Teach to Lead Act of 2016

Summary: Teach to Lead Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the Department of Education to award competitive grants to nonprofit organizations for the development and implementation of teacher-led projects to improve outcomes in elementary and secondary schools. Grantee organizations shall use grant funds to make competitive subgrants to teachers and school leaders in partnership with the organization or a local educational agency.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Teach to Lead Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Teachers, because of their position in the classroom, 
        often see important opportunities to improve student learning 
        most directly and thus have a unique perspective from which to 
        create practical solutions to help students succeed.
            (2) According to a Scholastic and Bill & Melinda Gates 
        Foundation poll, 69 percent of teachers feel that their voices 
        are heard in their school, but only one-third feel heard in 
        their district, five percent in their State, and two percent at 
        the national level.
            (3) The failure to leverage teachers' expertise has a 
        negative impact on teacher engagement in education reforms and 
        misses a critical opportunity for administrators and 
        policymakers to draw on knowledge and expertise from the 
        classroom that can help address critical education needs and 
        challenges.
            (4) Empowering teachers to lead beyond the classroom, 
        without necessarily leaving the classroom, will demonstrate the 
        trust and respect for teachers, as professionals, that they 
        deserve and will help improve teaching and student outcomes.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to empower teachers to develop and 
implement projects with the potential to have a wider impact on 
developing the knowledge, pedagogical skills, and conditions needed to 
improve teaching and student outcomes, particularly academic growth, by 
bringing their classroom knowledge and expertise directly to bear on 
the many challenges confronting our education system.

SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Program authorized.--From the funds made available 
        under section 7, the Secretary of Education may make grants, on 
        a competitive basis, to one or more nonprofit organizations to 
        award subgrants to eligible entities to develop and implement 
        teacher-led projects to improve teaching and student outcomes 
        in elementary school and secondary school, particularly 
        academic growth.
            (2) Grant period.--A grant made to a nonprofit organization 
        under paragraph (1) shall be for a period of not more than five 
        years.
            (3) Use of grant funds.--A nonprofit organization that 
        receives a grant under paragraph (1)--
                    (A) shall reserve not less than 90 percent of the 
                grant to award subgrants, on a competitive basis, to 
                eligible entities under subsection (c); and
                    (B) may use not more than 10 percent of the grant 
                for administrative purposes.
    (b) Applications.--A nonprofit organization that desires a grant 
under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time and in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Secretary may require. The application shall--
            (1) demonstrate the entity's ability to--
                    (A) operate a national program, a multi-State 
                program, or a program that reaches not less than 
                100,000 students; and
                    (B) manage the administrative and fiscal aspects of 
                the subgrant program described in this section; and
            (2) describe how the nonprofit organization will--
                    (A) provide outreach and solicit subgrant 
                applications nationwide, particularly in urban, rural, 
                and tribal areas with significant numbers or 
                concentration of high-need schools;
                    (B) conduct a subgrant competition and ensure that 
                selected projects will be designed and led by teachers, 
                teams of teachers, or teachers and school leaders;
                    (C) conduct a peer review of all eligible project 
                applications that selects high-quality projects likely 
                to have the greatest impact on teaching or student 
                outcomes;
                    (D) provide technical assistance to help 
                subgrantees ensure effective project implementation;
                    (E) monitor project implementation and collect data 
                on projects;
                    (F) facilitate collaboration and interaction of 
                subgrantees with each other and with experts in the 
                field to solve ongoing problems of instructional 
                practice and leadership, such as through the creation 
                of communities of practice where teachers share best 
                practices and work together to achieve similar goals;
                    (G) evaluate projects and nationally disseminate 
                the results of effective projects; and
                    (H) provide accountability for the use of the 
                grant.
    (c) Subgrants.--
            (1) Subgrant priority.--A nonprofit organization receiving 
        a grant under this section shall use such grant to award 
        subgrants to eligible entities under this subsection, and in 
        awarding such subgrants the nonprofit organization shall give 
        priority to eligible entities that will use the subgrants to 
        carry out projects that--
                    (A) are designed to improve teaching and learning 
                outcomes for all students in high-need schools or that 
                target the educational needs of low-income or minority 
                students;
                    (B) are supported by evidence of effectiveness or, 
                at a minimum, is supported by a logic model;
                    (C) are supported by evidence of teacher 
                involvement in the development of such projects as 
                demonstrated by research or survey data; and
                    (D) have the potential to be scaled up in their 
                school, local educational agencies, or State in order 
                to have a wider impact on improving teaching and 
                learning outcomes, particularly academic growth for all 
                students.
            (2) Subgrant applications.--An eligible entity that desires 
        a subgrant under this section shall submit an application to 
        the applicable nonprofit organization awarded a grant under 
        this section at such time and in such manner, and containing 
        such information as the nonprofit organization may reasonably 
        require. Each application shall, at a minimum, describe--
                    (A) the project proposed, including timelines, 
                resources needed, and any measurable objectives to be 
                used in determining how the project will improve 
                teaching and student outcomes, particularly academic 
                growth;
                    (B) any partnerships entered into with school and 
                local educational agency leaders, nonprofit 
                organizations, community organizations, teacher 
                preparation providers, in-service support providers, 
                and other stakeholders, including teachers, to develop 
                and implement the proposed project; and
                    (C) the potential to scale up the proposed project 
                in the school, local educational agency, Tribal or 
                Bureau of Indian Affairs educational system, and State, 
                of the eligible entity.
            (3) Use of subgrant funds.--
                    (A) Use of subgrant funds.--An eligible entity 
                shall use the subgrant received under this section to 
                develop and implement an innovative project designed 
                and led by teachers, teams of teachers, or teachers and 
                school leaders to improve teaching and learning at the 
                elementary school and secondary school level, such as--
                            (i) increasing student engagement through 
                        personalized learning, including technology-
                        enabled instruction;
                            (ii) strengthening support for educators, 
                        including support for implementation of 
                        challenging, academic standards to prepare 
                        students to be ready for college and careers;
                            (iii) improving community engagement, 
                        school climate, and student services;
                            (iv) improving data collection and analysis 
                        for data-driven instruction and continuous 
                        improvement;
                            (v) expanding students' access to effective 
                        educators, particularly low-income and minority 
                        students; or
                            (vi) increasing retention of effective 
                        educators who demonstrate academic growth for 
                        students, particularly low-income and minority 
                        students.
                    (B) Administrative expenses.--A partner local 
                educational agency or nonprofit organization that 
                serves as the fiscal agent for an eligible entity, may 
                use not more than two percent of the subgrant for 
                direct administrative expenses incurred in carrying out 
                its responsibilities under the subgrant.

SEC. 5. PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT.

    The Secretary shall establish goals and performance indicators to 
measure and assess the impact of the activities carried out under this 
Act.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an 
        individual teacher, a team of teachers, or teachers and school 
        leaders, in partnership with a local educational agency or a 
        nonprofit organization that serves as the fiscal agent with 
        respect to funds awarded under this Act.
            (2) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', 
        ``secondary school'', ``local educational agency'', and 
        ``Secretary'' have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801).
            (3) High-need school.--The term ``high-need school'' has 
        the meaning given that term in section 2243(f)(2) of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        6673(f)(2)).
            (4) Nonprofit entity.--The term ``nonprofit organization'' 
        means a nonprofit organization that works in education at the 
        elementary school or secondary school level.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2017 through 2021 to carry out this Act.