Mentor Schools Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS; AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Mentor Schools 
Act''.
    (b) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) while low-income students have made significant gains 
        with respect to educational achievement and attainment, 
        considerable gaps still persist for these students in 
        comparison to those from more affluent socio-economic 
        backgrounds;
            (2) our Nation has a compelling interest in assuring that 
        all children receive a high quality education;
            (3) new methods and experiments to revitalize the 
        educational achievement of, and opportunities for, low-income 
        individuals must be a part of any comprehensive solution to the 
        problems in our Nation's educational system;
            (4) successful educational alternatives should be widely 
        implemented to better the education of low-income individuals;
            (5) preliminary research shows that same gender schools 
        produce promising academic and behavioral improvements in both 
        sexes for low-income, educationally disadvantaged students;
            (6) extensive data on same gender schools are needed to 
        determine whether same gender schools are closely tailored to 
        achieving the compelling government interest in assuring that 
        all children are educated to the best of their ability;
            (7) in recent years efforts to experiment with same gender 
        schools have been inhibited by lawsuits and threats of lawsuits 
        by private groups as well as governmental entities; and
            (8) same gender schools are a legal educational alternative 
        to coeducational schools and are not prohibited under the 
        regulations under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 
        (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), as such regulations were in effect on 
        the day preceding the date of enactment of this Act, so long 
        as--
                    (A) comparable courses, services and facilities are 
                available to students of each sex; and
                    (B) the same policies and criteria for admission to 
                such schools are used for both sexes.
    (c) Purposes.--It is the purpose of this Act--
            (1) to award grants to local educational agencies for the 
        establishment of same gender schools for low-income students;
            (2) to determine whether same gender schools make a 
        difference in the educational achievement and opportunities of 
        low-income, educationally disadvantaged individuals;
            (3) to improve academic achievement and persistence in 
        school; and
            (4) to involve parents in the educational options and 
        choices of their children.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act--
            (1) the term ``evaluating agency'' means any academic 
        institution, consortium of professionals, or private or 
        nonprofit organization, with demonstrated experience in 
        conducting evaluations, that is not an agency or 
        instrumentality of the Federal Government;
            (2) the term ``mentor school'' means a public elementary 
        school or secondary school, or consortium of such schools, 
        that--
                    (A)(i) in the case of a public elementary school or 
                secondary school, receives funds under this Act; or
                    (ii) in the case of a consortium of such schools, 
                all of which receive funds under this Act;
                    (B) develops a plan for, and provides access to--
                            (i) a school for boys;
                            (ii) a school for girls; and
                            (iii) a coeducational school;
                    (C) gives parents the option of choosing to send 
                their child to each school described in subparagraph 
                (B);
                    (D) admits students on the basis of a lottery, if 
                more students apply for admission to a school described 
                in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (B) that can be 
                accommodated;
                    (E) operates, as part of the educational program of 
                a school described in clause (i) or (ii) of 
                subparagraph (B), a one-to-one mentoring program that--
                            (i) involves members from the community 
                        served by such school as volunteer mentors;
                            (ii) pairs an adult member of such 
                        community with a student of the same gender as 
                        such member; and
                            (iii) involves the collaboration of one or 
                        more community groups with experience in 
                        mentoring or other relationship development 
                        activities; and
                    (F) operates in pursuit of improving achievement 
                among all children based on a specific set of 
                educational objectives determined by the local 
                educational agency applying for a grant under this 
                part, in conjunction with the mentor school advisory 
                board established under section 3(d), and agreed to by 
                the Secretary;
            (3) the term ``mentor school advisory board'' means an 
        advisory board established in accordance with section 3(d); and
            (4) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
        Education.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    (a) Authority.--
            (1) In general.--From amounts made available under section 
        7, the Secretary is authorized to award grants to not more than 
        100 local educational agencies for the planning and operation 
        of one or more mentor schools.
            (2) Eligible local educational agencies.--The Secretary 
        shall only award a grant under paragraph (1) to a local 
        educational agency that--
                    (A) receives funds under section 1124A of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6334); and
                    (B) is among the 20 percent of local educational 
                agencies receiving funds under section 1124A (20 U.S.C. 
                6334) of such Act in the State that have the highest 
                number of children described in section 1124(c) (20 
                U.S.C. 6333(c)) of such Act.
    (b) Grant Periods.--Each grant under subsection (a) may be awarded 
for a period of not more than 5 years, of which a local educational 
agency may use not more than 1 year for planning and program 
development for a mentor school.
    (c) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not award more than 1 grant 
under this Act to support a particular mentor school.
    (d) Mentor School Advisory Board.--Each local educational agency 
receiving a grant under this Act shall establish a mentor school 
advisory board. Such advisory board shall be composed of school 
administrators, parents, teachers, local government officials and 
volunteers involved with a mentor school. Such advisory board shall 
assist the local educational agency in developing the application for 
assistance under section 4 and serve as an advisory board in the 
functioning of the mentor school.
    (e) Alternative Teaching Certificates.--Each local educational 
agency operating a mentor school under this Act is encouraged to employ 
teachers with alternative teaching certificates, including participants 
in the program assisted under section 1151 of title 10, United States 
Code (Troops to Teachers Program).

SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS.

    (a) Applications Required.--Each local educational agency desiring 
a grant under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
such time, in such manner and accompanied by such information as the 
Secretary may reasonably require.
    (b) Application Contents.--Each application described in subsection 
(a) shall include--
            (1) a description of the educational program to be 
        implemented by the proposed mentor school, including--
                    (A) the grade levels or ages of children to be 
                served; and
                    (B) the curriculum and instructional practices to 
                be used;
            (2) a description of the objectives of the local 
        educational agency for the mentor school and a description of 
        how such agency intends to monitor and study the progress of 
        children participating in the mentor school;
            (3) a description of how the local educational agency 
        intends to include in the mentor school administrators, 
        teaching personnel, and role models from the private sector;
            (4) a description of how school administrators, parents, 
        teachers, local government and volunteers will be involved in 
        the design and implementation of the mentor school;
            (5) a description of the one-to-one mentoring program 
        required by section 2(2)(E);
            (6) a description of how the local educational agency or 
        the State, as appropriate, will provide for continued operation 
        of the mentor school once the Federal grant has expired, if 
        such agency determines that such school is successful;
            (7) a description of how the grant funds will be used;
            (8) a description of how students in attendance at the 
        mentor school, or in the community served by such school, will 
        be--
                    (A) informed about such school; and
                    (B) informed about the fact that admission to a 
                school described in section 2(2)(B) is completely 
                voluntary;
            (9) a description of how grant funds provided under this 
        Act will be used in conjunction with funds provided to the 
        local educational agency under any other program administered 
        by the Secretary;
            (10) an assurance that the local educational agency will 
        annually provide the Secretary such information as the 
        Secretary may require to determine
         if the mentor school is making satisfactory progress toward 
achieving the objectives described in paragraph (2);
            (11) an assurance that the local educational agency will 
        cooperate with the Secretary in evaluating the program 
        authorized by this Act;
            (12) an assurance that resources provided under this Act 
        shall be used equally for schools for boys and for schools for 
        girls;
            (13) an assurance that the activities assisted under this 
        Act will not have an adverse affect, on either sex, that is 
        caused by--
                    (A) the quality of facilities for boys and for 
                girls;
                    (B) the nature of the curriculum for boys and for 
                girls;
                    (C) program activities for boys and for girls; and
                    (D) instruction for boys and for girls; and
            (14) such other information and assurances as the Secretary 
        may require.

SEC. 5. SELECTION OF GRANTEES.

    The Secretary shall award grants under this Act on the basis of the 
quality of the applications submitted under section 4, taking into 
consideration such factors as--
            (1) the quality of the proposed curriculum and 
        instructional practices for the mentor school;
            (2) the organizational structure and management of the 
        mentor school;
            (3) the quality of the plan for assessing the progress made 
        by students served by a mentor school over the period of the 
        grant;
            (4) the extent of community support for the application;
            (5) the likelihood that the mentor school will meet the 
        objectives of such school and improve educational results for 
        students; and
            (6) the assurances submitted pursuant to section 4(b)(13).

SEC. 6. EVALUATION.

    (a) In General.--From the amount appropriated under section 7 for 
each fiscal year, the Secretary shall make available to the Comptroller 
General 1 percent of such amount to enable the Comptroller General to 
enter into a contract with an evaluating agency for the evaluation of 
the mentor schools program under this Act. Such evaluation shall 
measure the academic competence and social development of students 
attending mentor schools, including school attendance levels, student 
achievement levels, drop out rates, college admissions, incidences of 
teenage pregnancy, and incidences of incarceration.
    (b) Report.--The evaluating agency entering into the contract 
described in subsection (a) shall submit a report to the Congress not 
later than September 30, 2002, regarding the results of the evaluation 
conducted in accordance with such subsection.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
$300,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and such sums as may be necessary for 
each of the fiscal years 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 to carry out this 
Act.
    (b) Availability.--Funds appropriated under subsection (a) shall 
remain available until expended.

Summary: Mentor Schools Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to not more than 100 eligible local educational agencies for the planning and operation of one or more mentor schools. Prohibits the Secretary from awarding more than one such grant to support a particular mentor school. Requires each local educational agency receiving such a grant to establish a mentor school advisory board. Encourages each local educational agency operating such a mentor school to employ teachers with alternative teaching certificates, including participants in the Troops to Teachers Program. Sets forth requirements for: (1) applications, (2) selection of grantees. And (3) non-Federal evaluating agencies' evaluations and reports . Authorizes appropriations.