I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3369 

To establish an Office of Rural Education Policy in the Department of 

Education, make other modifications to Federal law to improve rural 

schools, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 29, 2015 

Mr. LOEBSACK introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined 

by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To establish an Office of Rural Education Policy in the 

Department of Education, make other modifications to 

Federal law to improve rural schools, 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 ‘‘Restructuring Under5 utilized Resources for Advancing Learning Act’’ or the 

6 ‘‘RURAL Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

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

3 (1) Rural schools have unique challenges and 

4 benefits. 

5 (2) More than 33 percent of regular elementary 

6 and secondary public schools nationwide are in loca7 tions classified as rural. As of the 2010–2011 school 

8 year, more than 20 percent of public school students 

9 were enrolled in rural school districts. 

10 (3) In rural areas of the United States, 

11 6,100,000 children live in poverty. 

12 (4) Among children living in rural areas, 24 

13 percent live in poverty, compared to 20 percent 

14 among nonrural children. 

15 (5) Rural schools have fewer financial resources 

16 than non-rural schools, largely as a result of dimin17 ished local property tax bases and inequitable dis18 tributions of State funds. 

19 (6) There is a substantial pay gap for teachers 

20 and administrators in rural school districts. Rural 

21 teachers and administrators in the U.S. earn about 

22 $10,000 less than their counterparts in nonrural 

23 schools. 

24 (7) Rural schools have difficulty recruiting and 

25 retaining teachers. A recent survey of rural school 

26 superintendents suggests low salaries combined with 


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1 social and geographic isolation are the primary fac2 tors responsible for difficulties recruiting and retain3 ing teachers. 

4 (8) Digital learning technology holds the prom5 ise of transforming rural education by removing bar6 riers of distance and increasing school capacity. 

7 (9) While many large urban local education 

8 agencies are at the forefront of implementing new 

9 digital learning innovations, it is often harder for 

10 smaller and more rural local education agencies to 

11 access these tools. Smaller local education agencies 

12 with less capacity may also find it more difficult to 

13 provide the training needed to effectively implement 

14 new digital learning technologies. 

15 (10) Low literacy rates among parents in poor 

16 rural communities affect the early language develop17 ment and educational aspirations of children. 

18 (11) Investing in after-school programs helps 

19 children in rural communities break out of the cycle 

20 of poverty and creates opportunities for at-risk 

21 youth. 

22 (12) In areas in which resources are limited, 

23 after-school programs are often the only source of 

24 supplemental enrichment in literacy, nutrition eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 Aug 06, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3369.IH H3369

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1 cation, technology, and preparation for college and 

2 entrance exams. 

3 (13) Children attending rural schools have the 

4 lowest median per-student funding for after-school 

5 programs under the 21st Century Community 

6 Learning Center Program under part B of title IV 

7 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

8 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7171 et seq.), as compared to chil9 dren attending urban and suburban schools. 

10 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

11 (1) to establish an Office of Rural Education 

12 Policy in the Department of Education; 

13 (2) to provide input to the Secretary of Edu14 cation regarding the impact of proposed changes in 

15 law, regulations, policies, rules, and budgets on rural 

16 schools and communities; 

17 (3) to provide a tax incentive to individuals 

18 teaching in elementary and secondary schools lo19 cated in rural or high unemployment areas and to 

20 individuals who achieve certification from the Na21 tional Board for Professional Teaching Standards; 

22 (4) to support the expansion of the use of dig23 ital learning through competitive grants to partner24 ships to implement and evaluate the results of techVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 Aug 06, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3369.IH H3369

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1 nology-based learning practices, strategies, tools, or 

2 programs at rural schools; and 

3 (5) to enhance after-school programs in rural 

4 areas by helping communities establish after-school 

5 programs and improve existing programs by over6 coming barriers to service. 

7 TITLE I—INCENTIVES TO 

8 EDUCATE AMERICAN CHILDREN 

9 SEC. 101. REFUNDABLE TAX CREDIT FOR EDUCATORS AND 

10 SCHOOL LEADERS IN ELEMENTARY AND SEC11 ONDARY SCHOOLS LOCATED IN HIGH POV12 ERTY OR RURAL AREAS. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart C of part IV of sub14 chapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

15 1986 is amended by inserting after section 36B the fol16 lowing new section: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 36C. TAX CREDIT FOR EDUCATORS AND SCHOOL 

18 LEADERS IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 

19 SCHOOLS LOCATED IN HIGH POVERTY OR 

20 RURAL AREAS. 

21 ‘‘(a) ALLOWANCE OF CREDIT.—In the case of an eli22 gible teacher or school leader, there shall be allowed as 

23 a credit against the tax imposed by this subtitle for the 

24 taxable year an amount equal to the applicable amount 


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1 for the eligible academic year ending during such taxable 

2 year. 

3 ‘‘(b) APPLICABLE AMOUNT.—For purposes of this 

4 section— 

5 ‘‘(1) TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS IN RURAL AREAS

6 OR SCHOOLS WITH HIGH POVERTY.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an eligi8 ble teacher who performs services in a public 

9 kindergarten or a public elementary or sec10 ondary school described in subparagraph (B) 

11 during the eligible academic year, the applicable 

12 amount is $1,000. 

13 ‘‘(B) SCHOOL DESCRIBED.—A public kin14 dergarten or a public elementary or secondary 

15 school is described in this subparagraph if— 

16 ‘‘(i) at least 75 percent of the stu17 dents attending such kindergarten or 

18 school receive free or reduced-cost lunches 

19 under the school lunch program established 

20 under the Richard B. Russell National 

21 School Lunch Act, or 

22 ‘‘(ii) such kindergarten or school is 

23 designated with a school locale code of 32, 

24 33, 41, 42, or 43, as determined by the 

25 Secretary of Education. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CERTIFIED TEACHERS.—In the case of an 

2 eligible teacher who is described in paragraph (1) 

3 and who is certified by the National Board for Pro4 fessional Teaching Standards for the eligible aca5 demic year, paragraph (1)(A) shall be applied by 

6 substituting ‘$2,000’ for ‘$1,000’. 

7 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE SCHOOL LEADERS IN SCHOOLS

8 IN RURAL AREAS.—In the case of an eligible school 

9 leader who serves in a public kindergarten or a pub10 lic elementary or secondary school described in para11 graph (1)(B)(ii), paragraph (1)(A) shall be applied 

12 by substituting ‘$2,000’ for ‘$1,000’. 

13 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE TEACHER.—For purposes of this sec14 tion, the term ‘eligible teacher’ means, for any eligible aca15 demic year, an individual who is a kindergarten through 

16 grade 12 classroom teacher or instructor in a public kin17 dergarten or a public elementary or secondary school on 

18 a full-time basis for such eligible academic year. 

19 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE SCHOOL LEADER.—For purposes of 

20 this section, the term ‘eligible school leader’ means, for 

21 any eligible academic year, an individual who, on a full22 time basis for such eligible academic year, is a kinder23 garten through grade 12 principal or assistant principal 

24 in a public kindergarten or a public elementary or is a 


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1 school superintendent or other administrator employed by 

2 a local educational agency. 

3 ‘‘(e) ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of 

4 this section— 

5 ‘‘(1) ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS; 

6 LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The terms ‘elemen7 tary school’, ‘secondary school’, and ‘local edu8 cational agency’ have the respective meanings given 

9 such terms by section 9101 of the Elementary and 

10 Secondary Education Act of 1965. 

11 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ACADEMIC YEAR.—The term ‘el12 igible academic year’ means any academic year end13 ing in a taxable year beginning after December 31, 

14 2015.’’. 

15 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

16 (1) Paragraph (2) of section 1324(b) of title 

17 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘, 

18 36C’’ after ‘‘36B’’. 

19 (2) The table of sections for subpart C of part 

20 IV of subchapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Rev21 enue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting after the 

22 item relating to section 36B the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 36C. Tax credit for educators and school leaders in elementary and secondary schools located in high poverty or rural areas.’’. 


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1 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 this section shall apply to academic years ending in tax3 able years beginning after December 31, 2015. 

4 TITLE II—OFFICE OF RURAL 

5 EDUCATION POLICY 

6 SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF RURAL EDU7 CATION POLICY. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Department of 

9 Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3411 et seq.) is 

10 amended by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 221. OFFICE OF RURAL EDUCATION POLICY. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be, in the Office of 

13 Elementary and Secondary Education of the Department, 

14 an Office of Rural Education Policy (referred to in this 

15 section as the ‘Office’). 

16 ‘‘(b) DIRECTOR; DUTIES.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Office shall be headed 

18 by a Director, who shall advise the Secretary on the 

19 characteristics and needs of rural schools and the ef20 fects of current policies and proposed statutory, reg21 ulatory, administrative, and budgetary changes on 

22 State educational agencies, and local educational 

23 agencies, that serve schools with a locale code of 32, 

24 33, 41, 42, or 43, as determined by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL DUTIES OF THE DIRECTOR.— 

2 In addition to advising the Secretary with respect to 

3 the matters described in paragraph (1), the Director 

4 of the Office of Rural Education Policy (referred to 

5 in this section as the ‘Director’), through the Office, 

6 shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) establish and maintain a clearing8 house for collecting and disseminating informa9 tion on— 

10 ‘‘(i) teacher and principal recruitment 

11 and retention at rural elementary schools 

12 and rural secondary schools; 

13 ‘‘(ii) access to, and implementation 

14 and use of, technology and distance learn15 ing at such schools; 

16 ‘‘(iii) rigorous coursework delivery 

17 through distance learning at such schools; 

18 ‘‘(iv) student achievement at such 

19 schools, including the achievement of low20 income and minority students; 

21 ‘‘(v) innovative approaches in rural 

22 education to increase student achievement; 

23 ‘‘(vi) higher education and career 

24 readiness and secondary school completion 

25 of students enrolled in such schools; 


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1 ‘‘(vii) access to, and quality of, early 

2 childhood development for children located 

3 in rural areas; 

4 ‘‘(viii) access to, or partnerships with, 

5 community-based organizations in rural 

6 areas; 

7 ‘‘(ix) the availability of professional 

8 development opportunities for rural teach9 ers and principals; 

10 ‘‘(x) the availability of Federal and 

11 other grants and assistance that are spe12 cifically geared or applicable to rural 

13 schools; and 

14 ‘‘(xi) the financing of such schools; 

15 ‘‘(B) identify innovative research and dem16 onstration projects on topics of importance to 

17 rural elementary schools and rural secondary 

18 schools, including gaps in such research, and 

19 recommend such topics for study by the Insti20 tute of Education Sciences and other research 

21 agencies; 

22 ‘‘(C) coordinate the activities within the 

23 Department that relate to rural education; 

24 ‘‘(D) provide information to the Secretary 

25 and others in the Department with respect to 


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1 the activities of other Federal departments and 

2 agencies that relate to rural education, includ3 ing activities relating to rural housing, rural ag4 ricultural services, rural transportation, rural 

5 economic development, rural career and tech6 nical training, rural health care, rural disability 

7 services, and rural mental health; 

8 ‘‘(E) coordinate with the Bureau of Indian 

9 Education, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the 

10 Department of the Interior, and the schools ad11 ministered by such agencies regarding rural 

12 education; 

13 ‘‘(F) provide, directly or through grants, 

14 cooperative agreements, or contracts, technical 

15 assistance and other activities as necessary to 

16 support activities related to improving edu17 cation in rural areas; and 

18 ‘‘(G) produce an annual report on the con19 dition of rural education that is delivered to the 

20 members of the Education and the Workforce 

21 Committee of the House of Representatives and 

22 the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

23 Committee of the Senate and published on the 

24 Department’s Web site. 


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1 ‘‘(c) IMPACT ANALYSES OF RULES AND REGULA2 TIONS ON RURAL SCHOOLS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) PROPOSED RULEMAKING.—Whenever the 

4 Secretary publishes a general notice of proposed 

5 rulemaking for any rule or regulation that may have 

6 a significant impact on State educational agencies or 

7 local educational agencies serving schools with a lo8 cale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43, as determined by 

9 the Secretary, the Secretary (acting through the Di10 rector) shall prepare and make available for public 

11 comment an initial regulatory impact analysis. Such 

12 analysis shall describe the impact of the proposed 

13 rule or regulation on such State educational agencies 

14 and local educational agencies and shall set forth, 

15 with respect to such agencies, the matters required 

16 under section 603 of title 5, United States Code, to 

17 be set forth with respect to small entities. The initial 

18 regulatory impact analysis (or a summary) shall be 

19 published in the Federal Register at the time of the 

20 publication of general notice of proposed rulemaking 

21 for the rule or regulation. 

22 ‘‘(2) FINAL RULE.—Whenever the Secretary 

23 promulgates a final version of a rule or regulation 

24 with respect to which an initial regulatory impact 

25 analysis is required by paragraph (1), the Secretary 


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1 (acting through the Director) shall prepare a final 

2 regulatory impact analysis with respect to the final 

3 version of such rule or regulation. Such analysis 

4 shall set forth, with respect to State educational 

5 agencies and local educational agencies serving 

6 schools with a locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43, 

7 as determined by the Secretary, the matters required 

8 under section 604 of title 5, United States Code, to 

9 be set forth with respect to small entities. The Sec10 retary shall make copies of the final regulatory im11 pact analysis available to the public and shall pub12 lish, in the Federal Register at the time of publica13 tion of the final version of the rule or regulation, a 

14 statement describing how a member of the public 

15 may obtain a copy of such analysis. 

16 ‘‘(3) REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY ANALYSIS.—If 

17 a regulatory flexibility analysis is required by chap18 ter 6 of title 5, United States Code, for a rule or 

19 regulation to which this subsection applies, such 

20 analysis shall specifically address the impact of the 

21 rule or regulation on State educational agencies and 

22 local educational agencies serving schools with a lo23 cale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43, as determined by 

24 the Secretary.’’. 


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1 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Section 221(c) of the De2 partment of Education Organization Act, as added by sub3 section (a), shall apply to regulations proposed more than 

4 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

5 TITLE III—ASSISTANCE TO 

6 RURAL SCHOOLS FOR IMPLE7 MENTING AND EVALUATING 

8 DIGITAL LEARNING 

9 SEC. 301. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

10 (a) GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS.—From 

11 the amounts appropriated to carry out this title, the Sec12 retary of Education is authorized to award grants, on a 

13 competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to carry out the 

14 activities described in section 304. 

15 (b) DURATION OF GRANT.—A grant under subsection 

16 (a) shall be awarded for not less than a 3-year and not 

17 longer than a 5-year period. 

18 (c) FISCAL AGENT.—If an eligible partnership re19 ceives a grant under this title, a school partner in the part20 nership shall serve as the fiscal agent for the partnership. 

21 SEC. 302. APPLICATION. 

22 An eligible partnership desiring a grant under this 

23 title shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 

24 time, in such manner, and containing such information as 


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1 the Secretary may require, which shall include the fol2 lowing: 

3 (1) A description of the eligible partnership, in4 cluding the name of each of the partners and their 

5 respective roles and responsibilities. 

6 (2) A description of the technology-based learn7 ing practice, tool, strategy, or course that the eligi8 ble partnership proposes to develop or implement 

9 using the grant funds. 

10 (3) An assurance that all teachers of record 

11 hold the relevant license and are otherwise qualified 

12 to implement any technology-based practice, tool, 

13 strategy, or course using the grant funds. 

14 (4) An assurance that all students in a class or 

15 school implementing a practice, tool, strategy or 

16 course using the grant funds will have access to any 

17 equipment necessary to participate on a full and eq18 uitable basis. 

19 (5) An assurance that the proposed uses of 

20 smartphones, laptops, tablets, or other devices sus21 ceptible to inappropriate use have the informed con22 sent of parents or guardians and are not incon23 sistent with any policies of the local educational 

24 agency on the use of such devices. 


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1 (6) Information relevant to the selection criteria 

2 under section 303(c). 

3 (7) A description of the evaluation to be under4 taken by the eligible partnership, including— 

5 (A) how the school partner and the evalua6 tion partner will work together to implement 

7 the practice, tool, strategy, or course in such a 

8 way that permits the use of a rigorous, inde9 pendent evaluation design that meets the stand10 ards of the What Works Clearinghouse of the 

11 Institute of Education Sciences; and 

12 (B) a description of the evaluation design 

13 that meets such standards, which will be used 

14 to measure any significant effects on the out15 comes described in paragraphs (1) through (3) 

16 of section 305(a). 

17 (8) An estimate of the number of students to 

18 be reached through the grant and evidence of its ca19 pacity to reach the proposed number of students 

20 during the course of the grant. 

21 (9) Any other information the Secretary may 

22 require. 

23 SEC. 303. APPLICATION REVIEW AND AWARD BASIS. 

24 (a) PEER REVIEW.—The Secretary shall use a peer 

25 review process to review applications for grants under this 


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1 title. The Secretary shall appoint individuals to the peer 

2 review process who have relevant expertise in digital learn3 ing, research and evaluation, standards quality and align4 ment, and rural education. 

5 (b) AWARD BASIS.—In awarding grants under this 

6 title, the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable, 

7 diversity in the type of activities funded under the grants. 

8 (c) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In evaluating an eligible 

9 partnership’s application for a grant under this title, the 

10 Secretary shall consider— 

11 (1) the need for the proposed technology-based 

12 learning practice, tool, strategy, or course; 

13 (2) the quality of the design of the proposed 

14 practice, tool, strategy, or course; 

15 (3) the strength of the existing research evi16 dence with respect to such practice, tool, strategy, or 

17 course; 

18 (4) the experience of the eligible partnership; 

19 and 

20 (5) the quality of the evaluation proposed by 

21 the eligible partnership. 

22 (d) DEDICATED FUNDING FOR FRINGE RURAL, DIS23 TANT RURAL, AND REMOTE RURAL SCHOOLS.—Not less 

24 than 50 percent of the grant funds awarded under this 

25 title shall be awarded to eligible partnerships that provides 


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1 assurances that the school partners in the eligible partner2 ship will ensure that each school to be served by the grant 

3 is designated with a school locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, 

4 or 43, as determined by the Secretary. 

5 SEC. 304. USE OF FUNDS. 

6 (a) REQUIRED USE OF FUNDS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible partnership re8 ceiving a grant under this title shall use such funds 

9 to implement and evaluate the results of technology10 based learning practices, strategies, tools, or courses, 

11 including the practices, strategies, tools, or courses 

12 identified under paragraphs (2) through (6). 

13 (2) TOOLS AND COURSES DESIGNED TO PER14 SONALIZE THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE.—Tech15 nology-based tools and courses identified under this 

16 paragraph include the following types of tools and 

17 courses designed to personalize the learning experi18 ence: 

19 (A) Technology-based personalized instruc20 tional systems. 

21 (B) Adaptive software, games, or tools, 

22 that can be used to personalize learning. 

23 (C) Computer-based tutoring courses to 

24 help struggling students. 


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1 (D) Games, digital tools, and smartphone 

2 or tablet applications to improve students’ en3 gagement, focus, and time on task. 

4 (E) Other tools and courses designed to 

5 personalize the learning experience. 

6 (3) PRACTICES AND STRATEGIES DESIGNED TO

7 AID AND INFORM INSTRUCTION.—Technology-based 

8 practices and strategies identified under this para9 graph include the following types of practices and 

10 strategies designed to aid and inform instruction: 

11 (A) Adaptive software, games, or tools that 

12 can be used for the purpose of formative assess13 ment. 

14 (B) Web resources that provide teachers 

15 and their students access to instructional and 

16 curricular materials that are— 

17 (i) aligned with high-quality stand18 ards; and 

19 (ii) designed to prepare students for 

20 college and a career, such as a repository 

21 of primary historical sources for use in his22 tory and civics courses or examples of de23 velopmentally appropriate science experi24 ments. 


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1 (C) Online professional development oppor2 tunities, teacher mentoring opportunities, and 

3 professional learning communities. 

4 (D) Tools or web resources designed to ad5 dress specific instructional problems. 

6 (E) Other practices and strategies de7 signed to personalize the learning experience. 

8 (4) TOOLS, COURSES, AND STRATEGIES DE9 SIGNED TO IMPROVE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF STU10 DENTS WITH SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL NEEDS.— 

11 Technology-based tools, courses, and strategies iden12 tified under this paragraph include the following 

13 types of tools, courses, and strategies designed to 

14 meet the needs of students with specific educational 

15 needs: 

16 (A) Digital tools specifically designed to 

17 meet the needs of students with a particular 

18 disability. 

19 (B) Online courses that give students who 

20 are not on track to graduate or have already 

21 dropped out of school the opportunity for accel22 erated credit recovery. 

23 (C) Language instruction courses, games, 

24 or software designed to meet the needs of 

25 English language learners. 


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1 (D) Other tools, courses, and strategies de2 signed to personalize the learning experience. 

3 (5) TOOLS, COURSES, AND STRATEGIES DE4 SIGNED TO HELP STUDENTS DEVELOP 21ST CEN5 TURY SKILLS.—Technology-based tools, courses, and 

6 strategies identified under this paragraph include 

7 peer-to-peer virtual learning opportunities to be used 

8 for the purposes of project-based learning, deeper 

9 learning, and collaborative learning, and other tools, 

10 courses, and strategies designed to help students de11 velop 21st century skills, such as the ability to think 

12 critically and solve problems, be effective commu13 nicators, collaborate with others, and learn to create 

14 and innovate. 

15 (6) TECHNOLOGY-BASED OR ONLINE COURSES

16 THAT ALLOW STUDENTS TO TAKE COURSES THAT

17 THEY WOULD NOT OTHERWISE HAVE ACCESS TO.— 

18 Technology-based or online courses identified under 

19 this paragraph include courses or collections of 

20 courses approved by the applicable local educational 

21 agency or State educational agency that provide stu22 dents with access to courses that they would not oth23 erwise have access to, such as the following: 

24 (A) An online repository of elective 

25 courses. 


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1 (B) Online or software-based courses in 

2 foreign languages, especially in languages iden3 tified as critical or in schools where a teacher 

4 is not available to teach the language or course 

5 level a student requires. 

6 (C) Online advanced or college-level 

7 courses that can be taken for credit. 

8 (b) AUTHORIZED USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible part9 nership receiving a grant under this title may use grant 

10 funds to— 

11 (1) develop or implement the technology for 

12 technology-based learning strategies, practices, 

13 courses, or tools to be carried out under the grant; 

14 (2) purchase hardware or software needed to 

15 carry out such strategies, practices, courses, or tools 

16 under the grant, except that such purchases may not 

17 exceed 50 percent of total grant funds; 

18 (3) address the particular needs of student sub19 groups, including students with disabilities and 

20 English-language learners; 

21 (4) provide technology-based professional devel22 opment or professional development on how to maxi23 mize the utility of technology; and 

24 (5) address issues of cost and capacity in rural 

25 areas and shortage subjects. 


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1 (c) SUPPLEMENTATION.—An eligible partnership 

2 that receives a grant under this title shall use the grant 

3 funds to supplement, not supplant, the work of teachers 

4 with students, and may not use such funds to reduce staff5 ing levels for the school partners in the eligible partner6 ship. 

7 (d) TEACHER OF RECORD.—For each student in a 

8 class or school implementing a practice, tool, strategy, or 

9 course using grant funds provided under this title, there 

10 shall be a teacher of record, holding the relevant certifi11 cation or license, and otherwise qualified to implement any 

12 digitally based practice, tool, strategy or course using the 

13 grant funds. An eligible partnership shall use grant funds 

14 provided under this title, and shall determine the extent 

15 and nature of pedagogical uses of digital tools, in a man16 ner that is consistent with the judgments of teachers of 

17 record about what is developmentally appropriate for stu18 dents. 

19 SEC. 305. DATA COLLECTION AND EVALUATION. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible partnership receiv21 ing a grant under this title shall require its evaluation 

22 partner to complete an independent, comprehensive, well23 designed, and well-implemented evaluation that meets the 

24 standards of the What Works Clearinghouse after the 


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1 third year of implementation of the grant to measure the 

2 effect of the practice, tool, strategy, or course on— 

3 (1) growth in student achievement, as measured 

4 by high quality assessments that provide objective, 

5 valid, reliable measures of student academic growth 

6 and information on whether a student is on-track to 

7 graduate ready for college and career; 

8 (2) costs and savings to the school partner; and 

9 (3) at least one of the following: 

10 (A) Student achievement gaps. 

11 (B) Graduation and dropout rates. 

12 (C) College enrollment. 

13 (D) College persistence. 

14 (E) College completion. 

15 (F) Placement in a living-wage job. 

16 (G) Enhanced teacher or principal effec17 tiveness as measured by valid, reliable, and 

18 multiple measures of student achievement and 

19 other appropriate measures. 

20 (b) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall— 

21 (1) acting through the Director of the Institute 

22 of Education Sciences— 

23 (A) evaluate the implementation and im24 pact of the activities supported under the grant 

25 program authorized under this section; and 


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1 (B) identify best practices; and 

2 (2) disseminate, in consultation with the re3 gional educational laboratories established under 

4 part D of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 

5 2002 and comprehensive centers established under 

6 the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002, 

7 research on best practices in school leadership. 

8 (c) IMPLEMENTATION EVALUATION.—An evaluation 

9 partner may use funds under this title to carry out an 

10 implementation evaluation designed to provide information 

11 that may be useful for schools, local educational agencies, 

12 States, consortia of schools, and charter school networks 

13 seeking to implement similar practices, tools, strategies, 

14 or courses in the future. 

15 (d) PUBLICATION OF RESULTS.—Upon completion of 

16 an evaluation described in subsection (a), (b), or (c) the 

17 evaluation partner shall— 

18 (1) submit a report of the results of the evalua19 tion to the Secretary; and 

20 (2) make publicly available such results. 

21 SEC. 306. DEFINITIONS. 

22 In this title: 

23 (1) DIGITAL LEARNING PARTNER.—The term 

24 ‘‘digital learning partner’’ means an organization 

25 with expertise in the technology required to develop 


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1 or implement the digital learning practices, tools, 

2 strategies, or courses proposed by the school partner 

3 with which the digital learning partner will partner 

4 or has partnered under this title, such as— 

5 (A) an institution of higher education; 

6 (B) a nonprofit organization; or 

7 (C) an organization with school develop8 ment or turnaround experience. 

9 (2) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘eligi10 ble partnership’’ means a partnership that includes 

11 a school partner and not less than 1— 

12 (A) digital learning partner, except that in 

13 a case in which a school partner or evaluation 

14 partner demonstrates expertise in digital learn15 ing to the Secretary; and 

16 (B) evaluation partner. 

17 (3) EVALUATION PARTNER.—The term ‘‘evalua18 tion partner’’ means a partner that has the expertise 

19 and ability to carry out the evaluation of a grant re20 ceived under this title, such as— 

21 (A) an institution of higher education; 

22 (B) a nonprofit organization with expertise 

23 in evaluation; or 

24 (C) an evaluation firm. 


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1 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

3 meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 

4 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002). 

5 (5) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

6 ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 

7 the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec8 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

9 (6) SCHOOL PARTNER.—The term ‘‘school part10 ner’’ means a— 

11 (A) local educational agency; 

12 (B) a charter school network that does not 

13 include virtual schools; 

14 (C) a consortium of public elementary 

15 schools or secondary schools; 

16 (D) a regional educational service agency 

17 or similar regional educational service provider; 

18 or 

19 (E) a consortium of the entities described 

20 in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

21 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

22 the Secretary of Education. 


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1 TITLE IV—ELEMENTARY AND 

2 SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT 

3 AMENDMENTS 

4 SEC. 401. OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR 

5 RURAL LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart 2 of part E of title IX 

7 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

8 (20 U.S.C. 7901 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 9537. OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR 

11 RURAL LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES. 

12 ‘‘(a) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall engage in out13 reach to rural local educational agencies regarding oppor14 tunities to apply for competitive grant programs under 

15 this Act. 

16 ‘‘(b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—If requested to do 

17 so, the Secretary shall provide technical assistance to rural 

18 local educational agencies with locale codes 32, 33, 41, 42, 

19 or 43, or an educational service agency representing rural 

20 local educational agencies with locale codes 32, 33, 41, 42, 

21 or 43 on applications or pre-applications for any competi22 tive grant program under this Act. No rural local edu23 cational agency or education service agency shall be re24 quired to request technical assistance or include any techVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 Aug 06, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3369.IH H3369

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1 nical assistance provided by the Secretary in any applica2 tion.’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con4 tents for such Act is amended by inserting after the item 

5 relating to section 9536 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 9537. Outreach and technical assistance for rural local educational agencies.’’. 

6 SEC. 402. RURAL CONSOLIDATED PLAN. 

7 Section 9305 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu8 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7845) is amended by add9 ing at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(e) RURAL CONSOLIDATED PLAN.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Two or more eligible local 

12 educational agencies, a consortium of eligible local 

13 education service agencies, or an education service 

14 agency on behalf of eligible local educational agen15 cies may submit plans or applications for one or 

16 more covered programs to the State educational 

17 agency on a consolidated basis, if each eligible local 

18 educational agency impacted elects to participate in 

19 the joint application or elects to allow the edu20 cational service agency to apply on its behalf. 

21 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN22 CY.—For the purposes of this subsection, the term 

23 ‘eligible local educational agency’ means a local eduVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:48 Aug 06, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3369.IH H3369

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1 cational agency that is an eligible local educational 

2 agency under part B of title VI.’’. 

3 TITLE V—EXPANDED LEARNING 

4 OPPORTUNITIES 

5 SEC. 501. EXPANDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. 

6 Subtitle D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De7 velopment Act is amended by inserting after section 365 

8 (7 U.S.C. 2008) the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 366. EXPANDED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. 

10 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to en11 hance expanded learning time opportunities in rural areas 

12 by helping communities— 

13 ‘‘(1) to establish expanded learning time oppor14 tunities, including after-school programs; and 

15 ‘‘(2) to improve existing programs by over16 coming barriers to service. 

17 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en19 tity’ means a local educational agency (as such term 

20 is defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and 

21 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

22 7801)), educational service agency, community-based 

23 organization, another public or private entity, or a 

24 consortium of 2 or more such agencies, organiza25 tions, or entities. 


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1 ‘‘(2) EXPANDED LEARNING TIME.—The term 

2 ‘expanded learning time’ means using a longer 

3 school day, week, or year schedule to significantly 

4 increase the total number of school hours, in order 

5 to include additional time for— 

6 ‘‘(A) instruction and enrichment in core 

7 academic subjects, other academic subjects, and 

8 other activities that contribute to a well-round9 ed education; and 

10 ‘‘(B) instructional and support staff to col11 laborate, plan, and engage in professional devel12 opment (including professional development on 

13 family and community engagement) within and 

14 across grades and subjects. 

15 ‘‘(3) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ 

16 means an area that is served by an elementary or 

17 secondary school that is designated with a school lo18 cale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43, as determined by 

19 the Secretary of Education. 

20 ‘‘(c) GRANTS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 

22 grants to eligible entities to improve, expand, or es23 tablish expanded learning time programs, and after24 school programs (taking place during non-school 

25 hours), in rural areas. 


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1 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—Each grant under this 

2 section shall be in an amount of not less than 

3 $25,000. 

4 ‘‘(d) DURATION.— 

5 ‘‘(1) TERM OF GRANT.—The term of a grant 

6 under this section may not be for less than 3 years. 

7 ‘‘(2) RENEWAL.—The Secretary may renew a 

8 grant under this section for a period of not less than 

9 3 years, based on the performance of the eligible en10 tity during the previous grant term. 

11 ‘‘(e) USES.—As a condition of the receipt of a grant 

12 under this section, an eligible entity shall use the grant 

13 to fund projects and activities described in subsection (c), 

14 including transportation, professional development, train15 ing, recruitment and retention of staff, staff compensation 

16 for additional hours worked, increasing access to tech17 nology, and planning. 

18 ‘‘(f) EVALUATION.—The Secretary may use not more 

19 than 1 percent of the funds under this section— 

20 ‘‘(1) to conduct evaluations of the effectiveness 

21 of programs and activities assisted under subsection 

22 (c); and 

23 ‘‘(2) to disseminate the results of those evalua24 tions for the purpose of refining, improving, and 

25 strengthening programs. 


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1 ‘‘(g) OUTREACH, TRAINING, AND TECHNICAL AS2 SISTANCE.—The Secretary may use not more than 3 per3 cent of the funds made available to carry out this sec4 tion— 

5 ‘‘(1) to conduct outreach, including bidders’ 

6 conferences, to ensure widespread knowledge of the 

7 availability of resources described in subsection (c); 

8 ‘‘(2) to disseminate information on best prac9 tices and successful program models for serving chil10 dren and youth in rural areas; and 

11 ‘‘(3) to provide capacity building, training, and 

12 technical assistance to after-school programs and 

13 providers in rural areas. 

14 ‘‘(h) APPLICATION.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be considered for a 

16 grant under this section, each eligible entity shall 

17 submit to the Secretary an application at such time, 

18 in such manner, and accompanied by such informa19 tion as the Secretary may require. 

20 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—An application submitted 

21 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include— 

22 ‘‘(A) a description of the expanded learn23 ing time program to be funded, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) an assurance that the program 

2 will take place in a safe and easily acces3 sible facility; 

4 ‘‘(ii) a description of how children and 

5 youth participating in the program will 

6 travel safely between the program site and 

7 home; 

8 ‘‘(iii) a description of how the eligible 

9 entity will disseminate information about 

10 the program, including the location of the 

11 program, to the community in a manner 

12 that is understandable and accessible; 

13 ‘‘(iv)(I) a description of the services to 

14 be provided to children and youth, which 

15 may include a broad array of activities, 

16 such as— 

17 ‘‘(aa) academic enrichment and 

18 youth development activities; 

19 ‘‘(bb) drug and violence preven20 tion programs; 

21 ‘‘(cc) counseling programs; 

22 ‘‘(dd) art, music, physical fitness, 

23 and recreational programs; 

24 ‘‘(ee) technology education pro25 grams; 


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1 ‘‘(ff) character education pro2 grams; and 

3 ‘‘(gg) service-learning programs; 

4 ‘‘(II) the roles and responsibilities of 

5 the partners in providing the services; and 

6 ‘‘(III) how the services enhance an ex7 isting expanded learning time program; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(v) an assurance that the program 

10 will provide a nutritious snack or meal that 

11 meets nutrition standards established by 

12 the Secretary; 

13 ‘‘(B) an assurance that the proposed pro14 gram was developed, and will be carried out, in 

15 active collaboration with the schools the stu16 dents attend; 

17 ‘‘(C) an assurance that funds provided 

18 under this section will be used to increase the 

19 level of State, local, and other non-Federal 

20 funds that would, in the absence of funds under 

21 this section, be made available for programs 

22 and activities authorized under this section, and 

23 in no case supplant Federal, State, local, or 

24 non-Federal funds; 


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1 ‘‘(D) a description of the partnership be2 tween a local educational agency, a community3 based organization, or another public entity or 

4 private entity, if applicable; and 

5 ‘‘(E) such additional assurances as the 

6 Secretary determines to be necessary to ensure 

7 compliance with this section. 

8 ‘‘(i) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority to 

9 applications that— 

10 ‘‘(1) propose partnerships between 2 or more el11 igible entities; or 

12 ‘‘(2) propose that a majority of the students 

13 participating in the expanded learning time program 

14 are eligible for free or reduced price school meals 

15 under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 

16 Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) and section 4 of the 

17 Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773). 

18 ‘‘(j) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this Act shall be 

19 construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies, 

20 and procedures afforded to employees of a school or local 

21 educational agency under Federal, State, or local laws (in22 cluding applicable regulations or court orders as well as 

23 requirements that school districts negotiate and meet and 

24 confer in good faith) or under the terms of collective bar25 gaining agreements, memoranda of understanding, or 


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1 other agreements between such employers and their em2 ployees. 

3 ‘‘(k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this sec5 tion— 

6 ‘‘(1) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

7 ‘‘(2) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2017; and 

8 ‘‘(3) such sums as are necessary for each of fis9 cal years 2018 through 2020.’’. 

Æ 


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