I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3444 
To establish the Strength in Diversity Program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 17, 2023 
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia (for himself, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mrs. BEATTY, Ms. WIL-
LIAMS of Georgia, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. MCBATH, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. 
SWALWELL, Ms. STEVENS, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. DEAN of Penn-
sylvania, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. COHEN, Mr. DESAULNIER, Ms. CROCK-
ETT, Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. 
GRIJALVA, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. 
SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. OMAR, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. STANSBURY, 
Mr. EVANS, Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. GREEN 
of Texas, Mr. NORCROSS, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. IVEY, Mr. 
SCHIFF, Ms. LOIS FRANKEL of Florida, and Mr. CARSON) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce 
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 2023’’. 
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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-
centrated poverty by increasing diversity, including racial 
diversity and socioeconomic diversity, in covered schools. 
SEC. 3. RESERVATION FOR NATIONAL AND STATE ACTIVI-
TIES. 
(a) NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary may re-
serve not more than 5 percent of the amounts made avail-
able 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. 
(b) STATE ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary may reserve 
not more than 10 percent of the amounts made available 
under section 9 for a fiscal year for planning grants and 
implementation grants made to State educational agencies 
under section 4. 
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.— 
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(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— 
(A) planning grants to carry out the activi-
ties described in section 6(a); 
(B) implementation grants to carry out the 
activities described in section 6(b); or 
(C) both such planning grants and imple-
mentation grants. 
(b) AWARD BASIS.— 
(1) CRITERIA
FOR
EVALUATING
APPLICA-
TIONS.—The Secretary shall award grants under 
this section on a competitive basis, based on— 
(A) the quality of the application sub-
mitted by an eligible entity under section 5; 
(B) the likelihood, as determined by the 
Secretary, that the eligible entity will use the 
grant to improve student outcomes or outcomes 
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on other performance measures described in 
section 7; and 
(C) the likelihood that the grant will lead 
to a meaningful reduction in racial and eco-
nomic isolation for children in covered schools. 
(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall give priority to the fol-
lowing eligible entities: 
(A) First, to an eligible entity that sub-
mitted an application for a grant under the 
Opening Doors, Expanding Opportunities pro-
gram described in the notice published by the 
Department of Education in the Federal Reg-
ister on December 14, 2016 (81 Fed. Reg. 
90343 et seq.). 
(B) Second, to an eligible entity that pro-
poses, in an application submitted under section 
5, to use the grant to support a program that 
addresses racial isolation. 
(C) Third, to an eligible entity that pro-
poses, in an application submitted under section 
5, to use the grant to support a program that 
extends beyond one local educational agency, 
such as an inter-district or regional program. 
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(D) Fourth, to an eligible entity that dem-
onstrates meaningful coordination with local 
housing agencies to increase access to schools 
that have a disproportionately low number of 
low-income students. 
(c) DURATION OF GRANTS.— 
(1) PLANNING
GRANT.—A planning grant 
awarded under this section shall be for a period of 
not more than 1 year. 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION GRANT.—An implemen-
tation grant awarded under this section shall be for 
a period of not more than 3 years, except that the 
Secretary may extend an implementation grant for 
an additional 2-year period if the eligible entity re-
ceiving the grant demonstrates to the Secretary that 
the eligible entity is making significant progress, as 
determined by the Secretary, on the program per-
formance measures described in section 7. 
SEC. 5. APPLICATIONS. 
In order to receive a grant under section 4, an eligible 
entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time and in such manner as the Secretary may require. 
Such application shall include— 
(1) a description of the program for which the 
eligible entity is seeking a grant, including— 
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(A) how the eligible entity proposes to use 
the grant to improve the academic and life out-
comes of students in racial or socioeconomic 
isolation in covered schools by supporting inter-
ventions that increase diversity for students in 
such covered schools; 
(B) in the case of an implementation 
grant, the implementation grant plan described 
in section 6(b)(1); and 
(C) evidence, or if such evidence is not 
available, a rationale based on current research, 
regarding how the program will increase diver-
sity; 
(2) in the case of an eligible entity proposing to 
use any of the grant to benefit covered schools that 
are racially isolated, a description of how the eligible 
entity will identify and define racial isolation; 
(3) in the case of an eligible entity proposing to 
use any portion of the grant to benefit high-poverty 
covered schools, a description of how the eligible en-
tity will identify and define income level and socio-
economic status; 
(4) a description of the plan of the eligible enti-
ty for continuing the program after the grant period 
ends; 
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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, and teacher 
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 to parents and students, in a 
language that parents and students can under-
stand, and consultation with students and fami-
lies in the targeted district or region that is de-
signed to ensure participation in the planning 
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and development of any formal strategy to in-
crease diversity; 
(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(a)(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; 
(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 
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evidence (as described in subclause (I) or (II) 
of section 8101(21)(A)(i) of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7801(21)(A)(i))); or 
(B) test a promising strategy to increase 
diversity in covered schools; 
(11) in the case of an application by a consor-
tium of local educational agencies, a specification of 
which agency is the lead applicant, and how the 
grant funds will be divided among the school dis-
tricts served by such consortium; and 
(12) in the case of an application by a State 
educational agency, a demonstration that the agency 
has procedures in place— 
(A) to assess and prevent the redrawing of 
school district lines in a manner that increases 
racial or socioeconomic isolation; 
(B) to assess the segregation impacts of 
new school construction proposals and to 
prioritize school construction funding that will 
foreseeably increase racial and economic inte-
gration; and 
(C) to include progress toward reduction of 
racial and economic isolation as a factor in its 
State plan under section 1111 of the Elemen-
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tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6311). 
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; 
(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; and 
(C) teacher diversity in covered schools, 
and plans for expanding teacher diversity. 
(2) Developing and implementing a robust fam-
ily, student, and community engagement plan, in-
cluding, where feasible, public hearings or other 
open forums that would precede and inform the de-
velopment 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) Developing an implementation plan to com-
ply with a court-ordered school desegregation plan. 
(7) Engaging in best practices developed under 
section 3(a)(2). 
(8) If applicable, developing an implementation 
plan to replace entrance exams or other competitive 
application procedures with methods of student as-
signment to promote racial and socioeconomic diver-
sity. 
(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 
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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; 
(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, including 
teacher 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: 
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(A) Recruiting, hiring, or training addi-
tional teachers, administrators, school coun-
selors, and other instructional and support staff 
in new, expanded, or restructured covered 
schools, or other professional development ac-
tivities for staff and administrators. 
(B) Investing in specialized academic pro-
grams or facilities designed to encourage inter- 
district school attendance patterns. 
(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. 
(D) Developing innovative and equitable 
school assignment plans. 
(E) Carrying out innovative activities de-
signed to increase racial and socioeconomic 
school diversity and engagement between chil-
dren from different racial, economic, and cul-
tural backgrounds. 
(F) Creating or improving systems and 
partnerships to create a one-stop enrollment 
process for students with multiple public school 
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options, including making school information 
and data more accessible and easy to under-
stand, in order to ensure access to low poverty 
or high-performing schools for low-income chil-
dren and to promote racial and socioeconomic 
diversity. 
(G) Increasing teacher diversity in covered 
schools. 
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; 
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(D) increasing readiness for postsecondary 
education and careers; 
(E) improving access to mental health and 
social-emotional learning; 
(F) reducing school discipline rates; and 
(G) 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) a description of the efforts of the eligible 
entity to increase inclusivity; 
(2) information on the progress of the eligible 
entity with respect to the performance measures de-
scribed in section 7; 
(3) the data supporting such progress; 
(4) a description of how the eligible entity will 
continue to make improvements toward increasing 
diversity and decreasing racial or socioeconomic iso-
lation in covered schools and sustaining inclusion; 
and 
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(5) information on the progress of regional pro-
grams on reducing racial and socioeconomic isolation 
in covered schools, if applicable. 
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 
2024 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. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means a State educational agency, a local edu-
cational agency, a consortium of such agencies, an 
educational service agency, or a regional educational 
agency that at the time of the application of such el-
igible entity has significant achievement gaps and 
socioeconomic or racial segregation within or be-
tween the school districts served by such entity. 
(3) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘educational 
service agency’’, ‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘local edu-
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cational agency’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, ‘‘Secretary’’, 
and ‘‘State educational agency’’ have the meanings 
given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education 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. 
SEC. 11. PROHIBITION AGAINST FEDERAL CONTROL OF 
EDUCATION. 
No provision of this Act shall be construed to author-
ize any department, agency, officer, or employee of the 
United States to exercise any direction, supervision, or 
control over the curriculum, program of instruction, ad-
ministration, or personnel of any educational institution, 
school, or school system. 
Æ 
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