A bill to amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to establish a program to provide college coaches to low- and middle-income high-achieving high school students.

Summary: Coaching Our Adolescents for College Heights Act or the COACH Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to direct the Corporation for National and Community Service to award a contract to a nonprofit organization to establish a seven-year pilot program under which recent college graduates commit to two terms of service as coaches to high-achieving, low- or middle-income high school students in exchange for national service awards for each term of service.

Requires such coaches, which are to total 100 and operate in no more than five school districts, to: (1) build a strong college-going culture for all students in high schools with historically low college attendance rates; and (2) provide limited cohorts of high-achieving, low- or middle-income students with guidance in studies suited to college-bound students, and support during the college search and application processes.

Requires the nonprofit organization to raise $3 of nonfederal funds for every $1 of federal funds provided under the contract.

Directs the Corporation to contract with an independent agency to study the effects of the pilot program on the achievement of participating students and students in participating high schools. Requires the Corporation to plan an expansion of such program if it is shown to be effective in improving student achievement.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Coaching Our Adolescents for College 
Heights Act'' or the ``COACH Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to recruit and train recent graduates of 
4-year institutions of higher education, and place the graduates in 
high schools, to increase the number of low- and middle-income high-
achieving high school students who are entering and succeeding at a 
college that is appropriate for their level of academic achievement, 
by--
            (1) building a strong college-going culture for all 
        students in those high schools; and
            (2) working with cohorts of low- and middle-income high-
        achieving high school students to--
                    (A) provide guidance to ensure the students enroll 
                and succeed in courses for college-bound students; and
                    (B) provide intensive support during the college 
                search and application processes.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM.

    The National and Community Service Act of 1990 is amended by 
inserting after section 198D (42 U.S.C. 12653d) the following:

``SEC. 198E. COACH PILOT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Graduation rate.--The term `graduation rate' means 
        the percentage described in section 1111(b)(2)(C)(vi) of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        6311(b)(2)(C)(ii)).
            ``(2) High-achieving high school student.--The term `high-
        achieving high school student' means a high school student who 
        scores in the top 50 percent of students on a student academic 
        assessment described in section 1111(b)(3) of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(3)).
            ``(3) High school.--The term `high school' means a 
        secondary school in which the--
                    ``(A) entering grade of the school is not lower 
                than grade 9; and
                    ``(B) highest grade of the school is--
                            ``(i) grade 12; or
                            ``(ii) in the case of a secondary school 
                        approved by a State to issue a regular diploma 
                        concurrently with a postsecondary degree or 
                        with not more than 2 years worth of 
                        postsecondary academic credit, grade 13.
            ``(4) Low-income student.--The term `low-income student' 
        has the meaning given the term in section 1821 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        6561).
            ``(5) Middle-income student.--The term `middle-income 
        student' means a student from a family with a household income 
        that is not more than 100 percent of the State median family 
        income by family size, as measured by the Bureau of the Census.
    ``(b) COACH Pilot Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Corporation shall award a contract 
        to a nonprofit organization to plan and implement a 7-year 
        pilot program. During the first year of the program, the 
        nonprofit organization shall plan for the successful 
        implementation of the program. In implementing the program, the 
        organization shall recruit recent graduates of 4-year 
        institutions of higher education, who commit to serving for 2 
        terms of service described in section 139(b)(1), as coaches to 
        high-achieving high school students who are low-income students 
        or middle-income students.
            ``(2) Responsibilities of nonprofit organizations.--The 
        nonprofit organization shall--
                    ``(A) recruit and select a total of 100 coaches 
                described in paragraph (1) through a highly selective 
                national process;
                    ``(B) provide preservice training to the coaches 
                through a rigorous summer training session;
                    ``(C) place the coaches in high schools--
                            ``(i) that have large numbers of students 
                        described in paragraph (1);
                            ``(ii) where students described in 
                        paragraph (1) have, historically, attended 
                        college at low rates; and
                            ``(iii) that, collectively, are within not 
                        more than 5 school districts;
                    ``(D) provide ongoing support and professional 
                development for the coaches; and
                    ``(E) provide the coaches with the benefits 
                described in section 140.
            ``(3) Matching requirement.--The Corporation may not award 
        a contract to an organization under paragraph (1) unless that 
        organization agrees that, with respect of the costs to be 
        incurred by the organization in carrying out the program for 
        which the contract was awarded, the organization will make 
        available (directly or through donations from public or private 
        entities) non-Federal contributions in an amount equal to not 
        less than $3 for every $1 of Federal funds provided under the 
        contract.
            ``(4) Responsibilities of coaches.--Each coach placed in a 
        high school under this section shall--
                    ``(A) work with all personnel and staff at the 
                school to build a strong college-going culture within 
                the school for all students in the school;
                    ``(B) work with a cohort of not less than 25 and 
                not more than 50 students described in paragraph (1), 
                beginning in their freshman year of high school, to--
                            ``(i) provide guidance to ensure the 
                        students enroll and succeed in courses for 
                        college-bound students;
                            ``(ii) assist the students and their 
                        parents in understanding the college 
                        application and admissions processes;
                            ``(iii) provide access to information 
                        about, and assist the students and their 
                        parents in understanding, the college financial 
                        aid process, including assistance in completing 
                        the Free Application for Federal Student Aid 
                        and applying for scholarships for which the 
                        students are eligible;
                            ``(iv) aid, and monitor the efforts of, 
                        each such student in selecting, enrolling in, 
                        and persisting in the institutions of higher 
                        education that best meet the student's 
                        educational and social needs and support the 
                        student's intellectual and social development;
                            ``(v) assist, and monitor the efforts of, 
                        the students in completing multiple college 
                        applications;
                            ``(vi) connect the students with 
                        appropriate summer academic enrichment 
                        programs, including tutoring and test 
                        preparation programs and other academic 
                        opportunities, to develop academic skills 
                        appropriate for college-bound students and 
                        enrich the academic experiences of the students 
                        in the cohort; and
                            ``(vii) connect the students with summer 
                        internships and community service 
                        opportunities; and
                    ``(C)(i) monitor the academic performance and 
                social adjustment of the students in the cohort once 
                the students enter their freshman year at an 
                institution of higher education; and
                    ``(ii) ensure those students are connected to 
                needed support services at the institution of higher 
                education.
            ``(5) Evaluation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Corporation shall award a 
                contract to an independent agency with expertise in 
                evaluating trends in student achievement to study the 
                effects of the program carried out under this section 
                on the achievement of participating students, and 
                students in high schools participating in the program.
                    ``(B) Measurement.--The evaluation described in 
                subparagraph (A)--
                            ``(i) shall compare--
                                    ``(I) participating high-achieving 
                                high school students who are low-income 
                                students or middle-income students, to 
                                similar high school students not 
                                participating in the program; and
                                    ``(II) all students in high schools 
                                participating in the program, to all 
                                students in similar high schools not 
                                participating in the program; and
                            ``(ii) shall include measurements of--
                                    ``(I) academic achievement on the 
                                student academic assessments described 
                                in section 1111(b)(3) of the Elementary 
                                and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                                U.S.C. 6311(b)(3));
                                    ``(II) high school graduation 
                                rates;
                                    ``(III) student attendance rates;
                                    ``(IV) rates of students taking 
                                Scholastic Aptitude Tests or ACT tests;
                                    ``(V) rates of students completing 
                                honors, Advanced Placement, or 
                                International Baccalaureate courses, if 
                                available;
                                    ``(VI) student rates of enrollment, 
                                persistence, and attainment in 
                                institutions of higher education; and
                                    ``(VII) success with respect to any 
                                other academic factor the Corporation 
                                determines is necessary.
            ``(6) Building on the coach pilot program.--If the 
        evaluation under paragraph (5) demonstrates that the program 
        carried out under this section was effective in improving 
        student achievement, as measured by the indicators described in 
        paragraph (5)(B)(ii), the Corporation, in collaboration with 
        the agency described in paragraph (5)(A), shall develop a plan 
        to include in the program as many students described in 
        paragraph (1) as possible.''.

SEC. 4. EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.

    (a) National Service Position Eligible for National Service 
Educational Award.--Section 123 of the National and Community Service 
Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12573) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph (8); and
            (2) by inserting before paragraph (8) the following:
            ``(7) A position involving service as a coach under section 
        198E.''.
    (b) Reservation of Approved Positions.--Section 129 of the National 
and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12581) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by striking ``The Corporation'' and inserting 
                the following:
            ``(1) VISTA volunteers and civilian community corps 
        participants.--The Corporation''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) Coaches.--The Corporation shall ensure that each 
        individual selected by a nonprofit organization during a fiscal 
        year as a coach under section 198E shall receive the national 
        service educational award described in subtitle D if the 
        individual satisfies the eligibility requirements for the 
        award. Funds for approved national service positions required 
        by this paragraph for a fiscal year shall be deducted from the 
        funds appropriated under section 501(a)(2)(B)(ii).''; and
            (2) in subsection (f)--
                    (A) by inserting before ``The Corporation'' the 
                following:
            ``(1) In general.--''; and
                    (B) by striking the second sentence and inserting 
                the following:
            ``(2) Adjustments.--The Corporation is authorized to make 
        necessary and reasonable adjustments to the program rules--
                    ``(A) relating to coaches described in subsection 
                (b)(2), if appropriations under section 
                501(a)(2)(B)(ii) are insufficient to provide the 
                maximum allowable national service educational awards 
                under subtitle D for all those coaches who are eligible 
                for such an award; and
                    ``(B) relating to participants (other than such 
                coaches), if appropriations under section 501(a)(2)(A) 
                are insufficient to provide the maximum allowable 
                national service educational awards under subtitle D 
                for all those participants who are eligible for such an 
                award.''.
    (c) Term of Service.--Section 139(b) of the National and Community 
Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12593(b)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
            ``(4) Multiple terms of service.--An individual who serves 
        as a coach under section 198E for a period including 2 terms of 
        service described in paragraph (1), and satisfies the 
        eligibility requirements described in paragraph (1) for each 
        term, shall--
                    ``(A) for purposes of this subsection, be 
                considered to have served for 2 terms of 1 year; and
                    ``(B) receive a national service educational award 
                under section 147(a) for each of the 2 terms of 
                service.''.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 501(a)(2) of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 
(42 U.S.C. 12681(a)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraphs (A) and (B), by inserting ``(other 
        than assistance described in subparagraph (B)(i))'' after ``H 
        of title I'';
            (2) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ``(other than awards 
        described in subparagraph (B)(ii))'' after ``subtitle D of 
        title I'';
            (3) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C); 
        and
            (4) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
                    ``(B) Coach pilot program.--
                            ``(i) Financial assistance.--There are 
                        authorized to be appropriated to provide 
                        financial assistance under section 198E, such 
                        sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
                        years 2009 through 2014.
                            ``(ii) National service positions for 
                        coaches.--There are authorized to be 
                        appropriated to provide national service 
                        educational awards under subtitle D of title I 
                        for coaches under section 198E, such sums as 
                        may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 
                        through 2014.''.