To authorize grants to local educational agencies for teacher mentoring programs.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Teacher Mentoring Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) High-quality teaching is essential to improving the 
        Nation's educational system.
            (2) High teacher turnover rates severely hamper the ability 
        to create and maintain a high-quality teaching and learning 
        environment.
            (3) Approximately one-third of the Nation's new teachers 
        leave the teaching profession during their first 3 years of 
        teaching, and almost one-half leave during their first 5 years 
        of teaching.
            (4) Turnover is highest in low-income schools, where the 
        turnover rate is almost one-third higher than the corresponding 
        rate for all teachers in all schools.
            (5) Teachers who have left the profession report that 
        better support for beginning teachers is among the 5 top policy 
        reforms that would help school systems retain more teachers.
            (6) Teachers without mentoring programs have been shown to 
        leave the profession at a rate almost 70 percent higher than 
        those with mentoring programs.
            (7) It is in the best interest of the United States to 
        ensure that all students have access to a high-quality 
        education through the promotion of mentoring programs that 
        assist in the development of highly qualified teachers, 
        particularly in low-income areas.

SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR TEACHER MENTORING PROGRAMS.

    (a) Grants.--Part C of title II of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6671 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:

                ``Subpart 6--Teacher Mentoring Programs

``SEC. 2371. GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--For the purpose of providing guidance and 
assistance to new teachers and improving teacher quality, the Secretary 
may award grants on a competitive basis to local educational agencies 
to establish or implement teacher mentoring programs.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--The Secretary may not award a grant under this 
section to a local educational agency unless the agency agrees to use 
the grant to establish or implement a teacher mentoring program that--
            ``(1) will establish and implement minimum qualifications 
        for mentors;
            ``(2) will provide training and stipends for mentors;
            ``(3) will provide mentoring programs for teachers in their 
        first year of teaching;
            ``(4) will provide regular and ongoing opportunities for 
        mentors and mentees to observe each other's teaching methods in 
        classroom settings during the school day;
            ``(5) will establish an evaluation and accountability plan 
        for activities conducted under such grant that includes 
        rigorous objectives to measure the impact of such activities; 
        and
            ``(6) will report to the Secretary on an annual basis 
        regarding the agency's progress in meeting the objectives 
        described in paragraph (5).
    ``(c) Low-Performing Schools.--The Secretary may not award a grant 
under this section to a local educational agency unless the agency 
agrees that, in establishing or implementing a teacher mentoring 
program with the grant, the agency will prioritize funding for 
mentoring activities at elementary and secondary schools which the 
agency identifies under section 1116(b) as failing to make adequate 
yearly progress.
    ``(d) Duration.--Each grant awarded under this section shall be for 
a period of 3 years.

``SEC. 2372. LOW-INCOME LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.

    ``(a) Priority.--Of the grants awarded under section 2371 for any 
fiscal year, the Secretary shall award not less than 50 percent of such 
grants to low-income local educational agencies.
    ``(b) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term `low-
income local educational agency' means a local educational agency for 
which--
            ``(1) not less that 30 percent of the children served by 
        the agency are from families with incomes below the poverty 
        line; and
            ``(2)(A) there is a high percentage of out-of-field 
        teachers (as that term is defined at section 2102);
            ``(B) the number or percentage of unfilled teaching 
        positions at the schools served by such agency is higher than 
        the corresponding number or percentage for not less than 75 
        percent of all the local educational agencies in the State; or
            ``(C) there is a high teacher turnover rate.

``SEC. 2373. EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION.

    ``In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary should seek 
to ensure an equitable geographic distribution among the regions of the 
United States and among local educational agencies located in urban, 
rural, and suburban areas.

``SEC. 2374. APPLICATION.

    ``To seek a grant under this section, a local educational agency 
shall, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require, 
submit an application to the Secretary containing the following:
            ``(1) A plan for establishing a mentor program described in 
        this subpart.
            ``(2) A description of how the activities to be carried out 
        under the program will improve new teacher experiences and 
        increase teacher retention rates.
            ``(3) A description of the research on teacher mentoring 
        that is the basis for the plan.
            ``(4) A description of the evaluation and accountability 
        plan to be established.
            ``(5) Such other information as the Secretary may require.

``SEC. 2375. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subpart 
such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2004 through 
2009.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents at section 2 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by 
inserting after the item relating to section 2368 the following:

                 ``Subpart 6--Teacher Mentoring Programs

``Sec. 2371. Grant program.
``Sec. 2372. Low-income local educational agencies.
``Sec. 2373. Equitable distribution.
``Sec. 2374. Application.
``Sec. 2375. Authorization of appropriations.''.

    (c) Report.--Not less than 3 years after the date of the first 
award of a grant under the program established by the amendments made 
by this section, the Secretary of Education shall submit a report to 
the Congress on the results of such program, including the impact of 
mentoring programs assisted under this Act on teacher retention rates.

Summary: Teacher Mentoring Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to authorize the Secretary of Education to make competitive three-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish or implement teacher mentoring programs to guide and assist new teachers and improve teacher quality. Requires such programs to provide: (1) training and stipends for mentors. (2) mentoring programs for teachers in their first year of teaching. And (3) regular and ongoing opportunities for mentors and mentees to observe each other's teaching methods in classroom settings during the school day. Requires such programs to establish: (1) minimum qualifications for mentors. And (2) an evaluation and accountability plan for, and report on, program activities. Requires LEAs, in using such program grants, to prioritize funding for mentoring activities at elementary and secondary schools which the LEA identifies under ESEA as failing to make adequate yearly progress. Directs the Secretary to: (1) award at least 50 percent of such grants to low-income LEAs. And (2) report to Congress on program results, including impact on teacher retention rates.