Partnership for Professional Renewal Act of 1997

Summary: Partnership for Professional Renewal Act of 1997 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the Partnership for Professional Renewal program under which the Secretary of Education may award grants to higher education institutions to create partnerships between them and elementary or secondary schools to establish an ongoing program of training and technical support for prospective teachers and classroom teachers.  Requires applicant plans to provide for consortia of such institutions and schools and local faculty, parents, and business and community leaders to develop partnership objectives. 
Authorizes appropriations.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Partnership for Professional Renewal 
Act of 1997''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE; ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

    Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 is amended by adding 
the following new part:

             ``PART G--PARTNERSHIP FOR PROFESSIONAL RENEWAL

``SEC. 599A. PURPOSES.

    ``The purposes of this part are--
            ``(1) to make the public school a classroom for teachers in 
        training and provide school faculty with opportunities for 
        professional development; and
            ``(2) to encourage a communitywide commitment to public 
        education that uses students' homes, local neighborhoods, 
        businesses, and community organizations as education resources 
        and makes the Partnership for Professional Renewal a resource 
        to the community.

``SEC. 599B. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.

    ``(a) Application and Plan Required.--
            ``(1) In general.--Any institution of higher education 
        desiring to obtain a grant under this section shall submit to 
        the Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and 
        containing such information and assurances as the Secretary may 
        require by regulation.
            ``(2) Institution plan.--An application under this section 
        shall include a plan for the establishment of an ongoing 
        program that will provide training and technical support for 
        prospective teachers and classroom teachers.
    ``(b) Contents of Plan.--The institution of higher education plan 
shall include information on--
            ``(1) the methods by which elementary and secondary schools 
        will be selected to participate in Partnerships for 
        Professional Renewal;
            ``(2) the duration for which the teacher-in-training will 
        be assigned to a classroom;
            ``(3) the methods by which consortia will be formed that 
        include representatives of--
                    ``(A) institution of higher education teacher 
                training faculty;
                    ``(B) local school faculty;
                    ``(C) local school parents;
                    ``(D) education technology expert;
                    ``(E) local school administration;
                    ``(F) local business; and
                    ``(G) local community leaders;
            ``(4) the methods by which the consortium will be used--
                    ``(A) to collaborate on the development of the 
                specific objectives of the partnership program; and
                    ``(B) to encourage a communitywide commitment to 
                public education that uses students' homes, local 
                neighborhoods, businesses, and community organizations 
                as education resources and makes the Partnership for 
                Professional Renewal a resource to the community;
            ``(5) the methods by which postsecondary faculty will join 
        with classroom teachers to balance the theoretical and 
        practical aspects of teacher training for teachers-in-training;
            ``(6) the academic resources that the institution of higher 
        education will provide to offer the faculty of the elementary 
        or secondary school opportunities for professional development; 
        and
            ``(7) methods for sharing knowledge and ideas obtained at 
        one school with other teachers and students.

``SEC. 599C. SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS FOR AWARDS.

    ``(a) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary shall by regulation 
establish criteria for the selection of applications for the award of 
grants under this part. Such selection criteria shall--
            ``(1) be designed to identify those applications for awards 
        that best fulfill the purposes of this part;
            ``(2) require the Secretary to consider, in making such 
        awards, the need to provide both geographic diversity among 
        grant recipients and a diversity of types of participating 
        institutions of higher education;
            ``(3) give special attention to those plans which assign a 
        teacher-in-training to the same classroom for one full school 
        year, or more; and
            ``(4) include criteria based on the extent to which the 
        application best meets the requirements of paragraphs (4), (5), 
        (7), and (8) of section 599B(b).

``SEC. 599D. USE OF FUNDS.

    ``Funds received under a grant made pursuant to this part may be 
used--
            ``(1) to hire a chief administrative officer to oversee 
        this program;
            ``(2) to advertise the existence of this program throughout 
        the region in which the postsecondary and elementary or 
        secondary schools are located;
            ``(3) to develop curriculum for the partnership and update 
        said curriculum as necessary;
            ``(4) to provide supplies and staff for the partnership;
            ``(5) to fund lifelong learning opportunities in 
        educational technology for the faculty of partner schools;
            ``(6) to provide professional development opportunities; 
        and
            ``(7) for other uses consistent with the purposes of this 
        part, as specifically stated in the plan submitted by the 
        institution of higher education and approved by the Secretary.

``SEC. 599E. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 
such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 1998 and each of the 4 
succeeding fiscal years.''.