I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2211 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 

for a system of professional learning to continuously improve educator 

effectiveness, student achievement, and overall school and system performance, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 16, 2011 

Mr. POLIS (for himself, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. RICHARDSON, Mr. CARNAHAN, 

Mr. CONYERS, and Mr. PAYNE) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 

of 1965 to provide for a system of professional learning 

to continuously improve educator effectiveness, student 

achievement, and overall school and system performance, 

and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Teaching for 

5 Great Schools Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REFERENCES. 

2 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

3 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

4 of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi5 sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 

6 section or other provision of the Elementary and Sec7 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.). 

8 SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

9 (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 

10 (1) Teacher quality is the single most important 

11 school factor influencing student learning and 

12 achievement. 

13 (2) Principal leadership is second only to class14 room instruction in terms of school-related factors 

15 which affect student learning, especially in high16 needs schools. 

17 (3) Available experimental studies indicate that 

18 there is a direct correlation between professional 

19 learning and student performance. A set of pro20 grams that offered substantial professional learning, 

21 ranging from 30 to 100 hours in total, spread over 

22 six to 12 months, showed a positive and significant 

23 effect on student achievement gains. According to 

24 the research, the intensive professional learning ef25 forts that offered an average of 49 hours in a year 


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1 boosted student performance by approximately 21 

2 percentile points. 

3 (4) In a study of policies in States performing 

4 above national averages on the National Assessment 

5 of Educational Progress (NAEP) conducted by the 

6 Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education 

7 for Learning Forward, the authors found that State 

8 policies and systems that ensure accountability and 

9 monitor professional development are critical factors 

10 in implementing effective professional learning. 

11 (5) In order to maximize educator effectiveness 

12 on a large scale, high-performing education systems 

13 implement a comprehensive human capital manage14 ment system that addresses 3 purposes—individual15 ized growth, schoolwide improvement, and program 

16 implementation. 

17 (6) In a 2007, study of California high schools 

18 that consistently outperformed schools with similar 

19 demographics and risk-factors, authors identified 

20 ‘‘teacher support and training’’ or collaborative pro21 fessional learning as a consistent strategy imple22 mented in schools that beat the odds. 

23 (7) In a five-year University of California, Los 

24 Angeles study of schools receiving funding under 

25 title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education 


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1 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), serving more 

2 than 14,000 students, the team documented the sig3 nificant contribution of teacher learning teams as 

4 part of the school improvement model evaluated. 

5 Achievement rose by 41 percent overall, and 54 per6 cent for Hispanic students. 

7 (8) Studies that benchmark United States aca8 demic performance against that of other developed 

9 nations that are outperforming the United States 

10 have stressed the importance of and need for im11 proved professional learning for teachers, principals, 

12 and other school instructional leaders. 

13 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to build 

14 the capacity of educators, particularly teachers and prin15 cipals in our Nation’s schools through systematic, sus16 tained, coherent school and team-based, job-embedded 

17 professional learning. 

18 SEC. 4. ASSISTANCE FOR LOCAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

19 Section 1003(g)(1) (20 U.S.C. 6303(g)(1)) is amend20 ed by inserting before the period ‘‘and section 2501(d)’’. 

21 SEC. 5. LOCAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT. 

22 Title II (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended by add23 ing at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘PART E—BUILDING SCHOOL AND SYSTEM 

2 CAPACITY FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING 

3 ‘‘SEC. 2501. LOCAL SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES. 

4 ‘‘(a) ALLOCATIONS TO STATE EDUCATIONAL AGEN5 CIES.— 

6 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the 

7 amounts appropriated under subsection (h) for a fis8 cal year, the Secretary shall allocate funds to State 

9 educational agencies in proportion to the funds re10 ceived by the State educational agencies for the fis11 cal year under title I to enable the State educational 

12 agencies to provide subgrants to local educational 

13 agencies for the purpose of providing for a system 

14 of professional development in schools, as defined in 

15 section 9101(34). 

16 ‘‘(2) REALLOCATIONS.—If a State educational 

17 agency does not receive funds under this subsection, 

18 the Secretary shall reallocate such funds to other 

19 States in the same proportion funds are allocated 

20 under paragraph (1). 

21 ‘‘(3) USE OF GRANTS.—A State educational 

22 agency that receives an allocation under this sub23 section shall— 

24 ‘‘(A) reserve 95 percent of the funds to 

25 make subgrants to local educational agencies; 

26 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) use the remainder of the funds for 

2 administrative activities in carrying out this 

3 part. 

4 ‘‘(b) PRIORITY AND PROPORTIONALITY.— 

5 ‘‘(1) PRIORITY.—In awarding subgrants under 

6 this part, a State educational agency shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) give priority to local educational 

8 agencies that demonstrate the greatest need for 

9 subgrant funds, by demonstrating that— 

10 ‘‘(i) children eligible for free and re11 duced priced lunches under the Richard B. 

12 Russell National School Lunch Act con13 stitute not less than 40 percent of the total 

14 population of children aged 5 to 17 served 

15 by the agency; 

16 ‘‘(ii) the agency serves a school identi17 fied for school improvement under section 

18 1116(b)(1) that fails to make adequate 

19 yearly progress, as defined by the State 

20 under section 1111(b)(2), by the end of 

21 the second full school year after the identi22 fication and is identified for corrective ac23 tion under section 1116(b)(7); and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) the agency serves schools with 

2 an average graduation rate that is less 

3 than 65 percent; and 

4 ‘‘(B) to the extent practicable, ensure that 

5 subgrants awarded under this subsection are 

6 equitably distributed among local educational 

7 agencies serving urban and rural areas. 

8 ‘‘(c) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY APPLICATION.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 

10 subgrant under this part, a local educational agency 

11 shall submit an application to the State educational 

12 agency at such time, in such manner, and containing 

13 such information as the State educational agency 

14 may reasonably require. 

15 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 

16 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include— 

17 ‘‘(A) a description of how the local edu18 cational agency will assist schools identified for 

19 corrective action under section 1116(b)(7), and 

20 low-achieving secondary schools with graduation 

21 rates of less than 65 percent, in— 

22 ‘‘(i) providing for a system of profes23 sional development to continuously improve 

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1 ment, and overall school and system per2 formance; 

3 ‘‘(ii) providing protected release time 

4 for educators to engage in collaborative 

5 team-based learning multiple times per 

6 week or several hours per week; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) leveraging resources such as 

8 teaching standards, formative assessments, 

9 teacher portfolio processes, evidence-based 

10 instructional practices, and teacher devel11 opment protocols to guide educator learn12 ing; and 

13 ‘‘(B) a description of how the local edu14 cational agency will— 

15 ‘‘(i) include educator input, including 

16 that of teachers and principals, in the de17 velopment and implementation of the sys18 tem of professional learning; 

19 ‘‘(ii) evaluate under subsection (e) the 

20 effectiveness of the system of professional 

21 learning described in subsection (d) carried 

22 out with the subgrant received under this 

23 part; 

24 ‘‘(iii) prepare, support, and utilize in25 ternal teacher leaders, coaches, or content 


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1 experts to facilitate school-based profes2 sional learning; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) ensure that the professional 

4 learning carried out with the subgrant re5 ceived under this part is integrated and 

6 aligned with the State’s school improve7 ment efforts under sections 1116 and 

8 1117, and individualized professional devel9 opment informed by educator evaluations. 

10 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A local educational agency 

12 that receives a subgrant under this part shall use 

13 the subgrant funds for the following purposes: 

14 ‘‘(A) To improve teacher, principal, and 

15 other instructional staff quality through profes16 sional development. 

17 ‘‘(B) To increase principals’, coaches’, and 

18 teacher leaders’ knowledge and skills in— 

19 ‘‘(i) assisting the school to— 

20 ‘‘(I) provide professional learning 

21 for educators in analyzing student, 

22 school, and teacher performance data 

23 to inform decision making and im24 provement efforts; 


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1 ‘‘(II) analyze student, school, and 

2 teacher performance data; 

3 ‘‘(III) clarify school improvement 

4 goals; 

5 ‘‘(IV) develop and implement a 

6 system of professional learning 

7 aligned with student achievement 

8 needs and educator learning goals; 

9 ‘‘(V) allocate resources for 

10 school-based educators to develop and 

11 implement an effective system of edu12 cator professional learning aligned 

13 with the school’s revised improvement 

14 plan required under section 1116(b); 

15 ‘‘(VI) make available opportuni16 ties for team-learning activities that 

17 focus on increasing pedagogical and 

18 content knowledge in academic sub19 jects that are aligned to student learn20 ing goals; 

21 ‘‘(VII) select and implement 

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1 tiveness, increase graduation rates, 

2 and ensure students graduate pre3 pared for success in college and ca4 reers; and 

5 ‘‘(VIII) design, create, and evalu6 ate the results of curriculum-based di7 agnostic and performance assess8 ments; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) utilizing internal teacher leaders, 

10 coaches, or content experts to— 

11 ‘‘(I) support classroom learning; 

12 ‘‘(II) facilitate effective collabora13 tion skills across learning communities 

14 and transfer knowledge from peers 

15 teaching and leading at high-per16 forming classrooms and schools; and 

17 ‘‘(III) support the implementa18 tion of instructional strategies 

19 through structured mentoring and 

20 coaching; 

21 ‘‘(C) To increase principals’ knowledge and 

22 skills necessary for leading effective professional 

23 learning, including— 

24 ‘‘(i) establishing a shared vision of 

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1 holders, including teachers, parents, com2 munity organizations and related stake3 holders by— 

4 ‘‘(I) seeking leadership contribu5 tions from parents, community orga6 nizations, and other school stake7 holders; 

8 ‘‘(II) engaging the community to 

9 create shared responsibility for stu10 dent and school success; and 

11 ‘‘(III) engaging in partnerships 

12 between elementary schools, secondary 

13 schools, and institutes of higher edu14 cation to ensure the vertical alignment 

15 of student learning outcomes; 

16 ‘‘(ii) establishing the school as a pro17 fessional learning community in which— 

18 ‘‘(I) there is a culture of contin19 uous learning for adults that is tied to 

20 student learning and school goals; 

21 ‘‘(II) there is time for team col22 laboration focused on professional 

23 learning and evaluating and improving 

24 instructional practice; 


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1 ‘‘(III) educators are able to ana2 lyze and use data to drive instruction; 

3 ‘‘(IV) professional learning is 

4 evaluated and connected to all of the 

5 school academic achievement goals; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(V) members of the faculty en8 gage in leadership roles that con9 tribute to school improvement efforts; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(iii) promoting the effective use of 

12 data by educators, including— 

13 ‘‘(I) the use of multiple data 

14 sources as diagnostic tools to identify 

15 barriers to student success and drive 

16 instructional improvement; 

17 ‘‘(II) the review and analysis of 

18 student work to determine whether 

19 students are achieving State academic 

20 content and achievement standards; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(III) the use of classroom obser23 vations to ensure that all students are 

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1 nities that promote active engage2 ment; and 

3 ‘‘(IV) support for a standards4 aligned academic instructional pro5 gram that sets rigorous goals for each 

6 student and a school culture that al7 lows for and encourages students to 

8 reach those goals through ensuring 

9 that learning is aligned to established 

10 State academic standards by— 

11 ‘‘(aa) ensuring that State 

12 academic content standards serve 

13 as the basis for the creation of 

14 curriculum and instruction; and 

15 ‘‘(bb) monitoring and ad16 justing the alignment of stand17 ards, curriculum, assessments, 

18 and instruction; and 

19 ‘‘(D) To support coaches, principals, and 

20 administrators to— 

21 ‘‘(i) respond to developmental and 

22 contextual needs and promote the ongoing 

23 examination of classroom practice; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) collect and share observation 

2 data to help teachers improve their prac3 tice; 

4 ‘‘(iii) assist teachers with strategies to 

5 identify student needs, plan for differen6 tiated instruction, and ensure equitable 

7 learning outcomes; 

8 ‘‘(iv) identify strategic solutions to 

9 challenging situations; and 

10 ‘‘(v) facilitate and convene teachers 

11 for meaningful and responsive team-based 

12 learning. 

13 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—A local educational agen14 cy that receives a subgrant under this part shall use 

15 not less than 10 percent of the subgrant funds for 

16 professional learning for principals. 

17 ‘‘(e) EVALUATION.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each local educational 

19 agency carrying out the system of professional learn20 ing described in subsection (d) using a subgrant re21 ceived under this part shall include, as part of such 

22 system, a formal evaluation system to determine the 

23 effectiveness of the program on not less than— 

24 ‘‘(A) teacher instructional practice; 

25 ‘‘(B) student learning gains; 


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1 ‘‘(C) teacher retention; 

2 ‘‘(D) student graduation and college readi3 ness rates, as applicable; 

4 ‘‘(E) student attendance rates; and 

5 ‘‘(F) teacher efficacy. 

6 ‘‘(2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY AND

7 SCHOOL EFFECTIVENESS.—The formal evaluation 

8 system described in paragraph (1) shall also meas9 ure the effectiveness of each local educational agency 

10 receiving a subgrant under this part and each school 

11 receiving assistance from the agency under this part, 

12 in— 

13 ‘‘(A) ensuring that school protected release 

14 time for professional learning occurs multiple 

15 times per week or the equivalent of several 

16 hours; 

17 ‘‘(B) implementing on-going, research18 based professional learning for teacher leaders, 

19 coaches, principals, and administrators; 

20 ‘‘(C) ensuring that coaches, teachers, and 

21 schools are using data to inform instructional 

22 practices; and 

23 ‘‘(D) ensuring that the system of profes24 sional learning described in subsection (d) that 

25 is carried out using subgrant funds received 


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1 under this part is integrated and aligned with 

2 the State’s school improvement efforts under 

3 sections 1116 and 1117. 

4 ‘‘(3) CONDUCT OF EVALUATION.—The evalua5 tion of a local educational agency under the formal 

6 evaluation system described in paragraph (1) shall 

7 be conducted by the agency. In conducting the eval8 uation, the local educational agency may request and 

9 use subgrant funds received under this part to re10 ceive assistance from the State, an institution of 

11 higher education, or an external agency that is expe12 rienced in conducting qualitative research. Such 

13 evaluation shall be developed in collaboration with 

14 groups, such as— 

15 ‘‘(A) teacher leaders with track records of 

16 success in the classroom; 

17 ‘‘(B) institutions of higher education in18 volved with teacher induction and professional 

19 development located within the State; and 

20 ‘‘(C) local teacher organizations. 

21 ‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

23 $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2012 and such sums as may 

24 be necessary for each succeeding fiscal year. 

25 ‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) GRADUATION RATE.—The term ‘gradua2 tion rate’ has the meaning given the term in section 

3 1111(b)(2)(C)(vi), as clarified in section 

4 200.19(b)(1) of title 34, Code of Federal Regula5 tions. 

6 ‘‘(2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

7 ‘local educational agency’— 

8 ‘‘(A) has the meaning given such term in 

9 section 9101; 

10 ‘‘(B) includes any public charter school 

11 that constitutes a local educational agency 

12 under State law; and 

13 ‘‘(C) includes a consortium of local edu14 cational agencies acting together.’’. 

15 SEC. 6. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DEFINED. 

16 Section 9101(34) (20 U.S.C. 7801(34)) is amended 

17 to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘(34) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—The 

19 term ‘professional development’ means a comprehen20 sive system of professional learning to increase edu21 cator effectiveness in improving student learning and 

22 achievement means that— 

23 ‘‘(A) fosters collective responsibility for im24 proved student performance; 


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1 ‘‘(B) is comprised of professional learning 

2 that— 

3 ‘‘(i) is aligned with rigorous State stu4 dent academic achievement standards as 

5 well as related local educational agency 

6 and school improvement goals; 

7 ‘‘(ii) is conducted among educators at 

8 the school and facilitated by well-prepared 

9 school principals and school-based profes10 sional development coaches, mentors, mas11 ter teachers, or other teacher leaders; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) primarily occurs several times 

13 per week, or the equivalent of several 

14 hours per week, among established teams 

15 of teachers, principals, and other instruc16 tional staff members where the teams of 

17 educators engage in a continuous cycle of 

18 improvement that— 

19 ‘‘(I) evaluates student, teacher, 

20 and school learning needs through a 

21 thorough review of data on teacher 

22 and student performance; 

23 ‘‘(II) defines a clear set of educa24 tor learning goals based on the rig25 orous analysis of the data; 


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1 ‘‘(III) achieves the educator 

2 learning goals based identified in sub3 clause (II) by implementing coherent, 

4 sustained, and evidence-based learning 

5 strategies, such as lesson study and 

6 the development of formative assess7 ments, that improve instructional ef8 fectiveness and student achievement; 

9 ‘‘(IV) provides job-embedded 

10 coaching or other forms of assistance 

11 to support the transfer of new knowl12 edge and skills to the classroom; 

13 ‘‘(V) regularly assesses the effec14 tiveness of the professional develop15 ment in achieving identified learning 

16 goals, improving teaching, and assist17 ing all students in meeting chal18 lenging State academic achievement 

19 standards; 

20 ‘‘(VI) informs ongoing improve21 ments in teaching and student learn22 ing; and 

23 ‘‘(VII) may be supported by ex24 ternal assistance; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) may be supported by activities such 

2 as courses, workshops, institutes, networks, and 

3 conferences that— 

4 ‘‘(i) address the learning goals and 

5 objectives established by educators at the 

6 school level; 

7 ‘‘(ii) advance the ongoing school-based 

8 professional learning; and 

9 ‘‘(iii) are provided for by for-profit 

10 and non-profit entities outside the school 

11 such as universities, education service 

12 agencies, technical assistance providers, 

13 networks of content-area specialists, and 

14 other education organizations and associa15 tions.’’. 

Æ 


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