```

[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3730 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3730

            To establish a professional development program.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 25, 1994

  Mr. Sawyer introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Education and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
            To establish a professional development program.

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

SECTION 1. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

    Part A of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 is amended to read as follows:

    ``Part A--Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program

``SEC. 2101. FINDINGS.

    ``The Congress finds that--
            ``(1) reaching National Education Goal Three (all students 
        will demonstrate mastery of challenging subject matter in the 
        core academic subjects) and National Education Goal Five (U.S. 
        students will become first in the world in mathematics and 
        science achievement) requires a comprehensive educational 
        reform strategy that involves parents, schools, government, 
        communities, and other public and private organizations at all 
        levels;
            ``(2) a crucial component of the strategy for achieving 
        these two goals is ensuring, through sustained and intensive 
        high-quality professional development, and through the 
        development and adoption of high quality curriculum, that all 
        teachers are capable of providing challenging learning 
        experiences in the core academic subjects for their students;
            ``(3) decisionmaking as to what activities a State or local 
        educational agency should undertake to improve teaching and 
        learning are best made by individuals in the schools closest to 
        the classroom and most knowledgeable about the needs of schools 
        and students;
            ``(4) the potential positive impact of high-quality 
        professional development is underscored by recent research 
        findings that--
                    ``(A) professional development must be focused on 
                teaching and learning in order to change the 
                opportunities of all students to achieve higher 
                standards; and
                    ``(B) effective professional development focuses on 
                discipline-based knowledge and subject-specific 
                pedagogical skills, involves teams of teachers and 
                administrators in a school and, through professional 
                networks of teachers and administrators, is interactive 
                and collaborative, motivates by its intrinsic content 
                and relationship to practice, builds on experience and 
                learning-by-doing, and becomes incorporated into the 
                everyday life of the school;
            ``(5) engaging teachers in the development of high quality 
        curriculum is a powerful professional development activity that 
        improves teaching and learning;
            ``(6) special attention must be given in professional 
        development activities to ensure that education professionals 
        are knowledgeable of, and make use of, strategies for serving 
        populations that historically have lacked access to equal 
        opportunities for advanced learning and career advancement;
            ``(7) States and local educational agencies also need to 
        engage teachers in the development of high quality curricula 
        that is aligned with State or local content and performance 
        standards in order to improve teaching and learning and to 
        ensure that students achieve the State standards;
            ``(8) professional development is often a victim of budget 
        reductions in fiscally difficult times and curriculum 
        development is almost nonexistent in many State and local 
        school systems; and
            ``(9) the Federal Government has a vital role in helping 
        States and local educational agencies to make sustained and 
        intensive high-quality professional development in the core 
        academic subjects become an integral part of the elementary and 
        secondary education system and in providing assistance to such 
        agencies to engage teachers in the development of high quality 
        curriculum that is aligned with State or local content and 
        performance standards.

``SEC. 2102. PURPOSES.

    ``The purposes of this part are to provide assistance to States and 
local educational agencies so that such agencies can determine how best 
to improve the teaching and learning of all students through--
            ``(1) helping to ensure that teachers, other staff, and 
        administrators have access to sustained and extensive high-
        quality professional development that is aligned to challenging 
        State content and performance standards in the care academic 
        subjects and that--
                    ``(A) is tied to challenging State and local 
                curriculum content and student performance standards;
                    ``(B) reflects recent research on teaching and 
                learning;
                    ``(C) includes strong academic content and 
                pedagogical components;
                    ``(D) is of sufficient intensity and duration to 
                have a positive and lasting impact on the teacher's 
                performance in the classroom; and
                    ``(E) is part of the everyday life of the school 
                and creates an orientation toward continuous 
                improvement throughout the school; and
            ``(2) assisting States and local educational agencies to 
        engage teachers in the development of high quality curriculum 
        that is aligned with State or local content and performance 
        standards.

``SEC. 2103. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; ALLOCATION BETWEEN 
              SUBPARTS.

    ``(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying 
out this part, there are authorized to be appropriated $700,000,000 for 
fiscal year 1995 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 
fiscal years 1996 through 1999.
    ``(b) Allocation Between Subparts.--Of the funds appropriated to 
carry out this part for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall use--
            ``(1) 5 percent to carry out subpart 1; and
            ``(2) 95 percent to carry out subpart 2.

                    ``Subpart 1--Federal Activities

``SEC. 2111. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    ``(a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary is authorized to make 
grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with, 
local educational agencies, State educational agencies, State agencies 
for higher education, educational service agencies, institutions of 
higher education, and other public and private agencies, other 
organizations, and institutions to--
            ``(1) support activities of national significance that will 
        contribute to the development and implementation of high-
        quality professional development activities in the core 
        academic subject areas;
            ``(2) support the development of challenging curriculum 
        that is aligned with State or local content and performance 
        standards; and
            ``(3) evaluate activities carried out under this subpart 
        and under subpart 2.
    ``(b) Coordination With Other Agencies.--In carrying out this 
program, the Secretary shall consult and coordinate with the National 
Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the 
National Endowment for the Arts, and other appropriate Federal agencies 
and entities.

``SEC. 2112. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) The Secretary shall use funds available to carry out this 
subpart--
            ``(1) for the development and maintenance of a national 
        clearinghouse for science, mathematics, and technology 
        education materials;
            ``(2) to support consortia of educational agencies and 
        organizations in disseminating information and providing 
        assistance regarding curricula, teaching methods, and 
        assessment tools that support national or State content 
        standards in mathematics and science; and
            ``(3) the evaluation of programs under this subpart and 
        under subpart 2.
    ``(b) The Secretary may use funds available to carry out this 
subpart--
            ``(1) for the development and maintenance of national 
        clearinghouses for core academic subjects as the Secretary 
        determines are needed;
            ``(2) to provide grants to entities to develop high quality 
        curricula that are aligned with voluntary national or State 
        content standards;
            ``(3) to sponsor institutes that provide teachers and 
        administrators with professional development that is based on 
        strong and integrated disciplinary content and pedagogical 
        components;
            ``(4) for efforts to train teachers in the innovative uses 
        and applications of technology to enhance student learning;
            ``(5) to encourage the development of local and national 
        professional networks of educators;
            ``(6) to disseminate standards in the core academic 
        subjects, including information on voluntary national content 
        and performance standards and related models of high-quality 
        professional development;
            ``(7) to promote the transferability of licensure and 
        certification of teachers and administrators among State and 
        local jurisdictions; and
            ``(8) support the National Board for Professional Teaching 
        Standards.
    ``(c) In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure 
that each program, project, and activity contained in such subsection 
receives an allocation that is no less than the amount that each such 
program, project, or activity received in fiscal year 1994.

                ``Subpart 2--State and Local Activities

``SEC. 2121. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    ``The Secretary is authorized to make grants to State educational 
agencies for the improvement of teaching and learning through sustained 
and intensive high-quality professional development activities in the 
core academic subjects at the State and local levels and the 
development by teachers and others of high-quality curricula that are 
aligned with State or local content and performance standards.

``SEC. 2122. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.

    ``(a) Reservation of Funds.--From the amount made available to 
carry out this subpart for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) reserve one half of one percent for the outlying 
        areas, to be distributed among them on the basis of relative 
        need, as determined by the Secretary in light of the purposes 
        of this part; and
            ``(2) reserve one half of one percent for the Secretary of 
        the Interior for programs under this subpart for professional 
        development activities for teachers, other staff, and 
        administrators in schools operated or funded by the Bureau of 
        Indian Affairs.
    ``(b) State Allotments.--The Secretary shall allocate the remaining 
amount to each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico as follows, except that no State shall 
receive less than one-half of one percent of such remaining amount:
            ``(1) 50 percent shall be allocated among such 
        jurisdictions on the basis of their relative populations of 
        individuals aged 5 through 17, as determined by the Secretary 
        on the basis of the most recent satisfactory data.
            ``(2) 50 percent shall be allocated among such 
        jurisdictions in accordance with the relative amounts such 
        jurisdictions received under part A of title I of this Act for 
        the preceding fiscal year.
    ``(c) Reallocation.--If any jurisdiction does not apply for its 
allotment under subsection (b) for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
reallocate such amount to the remaining jurisdictions in accordance 
with such subsection.

``SEC. 2123. WITHIN-STATE ALLOCATIONS.

    ``(a) Reservations.--Of the amounts received by a State under this 
subpart for a fiscal year--
            ``(1) not more than 5 percent shall be used for the 
        administrative costs of programs carried out by the State 
        educational agency and the State agency for higher education;
            ``(2) not more than 5 percent may be used for State-level 
        activities, as described in section 2125; and
            ``(3) of the remaining amount--
                    ``(A) 90 percent shall be distributed to local 
                educational agencies, to be used in accordance with 
                section 2129, as follows:
                            ``(i) 50 percent of such amount shall be 
                        distributed in accordance with the relative 
                        enrollments in public and private nonprofit 
                        schools within their boundaries.
                            ``(ii) 50 percent of such amount shall be 
                        distributed in accordance with the relative 
                        amount such agencies received under part A of 
                        title I of this Act for the preceding fiscal 
                        year; and
                    ``(B) 10 percent shall be used for competitive 
                grants to institutions of higher education as described 
                in section 2129.
    ``(b) Limitation.--
            ``(1) General rule.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        any local educational agency that receives an allocation of 
        less than $10,000 under subsection (a) shall, for the purpose 
        of providing services under this subpart, form a consortium 
        with at least 1 other local educational agency or institution 
        of higher education receiving assistance under this section.
            ``(2) Waiver.--The State educational agency shall waive the 
        application of paragraph (1) in the case of any local 
        educational agency that demonstrates that the amount of its 
        allocation is sufficient to provide a program of sufficient 
        size, scope, and quality to be effective. In granting waivers 
        under the preceding sentence, the State educational agency 
        shall--
                    ``(A) give special consideration to local 
                educational agencies serving rural areas; and
                    ``(B) consider cash or in-kind contributions 
                provided from State or local sources that may be 
                combined with the local educational agency's allocation 
                for the purpose of providing services under this part.

``SEC. 2124. STATE APPLICATIONS.

    ``(a) Applications Required.--Each State educational agency that 
wishes to receive its allotment under this subpart for any fiscal year 
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time and in such 
form as the Secretary may require.
    ``(b) State Plan To Improve Teaching and Learning--(1) Each 
application under this section shall include a State plan that--
            ``(A) is integrated with the State's plan, either approved 
        or being developed, under title III of the Goals 2000: Educate 
        America Act, and satisfies the requirements of this section 
        that are not already addressed by that State plan; or
            ``(B) if the State does not have an approved plan under 
        title III of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and is not 
        developing such a plan, is integrated with other State plans 
        under this Act and satisfies the requirements of this section.
    ``(2) Each such plan shall also--
            ``(A) be developed in conjunction with the State agency for 
        higher education, institutions of higher education, schools of 
        education, and with the extensive participation of teachers and 
        administrators and members of the public who are interested in 
        improving education in the State and show the role of each in 
        implementation;
            ``(B) be designed to give teachers and administrators in 
        the State the knowledge and skills to provide all students the 
        opportunity to meet challenging State performance standards;
            ``(C) include an assessment of State and local needs for 
        professional development and for the development of curricula 
        that are aligned with State or local content and performance 
        standards;
            ``(D) include a description of how the plan has maintained 
        funding for professional development activities in mathematics 
        and science education;
            ``(E) a description of how programs in all core academic 
        subjects, but especially in mathematics and science, will take 
        into account the need for greater access to, and participation 
        in, such disciplines by students from historically 
        underrepresented groups, including females, minorities, 
        individuals with limited-English proficiency, the economically 
        disadvantaged, and the disabled;
            ``(F) if the State's needs assessment under subsection (C) 
        demonstrates a need for professional development, describe how 
        the State will--
                    ``(i) work with teachers, administrators, local 
                educational agencies, schools, and institutions of 
                higher education to ensure that they develop the 
                capacity to support sustained and intensive, high-
                quality professional development programs in all the 
                core academic subject areas, but especially in 
                mathematics and science;
                    ``(ii) take specific steps for the reform of State 
                requirements for licensure of teachers and 
                administrators, including certification and 
                recertification, to align such requirements with 
                challenging State content and performance standards; 
                and
                    ``(iii) address the need for improving teaching and 
                learning through teacher development beginning with 
                recruitment, pre-service, and induction, and continuing 
                throughout the professional teaching career; and
            ``(G) if the State's needs assessment under subparagraph 
        (C) demonstrates a need for curricula development, describe--
                    ``(i) a strategy for engaging teachers in the 
                development of curricula that are aligned with State or 
                local content and performance standards; and
                    ``(ii) how the State will also work with 
                administrators, parents, school board members, and 
                other members of the community in developing high 
                quality curricula that are aligned with State or local 
                content and performance standards.
    ``(c) Additional Material.--Each State application shall also 
include--
            ``(1) a description of how the activities funded under this 
        subpart will be coordinated, as appropriate, with--
                    ``(A) other activities conducted with Federal 
                funds, especially activities supported under part A of 
                title I of this Act;
                    ``(B) State and local funds;
                    ``(C) resources from business and industry; and
                    ``(D) funds from other Federal agencies, such as 
                the National Science Foundation, the Departments of 
                Commerce, Energy, and Health and Human Services, the 
                National Endowment for the Arts, and the National 
                Endowment for the Humanities; and
            ``(2) a description of the activities to be sponsored under 
        the State-level activities and the higher education components 
        of its program under this subpart.
    ``(d) Peer Review and Secretarial Approval.--(1) The Secretary 
shall approve the application of a State educational agency if it meets 
the requirements of this section and holds reasonable promise of 
achieving the purposes of this part.
    ``(2) In reviewing applications, the Secretary shall obtain the 
advice of non-Federal experts on education in the core academic 
subjects and on teacher education, including teachers and 
administrators.

``SEC. 2125. STATE-LEVEL ACTIVITIES.

    ``Each State may use funds reserved under section 2123(a)(2) to 
carry out activities referred to in section 2124(b), such as--
            ``(1) reviewing and reforming State requirements for 
        teacher and administrator licensure, including certification 
        and recertification, to align such requirements with the 
        State's content standards and ensure that teachers and 
        administrators have the knowledge and skills necessary to help 
        students meet challenging State performance standards;
            ``(2) developing performance assessments and peer review 
        procedures, as well as other methods, for licensing teachers 
        and administrators;
            ``(3) providing technical assistance to schools and local 
        educational agencies especially schools and local educational 
        agencies that receive assistance under part A of title I of 
        this Act, to help such schools and agencies provide effective 
        professional development in the core academic subjects and 
        develop high quality curricula;
            ``(4) developing or supporting professional development 
        networks, either within a State or in a regional consortium of 
        States, that provide a forum for interaction among teachers and 
        that allow exchange of information on advances in content 
        assessment and pedagogy;
            ``(5) enhancing the effective use of educational technology 
        as an instructional tool for increasing student understanding 
        of the core academic subject areas including--
                    ``(A) efforts to train teachers in the innovative 
                uses and application of instructional technology, and
                    ``(B) utilizing and strengthening existing 
                telecommunications infrastructure dedicated to 
                educational purposes;
            ``(6) providing incentives for teachers to be involved in 
        curriculum development and technical assistance processes for 
        teachers and students;
            ``(7) professional development enabling teachers and other 
        school staff to ensure that girls, young women, minorities, 
        limited English proficient students, individuals with 
        disabilities, and economically disadvantaged individuals have 
        the opportunity to achieve challenging State performance 
        standards in the core academic subjects by, for example, 
        encouraging girls, young women, and minorities to pursue 
        advanced courses in mathematics and science;
            ``(8) designing professional development activities that 
        increase the numbers of members of minority and other 
        underrepresented groups in the teaching force in the core 
        subjects;
            ``(9) developing high quality curriculum that is aligned 
        with State or local content and performance standards; and
            ``(10) providing financial or other incentives for teachers 
        to become certified by the National Board for Professional 
        Teaching Standards.

``SEC. 2126. LOCAL PLAN AND APPLICATION FOR IMPROVING TEACHING AND 
              LEARNING.

    ``(a) Local Application.--(1) Each local educational agency that 
wishes to receive a subgrant under this subpart shall submit an 
application (singly or as a consortia as described in section 2123(b)) 
to the State educational agency at such time as the State educational 
agency shall require, but not less frequently than every 3rd year.
    ``(2) If the local educational agency has an application approved 
by the State under title III of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, 
the application required by this section shall be a component of (or, 
if necessary, an addemdum to) its Goals 2000 application.
    ``(3) A local education agency shall set specific performance 
indicators for improving teaching and learning through professional 
development and curriculum development.
    ``(4) A local educational agency shall submit, as part of its 
application, the results of the needs assessment conducted under 
subsection (b), and the local educational agency plan developed in 
accordance with subsection (c).
    ``(b) Needs Assessment.--(1) A local educational agency that wishes 
to receive a subgrant under this subpart shall include in its 
application an assessment of such agency's need for professional 
development, for the development of high quality curricula that are 
aligned with State or local content and performance standards.
    ``(2) Such needs assessment shall be carried out with the 
involvement of teachers and shall take into account what activities 
need to be conducted in order to give teachers and administrators the 
means, including the knowledge and skills, to provide students with the 
opportunity to meet challenging State or local performance standards.
    ``(c) Plan Development.--(1) The plan required under this 
subsection shall be developed jointly by the local educational agency 
and by teachers from the core academic disciplines.
    ``(2) Such teachers shall also be representative of the grade spans 
within schools to be served.
    ``(3) Based on the needs assessment required under subsection (b), 
the local educational agency's plan shall include the following--
            ``(A) a description of the local educational agency's 
        strategy to improve teaching and learning in every school;
            ``(B) a description of how the plan contributes to the 
        local educational agency's overall efforts for school reform 
        and educational improvement;
            ``(C) a description of the activities the local educational 
        agency intends to undertake under this subpart consistent with 
        such agency's needs assessment conducted under subsection (b);
            ``(D) a description of how the plan has maintained funding 
        for professional development activities in mathematics and 
        science education;
            ``(E) a description of how programs in all core academic 
        subjects, but especially in mathematics and science, will take 
        into account the need for greater access to, and participation 
        in, such disciplines by students from historically 
        underrepresented groups, including females, minorities, 
        individuals with limited-English proficiency, the economically 
        disadvantaged, and the disabled;
            ``(F) an assurance that the activities conducted with funds 
        received under this program will be assessed at least every 3 
        years using the performance indicators; and
            ``(G) a description of how the program funded under this 
        subpart will be coordinated, as appropriate, with--
                    ``(i) activities conducted under section 2130 and 
                other services of institutions of higher education;
                    ``(ii) similar State and local activities;
                    ``(iii) resources provided under part A of title I 
                and other parts of this Act, particularly part B of 
                title II;
                    ``(iv) resources from business, industry, private 
                nonprofit organizations (including museums, libraries, 
                educational television stations, professional 
                organizations and associations specializing in, or with 
                a demonstrated expertise in the core academic 
                disciplines);
                    ``(v) funds or programming from other Federal 
                agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, the 
                Department of Energy, the Department of Health and 
                Human Services, the National Endowment for the 
                Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts; 
                and
                    ``(vi) an identification of funding that will 
                provide the local educational agency's contribution 
                under section 2127.

``SEC. 2127. LOCAL COST SHARING.

    ``(a) In General.--Each local educational agency shall bear not 
less than 33 percent of the cost of any program carried out under this 
subpart, but not including the cost of services provided to private 
school teachers.
    ``(b) Available Resources for Cost-Sharing.--A local educational 
agency may meet the requirements of subsection (a) through one or more 
of the following:
            ``(1) Cash expenditures from non-Federal sources, including 
        private contributions, directed toward professional development 
        and curriculum development activities.
            ``(2) Release time for teachers participating in 
        professional development or curricula development funded under 
        this subpart.
            ``(3) Funds received under one or more of the following 
        programs, if used for professional development or curricula 
        development activities consistent with this subpart and the 
        statutes under which such funds were received, and used to 
        benefit students and teachers in schools that otherwise would 
        have been served with such funds:
                    ``(A) Part A of title I of this Act.
                    ``(B) The Safe and Drug Free Schools program under 
                title IV of this Act.
                    ``(C) The bilingual education program under title 
                VII of this Act.
                    ``(D) Title III of the Goals 2000: Educate America 
                Act.
                    ``(E) Programs that are related to the purposes of 
                this Act that are administered by other agencies, 
                including the National Science Foundation, the National 
                Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment 
                for the Arts, and the Department of Energy.
    ``(c) Waiver.--The State educational agency may approve an 
application which has not fully met the requirements of subsection (a) 
and waive the requirements of subsection (a) if a local educational 
agency can demonstrate that it is unable to meet the requirements of 
subsection (a) due to economic hardship and that compliance with such 
requirements would preclude its participation in the program.

``SEC. 2128. LOCAL ALLOCATION OF FUNDS AND ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) Local Allocation of Funds.--Each local educational agency 
that receives funds under this subpart for any fiscal year--
            ``(1) shall use not less than 80 percent of such funds 
        for--
                    ``(A) professional development of teachers, 
                administrators, and other staff; and
                    ``(B) engaging teachers and other staff in the 
                development of high quality curricula aligned with 
                State and local content and performance standards, in a 
                manner that is determined by such teachers and staff 
                and is consistent with the provisions of such local 
                educational agency's application under section 2126, 
                any school plan under part A of title I of this Act, 
                and any other plan for professional development or 
                curricula development carried out with Federal, State, 
                or local funds; and
            ``(2) may use not more than 20 percent of such funds for 
        district-level professional or curricula development 
        activities, which may include the participation of 
        administrators and policymakers.
    ``(b) Authorized Activities.--Each local educational agency and 
school that receives funds under this subpart shall use such funds for 
activities that give teachers and administrators the knowledge and 
skills to provide students with the opportunity to meet challenging 
State or local content and performance standards. Funds received by 
local educational agencies under this subpart only shall be used only 
for the activities specified under subsections (c) and (d).
    ``(c) Professional Development.--If a needs assessment conducted 
under section 2126(b) determines that funds under this subpart should 
be used to provide professional development in the core academic 
subjects for teachers and other school staff, the local educational 
agency shall use such funds for professional development for teachers 
and other staff to support teaching consistent with State, or local 
content standards, and shall, to the extent practicable, coordinate 
such activities with institutions of higher education and activities 
under section 2129:
            ``(1) Professional development activities funded under this 
        subpart shall--
                    ``(A) be tied to challenging State or local 
                curriculum content and student performance standards;
                    ``(B) reflect recent research on teaching and 
                learning;
                    ``(C) include strong academic content and 
                pedagogical components;
                    ``(D) be of sufficient intensity and duration to 
                have a positive and lasting impact on the teacher's 
                performance in the classroom; and
                    ``(E) be part of the everyday life of the school 
                and create an orientation toward continuous improvement 
                throughout the school.
            ``(2) Funds under this subpart may be used for professional 
        development activities such as--
                    ``(A) professional development for teams of 
                teachers, administrators, or other staff from 
                individual schools, to support teaching consistent with 
                State or local content standards;
                    ``(B) support and time for teachers and other 
                school staff to participate in professional development 
                in the core subjects offered through professional 
                associations, universities, and other providers 
                including museums and educational partnership 
                organizations;
                    ``(C) activities that provide followup for teachers 
                who have participated in professional development 
                activities that are designed to ensure that knowledge 
                and skills learned by the teacher are implemented in 
                the classroom;
                    ``(D) the establishment and maintenance of local 
                professional networks that provide a forum for 
                interaction among teachers and that allow exchange of 
                information on advances in content and pedagogy;
                    ``(E) activities to prepare teachers in the 
                effective use of educational technology as an 
                instructional tool for increasing student understanding 
                of the core academic subject areas;
                    ``(F) activities to enable teachers to ensure that 
                girls, young women, minorities, limited-English 
                proficient students, individuals with disabilities, and 
                economically disadvantaged individuals the opportunity 
                to achieve the challenging State performance standards 
                in the core academic subjects;
                    ``(G) professional development activities designed 
                to increase the number of minorities, individuals with 
                disabilities, and other underrepresented groups 
                teaching in the core academic subjects, particularly in 
                mathematics and science;
                    ``(H) the development of incentive strategies for 
                rewarding schools where a substantial portion of the 
                teachers achieve certification by the National Board 
                for Professional Teaching Standards; and
                    ``(I) other sustained and intensive high-quality 
                professional development activities in the core 
                academic subjects.
    ``(d) Curriculum Development.--(1) If the needs assessment of a 
local educational agency determines that funds under this subpart 
should be used for development curricula, such agency shall use the 
funds provided to develop high quality curricula that is aligned with 
State or local content and performance standards.
    ``(2) Funds may be used to purchase the curriculum materials to the 
extent such materials are essential components of the local educational 
agency's plan to improve teaching and learning in the core academic 
subjects.

``SEC. 2129. HIGHER EDUCATION ACTIVITIES.

    ``(a) General.--(1) The State agency for higher education, working 
in conjunction with the State educational agency (if it is a separate 
agency), shall make grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative 
agreements with, institutions of higher education and nonprofit 
organizations including museums and educational partnership 
organizations, working in conjunction with local educational agencies, 
for--
            (A) professional development activities in the core 
        academic subject areas that contribute to the State plan for 
        professional development; and
            (B) engaging teachers in the development of high-quality 
        curricula that are aligned with State or local content and 
        performance standards.
    ``(2) All such awards shall be made on a competitive basis.
    ``(3) Each project funded under this section shall involve a joint 
effort of the recipient's school or department of education and the 
schools or departments in the specific disciplines in which assistance 
may be provided.
    ``(b) Allowable Activities.--A recipient of funds under this 
section shall use those funds for--
            ``(1) sustained and intensive high-quality professional 
        development for teams of teachers, or teachers and 
        administrators from individual schools or districts;
            ``(2) other sustained and intensive professional 
        development activities related to achievement of the State plan 
        for professional development such as--
                    ``(A) establishment and maintenance of professional 
                networks of teachers that provide a forum for 
                interaction among teachers and that allow exchange of 
                information on advances in content and pedagogy;
                    ``(B) programs that prepare teachers to be 
                effective users of information technology, able to 
                integrate technology into their pedagogy and their 
                instructional practices, and able to enhance their 
                curricular offerings by appropriate applications of 
                technology;
                    ``(C) programs that utilize information technology 
                to deliver sustained and intensive high quality 
                professional development activities for teachers;
                    ``(D) activities to enable teachers to ensure that 
                girls, young women, minorities, limited-English 
                proficient students, individuals with disabilities, and 
                economically disadvantaged individuals have the 
                opportunity to achieve the challenging State 
                performance standards in the core academic subjects;
                    ``(E) professional development activities designed 
                to increase the number of minorities, individuals with 
                disabilities, and other underrepresented groups 
                teaching in the core academic subjects, particularly in 
                mathematics and science;
                    ``(F) establishment of professional development 
                academies operated as partnerships between one or more 
                elementary or secondary schools and one or more 
                institutions of higher education to provide school-
                based teacher training that provides prospective and 
                novice teachers with an opportunity to work under the 
                guidance of master teachers and college faculty 
                members; and
                    ``(G) technical assistance to local educational 
                agencies in providing sustained and intensive high 
                quality professional development activities for 
                teachers.

                    ``Subpart 3--General Provisions

``SEC. 2131. REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY.

    ``(a) States.--Each State that receives funds under this part shall 
submit a report to the Secretary every 3 years on the State's progress 
toward the performance indicator identified in its State plan, as well 
as on the effectiveness of State and local activities under this part.
    ``(b) Local Educational Agencies.--Each local educational agency 
that receives funds under this part shall submit a report to the State 
every 3 years on its progress toward the outcome performance indicators 
in its plan.
    ``(c) Federal Evaluation.--The Secretary shall report to the 
President and Congress on the effectiveness of programs and activities 
funded under this part.
    ``(d) Prohibition on Funds Being Used for Construction or 
Renovation.--Funds received under this part shall not be used for 
construction or renovation of buildings, rooms, or any other 
facilities.

``SEC. 2132. DEFINITIONS

    ``As used in this part, the following terms have the following 
meanings:
            ``(1) The term `core academic subjects' means those 
        subjects listed in the State plan under title III of the Goals 
        2000: Educate America Act or under National Education Goal 
        Three as set out in section 102(3) of such Act.
            ``(2) The term `performance indicators' means measures of 
        specific outcomes that the State or local educational agency 
        identifies as assessing progress toward the goal of ensuring 
        that all teachers have the knowledge and skills to assist their 
        students to meet challenging State standards in the core 
        academic subject areas. Examples of such indicators include--
                    ``(A) the degree to which licensure requirements 
                are tied to State standards;
                    ``(B) specific increases in the number of 
                elementary and secondary teachers with strong content 
                backgrounds in the core academic subjects; and
                    ``(C) specific increases in the number of Board 
                certified teachers licensed in each core subject.
            ``(3) The term `sustained and intensive high-quality 
        professional development' means professional development 
        activities that--
                    ``(A) are tied to challenging State or voluntary 
                national content and performance standards;
                    ``(B) reflect up-to-date research in teaching and 
                learning and include integrated content and pedagogical 
                components;
                    ``(C) are of sufficient intensity and duration to 
                have a positive and lasting impact on the teacher's 
                performance in the classroom or the administrator's 
                performance on the job; and
                    ``(D) recognize teachers as an important source of 
                knowledge that should inform and help shape 
                professional development.
            ``(4) The term `local standard' means challenging content 
        and performance standards in the core subjects (in addition to 
        State content and performance standards approved by the State 
        for title I).

                                 <all>

HR 3730 IH----2
HR 3730 IH----3
```