A bill to establish a grant program for institutions of higher education to collaborate with low-income schools to recruit students to pursue and complete postsecondary degrees in education.

Summary: Collaborative Agreements to Recruit Educators (CARE) Act of 2005 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish partnerships with low-income schools to establish programs that promote students' graduation from secondary school and completion of postsecondary education degrees.

Includes among required uses of grant funds: (1) mentoring or tutoring; (2) scholarships; (3) counseling and information on college admissions and student aid; and (4) lessons and workshops at the IHE or the low-income school.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Collaborative Agreements to Recruit 
Educators (CARE) Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) An estimated 2,000,000 new teachers will be needed in 
        the United States over the next decade.
            (2) Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 
        107-110), States shall ensure that all teachers teaching in 
        core academic subjects within the State are highly qualified 
        not later than the end of the 2005-2006 school year, yet 
        schools in rural areas and low-income schools have trouble 
        attracting and retaining such teachers.
            (3) A 2000 study by the Education Trust reports that low-
        income schools are twice as likely not to have teachers 
        certified in the fields in which they teach as schools that are 
        not low-income schools, which highlights that low-income 
        schools will need special help to meet the goals of the No 
        Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
            (4) If the Nation is to improve student achievement and 
        success in school, the United States must encourage and support 
        the training and development of our Nation's teachers, who are 
        the single most important in-school influence on student 
        learning.
            (5) Highly qualified teachers are more effective in 
        impacting student academic achievement because such teachers 
        have high verbal abilities, high content knowledge, and an 
        enhanced ability to know how to teach the content using 
        appropriate pedagogical strategies.
            (6) The difference in annual student achievement growth 
        between having an effective and ineffective teacher can be more 
        than 1 grade level of achievement in academic performance.
            (7) A study conducted by the New Teacher Project shows that 
        strategic recruitment may recruit qualified applicants but many 
        applicants withdraw from the process because of the late hiring 
        timelines found in urban schools.
            (8) Every school day approximately 3,000 adolescents drop 
        out of secondary school.
            (9) The national graduation rate is 68 percent with 
        approximately 540,000 students failing to graduate each year.
            (10) As few as 53 percent of students from low-income 
        families graduate each year.
            (11) American schools spend more than $2,600,000,000 
        annually replacing teachers who have dropped out of the 
        teaching profession.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to provide grants to 
encourage secondary school students in low-income schools to graduate 
and pursue higher education and teaching.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

            (1) Core academic subjects.--The term ``core academic 
        subjects'' means--
                    (A) mathematics;
                    (B) science;
                    (C) reading (or language arts) and English;
                    (D) social studies, including history, civics, 
                political science, government, geography, and 
                economics;
                    (E) foreign languages; and
                    (F) fine arts, including music, dance, drama, and 
                the visual arts.
            (2) Highly qualified.--The term ``highly qualified'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education''--
                    (A) has the meaning given the term in section 
                101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                1001(a)); and
                    (B) if such an institution conducts a teacher 
                preparation program that enrolls students receiving 
                Federal assistance under such Act (20 U.S.C. 1001 et 
                seq.), means such an institution that--
                            (i) is in full compliance with the 
                        requirements of section 207 of such Act (20 
                        U.S.C. 1027); and
                            (ii) does not have a teacher preparation 
                        program identified by a State as low 
                        performing.
            (4) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational 
        agency'' has the meaning given such term in section 9101 of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            (5) Low-income school.--The term ``low-income school'' 
        means an elementary school or secondary school that--
                    (A) is served by a local educational agency that 
                qualifies to receive funding under title I of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);
                    (B) has been selected by the Secretary based on a 
                determination that more than 30 percent of the students 
                enrolled at the school qualify for services provided 
                under such title I; and
                    (C)(i) is listed in the Annual Directory of 
                Designated Low-Income Schools for Teacher Cancellation 
                Benefits, issued by the Department of Education, in the 
                year for which the determination is made, or if such 
                Directory for such year is not available before May 1 
                of such year, is listed in such Directory in the year 
                preceding the year for which the determination is made; 
                or
                    (ii) is operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or 
                operated on an Indian reservation by an Indian tribal 
                group under contract with the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
            (6) Mentoring.--The term ``mentoring'' means activities 
        that consist of structured guidance and regular and ongoing 
        support for beginning teachers.
            (7) Secondary school.--The term ``secondary school'' means 
        a public or nonprofit private school that provides secondary 
        education, as determined under State law or the Secretary if 
        the school is not in a State.
            (8) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Education.
            (9) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States, 
        the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
            (10) Teacher.--The term ``teacher'' means an individual who 
        provides students direct classroom teaching, or classroom-type 
        teaching in a non-classroom setting, or educational services 
        directly related to classroom teaching.

SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to award 
        grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher 
        education to establish partnerships with low-income schools to 
        establish programs for students that promote--
                    (A) graduation from secondary school; and
                    (B) persistence and completion of postsecondary 
                degrees in education.
            (2) Nonprofit organizations.--A partnership described in 
        paragraph (1) may include a nonprofit organization.
    (b) Application.--
            (1) In general.--An institution of higher education that 
        desires to receive a grant under this section shall submit an 
        application, developed in collaboration with 1 or more low-
        income schools, to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
        and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
        require.
            (2) Contents.--Each application submitted under paragraph 
        (1) shall include--
                    (A) a description of any shortages of highly 
                qualified teachers in core academic subjects in the 
                low-income school participating in the partnership; and
                    (B) a description of how the institution of higher 
                education will use funds made available under a grant 
                awarded under this section--
                            (i) to increase and improve the quality of 
                        the teaching force in the low-income school 
                        participating in the partnership; and
                            (ii) to establish a partnership with a low-
                        income school to establish programs for 
                        students that promote graduation from secondary 
                        school and persistence and completion of 
                        postsecondary degrees in education.
    (c) Approval.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall approve an application 
        submitted pursuant to subsection (b) if the application meets 
        the requirements of this section and holds reasonable promise 
        of achieving the purpose of this Act.
            (2) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to an institution of higher 
        education that is in partnership with a nonprofit organization 
        that is a teacher union or group representing teachers in a 
        school, which organization proposes the establishment of a 
        track for hiring teachers for an academic year prior to the 
        first date of such academic year in urban or rural low-income 
        schools participating in the partnership.
            (3) Equitable distribution.--To the extent practicable, the 
        Secretary shall ensure an equitable geographic distribution of 
        grants under this section among the regions of the United 
        States.
            (4) Duration of grants.--The Secretary is authorized to 
        make grants under this section for a period of 5 years. At the 
        end of the 5-year period, a grant recipient may apply for an 
        additional grant under this section.
    (d) Uses of Funds.--An institution of higher education that 
receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to--
            (1) establish innovative mentoring or tutoring programs 
        proven to enhance secondary school graduation rates and 
        recruitment of students in low-income schools to pursue 
        postsecondary degrees in education;
            (2) provide scholarships to graduates of low-income schools 
        to encourage the graduates to attend the institution and pursue 
        and complete a postsecondary degree in education;
            (3) provide students in low-income schools with counseling 
        and information about college admissions requirements, 
        scholarships, and various student aid programs;
            (4) provide lessons and workshops, either at the 
        institution or the low-income school, for students to attend to 
        increase academic achievement and interest in postsecondary 
        degrees in education; and
            (5) carry out any other activity that increases graduation 
        rates and recruitment of low-income students to pursue and 
        complete postsecondary degrees in education.
    (e) Matching Funds.--Each institution of higher education that 
receives a grant under this section shall demonstrate a financial 
commitment to such institution's school of education by contributing, 
either directly or through private contributions, non-Federal matching 
funds equal to 20 percent of the amount of the grant to carry out 
activities funded by such grant.
    (f) Assessment and Evaluation.--The Secretary shall report to 
Congress on the effectiveness of the grant programs funded under this 
section.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2011.