[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 176 (Wednesday, November 19, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10670-S10671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. CLINTON:
  S. 3707. A bill to recruit, train, and support principals for high-
need schools who are effective in improving student academic 
achievement; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mrs. CLINTON. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
address the urgent need of our underserved urban and rural school 
districts

[[Page S10671]]

by creating a corps of principals who are well-prepared, supported, and 
effective in improving student academic achievement in high-need 
schools and ensuring our schools are provided the leadership they need 
to prepare our children to compete in the 21st century.
  The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that nearly 40 percent of the 
90,000 principals in this country are nearing retirement, and over half 
the Nation's school districts are facing immediate administrator 
shortages. This problem is particularly prevalent in urban and rural 
districts with large concentrations of high-poverty schools, where 
turnover rates can reach as high as 20 percent per year, and academic 
achievement is persistently low.
  That is why I'm introducing the National Principal Recruitment, NPR, 
Act, which seeks to address the impending shortage by establishing a 
corps of principals who are well-prepared, supported, and effective in 
improving student achievement in high-need schools. This corps is 
created through the recruitment of results-oriented candidates who 
possess personal leadership and management skills, knowledge of 
effective instruction, and commit to serve in high-need schools for 
over 5 years. Once selected, these candidates would undergo a year-long 
principal residency program, and receive support and mentoring to help 
them develop and maintain a data-driven, professional learning 
community.
  This bill leverages non-Federal dollars with targeted funding to 
performance-based work done in partnership with school districts. It 
also includes an evaluation to capture knowledge and best practices and 
creates a prototype of a performance-based Federal education program by 
tying funding levels to an evaluation of student achievement results.
  An effective and capable school leader can make the difference in 
providing the tools and instructional support needed to foster the type 
of school environment conducive to student academic success. The NPR 
Act will ensure that our neediest schools have effective leaders, who 
are well-equipped and supported, to close the achievement gap and 
prepare our students to compete in a global economy.
  I am hopeful that my Senate colleagues from both sides of the aisle 
will join me today to move this legislation to the floor without delay.
                                 ______