II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1231 

To amend part A of title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to 

enhance teacher training and teacher preparation programs, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 26, 2007 

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

the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To amend part A of title II of the Higher Education Act 

of 1965 to enhance teacher training and teacher preparation programs, 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 ‘‘Preparing, Recruiting, 

5 and Retaining Education Professionals Act of 2007’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSES; DEFINITIONS. 

7 Section 201 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

8 U.S.C. 1021) is amended to read as follows: 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
2 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘SEC. 201. PURPOSES; DEFINITIONS. 

2 ‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this part are to— 

3 ‘‘(1) improve student achievement; 

4 ‘‘(2) improve the quality of the current and fu5 ture teaching force by improving the preparation of 

6 prospective teachers and enhancing ongoing profes7 sional development activities; 

8 ‘‘(3) encourage partnerships among institutions 

9 of higher education, early childhood education pro10 grams, elementary schools or secondary schools, 

11 local educational agencies, State educational agen12 cies, teacher organizations, and nonprofit edu13 cational organizations; 

14 ‘‘(4) hold institutions of higher education and 

15 all other teacher preparation programs (including 

16 programs that provide alternative routes to teacher 

17 preparation) accountable in an equivalent manner 

18 for preparing— 

19 ‘‘(A) teachers who have strong teaching 

20 skills, are highly qualified, and are trained in 

21 the effective uses of technology in the class22 room; and 

23 ‘‘(B) early childhood education providers 

24 who are highly competent; 

25 ‘‘(5) recruit and retain qualified individuals, in26 cluding individuals from other occupations, into the 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
3 

•S 1231 IS

1 teaching force for early childhood education pro2 grams or in elementary schools or secondary schools; 

3 ‘‘(6) improve the recruitment, retention, and ca4 pacities of principals to provide instructional leader5 ship and to support teachers in maintaining safe and 

6 effective learning environments; 

7 ‘‘(7) expand the use of research to improve 

8 teaching and learning by teachers, early childhood 

9 education providers, principals, and faculty; and 

10 ‘‘(8) enhance the ability of teachers, early child11 hood education providers, principals, administrators, 

12 and faculty to communicate with, work with, and in13 volve parents in ways that improve student achieve14 ment. 

15 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this part: 

16 ‘‘(1) ARTS AND SCIENCES.—The term ‘arts and 

17 sciences’ means— 

18 ‘‘(A) when referring to an organizational 

19 unit of an institution of higher education, any 

20 academic unit that offers 1 or more academic 

21 majors in disciplines or content areas cor22 responding to the academic subject matter 

23 areas in which teachers provide instruction; and 

24 ‘‘(B) when referring to a specific academic 

25 subject matter area, the disciplines or content 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
4 

•S 1231 IS

1 areas in which academic majors are offered by 

2 the arts and science organizational unit. 

3 ‘‘(2) EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PRO4 GRAM.—The term ‘early childhood education pro5 gram’ means a family child care program, center6 based child care program, prekindergarten program, 

7 school program, or other out-of-home child care pro8 gram that is licensed or regulated by the State serv9 ing 2 or more unrelated children from birth until 

10 school entry, or a Head Start program carried out 

11 under the Head Start Act or an Early Head Start 

12 program carried out under section 645A of that Act. 

13 ‘‘(3) EXEMPLARY TEACHER.—The term ‘exem14 plary teacher’ has the meaning given the term in 

15 section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu16 cation Act of 1965. 

17 ‘‘(4) FACULTY.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘faculty’ 

19 means individuals in institutions of higher edu20 cation who are responsible for preparing teach21 ers. 

22 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘faculty’ in23 cludes professors of education and professors in 

24 academic disciplines such as the arts and 

25 sciences, psychology, and human development. 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
5 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(5) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN2 CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 

3 means a local educational agency that serves an 

4 early childhood education program, elementary 

5 school, or secondary school located in an area in 

6 which— 

7 ‘‘(A)(i) 15 percent or more of the students 

8 served by the agency are from families with in9 comes below the poverty line; 

10 ‘‘(ii) there are more than 5,000 students 

11 served by the agency from families with in12 comes below the poverty line; or 

13 ‘‘(iii) there are less than 600 students in 

14 average daily attendance in all the schools that 

15 are served by the agency and all of whose 

16 schools are designated with a school locale code 

17 of 7 or 8, as determined by the Secretary; and 

18 ‘‘(B)(i) there is a high percentage of teach19 ers who are not highly qualified; or 

20 ‘‘(ii) there is a chronic shortage, or annual 

21 turnover rate of 20 percent or more, of highly 

22 qualified teachers. 

23 ‘‘(6) HIGH-NEED SCHOOL.—The term ‘high24 need school’ means an early childhood education proVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:39 Apr 27, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1231.IS S1231

ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
6 

•S 1231 IS

1 gram, public elementary school, or public secondary 

2 school— 

3 ‘‘(A)(i) in which there is a high concentra4 tion of students from families with incomes 

5 below the poverty line; or 

6 ‘‘(ii) that, in the case of a public elemen7 tary school or public secondary school, is identi8 fied as in need of school improvement or correc9 tive action pursuant to section 1116 of the Ele10 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(B) in which there exists— 

13 ‘‘(i) in the case of a public elementary 

14 school or public secondary school, a per15 sistent and chronic shortage, or annual 

16 turnover rate of 20 percent or more, of 

17 highly qualified teachers; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) in the case of an early childhood 

19 education program, a persistent and chron20 ic shortage of early childhood education 

21 providers who are highly competent. 

22 ‘‘(7) HIGHLY COMPETENT.—The term ‘highly 

23 competent’ when used with respect to an early child24 hood education provider means a provider— 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
7 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(A) with specialized education and train2 ing in development and education of young chil3 dren from birth until entry into kindergarten; 

4 ‘‘(B) with— 

5 ‘‘(i) a baccalaureate degree in an aca6 demic major in the arts and sciences; or 

7 ‘‘(ii) an associate’s degree in a related 

8 educational area; and 

9 ‘‘(C) who has demonstrated a high level of 

10 knowledge and use of content and pedagogy in 

11 the relevant areas associated with quality early 

12 childhood education. 

13 ‘‘(8) HIGHLY QUALIFIED.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

15 subparagraph (B), the term ‘highly qualified’ 

16 has the meaning given the term in section 9101 

17 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 

18 Act of 1965. 

19 ‘‘(B) SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS.— 

20 When used with respect to a special education 

21 teacher, the term ‘highly qualified’ has the 

22 meaning given the term in section 602 of the 

23 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 

24 ‘‘(9) INDUCTION.—The term ‘induction’ means 

25 a formalized program designed to provide support 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
8 

•S 1231 IS

1 for, improve the professional performance of, and 

2 promote the retention in the teaching field of, begin3 ning teachers, and that— 

4 ‘‘(A) shall include— 

5 ‘‘(i) mentoring; 

6 ‘‘(ii) structured collaboration time 

7 with teachers in the same department or 

8 field; 

9 ‘‘(iii) structured meeting time with 

10 administrators; and 

11 ‘‘(iv) professional development activi12 ties; and 

13 ‘‘(B) may include— 

14 ‘‘(i) reduced teaching loads; 

15 ‘‘(ii) support of a teaching aide; 

16 ‘‘(iii) orientation seminars; and 

17 ‘‘(iv) regular evaluation of the teacher 

18 inductee, the mentors, and the overall for19 malized program. 

20 ‘‘(10) MENTORING.—The term ‘mentoring’ 

21 means a process by which a teacher mentor who is 

22 an exemplary teacher, either alone or in a team with 

23 faculty, provides active support for prospective 

24 teachers and new teachers through a system for in25 tegrating evidence-based practice, including rigorous, 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
9 

•S 1231 IS

1 supervised training in high-quality teaching settings. 

2 Such support includes activities specifically designed 

3 to promote— 

4 ‘‘(A) knowledge of the scientific research 

5 on, and assessment of, teaching and learning; 

6 ‘‘(B) development of teaching skills and 

7 skills in evidence-based educational interven8 tions; 

9 ‘‘(C) development of classroom manage10 ment skills; 

11 ‘‘(D) a positive role model relationship 

12 where academic assistance and exposure to new 

13 experiences is provided; and 

14 ‘‘(E) ongoing supervision and communica15 tion regarding the prospective teacher’s develop16 ment of teaching skills and continued support 

17 for the new teacher by the mentor, other teach18 ers, principals, and administrators. 

19 ‘‘(11) PARENT.—The term ‘parent’ has the 

20 meaning given the term in section 9101 of the Ele21 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. 

22 ‘‘(12) PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.—The term 

23 ‘parental involvement’ has the meaning given the 

24 term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec25 ondary Education Act of 1965. 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
10 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(13) POVERTY LINE.—The term ‘poverty line’ 

2 means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of 

3 Management and Budget, and revised annually in 

4 accordance with section 673(2) of the Community 

5 Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) ap6 plicable to a family of the size involved. 

7 ‘‘(14) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

9 subparagraph (B), the term ‘professional devel10 opment’ has the meaning given the term in sec11 tion 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary 

12 Education Act of 1965. 

13 ‘‘(B) EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PRO14 VIDERS.—The term ‘professional development’ 

15 when used with respect to an early childhood 

16 education provider means knowledge and skills 

17 in all domains of child development (including 

18 cognitive, social, emotional, physical, and ap19 proaches to learning) and pedagogy of children 

20 from birth until entry into kindergarten. 

21 ‘‘(15) TEACHING SKILLS.—The term ‘teaching 

22 skills’ means skills— 

23 ‘‘(A) grounded in the disciplines of teach24 ing and learning that teachers use to create ef25 fective instruction in subject matter content and 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
11 

•S 1231 IS

1 that lead to student achievement and the ability 

2 to apply knowledge; and 

3 ‘‘(B) that require an understanding of the 

4 learning process itself, including an under5 standing of— 

6 ‘‘(i) the use of teaching strategies spe7 cific to the subject matter; 

8 ‘‘(ii) the application of ongoing assess9 ment of student learning, particularly for 

10 evaluating instructional practices and cur11 riculum; 

12 ‘‘(iii) ensuring successful learning for 

13 students with individual differences in abil14 ity and instructional needs; 

15 ‘‘(iv) effective classroom management; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(v) effective ways to communicate 

18 with, work with, and involve parents in 

19 their children’s education.’’. 

20 SEC. 3. STATE GRANTS. 

21 Section 202 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

22 U.S.C. 1022) is amended to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 202. STATE GRANTS. 

24 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available 

25 under section 211(1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary is 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
12 

•S 1231 IS

1 authorized to award grants under this section, on a com2 petitive basis, to eligible States to enable the eligible 

3 States to carry out the activities described in subsection 

4 (d). 

5 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE STATE.— 

6 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this part, the term ‘eligi7 ble State’ means— 

8 ‘‘(A) a State educational agency; or 

9 ‘‘(B) an entity or agency in the State re10 sponsible for teacher certification and prepara11 tion activities. 

12 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—The eligible State shall 

13 consult with the Governor, State board of education, 

14 State educational agency, State agency for higher 

15 education, State agency with responsibility for child 

16 care, prekindergarten, or other early childhood edu17 cation programs, and other State entities that pro18 vide professional development and teacher prepara19 tion for teachers, as appropriate, with respect to the 

20 activities assisted under this section. 

21 ‘‘(3) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub22 section shall be construed to negate or supersede the 

23 legal authority under State law of any State agency, 

24 State entity, or State public official over programs 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
13 

•S 1231 IS

1 that are under the jurisdiction of the agency, entity, 

2 or official. 

3 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

4 under this section, an eligible State shall, at the time of 

5 the initial grant application, submit an application to the 

6 Secretary that— 

7 ‘‘(1) meets the requirements of this section and 

8 other relevant requirements for States under this 

9 title; 

10 ‘‘(2) describes how the eligible State intends to 

11 use funds provided under this section in accordance 

12 with State-identified needs; 

13 ‘‘(3) describes the eligible State’s plan for con14 tinuing the activities carried out with the grant once 

15 Federal funding ceases; 

16 ‘‘(4) describes how the eligible State will coordi17 nate activities authorized under this section with 

18 other Federal, State, and local personnel preparation 

19 and professional development programs; and 

20 ‘‘(5) contains such other information and assur21 ances as the Secretary may require. 

22 ‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible State that re23 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds 

24 to reform teacher preparation requirements, and to ensure 

25 that current and future teachers are highly qualified and 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
14 

•S 1231 IS

1 possess strong teaching skills and knowledge to assess stu2 dent academic achievement, by carrying out 1 or more of 

3 the following activities: 

4 ‘‘(1) REFORMS.—Implementing reforms that 

5 hold institutions of higher education with teacher 

6 preparation programs accountable for, and assist 

7 such programs in, preparing teachers who have 

8 strong teaching skills and are highly qualified or 

9 early childhood education providers who are highly 

10 competent. Such reforms shall include— 

11 ‘‘(A) State program approval requirements 

12 regarding curriculum changes by teacher prepa13 ration programs that improve teaching skills 

14 based on scientific knowledge— 

15 ‘‘(i) about the disciplines of teaching 

16 and learning, including effective ways to 

17 communicate with, work with, and involve 

18 parents in their children’s education; and 

19 ‘‘(ii) about understanding and re20 sponding effectively to students with spe21 cial needs, including students with disabil22 ities, limited-English proficient students, 

23 students with low literacy levels, and stu24 dents with different learning styles or 

25 other special learning needs; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
15 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(B) State program approval requirements 

2 for teacher preparation programs to have in 

3 place mechanisms to measure and assess the ef4 fectiveness and impact of teacher preparation 

5 programs, including on student achievement; 

6 ‘‘(C) assurances from institutions that 

7 such institutions have a program in place that 

8 provides a year-long clinical experience for pro9 spective teachers; 

10 ‘‘(D) collecting and using data, in collabo11 ration with institutions of higher education, 

12 schools, and local educational agencies, on 

13 teacher retention rates, by school, to evaluate 

14 and strengthen the effectiveness of the State’s 

15 teacher support system; and 

16 ‘‘(E) developing methods and building ca17 pacity for teacher preparation programs to as18 sess the retention rates of the programs’ grad19 uates and to use such information for contin20 uous program improvement. 

21 ‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION OR LICENSURE REQUIRE22 MENTS.—Ensuring the State’s teacher certification 

23 or licensure requirements are rigorous so that teach24 ers have strong teaching skills and are highly quali25 fied. 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
16 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(3) ALTERNATIVE ROUTES TO STATE CERTIFI2 CATION.—Carrying out programs that provide pro3 spective teachers with high-quality alternative routes 

4 to traditional preparation for teaching and to State 

5 certification for well-prepared and qualified prospec6 tive teachers, including— 

7 ‘‘(A) programs at schools or departments 

8 of arts and sciences, schools or departments of 

9 education within institutions of higher edu10 cation, or at nonprofit educational organizations 

11 with expertise in producing highly qualified 

12 teachers that include instruction in teaching 

13 skills; 

14 ‘‘(B) a selective means for admitting indi15 viduals into such programs; 

16 ‘‘(C) providing intensive support, including 

17 induction, during the initial teaching experi18 ence; 

19 ‘‘(D) establishing, expanding, or improving 

20 alternative routes to State certification of teach21 ers for qualified individuals, including mid-ca22 reer professionals from other occupations, para23 professionals, former military personnel and re24 cent college graduates with records of academic 

25 distinction, that have a proven record of effecVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:39 Apr 27, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1231.IS S1231

ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
17 

•S 1231 IS

1 tiveness and that ensure that current and fu2 ture teachers possess strong teaching skills and 

3 are highly qualified; and 

4 ‘‘(E) providing support in the disciplines of 

5 teaching and learning to ensure that prospective 

6 teachers— 

7 ‘‘(i) have an understanding of evi8 dence-based effective teaching practices; 

9 ‘‘(ii) have knowledge of student learn10 ing methods; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) possess strong teaching skills, 

12 including effective ways to communicate 

13 with, work with, and involve parents in 

14 their children’s education. 

15 ‘‘(4) STATE CERTIFICATION RECIPROCITY.—Es16 tablishing and promoting reciprocity of certification 

17 or licensing between or among States for general 

18 and special education teachers and principals, except 

19 that no reciprocity agreement developed pursuant to 

20 this paragraph or developed using funds provided 

21 under this part may lead to the weakening of any 

22 State certification or licensing requirement that is 

23 shown through evidence-based research to ensure 

24 teacher and principal quality and student achieve25 ment. 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
18 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(5) RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION.—Devel2 oping and implementing effective mechanisms to en3 sure that local educational agencies, schools, and 

4 early childhood program providers are able to effec5 tively recruit and retain highly qualified teachers, 

6 highly competent early childhood education pro7 viders, and principals, and provide access to ongoing 

8 professional development opportunities for teachers, 

9 early childhood education providers, and principals, 

10 including activities described in subsections (d) and 

11 (e) of section 204. 

12 ‘‘(6) SOCIAL PROMOTION.—Development and 

13 implementation of efforts to address the problem of 

14 social promotion and to prepare teachers, principals, 

15 administrators, and parents to effectively address 

16 the issues raised by ending the practice of social pro17 motion.’’. 

18 SEC. 4. PARTNERSHIP GRANTS. 

19 Section 203 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

20 U.S.C. 1023) is amended to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 203. PARTNERSHIP GRANTS. 

22 ‘‘(a) GRANTS.—From amounts made available under 

23 section 211(2) for a fiscal year, the Secretary is author24 ized to award grants under this section, on a competitive 

25 basis, to eligible partnerships to enable the eligible partVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:39 Apr 27, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1231.IS S1231

ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
19 

•S 1231 IS

1 nerships to carry out the activities described in subsections 

2 (d) and (e). 

3 ‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—In this part, 

5 the term ‘eligible partnership’ means an entity 

6 that— 

7 ‘‘(A) shall include— 

8 ‘‘(i) a partner institution; 

9 ‘‘(ii) a school or department of arts 

10 and sciences within the partner institution 

11 under clause (i); 

12 ‘‘(iii) a school or department of edu13 cation within the partner institution under 

14 clause (i); 

15 ‘‘(iv)(I) a department of psychology 

16 within the partner institution under clause 

17 (i); 

18 ‘‘(II) a department of human develop19 ment within the partner institution under 

20 clause (i); or 

21 ‘‘(III) a department with comparable 

22 expertise in the disciplines of teaching, 

23 learning, and child and adolescent develop24 ment within the partner institution under 

25 clause (i); 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
20 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(v) a high-need local educational 

2 agency; and 

3 ‘‘(vi)(I) a high-need school served by 

4 the high-need local educational agency 

5 under clause (v); or 

6 ‘‘(II) a consortium of schools of the 

7 high-need local educational agency under 

8 clause (v); and 

9 ‘‘(B) may include a Governor, State edu10 cational agency, the State board of education, 

11 the State agency for higher education, an insti12 tution of higher education not described in sub13 paragraph (A) (including a community college), 

14 a public charter school, other public elementary 

15 school or secondary school, a combination or 

16 network of urban, suburban, or rural schools, a 

17 public or private nonprofit educational organi18 zation, a business, a teacher organization, or an 

19 early childhood education program. 

20 ‘‘(2) PARTNER INSTITUTION.—In this section, 

21 the term ‘partner institution’ means a private inde22 pendent or State-supported public institution of 

23 higher education, or a consortium of such institu24 tions, that has not been designated under section 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
21 

•S 1231 IS

1 208(a) and the teacher preparation program of 

2 which demonstrates that— 

3 ‘‘(A) graduates from the teacher prepara4 tion program who intend to enter the field of 

5 teaching exhibit strong performance on State6 determined qualifying assessments and are 

7 highly qualified; or 

8 ‘‘(B) the teacher preparation program re9 quires all the students of the program to par10 ticipate in intensive clinical experience, to meet 

11 high academic standards, to possess strong 

12 teaching skills, and— 

13 ‘‘(i) in the case of prospective elemen14 tary school and secondary school teachers, 

15 to become highly qualified; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) in the case of prospective early 

17 childhood education providers, to become 

18 highly competent. 

19 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Each eligible partnership desir20 ing a grant under this section shall submit an application 

21 to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accom22 panied by such information as the Secretary may require. 

23 Each such application shall— 

24 ‘‘(1) contain a needs assessment of all the part25 ners with respect to the preparation, ongoing trainVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:39 Apr 27, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1231.IS S1231

ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
22 

•S 1231 IS

1 ing, and professional development of early childhood 

2 education providers, general and special education 

3 teachers, and principals, the extent to which the pro4 gram prepares new teachers with strong teaching 

5 skills, a description of how the partnership will co6 ordinate strategies and activities with other teacher 

7 preparation or professional development programs, 

8 and how the activities of the partnership will be con9 sistent with State, local, and other education reform 

10 activities that promote student achievement and pa11 rental involvement; 

12 ‘‘(2) contain a resource assessment that de13 scribes the resources available to the partnership, in14 cluding the integration of funds from other related 

15 sources, the intended use of the grant funds, includ16 ing a description of how the grant funds will be fair17 ly distributed in accordance with subsection (f), and 

18 the commitment of the resources of the partnership 

19 to the activities assisted under this part, including 

20 financial support, faculty participation, time commit21 ments, and continuation of the activities when the 

22 grant ends; 

23 ‘‘(3) contain a description of— 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
23 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(A) how the partnership will meet the 

2 purposes of this part, in accordance with the 

3 needs assessment required under paragraph (1); 

4 ‘‘(B) how the partnership will carry out 

5 the activities required under subsection (d) and 

6 any permissible activities under subsection (e) 

7 based on the needs identified in paragraph (1) 

8 with the goal of improving student achievement; 

9 ‘‘(C) the partnership’s evaluation plan pur10 suant to section 206(b); 

11 ‘‘(D) how faculty at the partner institution 

12 will work with, over the term of the grant, prin13 cipals and teachers in the classrooms of the 

14 high-need local educational agency included in 

15 the partnership; 

16 ‘‘(E) how the partnership will enhance the 

17 instructional leadership and management skills 

18 of principals and provide effective support for 

19 principals, including new principals; 

20 ‘‘(F) how the partnership will design, im21 plement, or enhance a year-long, rigorous, and 

22 enriching preservice clinical program compo23 nent; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
24 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(G) the in-service professional develop2 ment strategies and activities to be supported; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(H) how the partnership will collect, ana5 lyze, and use data on the retention of all teach6 ers, early childhood education providers, or 

7 principals in schools located in the geographic 

8 areas served by the partnership to evaluate the 

9 effectiveness of its educator support system; 

10 ‘‘(4) contain a certification from the partner11 ship that it has reviewed the application and deter12 mined that the grant proposed will comply with sub13 section (f); 

14 ‘‘(5) include, for the residency program de15 scribed in subsection (d)(3)— 

16 ‘‘(A) a demonstration that the schools and 

17 departments within the institution of higher 

18 education that are part of the residency pro19 gram have relevant and essential roles in the ef20 fective preparation of teachers, including con21 tent expertise and expertise in the science of 

22 teaching and learning; 

23 ‘‘(B) a demonstration of capability and 

24 commitment to evidence-based teaching and ac25 cessibility to, and involvement of, faculty docuVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:39 Apr 27, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1231.IS S1231

ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
25 

•S 1231 IS

1 mented by professional development offered to 

2 staff and documented experience with university 

3 collaborations; 

4 ‘‘(C) a description of how the residency 

5 program will design and implement an induc6 tion period to support all new teachers through 

7 not less than the first 2 years of teaching in the 

8 further development of their teaching skills, in9 cluding use of mentors who are trained and 

10 compensated by such program for their work 

11 with new teachers; and 

12 ‘‘(D) a description of how faculty involved 

13 in the residency program will be able to sub14 stantially participate in an early childhood edu15 cation program or an elementary or secondary 

16 classroom setting, including release time and 

17 receiving workload credit for their participation; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(6) include an assurance that the partnership 

20 has mechanisms in place to measure and assess the 

21 effectiveness and impact of the activities to be un22 dertaken, including on student achievement. 

23 ‘‘(d) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible part24 nership that receives a grant under this section shall use 

25 the grant funds to carry out the following activities, as 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
26 

•S 1231 IS

1 applicable to teachers, early childhood education providers, 

2 or principals, in accordance with the needs assessment re3 quired under subsection (c)(1): 

4 ‘‘(1) REFORMS.—Implementing reforms within 

5 teacher preparation programs, where needed, to hold 

6 the programs accountable for preparing teachers 

7 who are highly qualified or early childhood education 

8 providers who are highly competent and for pro9 moting strong teaching skills, including integrating 

10 reliable evidence-based teaching methods into the 

11 curriculum, which curriculum shall include parental 

12 involvement training and programs designed to suc13 cessfully integrate technology into teaching and 

14 learning. Such reforms shall include— 

15 ‘‘(A) teacher preparation program cur16 riculum changes that improve, and assess how 

17 well all new teachers develop, teaching skills; 

18 ‘‘(B) use of scientific knowledge about the 

19 disciplines of teaching and learning so that all 

20 prospective teachers— 

21 ‘‘(i) understand evidence-based teach22 ing practices; 

23 ‘‘(ii) have knowledge of student learn24 ing methods; and 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
27 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(iii) possess teaching skills that en2 able them to meet the learning needs of all 

3 students; 

4 ‘‘(C) assurances that all teachers have a 

5 sufficient base of scientific knowledge to under6 stand and respond effectively to students with 

7 special needs, such as providing instruction to 

8 diverse student populations, including students 

9 with disabilities, limited-English proficient stu10 dents, students with low literacy levels, and stu11 dents with different learning styles or other 

12 special learning needs; 

13 ‘‘(D) assurances that the most recent sci14 entifically based research, including research 

15 relevant to particular fields of teaching, is in16 corporated into professional development activi17 ties used by faculty; and 

18 ‘‘(E) working with and involving parents in 

19 their children’s education to improve the aca20 demic achievement of their children and in the 

21 teacher preparation program reform process. 

22 ‘‘(2) CLINICAL EXPERIENCE AND INTER23 ACTION.—Developing and providing sustained and 

24 high-quality preservice clinical education programs 

25 to further develop the teaching skills of all general 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
28 

•S 1231 IS

1 education teachers and special education teachers, at 

2 schools within the partnership, at the school or de3 partment of education within the partner institution, 

4 or at evidence-based practice school settings. Such 

5 programs shall— 

6 ‘‘(A) incorporate a year-long, rigorous, and 

7 enriching activity or combination of activities, 

8 including— 

9 ‘‘(i) clinical learning opportunities; 

10 ‘‘(ii) field experiences; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) supervised practice; and 

12 ‘‘(B) be offered over the course of a pro13 gram of preparation and coursework (that may 

14 be developed as a 5th year of a teacher prepa15 ration program) for prospective general and 

16 special education teachers, including mentoring 

17 in instructional skills, classroom management 

18 skills, collaboration skills, and strategies to ef19 fectively assess student progress and achieve20 ment, and substantially increasing closely su21 pervised interaction between faculty and new 

22 and experienced teachers, principals, and other 

23 administrators at early childhood education pro24 grams, elementary schools, or secondary 

25 schools, and providing support, including prepaVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:39 Apr 27, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1231.IS S1231

ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
29 

•S 1231 IS

1 ration time and release time, for such inter2 action. 

3 ‘‘(3) RESIDENCY PROGRAMS FOR NEW TEACH4 ERS.—Creating a residency program that provides 

5 an induction period for all new general education 

6 and special education teachers for not less than such 

7 teachers’ first 2 years. Such program shall promote 

8 the integration of the science of teaching and learn9 ing in the classroom, provide high-quality induction 

10 opportunities (including mentoring), provide oppor11 tunities for the dissemination of evidence-based re12 search on educational practices, and provide for op13 portunities to engage in professional development ac14 tivities offered through professional associations of 

15 educators. Such program shall draw directly upon 

16 the expertise of teacher mentors, faculty, and re17 searchers that involves their active support in pro18 viding a setting for integrating evidence-based prac19 tice for prospective teachers, including rigorous, su20 pervised training in high-quality teaching settings 

21 that promotes the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) Knowledge of the scientific research 

23 on teaching and learning. 

24 ‘‘(B) Development of skills in evidence25 based educational interventions. 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
30 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(C) Faculty who model the integration of 

2 research and practice in the classroom, and the 

3 effective use and integration of technology. 

4 ‘‘(D) Interdisciplinary collaboration among 

5 exemplary teachers, faculty, researchers, and 

6 other staff who prepare new teachers on the 

7 learning process and the assessment of learn8 ing. 

9 ‘‘(E) A forum for information sharing 

10 among prospective teachers, teachers, prin11 cipals, administrators, and participating faculty 

12 in the partner institution. 

13 ‘‘(F) Application of scientifically based re14 search on teaching and learning generated by 

15 entities such as the Institute of Education 

16 Sciences and by the National Research Council. 

17 ‘‘(4) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—Creating 

18 opportunities for enhanced and ongoing professional 

19 development for experienced general education and 

20 special education teachers, early childhood education 

21 providers, principals, administrators, and faculty 

22 that— 

23 ‘‘(A) improves the academic content knowl24 edge, as well as knowledge to assess student 

25 academic achievement and how to use the reVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:39 Apr 27, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1231.IS S1231

ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
31 

•S 1231 IS

1 sults of such assessments to improve instruc2 tion, of teachers in the subject matter or aca3 demic content areas in which the teachers are 

4 certified to teach or in which the teachers are 

5 working toward certification to teach; 

6 ‘‘(B) promotes strong teaching skills and 

7 an understanding of how to apply scientific 

8 knowledge about teaching and learning to their 

9 teaching practice and to their ongoing class10 room assessment of students; 

11 ‘‘(C) provides mentoring, team teaching, 

12 reduced class schedules, and intensive profes13 sional development; 

14 ‘‘(D) encourages and supports training of 

15 teachers, principals, and administrators to ef16 fectively use and integrate technology— 

17 ‘‘(i) into curricula and instruction, in18 cluding training to improve the ability to 

19 collect, manage, and analyze data to im20 prove teaching, decisionmaking, school im21 provement efforts, and accountability; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) to enhance learning by children, 

23 including students with disabilities, lim24 ited-English proficient students, students 

25 with low literacy levels, and students with 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
32 

•S 1231 IS

1 different learning styles or other special 

2 learning needs; 

3 ‘‘(E) offers teachers, principals, and ad4 ministrators training on how to effectively com5 municate with, work with, and involve parents 

6 in their children’s education; 

7 ‘‘(F) creates an ongoing retraining loop for 

8 experienced teachers, principals, and adminis9 trators, whereby the residency program activi10 ties and practices— 

11 ‘‘(i) inform the research of faculty and 

12 other researchers; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) translate evidence-based research 

14 findings into improved practice techniques 

15 and improved teacher preparation pro16 grams; and 

17 ‘‘(G) includes the rotation, for varying pe18 riods of time, of experienced teachers— 

19 ‘‘(i) who are associated with the part20 nership to early childhood education pro21 grams, elementary schools, or secondary 

22 schools not associated with the partnership 

23 in order to enable such experienced teach24 ers to act as a resource for all teachers in 

25 the local educational agency or State; and 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
33 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(ii) who are not associated with the 

2 partnership to early childhood education 

3 programs, elementary schools, or secondary 

4 schools associated with the partnership in 

5 order to enable such experienced teachers 

6 to observe how teaching and professional 

7 development occurs in the partnership. 

8 ‘‘(5) SUPPORT AND TRAINING FOR PARTICI9 PANTS.—Providing support and training for those 

10 individuals participating in the required activities 

11 under paragraphs (1) through (4) who serve as role 

12 models or mentors for prospective, new, and experi13 enced teachers, based on such individuals’ experi14 ence. Such support— 

15 ‘‘(A) also may be provided to the 

16 preservice clinical experience participants, as 

17 appropriate; and 

18 ‘‘(B) may include— 

19 ‘‘(i) release time for such individual’s 

20 participation; 

21 ‘‘(ii) receiving course workload credit 

22 and compensation for time teaching in the 

23 partnership activities; and 

24 ‘‘(iii) stipends. 

25 ‘‘(6) LEADERSHIP AND MANAGERIAL SKILLS.— 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
34 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Developing and imple2 menting proven mechanisms to provide prin3 cipals, superintendents, early childhood edu4 cation program directors, and administrators 

5 (and mentor teachers, as practicable) with— 

6 ‘‘(i) an understanding of the skills 

7 and behaviors that contribute to effective 

8 instructional leadership and the mainte9 nance of a safe and effective learning envi10 ronment; 

11 ‘‘(ii) teaching and assessment skills 

12 needed to support successful classroom 

13 teaching; 

14 ‘‘(iii) an understanding of how stu15 dents learn and develop in order to in16 crease achievement for all students; and 

17 ‘‘(iv) the skills to effectively involve 

18 parents. 

19 ‘‘(B) MECHANISMS.—The mechanisms de20 veloped and implemented pursuant to subpara21 graph (A) may include any of the following: 

22 ‘‘(i) Mentoring of new principals. 

23 ‘‘(ii) Field-based experiences, super24 vised practica, or internship opportunities. 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
35 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(iii) Other activities to expand the 

2 knowledge base and practical skills of prin3 cipals, superintendents, early childhood 

4 education program directors, and adminis5 trators (and mentor teachers, as prac6 ticable). 

7 ‘‘(e) ALLOWABLE USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible 

8 partnership that receives a grant under this section may 

9 use such funds to carry out the following activities: 

10 ‘‘(1) DISSEMINATION AND COORDINATION.— 

11 Broadly disseminating information on effective prac12 tices used by the partnership, including teaching 

13 strategies and interactive materials for developing 

14 skills in classroom management and assessment and 

15 how to respond to individual student needs, abilities, 

16 and backgrounds, to early childhood education pro17 viders and teachers in elementary schools or sec18 ondary schools that are not associated with the part19 nership. Coordinating with the activities of the Gov20 ernor, State board of education, State higher edu21 cation agency, and State educational agency, as ap22 propriate. 

23 ‘‘(2) CURRICULUM PREPARATION.—Supporting 

24 preparation time for early childhood education pro25 viders, teachers in elementary schools or secondary 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
36 

•S 1231 IS

1 schools, and faculty to jointly design and implement 

2 teacher preparation curricula, classroom experiences, 

3 and ongoing professional development opportunities 

4 that promote the acquisition and continued growth 

5 of teaching skills. 

6 ‘‘(3) COMMUNICATION SKILLS.—Developing 

7 strategies and curriculum-based professional devel8 opment activities to enhance prospective teachers’ 

9 communication skills with students, parents, col10 leagues, and other education professionals. 

11 ‘‘(4) COORDINATION WITH OTHER INSTITU12 TIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—Coordinating with 

13 other institutions of higher education, including 

14 community colleges, to implement teacher prepara15 tion programs that support prospective teachers in 

16 obtaining baccalaureate degrees and State certifi17 cation or licensure. 

18 ‘‘(5) TEACHER RECRUITMENT.—Activities de19 scribed in subsections (d) and (e) of section 204. 

20 ‘‘(6) PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT.—Developing, 

21 for teacher preparation program improvement pur22 poses, methods and infrastructure to assess reten23 tion rates in the teaching field of teacher prepara24 tion program graduates and the achievement out25 comes of such graduates’ students. 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
37 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(f) SPECIAL RULE.—No individual member of an el2 igible partnership shall retain more than 50 percent of the 

3 funds made available to the partnership under this section. 

4 ‘‘(g) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall 

5 be construed to prohibit an eligible partnership from using 

6 grant funds to coordinate with the activities of more than 

7 1 Governor, State board of education, State educational 

8 agency, local educational agency, or State agency for high9 er education.’’. 

10 SEC. 5. RECRUITMENT GRANTS. 

11 Section 204 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

12 U.S.C. 1024) is amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 204. RECRUITMENT GRANTS. 

14 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts made 

15 available under section 211(3) for a fiscal year, the Sec16 retary is authorized to award grants, on a competitive 

17 basis, to eligible applicants to enable the eligible applicants 

18 to carry out activities described in subsections (d) and (e). 

19 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT DEFINED.—In this part, 

20 the term ‘eligible applicant’ means— 

21 ‘‘(1) an eligible State described in section 

22 202(b) that has— 

23 ‘‘(A) high teacher shortages or annual 

24 turnover rates; or 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
38 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(B) high teacher shortages or annual 

2 turnover rates of 20 percent or more in high3 need local educational agencies; or 

4 ‘‘(2) an eligible partnership described in section 

5 203(b) that— 

6 ‘‘(A) serves not less than 1 high-need local 

7 educational agency with high teacher shortages 

8 or annual turnover rates of 20 percent or more; 

9 ‘‘(B) serves schools that demonstrate great 

10 difficulty meeting State challenging academic 

11 content standards; or 

12 ‘‘(C) demonstrates great difficulty meeting 

13 the requirement that teachers be highly quali14 fied. 

15 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Any eligible applicant desiring 

16 to receive a grant under this section shall submit an appli17 cation to the Secretary at such time, in such form, and 

18 containing such information as the Secretary may require, 

19 including— 

20 ‘‘(1) a description of the assessment that the el21 igible applicant, and the other entities with whom 

22 the eligible applicant will carry out the grant activi23 ties, have undertaken to determine the most critical 

24 needs of the participating high-need local edu25 cational agencies; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
39 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(2) a description of how the eligible applicant 

2 will recruit and retain highly qualified teachers or 

3 other qualified individuals, including principals and 

4 early childhood education providers, or both, who are 

5 enrolled in, accepted to, or plan to participate in 

6 teacher preparation programs or professional devel7 opment activities, as described under section 203, in 

8 geographic areas of greatest need, including data on 

9 the retention rate, by school, of all teachers in 

10 schools located within the geographic areas served by 

11 the eligible applicant; 

12 ‘‘(3) a description of the activities the eligible 

13 applicant will carry out with the grant; and 

14 ‘‘(4) a description of the eligible applicant’s 

15 plan for continuing the activities carried out with 

16 the grant once Federal funding ceases. 

17 ‘‘(d) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible appli18 cant receiving a grant under this section shall use the 

19 grant funds— 

20 ‘‘(1)(A) to award scholarships to help students 

21 pay the costs of tuition, room, board, and other ex22 penses of completing a teacher preparation program; 

23 ‘‘(B) to provide support services, if needed, to 

24 enable scholarship recipients to complete postsec25 ondary education programs; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
40 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(C) for followup services (including induction 

2 opportunities, mentoring, and professional develop3 ment activities) provided to former scholarship re4 cipients during not less than the recipients’ first 2 

5 years of teaching; and 

6 ‘‘(D) in the case where the eligible applicant 

7 also receives a grant under section 203, for support 

8 and training for mentor teachers who participate in 

9 the residency program; or 

10 ‘‘(2) to develop and implement effective mecha11 nisms, including a professional development system 

12 and career ladders, to ensure that high-need local 

13 educational agencies, high-need schools, and early 

14 childhood education programs are able to effectively 

15 recruit and retain highly competent early childhood 

16 education providers, highly qualified teachers, and 

17 principals. 

18 ‘‘(e) ALLOWABLE USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible appli19 cant receiving a grant under this section may use the 

20 grant funds to carry out the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) OUTREACH.—Conducting outreach and co22 ordinating with urban and rural secondary schools to 

23 encourage students to pursue teaching as a career. 

24 ‘‘(2) EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION COM25 PENSATION.—For eligible applicants focusing on 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
41 

•S 1231 IS

1 early childhood education, implementing initiatives 

2 that increase compensation of early childhood edu3 cation providers who attain degrees in early child4 hood education. 

5 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT.—Developing, 

6 for teacher preparation program improvement pur7 poses, methods and infrastructure to assess reten8 tion rates in the teaching field of teacher prepara9 tion program graduates and the achievement out10 comes of such graduates’ students. 

11 ‘‘(f) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall 

12 establish such requirements as the Secretary finds nec13 essary to ensure that recipients of scholarships under this 

14 section who complete teacher education programs subse15 quently teach in a high-need local educational agency, for 

16 a period of time equivalent to the period for which the 

17 recipients receive scholarship assistance, or repay the 

18 amount of the scholarship. The Secretary shall use any 

19 such repayments to carry out additional activities under 

20 this section.’’. 

21 SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

22 Section 205 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

23 U.S.C. 1025) is amended— 

24 (1) in subsection (a)— 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
42 

•S 1231 IS

1 (A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘ONE2 TIME AWARDS;’’; 

3 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 

4 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

5 paragraph (2); 

6 (2) in subsection (b)— 

7 (A) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

8 paragraph (4); 

9 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert10 ing the following: 

11 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION OF PANEL.—The peer re12 view panel shall be composed of experts who are 

13 competent, by virtue of their training, expertise, or 

14 experience, to evaluate applications for grants under 

15 this part. A majority of the panel shall be composed 

16 of individuals who are not employees of the Federal 

17 Government.’’; 

18 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(3) EVALUATION AND PRIORITY.—The peer 

21 review panel shall evaluate the applicants’ proposals 

22 to improve the current and future teaching force 

23 through program and certification reforms, teacher 

24 preparation program activities (including implemen25 tation and assessment strategies), and professional 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
43 

•S 1231 IS

1 development activities described in sections 202, 

2 203, and 204, as appropriate. In recommending ap3 plications to the Secretary for funding under this 

4 part, the peer review panel shall— 

5 ‘‘(A) with respect to grants under section 

6 202, give priority to eligible States that— 

7 ‘‘(i) have initiatives to reform State 

8 program approval requirements for teacher 

9 preparation programs that are designed to 

10 ensure that current and future teachers 

11 are highly qualified and possess strong 

12 teaching skills, knowledge to assess student 

13 academic achievement, and the ability to 

14 use this information in such teachers’ 

15 classroom instruction; 

16 ‘‘(ii) include innovative reforms to 

17 hold institutions of higher education with 

18 teacher preparation programs accountable 

19 for preparing teachers who are highly 

20 qualified and have strong teaching skills; 

21 or 

22 ‘‘(iii) involve the development of inno23 vative efforts aimed at reducing the short24 age of— 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
44 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(I) highly qualified teachers in 

2 high-poverty urban and rural areas; 

3 and 

4 ‘‘(II) highly qualified teachers in 

5 fields with persistently high teacher 

6 shortages, including special education; 

7 ‘‘(B) with respect to grants under section 

8 203— 

9 ‘‘(i) give priority to applications from 

10 eligible partnerships that involve broad 

11 participation within the community, includ12 ing businesses; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) take into consideration— 

14 ‘‘(I) providing an equitable geo15 graphic distribution of the grants 

16 throughout the United States; and 

17 ‘‘(II) the potential of the pro18 posed activities for creating improve19 ment and positive change; and 

20 ‘‘(C) with respect to grants under section 

21 204, give priority to eligible applicants that 

22 have in place, or in progress, articulation agree23 ments between 2- and 4-year public and private 

24 institutions of higher education and nonprofit 

25 providers of professional development with demVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:39 Apr 27, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1231.IS S1231

ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
45 

•S 1231 IS

1 onstrated experience in professional develop2 ment activities.’’; and 

3 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(5) PAYMENT OF FEES AND EXPENSES OF

5 CERTAIN MEMBERS.—The Secretary may use avail6 able funds appropriated to carry out this part to pay 

7 the expenses and fees of peer review panel members 

8 who are not employees of the Federal Government.’’; 

9 and 

10 (3) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the 

11 following: 

12 ‘‘(e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—For each fiscal year, 

13 the Secretary may expend not more than $500,000 or 0.75 

14 percent of the funds appropriated to carry out this title 

15 for such fiscal year, whichever amount is greater, to pro16 vide technical assistance to States and partnerships receiv17 ing grants under this part.’’. 

18 SEC. 7. ACCOUNTABILITY AND EVALUATION. 

19 Section 206 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

20 U.S.C. 1026) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (a)— 

22 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph 

23 (1)— 

24 (i) by striking ‘‘Committee on Labor 

25 and Human Resources’’ and inserting 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
46 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

2 and Pensions’’; and 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘Committee on Edu4 cation and the Workforce’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘Committee on Education and Labor’’; 

6 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘, includ7 ing,’’ and all that follows through the period 

8 and inserting ‘‘as a highly qualified teacher.’’; 

9 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘highly’’; and 

11 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

12 and inserting ‘‘that meet the same stand13 ards and criteria of State certification or 

14 licensure programs.’’; 

15 (D) by striking paragraph (4) and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(4) TEACHER AND PROVIDER QUALIFICA18 TIONS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY

20 SCHOOL CLASSES.—Increasing the percentage 

21 of elementary school and secondary school 

22 classes taught by teachers— 

23 ‘‘(i) who have strong teaching skills 

24 and are highly qualified; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
47 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(ii) who have completed preparation 

2 programs that provide such teachers with 

3 the scientific knowledge about the dis4 ciplines of teaching, learning, and child 

5 and adolescent development so the teachers 

6 understand and use evidence-based teach7 ing skills to meet the learning needs of all 

8 students; or 

9 ‘‘(iii) who have completed a residency 

10 program through not less than their first 2 

11 years of teaching that includes mentoring 

12 by faculty who are trained and com13 pensated for their work with new teachers. 

14 ‘‘(B) EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PRO15 GRAMS.—Increasing the percentage of class16 rooms in early childhood education programs 

17 taught by providers who are highly com18 petent.’’; 

19 (E) by striking paragraph (5) and insert20 ing the following: 

21 ‘‘(5) DECREASING SHORTAGES.—Decreasing 

22 shortages of— 

23 ‘‘(A) qualified teachers and principals in 

24 poor urban and rural areas; and 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
48 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(B) qualified teachers in fields with per2 sistently high teacher shortages, including spe3 cial education.’’; and 

4 (F) by striking paragraph (6) and insert5 ing the following: 

6 ‘‘(6) INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFES7 SIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—Increasing opportunities 

8 for enhanced and ongoing professional development 

9 that— 

10 ‘‘(A) improves— 

11 ‘‘(i) the knowledge and skills of early 

12 childhood education providers; 

13 ‘‘(ii) the knowledge of teachers in spe14 cial education; 

15 ‘‘(iii) the knowledge of general edu16 cation teachers, principals, and administra17 tors about special education content and 

18 instructional practices; 

19 ‘‘(iv) the knowledge and skills to as20 sess student academic achievement and use 

21 the results of such assessments to improve 

22 instruction; 

23 ‘‘(v) the knowledge of subject matter 

24 or academic content areas— 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
49 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(I) in which the teachers are 

2 certified or licensed to teach; or 

3 ‘‘(II) in which the teachers are 

4 working toward certification or licen5 sure to teach; or 

6 ‘‘(vi) the knowledge and skills to effec7 tively communicate with, work with, and 

8 involve parents in their children’s edu9 cation; 

10 ‘‘(B) promotes strong teaching skills and 

11 an understanding of how to apply scientific 

12 knowledge about teaching and learning to 

13 teachers’ teaching practice and to teachers’ on14 going classroom assessment of students; and 

15 ‘‘(C) provides enhanced instructional lead16 ership and management skills for principals.’’; 

17 (2) in subsection (b)— 

18 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

19 by striking ‘‘for’’ and inserting ‘‘for teachers, 

20 early childhood education providers, or prin21 cipals, as appropriate, according to the needs 

22 assessment required under section 203(c)(1), 

23 for’’; and 

24 (B) by striking paragraphs (1) through (6) 

25 and inserting the following: 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
50 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(1) increased demonstration by program grad2 uates of teaching skills grounded in scientific knowl3 edge about the disciplines of teaching and learning; 

4 ‘‘(2) increased student achievement for all stu5 dents as measured by the partnership, including 

6 mechanisms to measure student achievement due to 

7 the specific activities conducted by the partnership; 

8 ‘‘(3) increased teacher retention in the first 3 

9 years of a teacher’s career based, in part, on teacher 

10 retention data collected as described in section 

11 203(c)(3)(H); 

12 ‘‘(4) increased success in the pass rate for ini13 tial State certification or licensure of teachers; 

14 ‘‘(5) increased percentage of elementary school 

15 and secondary school classes taught by teachers who 

16 are highly qualified; 

17 ‘‘(6) increased percentage of early childhood 

18 education program classes taught by providers who 

19 are highly competent; 

20 ‘‘(7) increased percentage of early childhood 

21 education programs and elementary school and sec22 ondary school classes taught by providers and teach23 ers who demonstrate clinical judgment, communica24 tion, and problem-solving skills resulting from par25 ticipation in a residency program; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
51 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(8) increased percentage of highly qualified 

2 special education teachers; 

3 ‘‘(9) increased number of general education 

4 teachers trained in working with students with dis5 abilities, limited-English proficient students, and 

6 students with different learning styles or other spe7 cial learning needs; 

8 ‘‘(10) increased number of teachers trained in 

9 technology; and 

10 ‘‘(11) increased number of teachers, early child11 hood education providers, or principals prepared to 

12 work effectively with parents.’’; and 

13 (3) in subsection (d)— 

14 (A) by inserting ‘‘, with particular atten15 tion to the reports and evaluations provided by 

16 the eligible States and eligible partnerships pur17 suant to this section,’’ after ‘‘funded under this 

18 part’’; 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘Committee on Labor and 

20 Human Resources’’ and inserting ‘‘Committee 

21 on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions’’; 

22 and 

23 (C) by striking ‘‘Committee on Education 

24 and the Workforce’’ and inserting ‘‘Committee 

25 on Education and Labor’’. 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
52 

•S 1231 IS

1 SEC. 8. ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PROGRAMS THAT PREPARE 

2 TEACHERS. 

3 Section 207 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

4 U.S.C. 1027) is amended— 

5 (1) by striking subsection (a); 

6 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) through (f) 

7 as subsections (a) through (e), respectively; 

8 (3) in subsection (a), as redesignated by para9 graph (2)— 

10 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

11 by striking ‘‘, within 2 years’’ and all that fol12 lows through ‘‘the following’’ and inserting ‘‘, 

13 on an annual basis and in a uniform and com14 prehensible manner that conforms with the defi15 nitions and reporting methods previously devel16 oped for teacher preparation programs by the 

17 Commissioner for Education Statistics, a State 

18 report card on the quality of teacher prepara19 tion in the State, which shall include not less 

20 than the following’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (4)— 

22 (i) by striking ‘‘teaching candidates’’ 

23 and inserting ‘‘prospective teachers’’; and 

24 (ii) by striking ‘‘candidate’’ and in25 serting ‘‘prospective teacher’’; 

26 (C) in paragraph (5)— 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
53 

•S 1231 IS

1 (i) by striking ‘‘teaching candidates’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘prospective teachers’’; 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘teacher candidate’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘prospective teacher’’; and 

5 (iii) by striking ‘‘candidate’s’’ and in6 serting ‘‘teacher’s’’; 

7 (D) in paragraph (7), by inserting ‘‘how 

8 the State has ensured that the alternative cer9 tification routes meet the same State standards 

10 and criteria for teacher certification or licen11 sure,’’ after ‘‘if any,’’; and 

12 (E) in paragraph (8)— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘teacher candidate’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘prospective teacher’’; and 

15 (ii) by inserting ‘‘(including the ability 

16 to provide instruction to diverse student 

17 populations (including students with dis18 abilities, limited-English proficient stu19 dents, and students with different learning 

20 styles or other special learning needs) and 

21 the ability to effectively communicate with, 

22 work with, and involve parents in their 

23 children’s education)’’ after ‘‘skills’’; 

24 (F) by adding at the end the following: 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
54 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(10) Information on the extent to which teach2 ers or prospective teachers in each State are pre3 pared to work in partnership with parents and in4 volve parents in their children’s education.’’; 

5 (4) in subsection (b)(1), as redesignated by 

6 paragraph (2)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘not later than 6 months 

8 of the date of enactment of the Higher Edu9 cation Amendments of 1998 and’’; 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ and in11 serting ‘‘subsection (a)’’; 

12 (C) by striking ‘‘Committee on Labor and 

13 Human Resources’’ and inserting ‘‘Committee 

14 on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions’’; 

15 (D) by striking ‘‘Committee on Education 

16 and the Workforce’’ and inserting ‘‘Committee 

17 on Education and Labor’’; and 

18 (E) by striking ‘‘not later than 9 months 

19 after the date of enactment of the Higher Edu20 cation Amendments of 1998’’; 

21 (5) in subsection (c)(1), as redesignated by 

22 paragraph (2)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘(9) of subsection (b)’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘(10) of subsection (a)’’; and 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
55 

•S 1231 IS

1 (B) by striking ‘‘and made available not 

2 later than 2 years 6 months after the date of 

3 enactment of the Higher Education Amend4 ments of 1998 and annually thereafter’’ and in5 serting ‘‘, and made available annually’’; and 

6 (6) in subsection (e)(1), as redesignated by 

7 paragraph (2)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘not later than 18 months 

9 after the date of enactment of the Higher Edu10 cation Amendments of 1998 and annually 

11 thereafter, shall report’’ and inserting ‘‘shall re12 port annually’’; and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘methods established under 

14 subsection (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘reporting meth15 ods developed for teacher preparation pro16 grams’’. 

17 SEC. 9. STATE FUNCTIONS. 

18 Section 208 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

19 U.S.C. 1028) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) by striking ‘‘, not later than 2 years 

22 after the date of enactment of the Higher Edu23 cation Amendments of 1998,’’; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
56 

•S 1231 IS

1 (B) by inserting ‘‘and within entities pro2 viding alternative routes to teacher prepara3 tion’’ after ‘‘institutions of higher education’’; 

4 (C) by inserting ‘‘and entities’’ after ‘‘low5 performing institutions’’; 

6 (D) by inserting ‘‘and entities’’ after 

7 ‘‘those institutions’’; and 

8 (E) by striking ‘‘207(b)’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘207(a)’’; 

10 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 

11 subsections (c) and (d), respectively; 

12 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol13 lowing: 

14 ‘‘(b) TEACHER QUALITY PLAN.—In order to receive 

15 funds under this Act, a State shall submit a State teacher 

16 quality plan that— 

17 ‘‘(1) details how such funds will ensure that all 

18 teachers are highly qualified; and 

19 ‘‘(2) indicates whether each teacher preparation 

20 program in the State that has not been designated 

21 as low-performing under subsection (a) is of suffi22 cient quality to meet all State standards and 

23 produce highly qualified teachers with the teaching 

24 skills needed to teach effectively in the schools of the 

25 State.’’; 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
57 

•S 1231 IS

1 (4) in subsection (c), as redesignated by para2 graph (2)— 

3 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘of Edu4 cation’’; and 

5 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘of this 

6 Act’’; and 

7 (5) in subsection (d), as redesignated by para8 graph (2), by striking ‘‘subsection (b)(2)’’ and in9 serting ‘‘subsection (c)(2)’’. 

10 SEC. 10. ACADEMIES FOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE. 

11 Part A of title II of the Higher Education Act of 

12 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating section 210 as section 211; 

14 and 

15 (2) by inserting after section 209 the following: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 210. ACADEMIES FOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE. 

17 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts made 

18 available under subsection (e), the Secretary is authorized 

19 to award grants to eligible entities to enable such entities 

20 to create Academies for Faculty Excellence. 

21 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this section: 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘eligible entity’ 

23 means a consortium composed of institutions of 

24 higher education that— 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
58 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(A) award doctoral degrees in education; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(B) are partner institutions (as such term 

4 is defined in section 203). 

5 ‘‘(2) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘eligible entity’ 

6 may include the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) Institutions of higher education 

8 that— 

9 ‘‘(i) do not award doctoral degrees in 

10 education; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) are partner institutions (as such 

12 term is defined in section 203). 

13 ‘‘(B) Nonprofit entities with expertise in 

14 preparing highly qualified teachers. 

15 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring to re16 ceive a grant under this section shall submit an application 

17 to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and con18 taining such information as the Secretary may require, in19 cluding— 

20 ‘‘(1) a description of how the eligible entity will 

21 provide professional development that is grounded in 

22 scientifically based research to faculty; 

23 ‘‘(2) evidence that the eligible entity is well 

24 versed in current scientifically based research related 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
59 

•S 1231 IS

1 to teaching and learning across content areas and 

2 fields; 

3 ‘‘(3) a description of the assessment that the el4 igible entity will undertake to determine the most 

5 critical needs of the faculty who will be served by the 

6 Academies for Faculty Excellence; and 

7 ‘‘(4) a description of the activities the eligible 

8 entity will carry out with grant funds received under 

9 this section, how the entity will include faculty in the 

10 activities, and how the entity will conduct these ac11 tivities in collaboration with programs and projects 

12 that receive Federal funds from the Institute of 

13 Education Sciences. 

14 ‘‘(d) REQUIRED USE OF FUNDS.—Each eligible enti15 ty that receives a grant under this section shall use the 

16 grant funds to enhance the caliber of teaching undertaken 

17 in preparation programs for teachers, early childhood edu18 cation providers, and principals and other administrators 

19 through the establishment and maintenance of a 

20 postdoctoral system of professional development by car21 rying out the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) RECRUITMENT.—Recruit a faculty of ex23 perts who are knowledgeable about scientifically 

24 based research related to teaching and learning, who 

25 have direct experience working with teachers and 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
60 

•S 1231 IS

1 students in school settings, who are capable of im2 plementing scientifically based research to improve 

3 teaching practice and student achievement in school 

4 settings, and who are capable of providing profes5 sional development to faculty and others responsible 

6 for preparing teachers, early childhood education 

7 providers, principals, and administrators. 

8 ‘‘(2) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CUR9 RICULA.—Develop a series of professional develop10 ment curricula to be used by the Academies for Fac11 ulty Excellence and disseminated broadly to teacher 

12 preparation programs nationwide. 

13 ‘‘(3) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT EXPERI14 ENCES.—Support the development of a range of on15 going professional development experiences (includ16 ing the use of the Internet) for faculty to ensure 

17 that such faculty are knowledgeable about effective 

18 evidence-based practice in teaching and learning. 

19 Such experiences shall promote joint faculty activi20 ties that link content and pedagogy. 

21 ‘‘(4) DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.—Provide fel22 lowships, scholarships, and stipends for teacher edu23 cators to participate in various faculty development 

24 programs offered by the Academies for Faculty Ex25 cellence. 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS
61 

•S 1231 IS

1 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2008 and such sums as may 

4 be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 

5 SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

6 Section 211 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1030), as redesignated by section 10, is amend8 ed— 

9 (1) by striking ‘‘part $300,000,000 for fiscal 

10 year 1999’’ and inserting ‘‘part, other than section 

11 210, $500,000,000 for fiscal year 2008’’; 

12 (2) by striking ‘‘4 succeeding’’ and inserting ‘‘5 

13 succeeding’’; 

14 (3) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘45’’ and in15 serting ‘‘20’’; 

16 (4) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘45’’ and in17 serting ‘‘60’’; and 

18 (5) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘10’’ and in19 serting ‘‘20’’. 

Æ 


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with BILLS