I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2639 
To establish the Strength in Diversity Program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 9, 2019 
Ms. FUDGE (for herself, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, and Mr. SABLAN) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
Labor 
A BILL 
To establish the Strength in Diversity Program, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strength in Diversity 
Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to support the develop-
ment, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive 
strategies to address the effects of racial isolation or con-
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centrated poverty by increasing diversity, including racial 
diversity and socioeconomic diversity, in covered schools. 
SEC. 3. RESERVATION FOR NATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 
The Secretary may reserve not more than 5 percent 
of the amounts made available under section 9 for a fiscal 
year to carry out activities of national significance relating 
to this Act, which may include— 
(1) research, development, data collection, mon-
itoring, technical assistance, evaluation, or dissemi-
nation activities; and 
(2) the development and maintenance of best 
practices for recipients of grants under section 4 and 
other experts in the field of school diversity. 
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—From the amounts made 
available under section 9 and not reserved under 
section 3 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall award 
grants in accordance with subsection (b) to eligible 
entities to develop or implement plans to improve di-
versity and reduce or eliminate racial or socio-
economic isolation in covered schools. 
(2) TYPES OF GRANTS.—The Secretary may, in 
any fiscal year, award under paragraph (1)— 
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(5) a description of how the eligible entity will 
assess, monitor, and evaluate the impact of the ac-
tivities funded under the grant on student achieve-
ment and student enrollment diversity; 
(6) an assurance that the eligible entity has 
conducted, or will conduct, robust parent and com-
munity engagement, while planning for and imple-
menting the program, such as through— 
(A) consultation with appropriate officials 
from Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations ap-
proved by the Tribes located in the area served 
by the eligible entity; 
(B) consultation with other community en-
tities, including local housing or transportation 
authorities; 
(C) public hearings or other open forums 
to inform the development of any formal strat-
egy to increase diversity; and 
(D) outreach, in a language that parents 
can understand, and consultation with families 
in the targeted district or region that is de-
signed to ensure participation in the planning 
and development of any formal strategy to in-
crease diversity; 
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(7) an estimate of the number of students that 
the eligible entity plans to serve under the program 
and the number of students to be served through ad-
ditional expansion of the program after the grant 
period ends; 
(8) an assurance that the eligible entity will— 
(A) cooperate with the Secretary in evalu-
ating the program, including any evaluation 
that might require data and information from 
multiple recipients of grants under section 4; 
and 
(B) engage in the best practices developed 
under section 3(2); 
(9) an assurance that, to the extent possible, 
the eligible entity has considered the potential impli-
cations of the grant activities on the demographics 
and student enrollment of nearby covered schools 
not included in the activities of the grant; and 
(10) in the case of an eligible entity applying 
for an implementation grant, a description of how 
the eligible entity will— 
(A) implement, replicate, or expand a 
strategy based on a strong or moderate level of 
evidence (as described in subclause (I) or (II) 
of section 8101(21)(A)(i) of the Elementary 
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and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801)); or 
(B) will test a promising strategy to in-
crease diversity in covered schools. 
SEC. 6. USES OF FUNDS. 
(a) PLANNING GRANTS.—Each eligible entity that re-
ceives a planning grant under section 4 shall use the grant 
to support students in covered schools through the fol-
lowing activities: 
(1) Completing a comprehensive assessment of, 
with respect to the geographic area served by such 
eligible entity— 
(A) the educational outcomes and racial 
and socioeconomic stratification of children at-
tending covered schools; and 
(B) an analysis of the location and capac-
ity of program and school facilities and the ade-
quacy of local or regional transportation infra-
structure. 
(2) Developing and implementing a robust fam-
ily and community engagement plan, including, 
where feasible, public hearings or other open forums 
that would precede and inform the development of a 
formal strategy to improve diversity in covered 
schools. 
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(3) Developing options, including timelines and 
cost estimates, for improving diversity in covered 
schools, such as weighted lotteries, revised feeder 
patterns, school boundary redesign, or regional co-
ordination. 
(4) Developing an implementation plan based 
on community preferences among the options devel-
oped under paragraph (3). 
(5) Building the capacity to collect and analyze 
data that provide information for transparency, con-
tinuous improvement, and evaluation. 
(6) Engaging in best practices developed under 
section 3(2). 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.— 
(1) IMPLEMENTATION GRANT PLAN.—Each eli-
gible entity that receives an implementation grant 
under section 4 shall implement a high-quality plan 
to support students in covered schools that in-
cludes— 
(A) a comprehensive set of strategies de-
signed to improve academic outcomes for all 
students, particularly students of color and low- 
income students, by increasing diversity in cov-
ered schools; 
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(B) evidence of strong family and commu-
nity support for such strategies, including evi-
dence that the eligible entity has engaged in 
meaningful family and community outreach ac-
tivities; 
(C) goals to increase diversity in covered 
schools over the course of the grant period; 
(D) collection and analysis of data to pro-
vide transparency and support continuous im-
provement throughout the grant period; and 
(E) a rigorous method of evaluation of the 
effectiveness of the program. 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION
GRANT
ACTIVITIES.— 
Each eligible entity that receives an implementation 
grant under section 4 may use the grant to carry 
out one or more of the following activities: 
(A) Recruiting, hiring, or training addi-
tional teachers, administrators, and other in-
structional and support staff in new, expanded, 
or restructured covered schools, or other profes-
sional development activities for staff and ad-
ministrators. 
(B) Investing in specialized academic pro-
grams or facilities designed to encourage inter- 
district school attendance patterns. 
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(C) Developing or initiating a transpor-
tation plan for bringing students to and from 
covered schools, if such transportation is sus-
tainable beyond the grant period and does not 
represent a significant portion of the grant re-
ceived by an eligible entity under section 4. 
SEC. 7. PERFORMANCE MEASURES. 
The Secretary shall establish performance measures 
for the programs and activities carried out through a 
grant under section 4. These measures, at a minimum, 
shall track the progress of each eligible entity in— 
(1) improving academic and other develop-
mental or noncognitive outcomes for each subgroup 
described in section 1111(b)(2)(B)(xi) of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(B)(xi)) that is served by the eligi-
ble entity on measures, including, as applicable, 
by— 
(A) increasing school readiness; 
(B) increasing student achievement and 
decreasing achievement gaps; 
(C) increasing high school graduation 
rates; 
(D) increasing readiness for postsecondary 
education and careers; and 
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(E) any other indicator the Secretary or el-
igible entity may identify; and 
(2) increasing diversity and decreasing racial or 
socioeconomic isolation in covered schools. 
SEC. 8. ANNUAL REPORTS. 
An eligible entity that receives a grant under section 
4 shall submit to the Secretary, at such time and in such 
manner as the Secretary may require, an annual report 
that includes— 
(1) information on the progress of the eligible 
entity with respect to the performance measures de-
scribed in section 7; and 
(2) the data supporting such progress. 
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 
2020 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 
SEC. 10. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COVERED
SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘covered 
school’’ means— 
(A) a publicly funded early childhood edu-
cation program; 
(B) a public elementary school; or 
(C) a public secondary school. 
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(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means a local educational agency, a consortium 
of such agencies, an educational service agency, or 
regional educational agency that at the time of the 
application of such eligible entity has significant 
achievement gaps and socioeconomic or racial seg-
regation within or between the school districts served 
by such entity. 
(3) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘educational 
service agency’’, ‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘local edu-
cational agency’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, and ‘‘Sec-
retary’’ have the meanings given such terms in sec-
tion 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(4) PUBLICLY
FUNDED
EARLY
CHILDHOOD 
EDUCATION PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘publicly funded 
early childhood education program’’ means an early 
childhood education program (as defined in section 
103(8) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1003(8))) that receives State or Federal 
funds. 
Æ 
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