II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2968 

To include community partners and intermediaries in the planning and 

delivery of education and related programs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 2, 2014 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To include community partners and intermediaries in the 

planning and delivery of education and related 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Community Partnerships in Education Act’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO THE ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 

EDUCATION ACT OF 1965 

Sec. 101. State plans. 


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Sec. 102. Local educational agency plans. 

Sec. 103. Schoolwide programs. 

Sec. 104. Targeted assistance schools. 

Sec. 105. Academic assessment and local educational agency and school improvement. 

Sec. 106. School improvement grants. 

Sec. 107. Evaluations. 

Sec. 108. Definitions. 

TITLE II—AMENDMENTS TO THE CARL D. PERKINS CAREER AND 

TECHNICAL EDUCATION ACT OF 2006 

Sec. 201. Definitions. 

Sec. 202. Attainment of 21st century skills. 

Sec. 203. Inclusion of community partners and intermediary organizations in 

State and local plans. 

Sec. 204. Evaluations. 

TITLE III—AMENDMENTS TO THE WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND 

OPPORTUNITY ACT 

Sec. 301. Definitions. 

Sec. 302. Inclusion of community partners and intermediary organizations in 

local workforce development boards and activities. 

Sec. 303. Inclusion of community partners and intermediary organizations in 

adult education and literacy programs. 

Sec. 304. Effective date. 

TITLE IV—AMENDMENTS TO THE HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 

1965 

Sec. 401. Definitions. 

Sec. 402. TRIO programs. 

Sec. 403. GEAR UP. 

Sec. 404. Maintenance and expansion of existing programs. 

1 TITLE I—AMENDMENTS TO THE 

2 ELEMENTARY AND SEC3 ONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF 

4 1965 

5 SEC. 101. SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GRANTS. 

6 Section 1003(g)(6) of the Elementary and Secondary 

7 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6303(g)(6)) is amend8 ed— 

9 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara10 graph (A); 


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1 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub2 paragraph (B) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

4 ‘‘(C) a commitment to carry out school and 

5 local educational agency improvement— 

6 ‘‘(i) in partnership with one or more 

7 community partners, including through 

8 joint planning and implementation, shared 

9 professional development designed to im10 prove the effectiveness of school and com11 munity partner staff, development and im12 plementation of shared data systems that 

13 support program improvement and the im14 provement of program outcomes, and the 

15 alignment and coordination of local edu16 cational agency, school, and community 

17 partner goals, activities, and training; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) with the involvement of one or 

19 more intermediary organizations that will 

20 assist the agency and its schools by train21 ing staff, providing technical assistance 

22 that is designed to ensure continuous im23 provement, helping to ensure accountability 

24 for results, and helping to ensure that proVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:10 Dec 03, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2968.IS S2968

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1 gram funds flow quickly and effectively to 

2 effective service providers and activities.’’. 

3 SEC. 102. STATE PLANS. 

4 Section 1111 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu5 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b)(2)(C)(vii)— 

7 (A) by striking ‘‘and changes in’’ and in8 serting ‘‘changes in’’; and 

9 (B) by inserting before the period at the 

10 end the following: ‘‘, and measures of the at11 tainment of 21st century skills (such as critical 

12 thinking, problem-solving, communication, and 

13 collaboration)’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (b)(2)(D)(i), by inserting ‘‘, 

15 and aligned with the program the State will carry 

16 out with funds received under this part’’ after ‘‘if 

17 any’’; and 

18 (3) in subsection (h)(1)(C)— 

19 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause 

20 (vii); 

21 (B) by striking the period at the end of 

22 clause (viii) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

23 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

24 ‘‘(ix) information on student attain25 ment of 21st century skills (such as critical 


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1 thinking, problem-solving, communication, 

2 and collaboration).’’. 

3 SEC. 103. LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY PLANS. 

4 Section 1112(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary 

5 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6312(b)(1)) is amend6 ed— 

7 (1) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, such 

8 as measures of the attainment of 21st century skills 

9 (such as critical thinking, problem-solving, commu10 nication, and collaboration),’’ after ‘‘any other indi11 cators’’; 

12 (2) in subparagraph (P), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

13 the end; 

14 (3) in subparagraph (Q), by striking the period 

15 and inserting a semicolon; and 

16 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(R) a description of the data-sharing 

18 agreement or agreements that the local edu19 cational agency has entered into with other 

20 agencies and organizations so as to provide for 

21 shared access to information on student 

22 progress and success (consistent with the re23 quirements of subpart 4 of part C of the Gen24 eral Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232f 

25 et seq.)), integrated planning and joint review 


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1 of the data, and coordinated adjustments in 

2 strategies for programs carried out with funds 

3 received under this part and activities in re4 sponse to changes in student needs or to new 

5 challenges; 

6 ‘‘(S) a description of how the local edu7 cational agency will carry out programs with 

8 funds received under this part in partnership 

9 with one or more community partners, includ10 ing through joint planning and implementation, 

11 shared professional development designed to im12 prove the effectiveness of school and community 

13 partner staff, development and implementation 

14 of shared data systems that support the im15 provement of such programs and the improve16 ment of the outcomes of such programs, and 

17 the alignment and coordination of local edu18 cational agency, school, and community partner 

19 goals, activities, and training; and 

20 ‘‘(T) a description of how the local edu21 cational will carry out programs with funds re22 ceived under this part with the involvement of 

23 one or more intermediary organizations that 

24 will assist the agency and its schools by train25 ing staff, providing technical assistance that is 


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1 designed to ensure continuous improvement, 

2 helping to ensure accountability for results, and 

3 helping to ensure that such funds flow quickly 

4 and effectively to effective service providers and 

5 activities.’’. 

6 SEC. 104. SCHOOLWIDE PROGRAMS. 

7 Section 1114(b)(1)(J) of the Elementary and Sec8 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6314(b)(1)(J)) 

9 is amended by inserting ‘‘, with the assistance of one or 

10 more intermediary organizations described in section 

11 1112(b)(1)(T),’’ after ‘‘Coordination and integration’’. 

12 SEC. 105. TARGETED ASSISTANCE SCHOOLS. 

13 Section 1115(c)(1)(H) of the Elementary and Sec14 ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6315(c)(1)(H)) 

15 is amended by inserting ‘‘, with the assistance of one or 

16 more intermediary organizations described in section 

17 1112(b)(1)(T),’’ after ‘‘coordinate and integrate’’. 

18 SEC. 106. ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT AND LOCAL EDU19 CATIONAL AGENCY AND SCHOOL IMPROVE20 MENT. 

21 Section 1116 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu22 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B), by inserting ‘‘, such 

24 as measures of the attainment of 21st century 

25 skills,’’ after ‘‘section 1121(b)(1)(A) and (B)’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (b)(3)(A)— 

2 (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 

3 inserting ‘‘community partners and inter4 mediary organizations described in section 

5 1112(b)(1)(S) and (T),’’ after ‘‘the local edu6 cational agency serving the school,’’; and 

7 (B) in clause (vii)— 

8 (i) by striking ‘‘and the State edu9 cational agency’’ and inserting ‘‘the State 

10 educational agency’’; and 

11 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and community 

12 partners and intermediary organizations 

13 described in section 1112(b)(1)(S) and 

14 (T),’’ after ‘‘under the plan’’; and 

15 (3) in subsection (c)(7)(A)— 

16 (A) in the matter preceding clause (i), by 

17 inserting ‘‘community partners or intermediary 

18 organizations as described in section 

19 1112(b)(1)(S) and (T),’’ after ‘‘school staff,’’; 

20 and 

21 (B) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘and the 

22 local educational agency’’ and inserting ‘‘, the 

23 local educational agency, and community part24 ners and intermediary organizations as de25 scribed in section 1112(b)(1)(S) and (T)’’. 


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1 SEC. 107. EVALUATIONS. 

2 Section 1501(a)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary 

3 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6491(a)(2)) is amend4 ed— 

5 (1) by redesignating subparagraph (O) as sub6 paragraph (Q); and 

7 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (N) the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(O) Whether and how local educational 

10 agencies are involving community partners and 

11 intermediary organizations in their activities 

12 carried out under section 1003(g) and part A, 

13 and the impact of that involvement. 

14 ‘‘(P) The implementation of the data-shar15 ing agreements entered into under section 

16 1112(b)(1)(E), and the impact of that imple17 mentation.’’. 

18 SEC. 108. DEFINITIONS. 

19 Section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu20 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) is amended— 

21 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (7) through 

22 (24), and paragraphs (25) through (43), as para23 graphs (8) through (25) and paragraphs (27) 

24 through (45), respectively; 

25 (2) by inserting after paragraph (6), the fol26 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(7) COMMUNITY PARTNER.—The term ‘com2 munity partner’ means a nonprofit or public organi3 zation that has expertise in the planning and deliv4 ery of education and related programs, in forging co5 ordination and cooperation between educators and 

6 other members of the community, or in training edu7 cators and others that deliver educational services.’’; 

8 and 

9 (3) by inserting after paragraph (25), as redes10 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 

11 ‘‘(26) INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATION.—The 

12 term ‘intermediary organization’ means a nonprofit 

13 organization that has expertise in training, forging 

14 public-private partnerships, systems development, 

15 capacity-building, improving scalability, evaluation, 

16 and the effective use of data to improve the progress 

17 of students, schools and other educational institu18 tions, and education programs.’’. 


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1 TITLE II—AMENDMENTS TO THE 

2 CARL D. PERKINS CAREER 

3 AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION 

4 ACT OF 2006 

5 SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS. 

6 Section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech7 nical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302) is amend8 ed— 

9 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (9) through 

10 (18) and paragraphs (19) through (34) as para11 graphs (10) through (19) and paragraphs (21) 

12 through (36), respectively; 

13 (2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the fol14 lowing new paragraph: 

15 ‘‘(9) COMMUNITY PARTNER.—The term ‘com16 munity partner’ means a nonprofit organization that 

17 has expertise in the planning and delivery of edu18 cation and related programs, in forging coordination 

19 and cooperation between educators and other mem20 bers of the community, in training educators and 

21 others who deliver educational services, or in devel22 opment and implementation of data systems that 

23 measure the progress of students, schools and insti24 tutions of higher education, and programs.’’; and 


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1 (3) by inserting after paragraph (19), as redes2 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 

3 ‘‘(20) INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATION.—The 

4 term ‘intermediary organization’ means a nonprofit 

5 organization that has expertise in training, forging 

6 public-private partnerships, systems development, 

7 capacity-building, improving scalability, and evalua8 tion.’’. 

9 SEC. 202. ATTAINMENT OF 21ST CENTURY SKILLS. 

10 Section 113 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Tech11 nical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (29 U.S.C. 

12 2323) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (2)(C), by inserting ‘‘at15 tainment of 21st century skills (such as critical 

16 thinking, problem-solving, communication, and 

17 collaboration) and’’ after ‘‘such as’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (4)(C)(ii)— 

19 (i) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘; 

20 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

21 (ii) in subclause (II), by striking the 

22 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

23 (iii) by adding at the end the fol24 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(III) describe the progress of 

2 career and technical education stu3 dents served by the eligible recipient 

4 in attaining 21st century skills (such 

5 as critical thinking, problem-solving, 

6 communication, and collaboration).’’; 

7 and 

8 (2) in subsection (c)(2)— 

9 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; 

10 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

11 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 

12 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(C) describe the progress of career and 

15 technical education students in the State in at16 taining 21st century skills (such as critical 

17 thinking, problem-solving, communication, and 

18 collaboration).’’. 

19 SEC. 203. EVALUATIONS. 

20 Section 114(d)(2)(B) of the Carl D. Perkins Career 

21 and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (29 

22 U.S.C. 2324) is amended— 

23 (1) in clause (vi), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and in24 serting a semicolon; 


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1 (2) in clause (vii), by striking the period and in2 serting a semicolon; and 

3 (3) by inserting after clause (vii) the following: 

4 ‘‘(viii) whether and how eligible recipi5 ents are involving community partners and 

6 intermediary organizations in their activi7 ties carried out under part C, and the im8 pact of that involvement; and 

9 ‘‘(ix) the implementation of the data10 sharing agreements entered into under sec11 tion 135(b)(10), and the impact of that 

12 implementation.’’. 

13 SEC. 204. INCLUSION OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND 

14 INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATIONS IN STATE 

15 AND LOCAL PLANS. 

16 (a) STATE PLAN.—Section 122 of the Carl D. Per17 kins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 

18 2006 (29 U.S.C. 2342) is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (b)(1)(A)(ix) by striking ‘‘in20 cluding parent and community organizations’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘including parent and intermediary organi22 zations and community partners’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (c)(1)(A)— 

24 (A) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

25 inserting a semicolon; 


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1 (B) in clause (iv), by striking the period 

2 and inserting a semicolon; and 

3 (C) by inserting after clause (iv) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(v) are carried out in partnership 

6 with one or more community partners, in7 cluding through joint planning and imple8 mentation, shared professional develop9 ment designed to improve the effectiveness 

10 of eligible recipient and community partner 

11 staff, development and implementation of 

12 shared data systems that support program 

13 improvement and the improvement of pro14 gram outcomes, and the alignment and co15 ordination of eligible recipient and commu16 nity partner goals, activities, and training; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(vi) are carried out with the involve19 ment of one or more intermediary organi20 zations that will assist the eligible appli21 cants by training staff, providing technical 

22 assistance that is designed to ensure con23 tinuous improvement, helping to ensure ac24 countability for results, and helping to en25 sure that program funds flow quickly and 


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1 effectively to effective service providers and 

2 activities.’’; and 

3 (3) in subsection (c)(2)— 

4 (A) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘; 

5 and’’ and inserting a semicolon; 

6 (B) in subparagraph (G), by inserting ‘‘; 

7 and’’ at the end; and 

8 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (G) 

9 the following: 

10 ‘‘(H) may be provided by a community 

11 partner or an intermediary organization;’’. 

12 (b) LOCAL PLAN.—Section 134(b) of the Carl D. 

13 Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement 

14 Act of 2006 (29 U.S.C. 2354(b)) is amended— 

15 (1) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘community 

16 partners and intermediary organizations,’’ after 

17 ‘‘labor organizations,’’; 

18 (2) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

19 inserting a semicolon; 

20 (3) in paragraph (12)(B), by striking the period 

21 and inserting a semicolon; and 

22 (4) by inserting after paragraph (12) the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(13) describe the data-sharing agreement or 

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1 tered into with other agencies and organizations so 

2 as to provide for shared access to information on 

3 student progress and success (consistent with the re4 quirements of subpart 4 of part C of the General 

5 Education Provisions Act), integrated planning and 

6 joint review of the data, and coordinated adjust7 ments in program strategies and activities in re8 sponse to changes in student needs or to new chal9 lenges; 

10 ‘‘(14) describe how the eligible recipient will 

11 carry out its program under this part in partnership 

12 with one or more community partners, including 

13 through joint planning and implementation, shared 

14 professional development designed to improve the ef15 fectiveness of eligible recipient and community part16 ner staff, development and implementation of shared 

17 data systems that support program improvement 

18 and the improvement of program outcomes, and the 

19 alignment and coordination of eligible recipient and 

20 community partner goals, activities, and training; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(15) describe how the eligible recipient will 

23 carry out its program under this part with the in24 volvement of one or more intermediary organizations 

25 that will assist the eligible entity by training staff, 


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1 providing technical assistance that is designed to en2 sure continuous improvement, helping to ensure ac3 countability for results, and helping to ensure that 

4 program funds flow quickly and effectively to effec5 tive service providers and activities.’’. 

6 (c) LOCAL USE OF FUNDS.—Section 135(b) of the 

7 Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improve8 ment Act of 2006 (29 U.S.C. 2355(b)) is amended— 

9 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘development 

10 program that’’ and inserting ‘‘development pro11 grams, which may be provided by community part12 ners or intermediary organizations, that’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 

14 inserting a semicolon; 

15 (3) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and 

16 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (4) by inserting after paragraph (9) the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(10) develop and implement data-sharing 

20 agreements between the eligible recipient and other 

21 agencies and organizations that provide for shared 

22 access to information on student progress and suc23 cess (consistent with the requirements of subpart 4 

24 of part C of the General Education Provisions Act), 

25 integrated planning and joint review of the data, and 


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1 coordinated adjustments in program strategies and 

2 activities in response to changes in student needs or 

3 to new challenges.’’. 

4 TITLE III—AMENDMENTS TO 

5 THE WORKFORCE INNOVA6 TION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT 

7 SEC. 301. DEFINITIONS. 

8 Section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor9 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102) is amended— 

10 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (11) through 

11 (29) and paragraphs (30) through (71) as para12 graphs (12) through (30) and paragraphs (32) 

13 through (73), respectively; 

14 (2) by inserting after paragraph (10) the fol15 lowing new paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(11) COMMUNITY PARTNER.—Except as other17 wise specified in section 203, the term ‘community 

18 partner’ means a nonprofit or public organization 

19 that has expertise in the planning and delivery of 

20 workforce development and related programs, in 

21 forging coordination and cooperation between work22 force development service providers and other mem23 bers of the community, or in training service pro24 viders.’’; and 


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1 (3) by inserting after paragraph (30), as redes2 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 

3 ‘‘(31) INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATION.—Except 

4 as otherwise specified in section 203, the term 

5 ‘intermediary organization’ means a nonprofit orga6 nization that has expertise in training, forging pub7 lic-private partnerships, systems development, capac8 ity-building, improving scalability, evaluation, and 

9 development and implementation of data systems 

10 that measure the progress of program participants 

11 and programs.’’. 

12 SEC. 302. INCLUSION OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND 

13 INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATIONS IN LOCAL 

14 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS AND 

15 ACTIVITIES. 

16 (a) LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARDS.— 

17 Section 107(b)(2) of the Workforce Innovation and Oppor18 tunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3122(b)(2)) is amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as sub20 paragraph (F); 

21 (2) in subparagraph (D)(v), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

22 at the end; and 

23 (3) by inserting after subparagraph (D), the 

24 following: 


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1 ‘‘(E) each local board shall include rep2 resentatives of community partners and inter3 mediary organizations; and’’. 

4 (b) LOCAL PLANS.—Section 108(b) of such Act (29 

5 U.S.C. 3123(b)) is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating paragraph (22) as para7 graph (23); 

8 (2) in paragraph (21), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

9 end; and 

10 (3) by inserting after paragraph (21), the fol11 lowing new paragraph: 

12 ‘‘(22) a description of the data-sharing agree13 ment or agreements that the local board has entered 

14 into with other agencies and organizations so as to 

15 provide for shared access to information on partici16 pant progress and success (consistent, as applicable, 

17 with the requirements of subpart 4 of part C of the 

18 General Education Provisions Act), integrated plan19 ning and joint review of the data, and coordinated 

20 adjustments in program strategies and activities in 

21 response to changes in student needs or to new chal22 lenges; and’’. 

23 (c) PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND INFORMA24 TION.—Section 116 of such Act (29 U.S.C. 3141) is 

25 amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (b)(2)(B), by inserting before 

2 the period the following: ‘‘, including the acquisition 

3 of 21st century skills (such as critical thinking, 

4 problem-solving, communication, and collaboration) 

5 by program participants’’; and 

6 (2) in subsection (d)(3)— 

7 (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

8 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

9 (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 

10 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (C) 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(D) at the discretion of the Governor, in14 formation on program participants’ develop15 ment of 21st century skills.’’. 

16 (d) YOUTH ACTIVITIES.—Section 129(c) of such Act 

17 (29 U.S.C. 3164(c)) is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘21st cen19 tury skills (such as critical thinking, problem-solv20 ing, communication, and collaboration),’’ after 

21 ‘‘basic skills,’’; and 

22 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

23 (A) in subparagraph (M), by striking 

24 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (N), by striking the 

2 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (N) 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(O) development of 21st century skills 

6 (such as critical thinking, problem-solving, com7 munication, and collaboration).’’. 

8 (e) ADULT AND DISLOCATED WORKER ACTIVI9 TIES.—Section 134(c)(3)(D) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 

10 3174(c)(3)(D)) is amended— 

11 (1) in clause (x), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

12 (2) in clause (xi), by striking the period and in13 serting ‘‘; and’’; and 

14 (3) by inserting after clause (xi) the following 

15 new clause: 

16 ‘‘(xii) development of 21st century 

17 skills (such as critical thinking, problem18 solving, communication, and collabora19 tion).’’. 

20 (f) EVALUATIONS.—Section 169(a)(2) of such Act 

21 (29 U.S.C. 3224(a)(2)) is amended— 

22 (1) in subparagraph (A)(i), by inserting ‘‘and 

23 21st century skills’’ after ‘‘employment com24 petencies’’; 


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1 (2) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

2 the end; 

3 (3) by redesignating subparagraph (G) as sub4 paragraph (I); and 

5 (4) by inserting after subparagraph (F) the fol6 lowing new subparagraphs: 

7 ‘‘(G) whether and how providers of services 

8 under chapters 2 and 3 of subtitle A involve 

9 community partners and intermediary organiza10 tions in their delivery of services, and the im11 pact of that involvement; 

12 ‘‘(H) the implementation of the data-shar13 ing agreements entered into pursuant to section 

14 108(b)(22), and the impact of that implementa15 tion; and’’. 

16 SEC. 303. INCLUSION OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND 

17 INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATIONS IN ADULT 

18 EDUCATION AND LITERACY PROGRAMS. 

19 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 203 of the Workforce In20 novation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3272) is amend21 ed— 

22 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

23 (12) and paragraphs (13) through (17) as para24 graphs (4) through (13) and paragraphs (15) 

25 through (19), respectively; 


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1 (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol2 lowing new paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(3) COMMUNITY PARTNER.—The term ‘com4 munity partner’ means a nonprofit or public organi5 zation that has expertise in the planning and deliv6 ery of education and related programs, in forging co7 ordination and cooperation between educators and 

8 other members of the community, or in training edu9 cators and others who deliver educational services.’’; 

10 and 

11 (3) by inserting after paragraph (13), as redes12 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 

13 ‘‘(14) INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATION.—The 

14 term ‘intermediary organization’ means a nonprofit 

15 organization that has expertise in training, forging 

16 public-private partnerships, systems development, 

17 capacity-building, improving scalability, evaluation, 

18 and development and implementation of data sys19 tems that measure the progress of students, schools, 

20 and other educational institutions and programs.’’. 

21 (b) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR ELIGIBLE PRO22 VIDERS.—Section 231(e)(10) of such Act (29 U.S.C. 

23 3321(e)(10)) is amended— 

24 (1) by inserting ‘‘and data-sharing arrange25 ments (designed to provide for shared access to inVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:10 Dec 03, 2014 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2968.IS S2968

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1 formation on student progress (consistent with the 

2 requirements of subpart 4 of part C of the General 

3 Education Provisions Act), integrated planning, and 

4 coordinated adjustments in program strategies and 

5 activities in response to changes in student needs or 

6 to new challenges)’’ after ‘‘strong links’’; 

7 (2) by inserting ‘‘community partners, inter8 mediary organizations,’’ after ‘‘postsecondary edu9 cational institutions,’’; and 

10 (3) by striking ‘‘nonprofit organizations, and 

11 intermediaries’’ and inserting ‘‘and nonprofit organi12 zations’’. 

13 (c) LOCAL PLAN.—Section 232(2) of such Act is 

14 amended by inserting ‘‘and data-sharing agreements’’ 

15 after ‘‘cooperative agreements’’. 

16 SEC. 304. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

17 The amendments made by this title shall take effect 

18 as if enacted as part of the Workforce Innovation and Op19 portunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.). 

20 TITLE IV—AMENDMENTS TO 

21 HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 

22 1965 

23 SEC. 401. DEFINITIONS. 

24 Section 103 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

25 U.S.C. 1003) is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

2 (10) and paragraphs (11) through (24) as para3 graphs (4) through (11) and paragraphs (13) 

4 through (25), respectively; 

5 (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(3) COMMUNITY PARTNER.—The term ‘com8 munity partner’ means a nonprofit or public organi9 zation that has expertise in the planning and deliv10 ery of education and related programs, in forging co11 ordination and cooperation between educators and 

12 educational institutions with other members of the 

13 community, or in training educators and other 

14 deliverers of educational services.’’; and 

15 (3) by inserting after paragraph (11), as redes16 ignated by paragraph (1), the following: 

17 ‘‘(12) INTERMEDIARY ORGANIZATION.—The 

18 term ‘intermediary organization’ means a nonprofit 

19 organization that has expertise in training, forging 

20 public-private partnerships, systems development, 

21 capacity-building, improving scalability, evaluation, 

22 and development and implementation of data sys23 tems that measure the progress of students, schools 

24 and other educational institutions, and programs.’’. 


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1 SEC. 402. TRIO PROGRAMS. 

2 Section 402A of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

3 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–11) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)(1)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘For the purposes de6 scribed’’ and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes de8 scribed’’; and 

9 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(B) COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND INTER11 MEDIARY ORGANIZATIONS.—An eligible entity de12 scribed in subparagraph (A) of a grant or contract 

13 under this chapter shall, to the extent feasible, carry 

14 out the grant or contract— 

15 ‘‘(i) with one or more community partners, 

16 including through joint planning and implemen17 tation, shared professional development de18 signed to improve the effectiveness of such eligi19 ble entity and community partner staff, devel20 opment and implementation of shared data sys21 tems that support the improvement of the oper22 ations and outcomes of the program carried out 

23 with such grant or contract, and the alignment 

24 and coordination of such eligible entity and 

25 community partner goals, activities, and train26 ing; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) with the involvement of one or more 

2 intermediary organizations that will assist such 

3 eligible entity by training staff, providing tech4 nical assistance that is designed to ensure con5 tinuous improvement, helping to ensure ac6 countability for results, and helping to ensure 

7 that the grant or contract funds flow quickly 

8 and effectively to effective service providers and 

9 activities.’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (c)(6), by adding at the end 

11 the following: ‘‘The Secretary shall also encourage 

12 recipients of grants and contracts under this chapter 

13 to enter into data-sharing agreements with other 

14 agencies and organizations so as to provide for 

15 shared access to information on student progress 

16 and success (consistent with the requirements of 

17 subpart 4 of part C of the General Education Provi18 sions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232f et seq.)), integrated 

19 planning and review of the data, and coordinated ad20 justments in program strategies and activities in re21 sponse to changes in student needs or to new chal22 lenges.’’; and 

23 (3) in subsection (f)(3)— 

24 (A) in subparagraph (A)— 


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1 (i) by redesignating clauses (v) and 

2 (vi), as clauses (vi) and (vii), respectively; 

3 and 

4 (ii) by inserting after clause (iv) the 

5 following new clause: 

6 ‘‘(v) student acquisition of 21st cen7 tury skills (such as critical thinking, prob8 lem-solving, communication and collabora9 tion);’’; and 

10 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

11 (i) by redesignating clauses (v), (vi), 

12 and (vii), as clauses (vi), (vii), and (viii), 

13 respectively; and 

14 (ii) by inserting after clause (iv) the 

15 following new clause: 

16 ‘‘(v) student acquisition of 21st cen17 tury skills (such as critical thinking, prob18 lem-solving, communication and collabora19 tion);’’. 

20 SEC. 403. GEAR UP. 

21 (a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—Section 

22 404A(c)(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

23 U.S.C. 1070a–21(c)(2)) is amended— 

24 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause 

2 (i); and 

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

4 ‘‘(iii) one or more community part5 ners; and’’; and 

6 (2) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘inter7 mediary organizations,’’ after ‘‘subpart 4,’’. 

8 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—Section 404B(b) of the Higher 

9 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–22(b)) is 

10 amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as 

12 subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively; 

13 (2) by striking ‘‘Each eligible entity’’ and in14 serting the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity’’; and 

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

17 ‘‘(2) DATA SHARING.—Each eligible entity receiving 

18 a grant under this chapter shall, to the extent feasible, 

19 enter into data-sharing agreements with other organiza20 tions or agencies so as to provide for shared access to in21 formation on student progress and success (consistent 

22 with the requirements of subpart 4 of part C of the Gen23 eral Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232f et seq.)), 

24 integrated planning and joint review of the data, and co25 ordinated adjustments in program strategies and activities 


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1 in response to changes in student needs or to new chal2 lenges.’’. 

3 (c) APPLICATIONS.—Section 404C(a)(2) of the High4 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a–23(a)(2)) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in subparagraph (I), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

7 the end; 

8 (2) in subparagraph (J), by striking the period 

9 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

11 ‘‘(K) describe, in the case of an eligible en12 tity described in section 404A(c)(2), how the 

13 entities included in the partnership will engage 

14 in— 

15 ‘‘(i) joint planning and implementa16 tion; 

17 ‘‘(ii) shared professional development 

18 designed to improve the effectiveness of 

19 school, community partner, and other 

20 staff; 

21 ‘‘(iii) development and implementation 

22 of shared data systems that support pro23 gram improvement and the improvement of 

24 program outcomes; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) the alignment and coordination 

2 of local educational agency, school, commu3 nity partner, and other partnership mem4 bers’ goals, activities, and training.’’. 

5 (4) ACTIVITIES.—Section 404D(a)(3) of the 

6 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a– 

7 24(a)(3)) is amended— 

8 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

9 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

10 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 

11 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

12 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(C) at the discretion of the eligible entity, 

14 acquire 21st century skills (such as critical 

15 thinking, problem-solving, communication, and 

16 collaboration).’’. 

17 SEC. 404. MAINTENANCE AND EXPANSION OF EXISTING 

18 PROGRAMS. 

19 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—Section 418A(a) of the 

20 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070d–2(a)) 

21 is amended— 

22 (1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ and in23 serting the following: 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall’’; and 

25 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(2) COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND INTERMEDIARY

2 ORGANIZATIONS.—Each such program shall be imple3 mented— 

4 ‘‘(A) in partnership with one or more commu5 nity partners, including through joint planning and 

6 implementation, shared professional development de7 signed to improve the effectiveness of, as applicable, 

8 school, institution of higher education, nonprofit or9 ganization, and community partner staff, develop10 ment and implementation of shared data systems 

11 that support program improvement and the improve12 ment of program outcomes, and the alignment and 

13 coordination of, as applicable, school, institution of 

14 higher education, nonprofit organization, and com15 munity partner goals, activities, and training; and 

16 ‘‘(B) with the involvement of one or more inter17 mediary organizations that assist the grantee by 

18 training staff, providing technical assistance that is 

19 designed to ensure continuous improvement, helping 

20 to ensure accountability for results, and helping to 

21 ensure that program funds flow quickly and effec22 tively to effective service providers and activities. 

23 ‘‘(3) DATA SHARING.—Each such program shall in24 clude the implementation of one or more data-sharing 

25 agreements between the grantee and other organizations 


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1 or agencies that provide for shared access to information 

2 on student progress and success (consistent with the re3 quirements of subpart 4 of part C of the General Edu4 cation Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232f et seq.)), inte5 grated planning and joint review of the data, and coordi6 nated adjustments in program strategies and activities in 

7 response to changes in student needs or to new chal8 lenges.’’. 

9 (b) SERVICES PROVIDED.—Section 418A(b) of the 

10 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070d–2(b)) 

11 is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

13 end; 

14 (2) by redesignating paragraph (9) as para15 graph (10); and 

16 (3) by inserting after paragraph (8) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(9) activities designed to ensure that partici19 pants acquire 21st century skills (such as critical 

20 thinking, problem-solving, communication, and col21 laboration); and’’. 

Æ 


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