I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5015
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish
the model school dropout prevention grant program and the national
school dropout prevention grant program, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 27, 2000
Ms. BERKLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 to establish the model school dropout prevention
grant program and the national school dropout preven-
tion grant 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 ‘‘National Student
Dropout Prevention and Recovery Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Lowering the student dropout rate is one of
the most significant challenges facing educators
today. Students must stay in school in order to re-
ceive the education they need to succeed in the new
economy and contribute fully to American society.
(2) The ability of local educational agencies to
lower the student dropout rate has been inhibited by
the lack of focus at the Federal level and the limited
availability of appropriate dropout prevention-fo-
cused curriculum, instruction, professional develop-
ment, and administrative support services.
(3) According to the National Dropout Preven-
tion Network, it is at the local and community level
where school improvements and change occur that
will eventually have an impact on the graduation
rate of students. The focus of these efforts should be
concentrated on the most successful strategies that
research has identified as having an impact on in-
creasing the graduation rate. These strategies
encompass—
(A) systemic renewal;
(B) community collaboration;
(C) professional development;
(D) family involvement;
(E) early childhood education;
(F) reading and writing programs;
(G) individualized instruction;
(H) instructional technologies;
(I) mentoring and tutoring;
(J) service learning;
(K) 
learning 
styles 
and 
multiple
intelligences;
(L) violence prevention and conflict resolu-
tion;
(M) career education and workforce readi-
ness;
(N) out-of-school experiences; and
(O) alternative public schooling.
(4) The National Dropout Prevention Network
has found that the strategies described in paragraph
(3) have been successful in all school levels from K–
12 in rural, suburban, or urban centers. When
schools or school districts develop a program im-
provement plan that encompasses most or all of
these strategies, positive outcomes will result.
(5) It is necessary to develop a number of
model dropout prevention programs to fully develop
the effective strategies listed above into comprehen-
sive dropout prevention programs. These model pro-
grams should be used as examples by schools across
the country that wish to implement similar pro-
grams. Subsequently, a nationwide dropout preven-
tion program, in order to be effective, should be
based on these model programs.
(6) Dropout prevention and recovery programs
which are proven to be successful in lowering drop-
out rates need to be disseminated to school and com-
munity leaders willing to adapt and support these
innovative programs in their schools and community.
SEC. 3. SCHOOL DROPOUT PREVENTION GRANT PRO-
GRAMS.
Part C of title V of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7261 et seq.) is amend-
ed to read as follows:
‘‘PART C—SCHOOL DROPOUT PREVENTION
GRANT PROGRAMS
‘‘Subpart 1—Model School Dropout Prevention Grant
Program
‘‘SEC. 5311. AUTHORIZATION.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office of
Dropout Prevention and Program Completion shall award
grants to public elementary schools, middle schools, and
secondary schools that have established and are carrying
out school dropout prevention programs to provide those
schools with additional resources to develop such programs
further, develop methods to assist other schools to imple-
ment similar programs, and provide for research on the
effects of such programs on the student populations of the
schools involved.
‘‘(b) DURATION.—A grant under subsection (a) shall
be awarded for a period of not more than 5 years. A school
that desires to continue to receive funding for the purposes
described in subsection (a) shall apply for a grant under
the national school dropout prevention grant program
under subpart 2.
‘‘SEC. 5312. REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.
‘‘A school that receives a grant under section 5311
shall use amounts under the grant to establish and carry
out, or further develop, school dropout prevention pro-
grams, intervention programs, and recovery programs, in-
cluding as many of the following activities as possible: sys-
temic renewal, community and family participation, pro-
fessional development, early childhood education, reading
and writing programs, alternative public schooling, indi-
vidualized instruction, use of instructional technologies,
mentoring and tutoring, service learning, instruction that
recognizes that students learn in different ways (com-
monly referred to as ‘learning styles instruction’), violence
prevention and conflict resolution, career education and
workforce readiness, out-of-school experiences, and a com-
prehensive plan for dropout prevention.
‘‘SEC. 5313. APPLICATION; SELECTION OF SCHOOLS; FISCAL
AGENT.
‘‘(a) APPLICATION.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each school desiring a
grant under section 5311 shall submit an applica-
tion, after review by the local educational agency of
the school, to the Director at such time, in such
manner, and accompanied by such information as
the Director may require.
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—A school desiring a grant
under section 5311 shall submit an application,
through the local educational agency of the school
under paragraph (1), that contains a description of
the current dropout prevention program of the
school.
‘‘(b) SELECTION OF SCHOOLS.—
‘‘(1) LIMITATION.—The Director may award
grants to not more than 20 schools under section
5311. Such schools shall have demonstrated success
in establishing and carrying out activities described
in section 5312.
‘‘(2) ALLOCATION.—Grants awarded under sec-
tion 5311 shall be allocated among schools that meet
the following requirements:
‘‘(A) 4 elementary schools that have estab-
lished and are carrying out early childhood edu-
cation programs.
‘‘(B) 4 secondary schools that have estab-
lished and are carrying out academic interven-
tion programs and mediation programs.
‘‘(C) 4 secondary schools that have estab-
lished and are carrying out intervention pro-
grams and recovery programs.
‘‘(D) 4 schools (either elementary, middle,
or secondary) that are located in rural school
districts and that have demonstrated success in
establishing and carrying out 12 or more of the
activities described in section 5312.
‘‘(E) 4 schools (either elementary, middle,
or secondary) that are located in urban school
districts and that have demonstrated success in
establishing and carrying out all of the activi-
ties described in section 5312.
‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under sec-
tion 5311, the Director shall give priority to schools
that have demonstrated success in establishing and
carrying out the highest number of activities de-
scribed in section 5312.
‘‘(c) FISCAL AGENT.—The local educational agency
of the school shall act as the fiscal agent for the school
and shall accept and administer the grant awarded to the
school under section 5311, except that all funds shall be
expended at the school level.
‘‘Subpart 2—National School Dropout Prevention
Grant Program
‘‘SEC. 5321. AUTHORIZATION.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning in the third year of
the Model School Dropout Prevention Grant Program
under subpart 1, the Director of the Office of Dropout
Prevention and Program Completion shall award grants
to public elementary schools, middle schools, and sec-
ondary schools to enable the schools to implement, or fur-
ther carry out, effective, sustainable, and coordinated
school dropout prevention programs.
‘‘(b) DURATION.—A grant under subsection (a) shall
be awarded for a period of not less than 2 years but not
more than 5 years.
‘‘SEC. 5322. REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.
‘‘A school that receives a grant under section 5321
shall use amounts under the grant to establish and carry
out, or further develop, school dropout prevention pro-
grams, intervention programs, and recovery programs, in-
cluding as many of the following activities as possible: sys-
temic renewal, community and family participation, pro-
fessional development, early childhood education, reading
and writing programs, alternative public schooling, indi-
vidualized instruction, use of instructional technologies,
mentoring and tutoring, service learning, instruction that
recognizes that students learn in different ways (com-
monly referred to as ‘learning styles instruction’), violence
prevention and conflict resolution, career education and
workforce readiness, out-of-school experiences, and a com-
prehensive plan for dropout prevention.
‘‘SEC. 5323. APPLICATION; SELECTION OF SCHOOLS; FISCAL
AGENT.
‘‘(a) APPLICATION.—Each school desiring a grant
under section 5321 shall submit an application, after re-
view by the local educational agency of the school, to the
Director at such time, in such manner, and accompanied
by such information as the Director may require.
‘‘(b) SELECTION OF SCHOOLS.—The Director shall
establish clear and specific selection criteria for awarding
grants to schools under section 5321, including the num-
ber of grants to award and the type of schools to be award-
ed grants. Such criteria shall be based on school dropout
rates and other relevant factors, such as the quality of
the existing or proposed dropout prevention program, the
number of students who are dropouts, the number of stu-
dents who are eligible to receive free or reduced price
lunches under the Richard B. Russell National School
Lunch Act, the number of students who are below their
grade level in basic skills, the number of students who are
involved in family court or the juvenile justice system, and
the number of students who are teen mothers.
‘‘(c) FISCAL AGENT.—The local educational agency
of the school shall act as the fiscal agent for the school
and shall accept and administer the grant awarded to the
school under section 5321, except that all funds shall be
expended at the school level.
‘‘Subpart 3—Additional Requirements for Model and
National Dropout Prevention Grant Program
‘‘SEC. 5331. DISSEMINATION ACTIVITIES.
‘‘Each school that receives a grant under section
5311 or 5321, or the local educational agency of the
school, shall provide information and technical assistance,
including presentations, document-sharing, and joint staff
development, to other schools within their school district
and to other schools in their State that are desiring to
receive grants under section 5311 or 5321, as the case
may be.
‘‘SEC. 5332. SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE CALCULATION.
‘‘For purposes of calculating a school dropout rate
under subparts 1 and 2, a school shall use—
‘‘(1) the annual event school dropout rate for
students leaving a school in a single year determined
in accordance with the National Center for Edu-
cation Statistics’ Common Core of Data, if available;
‘‘(2) the standard method used by the State
agency; or
‘‘(3) in other cases, a standard method for cal-
culating the school dropout rate as determined by
the Director.
‘‘SEC. 5333. REPORTING AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
‘‘(a) REPORTING.—In order to receive funding under
subpart 1 or 2 for a fiscal year after the first fiscal year
a school receives funding under subpart 1 or 2, as the
case may be, the school shall provide, on an annual basis,
to the Director a report regarding the status of the imple-
mentation of activities funded under subpart 1 or 2 and
certification of progress from the eligible entity whose
strategies the school is implementing.
‘‘(b) ACCOUNTABILITY.—On the basis of the reports
submitted under subsection (a), the Director shall evaluate
the effect of the activities assisted under subpart 1 or 2,
as the case may be, on school dropout prevention com-
pared to a control group, to the extent practicable.
‘‘Subpart 4—National Clearinghouse on Effective
School Dropout Prevention
‘‘SEC. 5341. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CLEARING-
HOUSE.
‘‘Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment
of this part, the Director shall establish a national clear-
inghouse on effective school dropout prevention, interven-
tion programs, and reentry programs. The clearinghouse
shall be established through a competitive grant or con-
tract awarded to an organization with a demonstrated ca-
pacity to provide technical assistance and disseminate in-
formation in the area of school dropout prevention, inter-
vention programs, and reentry programs. The clearing-
house shall—
‘‘(1) collect and disseminate to educators, par-
ents, and policymakers information on research, ef-
fective programs, best practices, and available Fed-
eral resources with respect to school dropout preven-
tion, intervention programs, and reentry programs,
including dissemination by an electronically acces-
sible database, a worldwide Web site, and a national
journal;
‘‘(2) provide technical assistance regarding se-
curing resources with respect to, and designing and
implementing, effective and comprehensive school
dropout prevention, intervention programs, and re-
entry programs; and
‘‘(3) provide professional development opportu-
nities through workshops, seminars, and institutes
for educators and program providers responsible for
planning, implementing, and evaluating comprehen-
sive school dropout prevention, intervention pro-
grams, and recovery programs.
‘‘Subpart 5—Definitions; Authorization of
Appropriations
‘‘SEC. 5351. DEFINITIONS.
‘‘In this part:
‘‘(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means
the Director of the Office of Dropout Prevention and
Program Completion established under section 218
of the General Education Provisions Act.
‘‘(2) INTERVENTION
PROGRAMS.—The term
‘intervention programs’ means programs or strate-
gies that are designed to improve academic or per-
sonal problems of students that negatively affect the
students’ performance or ability to remain in school
and graduate from school with a diploma.
‘‘(3) PREVENTION PROGRAMS.—The term ‘pre-
vention programs’ means programs that anticipate,
forestall, or relate to cognitive, social, or personal
problems of students before such problems impair a
student’s ability to perform in school.
‘‘(4) RECOVERY PROGRAMS.—The term ‘recov-
ery programs’ means programs or strategies de-
signed to offer another schooling option to an indi-
vidual who has dropped out of school.
‘‘(5) SCHOOL
DROPOUT.—The term ‘school
dropout’ has the meaning given the term in section
4(17) of the School-to-Work Opportunities Act of
1994.
‘‘SEC. 5352. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘(a) SUBPART 1.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out subpart 1 such sums as may be nec-
essary for fiscal year 2001 and for each of the 4 suc-
ceeding fiscal years.
‘‘(b) SUBPART 2.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out subpart 2 such sums as may be nec-
essary for fiscal year 2003 and for each of the 4 suc-
ceeding fiscal years.
‘‘(c) SUBPART 4.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out subpart 4 such sums as may be nec-
essary for fiscal year 2001 and for each of the 4 suc-
ceeding fiscal years.’’.
SEC. 4. OFFICE OF DROPOUT PREVENTION AND PROGRAM
COMPLETION.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Title II of the Department of
Education Organization Act (20 U.S.C. 3411 et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘OFFICE OF DROPOUT PREVENTION AND PROGRAM
COMPLETION
‘‘SEC. 218. (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be in
the Department of Education an Office of Dropout Pre-
vention and Program Completion (hereafter in this section
referred to as the ‘Office’), to be administered by the Di-
rector of the Office of Dropout Prevention and Program
Completion. The Director of the Office shall report di-
rectly to the Under Secretary of Education and shall per-
form such additional functions as the Under Secretary
may prescribe.
‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Director of the Office of Dropout
Prevention and Program Completion (hereafter in this
section referred to as the ‘Director’), through the Office,
shall—
‘‘(1) help coordinate Federal, State, and local
efforts to lower school dropout rates and increase
program completion by elementary, middle, and sec-
ondary school students;
‘‘(2) recommend Federal policies, objectives,
and priorities to lower school dropout rates and in-
crease program completion;
‘‘(3) oversee the implementation of subparts 1
and 2 of part C of title V of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965;
‘‘(4) annually prepare and submit to Congress
and the Secretary a national report describing ef-
forts and recommended actions regarding school
dropout prevention and program completion;
‘‘(5) recommend action to the Secretary and the
President, as appropriate, regarding school dropout
prevention and program completion; and
‘‘(6) consult with and assist State and local
governments regarding school dropout prevention
and program completion.
‘‘(c) SCOPE OF DUTIES.—The scope of the Director’s
duties under subsection (b) shall include examination of
all Federal and non-Federal efforts related to—
‘‘(1) promoting program completion for children
attending elementary, middle, or secondary school;
‘‘(2) programs to obtain a secondary school di-
ploma or its recognized equivalent (including general
equivalency diploma (GED) programs); and
‘‘(3) reentry programs for individuals aged 12
to 24 who are out of school.
‘‘(d) DETAILING.—In carrying out the Director’s du-
ties under this section, the Director may request the head
of any Federal department or agency to detail personnel
who are engaged in school dropout prevention activities
to another Federal department or agency in order to im-
plement the National School Dropout Prevention Strat-
egy.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents of the Department of Education Organization Act
(20 U.S.C. 3401 note) is amended by inserting after the
item relating to section 217 the following new item:
‘‘Sec. 218. Office of Dropout Prevention and Program Completion.’’.
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