A bill to amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to promote community service among United States youth by connecting secondary school seniors to community service opportunities.

Summary: Senior Year Community Service Act - Amends the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to direct the Corporation for National and Community Service to implement a national pilot program awarding six competitive grants to local educational agencies to establish local programs matching secondary school seniors to community service opportunities for which such students receive national service educational awards.

Directs the Corporation to contract with an independent agency to study the effects of the national pilot program on the achievement of participating students. 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 ``Senior Year Community Service Act''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to promote community service among 
United States youth by connecting secondary school seniors to community 
service opportunities.

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. SENIOR YEAR COMMUNITY SERVICE PILOT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definition.--In this section:
            ``(1) Community service opportunity.--The term `community 
        service opportunity', used with respect to a student, means a 
        service opportunity in the student's community or school.
            ``(2) 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)).
    ``(b) Senior Year Community Service Pilot Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Corporation shall establish and 
        carry out a national pilot program. In carrying out the 
        program, the Corporation shall make grants on a competitive 
        basis to local educational agencies, to enable the agencies to 
        establish local programs to match secondary school seniors to 
        community service opportunities.
            ``(2) Amount, number, and duration of grants.--
                    ``(A) Amount of grants.--In determining the amount 
                of a grant to be made to a local educational agency 
                under paragraph (1), the Corporation shall consider the 
                number and percentage of secondary school seniors the 
                local educational agency plans to match to community 
                service opportunities under the local program involved.
                    ``(B) Number and duration of grants.--The 
                Corporation shall make not less than 6 grants under 
                paragraph (1) and the grants shall be for periods of 2 
                years.
            ``(3) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        paragraph (1), a local educational agency shall submit an 
        application to the Corporation at such time, in such manner, 
        and containing such information as the Corporation may require. 
        The local educational agency shall demonstrate in the 
        application that the local educational agency--
                    ``(A) is well-positioned to successfully implement 
                a local program through the national pilot program;
                    ``(B) demonstrates that appropriate leaders in the 
                education, civic, and private sectors exhibit a strong 
                commitment to community service;
                    ``(C) is able to leverage additional funds to 
                support the local program;
                    ``(D) has a full commitment to match as many 
                secondary school seniors as possible with service 
                opportunities within the community or school involved; 
                and
                    ``(E) has worked with a local community-based 
                organization to establish goals for the service that 
                participating secondary school seniors will provide.
            ``(4) Use of funds.--A local educational agency that 
        receives a grant under paragraph (1) shall use the grant funds 
        to--
                    ``(A) establish a partnership with the local 
                community-based organization described in paragraph 
                (3)(E) to carry out the local program;
                    ``(B) provide meaningful community service 
                opportunities for students in their senior year, for 
                terms of service described in section 139(b)(1);
                    ``(C) supply a service coordinator to assist 
                secondary schools participating in the local program; 
                and
                    ``(D) provide information to students in their 
                junior year of secondary school regarding the community 
                service opportunities available under the local 
                program.
            ``(5) Responsibilities of the corporation.--The Corporation 
        shall support the local educational agencies participating in 
        the national pilot program, by--
                    ``(A) providing a downloadable template for the 
                local educational agencies to use when providing 
                information to students in their junior year as 
                described in paragraph (4)(D);
                    ``(B) offering assistance to the local educational 
                agencies in finding community service opportunities for 
                all participating seniors;
                    ``(C) offering assistance to the local educational 
                agencies regarding completing the paperwork necessary 
                for participating seniors to be eligible for national 
                service educational awards under subtitle D; and
                    ``(D) providing any technical assistance the 
                Corporation determines to be necessary.
            ``(6) Eligibility for national service educational award.--
        A participant under this section shall be eligible for the 
        national service educational award described in subtitle D if 
        the participant meets the requirements of sections 139(b)(1) 
        and 146(b).
            ``(7) 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 national pilot program on the 
                achievement of participating students.
                    ``(B) Measurement.--The evaluation described in 
                subparagraph (A)--
                            ``(i) shall compare--
                                    ``(I) secondary school seniors who 
                                are participating in the program; to
                                    ``(II) similar secondary school 
                                seniors who are not participating in 
                                the program;
                            ``(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) graduation rates;
                                    ``(III) student attendance rates;
                                    ``(IV) student rates of enrollment, 
                                persistence, and attainment in 
                                institutions of higher education; and
                                    ``(V) success with respect to any 
                                other academic factor the Corporation 
                                determines is necessary; and
                            ``(iii) shall measure whether the goals 
                        established by the local educational agency 
                        under paragraph (3)(E) were met.
            ``(8) Building on the senior year community service pilot 
        program.--If the evaluation under paragraph (7) demonstrates 
        that the national pilot program was effective in improving 
        student achievement, as measured by the indicators described in 
        paragraph (7)(B)(ii), the Corporation, in collaboration with 
        the agency described in paragraph (7)(A), shall develop a plan 
        to include in the program as many secondary school seniors 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 participant 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) Senior year community service participants.--The 
        Corporation shall ensure that each individual selected by a 
        local educational agency during a fiscal year as a participant 
        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 participants 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 participants who are 
                eligible for such an award; and
                    ``(B) relating to participants (other than those 
                referred to in subparagraph (A)), 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.''.

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) Senior year community service 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 2011.
                            ``(ii) National service positions for 
                        senior year community service participants.--
                        There are authorized to be appropriated to 
                        provide national service educational awards 
                        under subtitle D of title I for participants 
                        under section 198E, such sums as may be 
                        necessary for each of fiscal years 2009 through 
                        2011.''.