the 
     seminar. A grantee shall provide seminar leaders and 
     participating teachers remuneration to allow them to 
     participate in the Institute.
       ``(5) Direction.--The operations of a Teachers Institute 
     are managed by a full-time director who reports to both 
     partners but is accountable to the institution of higher 
     education partner. A grantee shall appoint a director to 
     manage and coordinate the work of the Institute.
       ``(6) Evaluation.--A grantee shall annually review the 
     activities of the Institute and disseminate the results to 
     members of the Institute's partnership community.

     ``SEC. 2167. APPLICATION, APPROVAL, AND AGREEMENT.

       ``(a) In General.--To receive a grant under this subpart, a 
     Teachers Institute shall submit an application to the 
     Secretary that--
       ``(1) meets the requirement of this subpart and any 
     regulations under this subpart;
       ``(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 2164(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 subpart; and
       ``(2) notify the applicant within 90 days of the receipt of 
     a completed application of the Secretary's determination.
       ``(c) Agreement.--Upon approval of an application, the 
     Secretary and the applicant shall enter into a comprehensive 
     agreement covering the entire period of the grant.

     ``SEC. 2168. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS.

       ``(a) Report.--Each Teachers Institute receiving a grant 
     under this subpart shall report annually to the Secretary on 
     the progress of the Institute in achieving the purpose of 
     this subpart.
       ``(b) Evaluation and Dissemination.--The Secretary shall 
     evaluate the activities funded under this subpart and submit 
     an annual report regarding the activities assisted under this 
     subpart to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
     Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and 
     Labor of the House of Representatives. 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 
     meeting the purposes of the grant by the end of the second

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     year of the grant under this subpart, the Secretary may take 
     appropriate action, including revocation of further payments 
     under the grant, to ensure that the funds available under 
     this subpart are used in the most effective manner.

     ``SEC. 2169. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``There are authorized to be appropriated for grants, 
     including planning grants, and technical assistance under 
     this subpart--
       ``(1) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
       ``(2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
       ``(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
       ``(4) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
       ``(5) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of the 
     Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     6301 note) is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
     section 2151 the following:

       ``subpart 6--teachers professional development institutes

``Sec. 2161. Short title.
``Sec. 2162. Findings and purpose.
``Sec. 2163. Definitions.
``Sec. 2164. Authority to make grants.
``Sec. 2165. Eligible activities.
``Sec. 2166. Understandings and procedures.
``Sec. 2167. Application, approval, and agreement.
``Sec. 2168. Reports and evaluations.
``Sec. 2169. Authorization of appropriations.''.

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