II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1367 

To provide for recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting a national 

teacher corps in underserved communities. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 1 (legislative day, JUNE 30), 2005 

Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. REID, Mr. DEWINE, and Mrs. CLINTON) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL

To provide for recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting 

a national teacher corps in underserved communities.

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

3 SECTION 1. PURPOSES. 

4 The purposes of this Act are as follows: 

5 (1) To grow the number of highly accomplished 

6 recent college graduates teaching in underserved 

7 urban and rural communities in the United States. 

8 (2) To increase the number of school districts 

9 and communities served by a nationally recruited 

10 corps of outstanding new teachers. 
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1 (3) To build a broader pipeline of talented and 

2 experienced future leaders in public education and 

3 education reform. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The terms ‘‘highly quali7 fied’’, ‘‘local educational agency’’, and ‘‘Secretary’’ 

8 have the meanings given the terms in section 9101 

9 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

10 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

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

12 Teach For America, Inc. 

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

14 used with respect to a local educational agency, 

15 means a local educational agency experiencing a 

16 shortage of highly qualified teachers. 

17 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

18 The Secretary is authorized to award a grant to 

19 Teach For America, Inc., the national teacher corps of 

20 outstanding recent college graduates who commit to teach 

21 for 2 years in underserved communities in the United 

22 States, to implement and expand its program of recruit23 ing, selecting, training, and supporting new teachers. 
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1 SEC. 4. GRANT REQUIREMENTS. 

2 In carrying out the grant program under section 3, 

3 the Secretary shall enter into an agreement with the 

4 grantee under which the grantee agrees to use the grant 

5 funds provided under this Act— 

6 (1) to provide highly qualified teachers to high 

7 need local educational agencies in urban and rural 

8 communities; 

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

10 training, and supporting new teachers; and 

11 (3) to serve a substantial number and percent12 age of underserved students. 

13 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Grant funds provided under this 

15 Act shall be used by the grantee to carry out each of the 

16 following activities: 

17 (1) Recruiting and selecting teachers through a 

18 highly selective national process. 

19 (2) Providing preservice training to the teachers 

20 through a rigorous summer institute that includes 

21 hands-on teaching experience and significant expo22 sure to education coursework and theory. 

23 (3) Placing the teachers in schools and posi24 tions designated by partner local educational agen25 cies as high need placements serving underserved 

26 students. 
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1 (4) Providing ongoing professional development 

2 activities for the teachers’ first 2 years in the class3 room, including regular classroom observations and 

4 feedback, and ongoing training and support. 

5 (b) LIMITATION.—The grantee shall use all grant 

6 funds received under this Act to support activities related 

7 directly to the recruitment, selection, training, and sup8 port of teachers as described in subsection (a). 

9 SEC. 6. EVALUATION. 

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

11 the Secretary an annual report that includes— 

12 (1) data on the number and quality of the 

13 teachers provided to local educational agencies 

14 through a grant under this Act; 

15 (2) an externally conducted analysis of the sat16 isfaction of local educational agencies and principals 

17 with the teachers so provided; and 

18 (3) comprehensive data on the background of 

19 the teachers chosen, the training the teachers re20 ceived, the placement sites of the teachers, the pro21 fessional development of the teachers, and the reten22 tion of the teachers. 

23 (b) STUDY.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 

25 for a study that examines the achievement levels of 
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1 the students taught by the teachers assisted under 

2 this Act. 

3 (2) ACHIEVEMENT GAINS COMPARED.—The 

4 study shall compare, within the same schools, the 

5 achievement gains made by students taught by 

6 teachers who are assisted under this Act with the 

7 achievement gains made by students taught by 

8 teachers who are not assisted under this Act. 

9 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall pro10 vide for such a study not less than once every 3 

11 years, and each such study shall include multiple 

12 placement sites and multiple schools within place13 ment sites. 

14 (4) PEER REVIEW STANDARDS.—Each such 

15 study shall meet the peer review standards of the 

16 education research community. 

17 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

18 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

19 this Act such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 

20 2006 and an amount not to exceed $25,000,000 for each 

21 succeeding fiscal year.

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