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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 578 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 578

    To improve outcomes for students in persistently low-performing 
schools, to create a culture of recognizing, rewarding, and replicating 
educational excellence, to authorize school turnaround grants, and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 14, 2013

  Mrs. Hagan introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
    To improve outcomes for students in persistently low-performing 
schools, to create a culture of recognizing, rewarding, and replicating 
educational excellence, to authorize school turnaround grants, and for 
                            other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``School Turnaround and Rewards Act of 
2013'' or the ``STAR Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are to--
            (1) significantly improve outcomes for students in 
        persistently low-performing schools by--
                    (A) building the capacity of State educational 
                agencies and local educational agencies to improve 
                student academic achievement in low-performing and 
                persistently low-performing schools;
                    (B) supporting States and local educational 
                agencies in implementing school intervention models; 
                and
                    (C) targeting State and local supports and 
                strategies on the persistently lowest-performing 
                schools in each State; and
            (2) create a culture of recognizing, rewarding, and 
        replicating educational excellence in every State by--
                    (A) providing financial and other incentives and 
                rewards to schools that are identified as Reward 
                Schools; and
                    (B) supporting State educational agency efforts to 
                identify, collect, and disseminate effective practices 
                for increasing student academic achievement used by 
                Reward Schools.

                      TITLE I--BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS

SEC. 101. BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1117 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6317) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 1117. BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS.

    ``(a) Program Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to assist 
States and local educational agencies in identifying and rewarding 
high-performing public schools.
    ``(b) Blue Ribbon Schools.--
            ``(1) Identification of blue ribbon schools.--Each State 
        receiving a grant under this part may--
                    ``(A) define the category of blue ribbon schools, 
                consistent with paragraph (2), for the State as part of 
                its State plan in section 1111(b); and
                    ``(B) identify, for each school year, the schools 
                in the State that are blue ribbon schools for such 
                year.
            ``(2) Blue ribbon school criteria.--
                    ``(A) In general.--If a State elects to carry out 
                this subsection, the State's blue ribbon schools shall 
                consist of the top 5 percent of the State's public 
                elementary schools and secondary schools, as designated 
                by the State based on--
                            ``(i) the percentage of students who are on 
                        track to college and career readiness, as 
                        defined by the Secretary, for English or 
                        language arts, and mathematics;
                            ``(ii) in the case of high schools, the 
                        school's graduation rates;
                            ``(iii) the performance of each subgroup of 
                        students, as defined by the Secretary;
                            ``(iv) student growth, as defined by the 
                        Secretary; and
                            ``(v) school gains.
                    ``(B) Noneligibility for blue ribbon status.--A 
                school identified under section 1116(b) for a year 
                shall not be eligible for blue ribbon school status for 
                the same year.
    ``(c) Rewards for Blue Ribbon Schools.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each State that defines and identifies 
        blue ribbon schools under subsection (b)(1) for a school year 
        may--
                    ``(A) provide each blue ribbon school in the State 
                with increased autonomy over the school's budget, 
                staffing, and time;
                    ``(B) allow each blue ribbon school to have 
                flexibility in the use of any funds provided to the 
                school under this Act for any purpose allowed under 
                this Act (notwithstanding any other provision of this 
                Act), as long as such use is consistent with the Civil 
                Rights Act of 1964, title IX of the Education 
                Amendments of 1972, section 504 of the Rehabilitation 
                Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 
                1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101), and part B of the Individuals 
                with Disabilities Education Act; and
                    ``(C) reserve not more than .5 percent of the funds 
                allotted to the State under subpart 2 and use such 
                reserved amounts to distribute rewards, on a 
                competitive basis, to local educational agencies that 
                serve 1 or more blue ribbon schools identified under 
                subsection (b) that receive funds under subpart 2 to 
                enable the local educational agencies to provide awards 
                to such blue ribbon schools that receive funds under 
                such subpart.
            ``(2) Use of rewards.--As a condition of receiving an award 
        from a local educational agency under this subsection, a blue 
        ribbon school shall agree to use the award funds to--
                    ``(A) improve student achievement; and
                    ``(B) provide technical assistance to the lowest-
                achieving schools in the State that have 
                characteristics similar to the blue ribbon school.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $300,000,000 for fiscal year 
2014 and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding 
fiscal years.''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in section 2 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by striking 
the item relating to section 1117 and inserting the following:

``Sec. 1117. Blue ribbon schools.''.

                      TITLE II--SCHOOL TURNAROUND

SEC. 201. SCHOOL TURNAROUND.

    Section 1116 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 6316) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Persistently Low-Achieving Schools.--
            ``(1) Lowest-achieving schools in the state.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Each State receiving a grant 
                under this part shall, beginning in the 2013-2014 
                school year and every year thereafter, determine the 
                lowest-achieving schools in the State, which shall 
                include--
                            ``(i) the lowest-achieving 5 percent of 
                        public high schools, and the lowest-achieving 5 
                        percent of public elementary schools and 
                        secondary schools that are not high schools, in 
                        the State, based on--
                                    ``(I) student performance on the 
                                State academic assessments in reading 
                                or language arts, and mathematics, 
                                including student absolute performance;
                                    ``(II) in the case of high schools, 
                                graduation rates; and
                                    ``(III) if the State so chooses--
                                            ``(aa) schoolwide gains; 
                                        and
                                            ``(bb) absolute student 
                                        performance; and
                            ``(ii) the public high schools in the State 
                        that have less than a 60-percent graduation 
                        rate.
                    ``(B) Data rule.--In identifying the lowest-
                achieving schools under this paragraph, a State shall--
                            ``(i) use data for the most recent year for 
                        which data are available; or
                            ``(ii) average data for the most recent 2- 
                        to 3-year period for which data are available.
                    ``(C) Parental notification.--Each year, a State 
                shall provide timely notification to all parents of 
                students enrolled in each school identified under 
                subparagraph (A) that the school is one of the State's 
                lowest-achieving schools for such year.
                    ``(D) List of targeted low-achieving schools.--Each 
                year, the State shall--
                            ``(i) compile a list of the schools 
                        identified under subparagraph (A) that--
                                    ``(I) receive assistance under this 
                                part;
                                    ``(II) are public high schools for 
                                which not less than 50 percent of each 
                                school's students are from low-income 
                                families, as determined by the local 
                                educational agency under section 1113; 
                                or
                                    ``(III) are public high schools 
                                that have less than a 60-percent 
                                graduation rate;
                            ``(ii) submit the list described in clause 
                        (i) to the Secretary;
                            ``(iii) distribute the list described in 
                        clause (i) to the local educational agencies, 
                        elementary schools, and secondary schools in 
                        the State; and
                            ``(iv) make such list publicly available, 
                        including through the Internet.
            ``(2) Identification as persistently low-achieving.--
                    ``(A) Identification.--For the 2013-2014 school 
                year, each State receiving a grant under this part 
                shall identify each school included on the list under 
                paragraph (1)(D)(i) for the preceding school year as a 
                persistently low-achieving school. For the 2014-2015 
                school year, and each subsequent school year, each such 
                State shall identify each school that has been included 
                on the list under such paragraph for the 2 preceding 
                consecutive school years as a persistently low-
                achieving school.
                    ``(B) 5-year period.--A school that is identified 
                by the State under subparagraph (A) shall be a 
                persistently low-achieving school for the 5-year period 
                following the school's identification, except as 
                provided in paragraph (6).
            ``(3) State waiver.--If a State determines that all schools 
        that would otherwise be considered to be in the lowest-
        achieving 5 percent of schools under paragraph (1)(A)(i) are 
        actually performing at a satisfactory level of performance 
        based on the measures used by the State to identify 
        persistently low-achieving schools, the State may apply to the 
        Secretary to waive the requirements of this subsection.
            ``(4) Needs analysis.--Each local educational agency 
        receiving assistance under this part shall conduct a data-
        driven needs analysis, which may involve an external partner 
        with expertise in conducting such needs analysis, of each 
        school identified under paragraph (2) by the State to determine 
        the most appropriate school improvement strategies to improve 
        student performance. Such needs analysis shall include--
                    ``(A) a diagnostic review of data related to 
                students and instructional staff;
                    ``(B) an analysis of the school governance, 
                curriculum, instruction, student supports, conditions 
                for learning, and parent and family engagement 
                practices relative to the needs of the student 
                population; and
                    ``(C) the resources, which may include community-
                based supports and early childhood education and care, 
                available at the school, local educational agency, and 
                community levels to meet student needs and support 
                improved student achievement and outcomes and the 
                implementation of any school improvement strategy.
            ``(5) State and local responsibilities.--
                    ``(A) State responsibilities.--Each State receiving 
                a grant under this part shall ensure that a local 
                educational agency receiving assistance carries out the 
                requirements of subparagraph (B) for each persistently 
                low-achieving school in the State.
                    ``(B) Local educational agency responsibilities.--
                Each local educational agency receiving assistance 
                under this part shall, consistent with the State's 
                accountability system under section 1111, for each 
                school identified under paragraph (2) that it serves--
                            ``(i) establish a process for selecting an 
                        appropriate school improvement strategy for the 
                        school that uses information from the needs 
                        analysis under paragraph (4);
                            ``(ii) select the school improvement 
                        strategy to be used in each identified school 
                        and the timeline for implementing the selected 
                        school improvement strategy in such school;
                            ``(iii) develop a detailed budget covering 
                        the 5-year identification period, including 
                        planned expenditures at the school level for 
                        activities supporting full and effective 
                        implementation of the selected school 
                        improvement strategy;
                            ``(iv) implement a school improvement 
                        strategy at the school in accordance with the 
                        requirements of paragraph (6);
                            ``(v) use appropriate measures to monitor 
                        the effectiveness of the implementation;
                            ``(vi) review and select turnaround 
                        partners to assist in implementing school 
                        improvement strategies;
                            ``(vii) align other Federal, State, and 
                        local resources with the school improvement 
                        strategy;
                            ``(viii) provide the school with the 
                        operational flexibility, including autonomy 
                        over staffing, time, and budget, needed to 
                        enable full and effective implementation of the 
                        selected strategy, including through the 
                        modification of practices or policies, if 
                        necessary;
                            ``(ix) collect and use data on an ongoing 
                        basis to adjust implementation of the school 
                        improvement strategy to improve student 
                        achievement;
                            ``(x) provide an assurance that the 
                        implementation of the selected school 
                        improvement strategy addresses the needs of all 
                        the subgroups of students;
                            ``(xi) take steps to sustain successful 
                        reforms and practices after the school is no 
                        longer identified under paragraph (2); and
                            ``(xii) provide technical assistance and 
                        other support to ensure effective 
                        implementation of the school improvement 
                        strategy in the school, which may include 
                        assistance in--
                                    ``(I) data collection and analysis;
                                    ``(II) recruiting and retaining 
                                staff;
                                    ``(III) teacher and principal 
                                evaluation;
                                    ``(IV) professional development;
                                    ``(V) parent and family engagement;
                                    ``(VI) coordination of services 
                                with early childhood education and care 
                                providers;
                                    ``(VII) coordination of services to 
                                address students' social, emotional, 
                                and health needs; and
                                    ``(VIII) monitoring the 
                                implementation of the school 
                                improvement strategy selected under 
                                paragraph (6).
                    ``(C) State as local educational agency.--A State 
                may take over a persistently low-achieving school and 
                act as the local educational agency for purposes of 
                this subsection, if permitted under State law.
            ``(6) School improvement strategies.--
                    ``(A) Required activities for all school 
                improvement strategies.--A local educational agency 
                implementing any strategies under this paragraph for a 
                school shall--
                            ``(i) provide staff at the school with 
                        ongoing professional development, consistent 
                        with the needs analysis described in paragraph 
                        (4);
                            ``(ii) conduct regular evaluations for the 
                        teachers and principals at the school that 
                        provide specific feedback on areas of strength 
                        and in need of improvement;
                            ``(iii) provide time for collaboration 
                        among instructional staff at the school to 
                        improve student achievement;
                            ``(iv) provide instructional staff at the 
                        school with timely access to student data to 
                        inform instruction and meet the academic needs 
                        of individual students, which may include, in 
                        elementary school, school readiness data;
                            ``(v) collaborate with parents, the 
                        community, teachers, and other school personnel 
                        at the school on the selection and 
                        implementation of the strategy;
                            ``(vi) use data to identify and implement a 
                        research-based instructional program that--
                                    ``(I) analyzes student progress and 
                                performance and develops appropriate 
                                interventions for students who are not 
                                making adequate progress; and
                                    ``(II) provides differentiated 
                                instruction and related instructional 
                                supports;
                            ``(vii) in the case of an elementary school 
                        with kindergarten entry, consider the issue of 
                        school readiness in such school by--
                                    ``(I) examining factors that 
                                contribute to school readiness as part 
                                of the needs analysis conducted under 
                                paragraph (4); and
                                    ``(II) if school readiness is 
                                identified in the needs analysis as an 
                                area in need of improvement--
                                            ``(aa) coordinating with 
                                        appropriate early childhood 
                                        programs, such as programs 
                                        under the Child Care 
                                        Development and Block Grant Act 
                                        of 1990, the Head Start Act, 
                                        prekindergarten programs, and 
                                        other similar Federal, State, 
                                        and local programs, in order to 
                                        align instruction to better 
                                        prepare students for elementary 
                                        school; and
                                            ``(bb) developing a plan to 
                                        improve or expand early 
                                        childhood options which may 
                                        include the use of funds under 
                                        this part for such purposes;
                            ``(viii) provide ongoing mechanisms for 
                        parent and family engagement; and
                            ``(ix) provide appropriate services and 
                        supports for students as identified in the 
                        school's needs analysis.
                    ``(B) Strategies.--A local educational agency shall 
                identify a school improvement strategy for a school 
                from among the following strategies:
                            ``(i) Transformation model.--A 
                        transformation model is one in which the local 
                        educational agency--
                                    ``(I) if the principal has led the 
                                school for 2 or more years, replaces 
                                the principal with a new principal who 
                                has demonstrated effectiveness in 
                                turning around a low-performing school;
                                    ``(II) uses rigorous, transparent, 
                                and equitable evaluation systems to--
                                            ``(aa) identify and reward 
                                        school leaders, teachers, and 
                                        other staff who, in 
                                        implementing the model, 
                                        increase student achievement 
                                        and, if applicable, high school 
                                        graduation rates; and
                                            ``(bb) identify and remove 
                                        school leaders, teachers, and 
                                        other staff who, after ample 
                                        opportunities have been 
                                        provided for such individuals 
                                        to improve their professional 
                                        practice--

                                                    ``(AA) do not 
                                                increase student 
                                                achievement;

                                                    ``(BB) if 
                                                applicable, do not 
                                                increase high school 
                                                graduation rates; and

                                                    ``(CC) have not 
                                                demonstrated 
                                                effectiveness according 
                                                to the local 
                                                educational agency's 
                                                evaluation system;

                                    ``(III) provides staff with 
                                ongoing, high-quality, job-embedded 
                                professional development that is 
                                aligned with the school's instructional 
                                program and evaluation system and 
                                facilitates effective teaching and 
                                learning, and supports the 
                                implementation of school-reform 
                                strategies;
                                    ``(IV) implements strategies, such 
                                as financial incentives, increased 
                                opportunities for promotion and career 
                                growth, and more flexible work 
                                conditions that are designed to 
                                recruit, place, and retain staff with 
                                the skills necessary to meet the needs 
                                of the students in the school;
                                    ``(V) uses data to identify and 
                                implement a research-based 
                                instructional program that--
                                            ``(aa) is aligned with 
                                        State challenging academic 
                                        content standards and 
                                        challenging student academic 
                                        achievement standards; and
                                            ``(bb) has proven to raise 
                                        student academic achievement by 
                                        not less than 10 percent in 1 
                                        year;
                                    ``(VI) establishes schedules and 
                                strategies that provide increased 
                                learning time, which may include 
                                offering full-day kindergarten or a 
                                high-quality preschool program or using 
                                a longer school day, week, or year that 
                                increases the total number of school 
                                hours for the school year at a school 
                                by not fewer than 300 hours to 
                                significantly increase the total number 
                                of school hours to include additional 
                                time for--
                                            ``(aa) instruction in core 
                                        academic subjects, instructions 
                                        in such core academic subjects 
                                        as, English, reading or 
                                        language arts, mathematics, 
                                        science, foreign languages, 
                                        civics and government, 
                                        economics, arts, history, and 
                                        geography; and
                                            ``(bb) instruction in other 
                                        subjects and enrichment 
                                        activities that contribute to a 
                                        well-rounded education, such as 
                                        physical education, service 
                                        learning, and experiential and 
                                        work-based learning 
                                        opportunities that are provided 
                                        by partnering, as appropriate, 
                                        with other organizations;
                                    ``(VII) promotes the continuous use 
                                of student data to provide instruction 
                                that meets the academic needs of 
                                individual students, which may include, 
                                in elementary school, individual 
                                students' levels of school readiness;
                                    ``(VIII) establishes schedules and 
                                strategies that provide increased 
                                learning time, which may include 
                                expanding the school program to offer 
                                full-day kindergarten or a high-quality 
                                preschool program;
                                    ``(IX) provides ongoing mechanisms 
                                for family and community engagement;
                                    ``(X) gives the school sufficient 
                                operational flexibility in programming, 
                                staffing, budgeting, and scheduling to 
                                fully implement a comprehensive 
                                strategy designed to substantially 
                                improve student achievement and, if 
                                applicable, increase the graduation 
                                rate;
                                    ``(XI) ensures that the school 
                                receives ongoing, intensive technical 
                                assistance and related support from the 
                                local educational agency, the State 
                                educational agency, or a designated 
                                external lead partner organization; and
                                    ``(XII) provides appropriate 
                                social-emotional and community-oriented 
                                services and supports for students and, 
                                at the discretion of the local 
                                educational agency, uses not more than 
                                10 percent of the funds available for 
                                such school under this part to provide 
                                services to meet those needs.
                            ``(ii) Restart model.--A restart model is 
                        one in which the local educational agency--
                                    ``(I) converts a school or closes 
                                and reopens the school--
                                            ``(aa) under a charter 
                                        school operator, a charter 
                                        management organization, or an 
                                        education management 
                                        organization; or
                                            ``(bb) as an autonomous or 
                                        redesigned school;
                                    ``(II) implements a rigorous review 
                                process to select such a charter school 
                                operator, charter management 
                                organization, or education management 
                                organization, as applicable, which 
                                includes an assurance from such 
                                operator or organization that it will 
                                make significant changes in the 
                                leadership and staffing of the school; 
                                and
                                    ``(III) enrolls in the school, 
                                within the grades it serves, any former 
                                student who wishes to attend the 
                                school.
                            ``(iii) School closure.--A school closure 
                        model is one in which the local educational 
                        agency--
                                    ``(I) closes a school and enrolls 
                                the students who attended such school 
                                in other public schools served by the 
                                local educational agency that are 
                                higher performing, provided the other 
                                schools are within reasonable proximity 
                                to the closed school; and
                                    ``(II) provides information, in a 
                                timely fashion, in the appropriate 
                                language, and prior to closing the 
                                school, to children who attended such 
                                closed school and their parents, about 
                                high-quality educational options and 
                                transition and support services.
                            ``(iv) Turnaround model.--A turnaround 
                        model is one in which the local educational 
                        agency--
                                    ``(I) if the principal has led the 
                                school for 2 or more years, replaces 
                                the principal with a new principal who 
                                has demonstrated effectiveness in 
                                turning around a low-performing school;
                                    ``(II) gives the new principal 
                                sufficient operational flexibility 
                                (including over staffing, the school 
                                day and school calendar, and budgeting) 
                                to fully implement a comprehensive 
                                approach to improve student outcomes;
                                    ``(III) using comprehensive 
                                evaluation systems, including the use 
                                of student achievement data to measure 
                                the effectiveness of staff who can work 
                                within the turnaround environment to 
                                meet the needs of students--
                                            ``(aa) screens all existing 
                                        staff and retains not more than 
                                        50 percent of such staff; and
                                            ``(bb) requires the 
                                        principal to justify personnel 
                                        decisions, such as hiring, 
                                        dismissal, and providing 
                                        rewards, based on results of 
                                        such evaluations;
                                    ``(IV) provides staff with ongoing, 
                                high-quality, job-embedded professional 
                                development that is aligned with the 
                                school's instructional program, 
                                facilitates effective teaching and 
                                learning, and supports the 
                                implementation of school-reform 
                                strategies;
                                    ``(V) adopts a new governance 
                                structure for the school, which may 
                                include requiring the school to report 
                                to a new turnaround office in the local 
                                educational agency or State educational 
                                agency, hire a turnaround leader who 
                                reports directly to the Superintendent 
                                or Chief Academic Officer, or enter 
                                into a multi-year agreement with the 
                                local educational agency or State 
                                educational agency to obtain added 
                                flexibility in exchange for greater 
                                accountability;
                                    ``(VI) uses data to identify and 
                                implement a research-based 
                                instructional program and promotes the 
                                continuous use of data to evaluate 
                                school improvement strategies and to 
                                inform the differentiated instruction 
                                in order to meet the academic needs of 
                                individual students;
                                    ``(VII) encourages the use of 
                                extended learning time partnerships;
                                    ``(VIII) establishes schedules and 
                                strategies that provide increased 
                                learning time, which may include 
                                offering full-day kindergarten or a 
                                high-quality preschool program or using 
                                a longer school day, week, or year that 
                                increases the total number of school 
                                hours for the school year at a school 
                                by not fewer than 300 hours to 
                                significantly increase the total number 
                                of school hours to include additional 
                                time for--
                                            ``(aa) instruction in such 
                                        core academic subjects as 
                                        English, reading or language 
                                        arts, mathematics, science, 
                                        foreign languages, civics and 
                                        government, economics, arts, 
                                        history, and geography;
                                            ``(bb) instruction in other 
                                        subjects and enrichment 
                                        activities that contribute to a 
                                        well-rounded education, such as 
                                        physical education, service 
                                        learning, and experiential and 
                                        work-based learning 
                                        opportunities that are provided 
                                        by partnering, as appropriate, 
                                        with other organizations; and
                                            ``(cc) teachers to 
                                        collaborate, plan, and engage 
                                        in professional development 
                                        within and across grades and 
                                        subjects;
                                    ``(IX) provides ongoing mechanisms 
                                for family and community engagement;
                                    ``(X) provides appropriate social-
                                emotional and community-oriented 
                                services and supports for students; and
                                    ``(XI) may include any of the 
                                strategies described in clause (i).
                    ``(C) Using funds for comprehensive services to 
                address issues.--In implementing any of the school 
                intervention models described in subparagraph (B), the 
                local educational agency--
                            ``(i) shall identify and address issues 
                        that may contribute to low academic achievement 
                        in those schools; and
                            ``(ii) may use funds under this subsection 
                        to provide comprehensive services to address 
                        those issues and meet the full range of student 
                        needs.
            ``(7) Reservation and allotments.--From the total amount 
        appropriated under paragraph (8), the Secretary may reserve not 
        more than 10 percent to carry out activities of national 
        significance, such as--
                    ``(A) building State and local educational agency 
                turnaround capacity, including through technical 
                assistance and support, identification and 
                dissemination of best practices, and facilitating the 
                creation and operation of communities of practice;
                    ``(B) supporting the use of school quality review 
                teams by making grants to State educational agencies, 
                consortia of such agencies, or partnerships of State 
                educational agencies or State consortia and public or 
                private nonprofit organizations to develop and 
                implement school quality review teams that review and 
                provide support and technical assistance to local 
                educational agencies and schools for activities such as 
                expanded learning time;
                    ``(C) identifying and disseminating effective rural 
                turnaround practices, making available targeted 
                technical assistance, and expanding the availability 
                and capacity of turnaround partners that operate in 
                rural areas;
                    ``(D) identifying schools and school improvement 
                partners that are effectively implementing school 
                intervention models and other effective strategies to 
                improve schools, and making information on those 
                schools available to State educational agencies, local 
                educational agencies, and schools in a manner that 
                facilitates replication of effective practices; and
                    ``(E) other activities designed to support State 
                and local efforts to turn around persistently low-
                performing schools.
            ``(8) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection 
        $600,000,000 for fiscal year 2014 and such sums as may be 
        necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.''.
                                 <all>
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