WE CARE Act

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to foster community involvement, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Working to Encourage Community Action and Responsibility in Education Act WE CARE Act 2. Findings The Congress finds the following: (1) The long-term health of the Nation’s democracy, as well as our economy, is dependent upon the strength of our young people. (2) The challenge of educating the Nation’s students cannot be met by schools alone. Cross-sector community engagement, including schools, community-based organizations, businesses, parents, faith-based organizations, local government, students and others must all work together to ensure that students receive the support they need to be successful. (3) Schools that have strong relationships with their communities have improved academic achievement and develop stronger families, schools and communities. (4) National Academy of Sciences studies show that ensuring that a child has adequate nurturing influences, including those provided by community programs, results in improved academic, social and civic outcomes. (5) In order for students to be successful in school, their academic and non-academic needs must be met. In a study that analyzed the impact of having five key resources in children's lives: Caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, an effective education, and opportunities to help others, students with four or five of these resources were twice as likely as their peers with zero or one resource to get A’s in school, 40 percent more likely to volunteer, and twice as likely to avoid violence. (6) The services provided by community-based organizations are invaluable in strengthening the Nation’s young people. Research shows that such services keep students in school, promote their academic achievement, reduce pregnancy, reduce delinquent behavior, and promote civic engagement. (7) Research shows that effective dropout prevention programs meet students’ needs inside and outside the classroom. One such program demonstrated that 82 percent of students improved their attendance, 86 percent had fewer behavior incidents, 89 percent improved their academic performance, and 85 percent of eligible seniors graduated from high school. 3. Amendments to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (a) Statement of purpose Section 1001 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6301 (1) by amending paragraph (11) to read as follows: (11) coordinating services under all parts of this title with each other, with services under all other titles of this Act, with other education services, and with other public and private agencies in the community providing services to children and youth; ; (2) in paragraph (12) by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (3) by adding at the end the following: (13) promoting stronger enhanced partnerships between schools and their communities that can contribute to student success and greater family and community involvement in creating the conditions for learning for their children. . (b) School improvement Section 1003 of that Act ( 20 U.S.C. 6303 (1) in subsection (c)— (A) in paragraph (2) by striking and (B) in paragraph (3) by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (4) demonstrate a commitment to coordinating with stakeholders in the community, including local government, community-based service providers and other non-profit organizations, and businesses, to address the academic and non-academic factors impacting student achievement. ; and (2) in subsection (g)(6)— (A) in subparagraph (A) by striking and (B) in subparagraph (B) by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (C) a commitment to coordinating with a stakeholders in the community, including local government, community-based service providers and other non-profit organizations, and businesses, to address the academic and non-academic factors impacting student achievement. . (c) State plans Section 1111 of that Act ( 20 U.S.C. 6311 (1) in subsection (a)(1) by inserting students, and parents (2) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (9) and inserting the following: (9) Factors affecting student achievement Each State plan shall include— (A) an assessment of the nonacademic factors influencing student achievement; (B) a description of public and private organizations and agencies within the State that are working to impact the factors identified under subparagraph (A), including but not limited to State departments of health and human services, State agencies administering juvenile justice programs, State housing agencies, State agencies administering national and community service and service-learning programs, and nonprofit youth development and community-based organizations and other entities as appropriate; (C) a strategy for coordination and collaboration with these organizations and agencies to provide needed services to children, youth and families that are integrated with services offered by specialized instructional support personnel in the school and local educational agency homeless liaisons, designated pursuant to section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, will result in improved academic performance; and (D) an assurance that the State educational agency will assist local educational agencies within the State that are identified under section 1116 in developing and implementing such strategies for coordination and collaboration. ; (3) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following: (4) the State educational agency will work with other public and private organizations and agencies, including educational service agencies or other local consortia, and institutions, including but not limited to State departments of health and human services, State housing agencies, State agencies administering juvenile justice programs, State agencies administering national and community service and service-learning programs, and nonprofit youth development and community-based organizations and other entities as appropriate, to provide technical assistance to local educational agencies and schools, technical assistance that will help them address the factors identified under (b)(9), including technical assistance in providing professional development under section 1119, technical assistance under section 1117, and technical assistance relating to parental involvement under section 1118; ; (4) in subsection (d)— (A) in paragraph (1) by striking and (B) in paragraph (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (3) involve community-based organizations and other entities that have relationships with parents and can facilitate and support their involvement in the education of their children. ; (5) in subsection (h)(1)— (A) in subparagraph (C)— (i) in clause (vii) by striking and (ii) in clause (viii) by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (iii) by adding at the end the following: (ix) school attendance rates; (x) average class size in each grade; (xi) academic achievement and gains in English proficiency of limited English proficient students; (xii) the incidence of school violence, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, student suspensions, and student expulsions; (xiii) the extent and type of parental involvement in the schools; (xiv) the extent and type of community involvement in schools, including partnerships between schools and public and private agencies and organizations, as well as services provided to children, youth and families resulting from these partnerships, and if possible, improvements in student academic achievement and other non-academic outcomes resulting from such partnerships; (xv) the percentage of students completing advanced placement courses, and the rate of passing of advanced placement tests; (xvi) other non-academic outcomes, including outcomes resulting from partnerships between schools and other entities, which may include social, emotional, physical, civic, and vocational outcomes; and (xvii) a clear and concise description of the State's accountability system, including a description of the criteria by which the State evaluates school performance, and the criteria that the State has established, consistent with subsection (b)(2) of this section, to determine the status of schools regarding school improvement, corrective action, and restructuring. ; and (B) in subparagraph (D) by striking Such information may include (6) in subsection (h)(2)(B)(i)— (A) in each of subclauses (I) and (II), by striking and (B) by adding at the end the following: (III) minimum information on student attendance rates, truancy rates, incidence of school violence, alcohol abuse, students suspension, and student expulsions; and (IV) the extent and type of community and parents involvement in the education of their children; and . (d) Local educational agency plans Section 1112(b)(1) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 6312(b)(1)) is amended— (1) by amending subparagraph (B) to read as follows: (B) an assessment of the non-academic factors influencing student achievement and a description of the other indicators that will be used in addition to the academic indicators described in section 1111 for the uses described in such section, including but not limited to the indicators listed in section 1111(h)(1)(B); ; (2) in subparagraph (P) by striking and (3) in subparagraph (Q)— (A) by striking where appropriate, (B) by striking the period at the end; and (4) by adding at the end the following: (R) a description of how the local educational agency will coordinate and collaborate with the State educational agency, other public and private State agencies, and local public and private organizations and agencies, including but not limited to local departments of health and human services, local housing agencies, local departments of youth services, local agencies administering juvenile justice programs and facilities, local agencies and organizations administering national and community service and service-learning programs, local law enforcement agencies, and local nonprofit youth development and community-based organizations, and other entities as appropriate to provide services to children youth and families that are integrated with services from specialized instructional support personnel and local educational agency homeless liaisons, designated pursuant to section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, in order to address the nonacademic factors identified under subparagraph (B), with an emphasis on addressing the needs of schools in school improvement, corrective action or restructuring under this section in order to address major factors that have significantly affected student achievement at the school; and (S) ensure that the results from the academic assessments required under section 1111(b)(3) will be provided to parents and teachers as soon as is practicably possible after the test is taken, in an understandable and uniform format and provided in a language that the parents and the public can understand. . (e) Schoolwide programs Section 1114 of that Act ( 20 U.S.C. 6314 (1) in subsection (b)(1)— (A) in subparagraph (A) by inserting , as well as the non-academic needs of students that impact academic success, including social, emotional, physical and civic needs (B) in subparagraph (B)(iii)(I)— (i) in each of items (bb) and (cc) by striking and (ii) by adding at the end the following: (dd) health, mental health, housing, and social services, family support, youth development and other activities offered by specialized instructional support personnel, educational agency homeless liaisons, designated pursuant to section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, public and private agencies and community-based organizations and coordinated, if appropriate, in a full service community school, that reduce barriers to learning and improve the capacity of families to support their children’s education; (ee) efforts to prevent students from dropping out of school, and efforts to reconnect dropouts to school, alternative education programs, vocational training and work opportunities, or other services deemed appropriate by the local educational agency; and (ff) efforts focused on reductions in truancy, suspensions, and expulsions; and ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (K) A strategy, developed in partnership with institutions and organizations such as local government, community-based organizations, institutions of higher education, specialized instructional support personnel, local educational agency homeless liaisons, designated pursuant to section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and others for addressing factors that affect student achievement and for mobilizing community assets to support student success. The strategy should include efforts to increase community involvement, including strategies to provide services to address the needs identified under described under subsection (b)(1)(A) and strategies to form partnerships with public and private organizations and agencies to implement services in accordance with items (dd), (ee), and (ff) of subsection (b)(1)(B)(iii)(I). ; (2) in subsection (b)(2)(B), by amending clause (ii) to read as follows: (ii) developed with the involvement of parents and other individuals and organizations in the community to be served and who will carry out such plan, including teachers, principals, specialized instructional support personnel, local educational agency homeless liaisons, designated pursuant to section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Parental Information Centers and administrators (including administrators of programs described in other parts of this title, administrators of public and nonprofit community-based services, and services provided by State and local government), and, if appropriate, technical assistance providers, school staff, and, if the plan relates to a secondary school, students from such school; ; and (3) in subsection (e)— (A) in paragraph (2)(B)(ii) by inserting after coordinator to link eligible children and their families with services and resources available in the community (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as (4); and (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following: (3) Reporting If services described in paragraph (2) are not available to eligible children and resources are insufficient in meeting their needs, the school shall report to the local educational agency, State educational agency, and public in a manner deemed appropriate by the school, the number of children experiencing needs for comprehensive services, unless doing so would violate the rights to privacy of such children, the services needed by the children, and an estimate of the needed financial resources to meet their needs. . (f) School improvement Section 1116 of that Act ( 20 U.S.C. 6316 (1) in subsection (b)(3)(A)— (A) in the matter preceding clause (i) by inserting after serving the school, local stakeholders and potential resources (including business leaders), representatives of public and private nonprofit and social service agencies (including local government agencies), youth development organizations, students, (B) by redesignating clauses (vi) through (x) as (vii) through (xi), respectively; and (C) by inserting after clause (v) the following: (vi) conduct a comprehensive needs assessment, including an assessment of potential resources available in the State and the community to assist students in meeting the State's proficient level of achievement, and develop a plan to partner with public and private social service agencies, community-based organizations, youth development organizations, businesses, and other appropriate organizations, to link students and their families with support services to strengthen student performance at the school, including support services that will help to meet students’ non-academic needs; ; (2) in subsection (b)(4)(B)— (A) in clause (iii) by striking and (B) by redesignating clause (iv) as (v); and (C) by inserting after clause (iii) the following: (iv) shall include assistance in developing partnerships with public and private social service agencies, including local government agencies, community-based organizations, youth development organizations, businesses, and other appropriate organizations, to link students and their families with support services to strengthen student performance, including support services that will help to meet students’ non-academic needs; and ; (3) in subsection (b)(7)(C)(iv) by adding at the end the following: (VII) Hire or designate a staff member, such as a specialized instructional support personnel employed by the school or local agency, to coordinate and link students and families with resources available in the community to strengthen student performance, including support services that will help to meet students’ non-academic needs. ; (4) in subsection (c)(7)(A)— (A) in the matter preceding clause (i) by inserting after school staff, local stakeholders and potential resources (including business leaders), representatives of public and private nonprofit and social service agencies (including local government agencies), youth development organizations, students, (B) by redesignating clauses (vi) through (viii) as (vii) through (ix), respectively; and (C) by inserting after clause (v) the following: (vi) include a comprehensive needs assessment, including an assessment of potential resources available in the State and the community to assist students in meeting the State's proficient level of achievement, and develop a plan to partner with public and private social service agencies, community-based organizations, youth development organizations, businesses, and other appropriate organizations, to link students and their families with support services to strengthen student performance, including support services that will help to meet students’ non-academic needs; ; (5) in subsection (c)(10)(C) by adding at the end the following: (viii) Mandate the placement of at least one staff member, such as a specialized instructional support personnel employed by the school or local agency, to coordinate and link students and families with resources available in the community to strengthen student performance, including support services that will help to meet students’ non-academic needs. ; (6) in subsection (e)(2)(A), in the matter preceding clause (i)— (A) by striking annual notice to parents notice to parents multiple times annually (B) by striking , to the extent practicable, (7) in subsection (e)(4)(B) by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following: , and provide services in a comprehensive service delivery model (8) in subsection (e)(4)— (A) in subparagraph (D) by striking and (B) in subparagraph (E)— (i) by striking annual (ii) by inserting after supplemental educational services multiple times annually (iii) by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (F) prioritize outreach and technical assistance to existing school-based, community-based, faith-based and other public agency afterschool programs, including 21st Century Community Learning Centers programs, to encourage them to become providers of supplemental educational services. ; and (9) in subsection (e)(5)— (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as (D) and (E), respectively; and (B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following: (C) Provide delivery of tutoring services in a comprehensive service delivery model through partnership or as part of a comprehensive after-school program. . (g) School support and recognition Section 1117 of that Act ( 20 U.S.C. 6317 (1) in clause (vi) by striking or (2) by redesignating clause (vii) as (ix); and (3) by inserting after clause (vi) the following: (vii) representatives of public and private social service agencies, community-based organizations, youth development organizations, businesses, and other appropriate organizations; (viii) students; or . (h) Community involvement Subpart 1 of part A of title I of that Act is amended by inserting after section 1118 ( 20 U.S.C. 6318 1118A. Community involvement (a) Purpose The purpose of this section is to strengthen student achievement by— (1) engaging the whole community in the education of the Nation’s students; (2) leveraging supports, opportunities, and resources available within the community; (3) improving the coordination of services for students, their families, and the community; and (4) meeting student’s nonacademic needs. (b) Federal matching fund authorized The Secretary shall award grants to local educational agencies to support the implementation of community involvement policies consistent with subsection (c). (1) Grants to local educational agencies A grant to a local educational agency under this section shall not be greater than the amount of matching funds raised by the local educational agency and its community partners under paragraph (3). (2) Local educational agency application Each local educational agency that desires to receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, and containing such information as the Secretary shall reasonably require. The Secretary shall require that each such application include the following: (A) The community involvement policy developed in accordance with subsection (c). (B) A description of the community partners that were involved in the development of the community involvement policy. (C) A description of the roles that will be played by partners in the implementation of the community involvement policy, including a description of the partners that will provide services to students, their families, and the community, a description of the services that will be provided; and memoranda of understanding between the local educational agency and community partners clearly delineating the roles and responsibilities of the local educational agency and its partners. (D) A description of how funds received under this section will be integrated with other Federal, State and local funds to maximize services and opportunities for students, their families and the community, including a description of how funds received under this section will be distributed and utilized. (E) A description of the matching funds secured through the development of the community involvement policy pursuant to paragraph (3). (3) Matching funds To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a local educational agency must: (A) Provide an assurance that it will spend an amount greater than or equal to 1 percent of such agency’s allocation under subpart 2 of this part. (B) Provide an assurance that it will raise matching funds from community partners, including from nonprofit organizations serving children and youth, businesses, and other Federal, State, or public sources in an amount greater than or equal to 1 percent of such agency’s allocation under subpart 2 of this part, except that funds under this subparagraph shall not be provided from funds appropriated under subpart 2 of this part. Such funds may be provided in whole or in-part with in-kind contributions from partners and need not be transferred to the local educational agency in order to meet the requirements of this paragraph. (4) Distribution of funds (A) Equitable National Distribution In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall ensure an equitable geographic distribution of the grants. (B) Local Distribution Funds awarded to a local educational agency under this section or dedicated by a local educational agency under paragraph (3) may be utilized by the local educational agency or any of its partners to implement the Community Involvement Policy developed under subsection (c). (5) Maximum use of funds Of the funds awarded to a local educational agency under this section, the local educational agency must distribute to its nonprofit community partners an amount that is greater than or equal to the amount of matching funds committed by the nonprofit community partners pursuant to paragraph (3)(B). If the amount awarded to a local educational agency is less than an amount equal to 2 percent of such agency’s allocation under subpart 2 of this part, then the local educational agency must distribute to its nonprofit community partners an amount equal to at least half of the amount awarded under this section. (c) Community involvement policy To receive a grant under this section, a local educational agency shall develop jointly with members of the community, which shall include local government, community-based organizations, child and youth serving organizations and agencies, other business and community partners, and students, a policy for leveraging resources, services, and opportunities available within the community in order to support student achievement by meeting the academic and non-academic needs of students. The policy shall demonstrate how community resources will be coordinated with the work of pupil services personnel and local educational agency homeless liaisons, designated pursuant to section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and shall be incorporated into the local educational agency’s plan developed under section 1112. The policy shall include the following components: (1) An analysis of available data on the comprehensive needs of the students served by the local educational agency, their families, and the community that analyzes the academic, social, emotional, physical, safety, civic, and, if appropriate, vocational needs of students and their families that may impact students’ ability to meet the challenging State student academic achievement standards. (2) A description of the potential resources, services, and opportunities available within the community or available near the community that students, their families, and those in the community may be able to access to meet the needs identified under paragraph (1) and support students to achieve the challenging State student academic achievement standards. (3) A strategy for developing and supporting partnerships to provide services to children youth and families in coordination with pupil services personnel and local educational agency homeless liaisons, designated pursuant to section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Such partnerships may— (A) include the local educational agency, schools, and local departments of health and human services, local departments of youth services, local agencies administering juvenile justice programs and facilities, local agencies and organizations administering national and community service and service-learning programs, local law enforcement agencies, local nonprofit youth development, Parental Information and Resource Centers, other community-based organizations, other public agencies, businesses, and other entities as appropriate; (B) be designed to provide services to children youth and families, including health and mental health services, quality before- and after-school programming, summer programs, school and community safety programs, mentoring, tutoring, service-learning, youth development, internships and apprenticeships, family strengthening activities, career counseling, job training, nutrition, and other services; and (C) involve the hiring or designating of a community involvement coordinator, such as a specialized instructional support personnel staff member, within the local educational agency, school or partner organization to facilitate the implementation of this section. (4) A strategy for informing parents, legal guardians, and caretakers of the opportunities for services available through the partnerships developed under paragraph (3). (5) A strategy for linking students and their families with the opportunities for services available through the partnerships developed under paragraph (3), including a strategy for meeting the transportation needs of students and families in coordination with partnering organizations and a strategy for covering the costs of such services. (6) A strategy for evaluating the impact of the community involvement policy and its implementation, including a description of the resources, supports and opportunities leveraged from the community to benefit students, their families, the local educational agency, schools, and the community. (7) A strategy for identifying barriers to developing effective school-community partnerships and developing ways to mitigate such barriers. (8) A strategy for providing professional development to principals, teachers, pupil services personnel, local educational agency homeless liaisons, designated pursuant to section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, and the community involvement coordinator, if one is present in the local educational agency or school, to facilitate the smooth operation of communication across offices and partnering entities. (9) A strategy for developing a community involvement council to lead, monitor, and oversee the implementation of the community involvement policy in partnership with the local educational agency. Such a council may include parents and caretakers, students, principals, teachers, personnel, local educational agency homeless liaisons, designated pursuant to section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Parental Information and Resource Centers, representatives of the mayor or appropriate chief executive officers of general purpose local government, local departments of health and human services, local departments of youth services, local agencies administering juvenile justice programs and facilities, local agencies and organizations administering national and community service and service-learning programs, local law enforcement agencies, local nonprofit youth development, other community-based organizations, other public agencies, businesses, and other entities as appropriate. (d) Coordination with parent involvement strategies The community involvement policy developed under subsection (b) shall be developed and implemented in coordination with the parent involvement strategies developed under section 1118. (e) Reporting (1) Local educational agency reporting On an annual basis, each local educational agency that receives funds under this section shall report to the State educational agency, the Secretary, and the public on— (A) the amount and sources of matching funds raised in accordance with subsection (a)(3); (B) the number, type, and roles played by partners involved in the development and implementation of the Community Involvement Policy developed under subsection (c); (C) the services coordinated or provided through the implementation of the Community Involvement Policy developed under subsection (c); and (D) any information available on outcomes resulting from the activities carried out through the Community Involvement Policy developed under subsection (c). (2) State educational agency review and support Each State shall— (A) monitor and compile a report annually on each district’s implementation of community involvement policies and recommendations for improvement and submit this report to the Secretary and the public; (B) provide information and technical assistance to help local educational agencies comply with the community involvement provisions within the law; (C) the State education agency must provide a copy of this annual report to its respective Statewide PIRC where it shall— (i) identify how the local education agency can comply where they have been found to not be compliant in the annual report; and (ii) the Statewide PIRC shall report their recommendations for compliance to the State education agency as well as the school administration using existing communication methods; and (D) use all resources made available to the State under section 1117(a). (3) Report to congress On an annual basis, the Secretary shall report to Congress and the public a summary of the reports provided by the local educational agencies in accordance with paragraph (1). (f) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as necessary to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2019. . (i) Coordination requirements Section 1120B of that Act ( 20 U.S.C. 6322 (d) Barriers to coordination Each local educational agency receiving assistance under this part shall report to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may determine any barriers to coordination, and the Secretary shall report such barriers to coordination to the Federal Youth Development Council established under the Tom Osborne Federal Youth Coordination Act ( Public Law 109–365 .

Summary: Working to Encourage Community Action and Responsibility in Education Act or the WE CARE Act - Amends title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to assess the nonacademic factors affecting student academic performance and work with other public, private, nonprofit, and community-based entities to address those factors. Requires the annual report cards issued by states and LEAs to include additional performance data, including information on their efforts to increase community and parental involvement in students' education. Establishes a new program requiring the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to LEAs for the development and implementation of community involvement policies that leverage the resources, services, and opportunities available from public, private, nonprofit, and community-based partners to address students' academic and nonacademic needs and thereby support their attainment of state academic performance standards.