II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 959 

To award a grant to enable Teach for America, Inc., to implement and 

expand its teaching program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 22, 2007 

Mrs. CLINTON (for herself, Mr. REID, Mr. ALEXANDER, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, Mr. DODD, and Mr. DURBIN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To award a grant to enable Teach for America, Inc., to 

implement and expand its teaching program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Teach For America 

5 Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

7 The purposes of this Act are— 

8 (1) to increase the number of highly accom9 plished recent graduates of 4-year institutions of 


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1 higher education teaching in underserved urban and 

2 rural communities in the United States; 

3 (2) to increase the number of school districts 

4 and communities served by a nationally recruited 

5 corps of outstanding new teachers; and 

6 (3) to build a broader pipeline of talented and 

7 experienced future leaders in public education and 

8 education reform. 

9 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

10 In this Act: 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The terms ‘‘highly quali12 fied’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, and ‘‘Secretary’’ 

13 have the meanings given the terms in section 9101 

14 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

15 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

16 (2) GRANTEE.—The term ‘‘grantee’’ means 

17 Teach For America, Inc. 

18 (3) HIGH-NEED.—The term ‘‘high-need’’, when 

19 used with respect to a local educational agency, 

20 means a local educational agency that serves a sub21 stantial percentage of students who are eligible for 

22 free or reduced price meals under the Richard B. 

23 Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 

24 et seq.). 


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1 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

2 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

3 meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 

4 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

5 SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

6 The Secretary is authorized to award a grant to 

7 Teach For America, Inc., the national corps of out8 standing recent graduates of 4-year institutions of higher 

9 education who commit to teach for 2 years in underserved 

10 communities in the United States, to enable the grantee 

11 to implement and expand its program of recruiting, select12 ing, training, and supporting new teachers. 

13 SEC. 5. GRANT REQUIREMENTS. 

14 In carrying out the grant program under this Act, 

15 the Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the 

16 grantee under which the grantee agrees to use the grant 

17 funds— 

18 (1) to provide highly qualified teachers to high19 need local educational agencies in urban and rural 

20 communities; 

21 (2) to pay the cost of recruiting, selecting, 

22 training, and supporting new teachers; and 

23 (3) to serve a substantial percentage of stu24 dents who are eligible for free or reduced price meals 


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1 under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 

2 Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.). 

3 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. 

4 Grant funds provided under this Act shall be used 

5 by the grantee to carry out each of the following activities: 

6 (1) Recruiting and selecting teachers through a 

7 highly selective national process. 

8 (2) Providing preservice training to selected 

9 teachers through a rigorous summer institute that 

10 includes hands-on teaching experience and signifi11 cant exposure to education coursework and theory. 

12 (3) Placing selected teachers in schools and po13 sitions in high-need local educational agencies. 

14 (4) Providing ongoing professional development 

15 activities for the selected teachers in the classroom, 

16 including regular classroom observations and feed17 back, and ongoing training and support. 

18 SEC. 7. EVALUATION. 

19 (a) ANNUAL REPORT.—The grantee shall provide to 

20 the Secretary an annual report that includes— 

21 (1) data on the number and characteristics of 

22 the teachers provided to high-need local educational 

23 agencies through the grant under this part; 


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1 (2) an externally conducted analysis of the sat2 isfaction of local educational agencies and principals 

3 with the teachers so provided; and 

4 (3) comprehensive data on the background of 

5 the selected teachers, the training such teachers re6 ceived, the placement sites of the teachers, the pro7 fessional development of the teachers, and the reten8 tion of the teachers. 

9 (b) STUDY.—From amounts appropriated under sec10 tion 8, the Secretary shall provide for a study comparing 

11 the academic achievement of students taught by the teach12 ers selected, trained, and placed by the grantee under this 

13 Act with the academic achievement of students taught by 

14 other teachers in the same schools and positions. The Sec15 retary shall provide for such a study not less than once 

16 every 3 years, and each such study shall include multiple 

17 local educational agencies. Each such study shall meet the 

18 peer-review standards of the education research commu19 nity. 

20 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

21 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

22 this Act— 

23 (1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; 

24 (2) $18,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; 

25 (3) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and 


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1 (4) such sums as may be necessary for each of 

2 the fiscal years 2011 and 2012. 

Æ 


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