grantee based on a sliding fee scale that takes 
into account— 
(i) the relative poverty of the popu-
lation that the grantee targets; and 
(ii) the ability of the grantee to obtain 
such matching funds. 
(B) MAXIMUM
AMOUNT.—The Secretary 
may not require any grantee to provide match-
ing funds in an amount that exceeds the 
amount of the grant award. 
(3) IN-KIND
CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Secretary 
shall permit grantees to match funds in whole or in 
part with in-kind contributions. 
(4) 
CONSIDERATION.—Notwithstanding 
this 
subsection, the Secretary shall not consider an appli-
cant’s ability to match funds when determining 
which applicants will receive grants under this Act. 
(5) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the 
matching requirement under this subsection for eli-
gible entities demonstrating financial hardship. 
SEC. 6. APPLICATION. 
Each eligible entity that desires to receive a grant 
under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor-
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mation as the Secretary may reasonably require, including 
the following: 
(1) The quantifiable goals that the eligible enti-
ty intends to achieve through the implementation of 
linked learning pathways and a system of pathways, 
and a description of the measures of performance 
for those goals. 
(2) A needs and resources assessment, includ-
ing— 
(A) an assessment of relevant district and 
school board policies; 
(B) a demonstration of support from 
stakeholders; 
(C) the demographic makeup of the stu-
dent body to be served; 
(D) student academic performance, grad-
uation, and college attendance data; 
(E) information on high pay, high growth, 
or high skill industries and job sectors in the 
district and surrounding region; and 
(F) the industry and community partner-
ship opportunities that can be leveraged to im-
plement the linked learning pathways and the 
system of pathways to improve academic 
achievement and graduation rates. 
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(3) A plan for how the eligible entity will imple-
ment the linked learning pathways and the system 
of pathways, including the following: 
(A) A description of the partnerships that 
are in place or that the eligible entity will de-
velop to provide necessary support services to 
students, including partnerships with— 
(i) high pay, high growth, or high skill 
industries and other business groups; 
(ii) post-secondary education institu-
tions and apprenticeship programs; 
(iii) partnerships with qualified inter-
mediaries; 
(iv) community-based organizations 
and educators who are equipped to provide 
necessary support services to students; and 
(v) other stakeholders, which may in-
clude stakeholders such as parent groups, 
organized labor groups, workforce invest-
ment boards, and community-based organi-
zations. 
(B) Information about the internal capac-
ity of the eligible entity and its specific plans to 
implement linked learning pathways and a sys-
tem of pathways, including— 
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(i) a description of the capacity of fa-
cilities the eligible entity plans to use; 
(ii) an outreach strategy to inform 
parents, students, and community mem-
bers about the opportunities and activities 
that will be available to students through 
grants under this Act; 
(iii) a plan to facilitate effective mid-
dle to high school transitions for partici-
pating students; 
(iv) a plan to ensure rigorous aca-
demics, the career and technical education 
theme of the Linked Learning pathway, 
and subsequent work based learning oppor-
tunities are meaningfully and coherently 
integrated as part of each participating 
student’s experience; 
(v) a plan to ensure that students re-
ceive personalized and coherent learning 
experiences through activities such as fa-
cilitating smaller learning communities, co-
hort scheduling, and professional learning 
communities among staff that encourages 
frequent and effective collaboration for 
purposes of program coordination, cur-
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ricular integration, and resolution of stu-
dent problems; 
(vi) 
budgeting, 
governance, 
cur-
riculum, and scheduling autonomies that 
the eligible entity will grant to partici-
pating schools to ensure that linked learn-
ing pathways will meet individual student 
needs and reduce or eliminate barriers to 
effective implementation; 
(vii) a plan to assign students to a 
high school with a career or thematic focus 
that, if possible, matches the linked learn-
ing pathway of their choice; 
(viii) the means by which the eligible 
entity will encourage and support diverse 
learners and students with disabilities, in-
cluding students with limited English pro-
ficiency, to participate in the opportunities 
and activities funded under this Act; 
(ix) a plan to ensure that the eligible 
entity will not use the linked learning path-
ways and the system of pathways to track 
students into specific career themes or job 
placements and that various linked learn-
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ing pathways that the eligible entity pro-
vides to students are of comparable rigor; 
(x) a plan to address the staffing 
needs of the eligible entity, including a 
plan to hire teachers and staff with spe-
cialized skills, if needed, and to provide 
professional development and technical as-
sistance; 
(xi) a plan for sustainability, including 
plans to leverage non-Federal funding (in-
cluding in-kind resources) to ensure con-
tinuing implementation of linked learning 
pathways and the system of pathways once 
the eligible entity exhausts federal funds; 
(xii) a plan to create an advisory 
group or reconstitute an existing advisory 
group that meets not less than once per 
quarter and includes district personnel, 
members of teachers’ unions, school staff, 
industry partners, community partners, 
post secondary partners, parents, students, 
and others identified by the Secretary; and 
(xiii) a plan to measure the progress 
of students in each linked learning path-
way and compare their progress with the 
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progress of other students using longitu-
dinal data on individual student outcomes. 
(C) A description of how grants awarded 
under this Act will compliment, reinforce, and 
not duplicate existing efforts, including— 
(i) a description of how the eligible 
entity will leverage, coordinate, and inte-
grate Federal, State, and local private and 
public funds to implement linked learning 
pathways and the system of pathways; and 
(ii) a description of how a grant under 
this Act strengthens, leverages, does not 
duplicate, and aligns with efforts in the 
community that the eligible entity serves 
that are funded under the Workforce In-
vestment Act of 1998, the Carl D. Perkins 
Career and Technical Education Improve-
ment Act of 2006, and the No Child Left 
Behind Act of 2001. 
(D) A description of how funds will facili-
tate a systemic approach to meet the com-
prehensive needs of students in order to facili-
tate students’ success in college, in their ca-
reers, and as citizens. 
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SEC. 7. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS. 
Any student who attends a secondary school served 
by a local educational agency, including any student who 
attends a charter school, is eligible to participate in the 
linked learning pathways and the system of pathways 
funded under this Act that are available in the student’s 
school district. 
SEC. 8. USES OF FUNDS. 
(a) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES.—The eligible entity shall 
use grants awarded under this Act for the following: 
(1) The eligible entity shall provide the plan-
ning time and resources necessary to design the 
linked learning pathways and the system of path-
ways. 
(2) To facilitate high quality teaching and 
learning experiences to ensure that students have ac-
cess to linked learning pathways, the eligible entity 
shall implement— 
(A) a multidisciplinary and integrated cur-
riculum, curriculum mapping, and curriculum 
alignment; 
(B) professional development for teachers, 
school leaders, and staff, such as project based 
learning, interdisciplinary teaching and cur-
riculum development, integration of career and 
technical education and thematic components 
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with rigorous academic curricula and instruc-
tion, master scheduling, and interacting with 
and leveraging community and industry part-
nerships; 
(C) technological support, including invest-
ments in data systems, performance based as-
sessments to monitor and evaluate student 
progress, and investments in equipment and 
technology either relevant to a specific pathway 
or used to assign students to a pathway; and 
(D) activities that support effective imple-
mentation of Linked Learning pathways, such 
as common planning time, teacher release time, 
induction, and externships. 
(3) To connect students to quality work-based 
learning opportunities, the eligible entity shall— 
(A) develop coordinated, sequenced, and 
scaled work-based learning opportunities for 
students that are integrated with academic and 
technical coursework, which may include oppor-
tunities such as semester-long service-learning 
projects, mentorships, job shadowing, school en-
terprises, internships, and virtual apprentice-
ships; 
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(B) facilitate capacity building activities, 
which may include activities such as hiring full 
or part time district or school work-based learn-
ing coordinators to provide needed outreach to 
industry and community partners in order to 
encourage active community and business in-
volvement in school and work-based learning ac-
tivities or using funds to support such outreach 
with existing staff and existing staff scheduling; 
and 
(C) provide technical assistance to employ-
ers to help them design work-based learning op-
portunities. 
(4) To ensure students have access to supple-
mental support services as part of linked learning 
pathways, the eligible entity shall facilitate the devel-
opment of— 
(A) academic intervention; 
(B) student supports, which may include 
supports such as health services, mental health 
services, child care, substance abuse treatment 
and prevention, housing, and other services to 
meet students’ comprehensive needs; 
(C) transportation to linked learning path-
way associated activities; and 
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(D) post-secondary education and career 
counseling. 
(b) ALLOWABLE ACTIVITIES.—The eligible entity 
may use grants awarded under this Act for the following: 
(1) Activities designed to begin and sustain re-
forms by— 
(A) providing students, employers, commu-
nity based organizations, and other partners 
with outreach and recruitment activities; 
(B) building a broad based coalition; and 
(C) facilitating online and distance learn-
ing. 
(2) Activities designed to leverage innovative 
ways to expand and enhance learning time, includ-
ing— 
(A) after school programs; 
(B) extended day; 
(C) applied learning opportunities both in 
and outside of school time; 
(D) short-term service learning projects 
and other project-based learning; 
(E) paid year-round and summer work op-
portunities; and 
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(F) summertime opportunities that help 
over-aged and under-credited students catch up 
and re-engage in their education. 
(3) Other activities that the Secretary approves 
to implement the linked learning pathways and the 
system of pathways. 
SEC. 9. REPORTS AND EVALUATION. 
(a) ANNUAL REPORT.—An eligible entity that re-
ceives a grant under this Act shall submit an annual re-
port to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
providing such information as the Secretary may reason-
ably require, including— 
(1) characteristics of the eligible entity; 
(2) information about the system of pathways 
created, including leveraging of existing dollars and 
resources; 
(3) the number of linked learning pathways cre-
ated; 
(4) the services and supports provided; 
(5) data about student participation in work- 
based learning, service-learning, project-based learn-
ing, and other applied learning opportunities; and 
(6) the educational and career related outcomes 
resulting from the activities funded under this Act, 
including— 
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(A) student academic achievement; 
(B) student attendance; 
(C) graduation rates; 
(D) college attendance rates; 
(E) success levels on performance-based 
tasks that demonstrate preparation for careers 
in high pay, high growth, or high skill indus-
tries; and 
(F) progress of students in each linked 
learning pathway compared to other students in 
the district. 
(b) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall provide for 
an independent evaluation of the grants awarded under 
this Act that shall— 
(1) include an analysis and documentation of 
the strategies implemented and the key lessons 
learned related to program design, systems coordina-
tion, and implementation; 
(2) measure the outcomes and progress of the 
strategies implemented, including student enrollment 
in various school settings, academic gains (including 
literacy and numeracy gains as well as results on 
performance based assessments), academic and em-
ployment credentials earned, job and college place-
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ment, wages, and job and college retention over 2 
years; and 
(3) document the incremental progress of stu-
dents over time based on the measures in paragraph 
(2). 
SEC. 10. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 
The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to an 
eligible entity that receives a grant under this Act if the 
Secretary determines that such assistance is needed. 
SEC. 11. BEST PRACTICES AND INFORMATION DISSEMINA-
TION. 
The Secretary shall determine and disseminate best 
practices that emerge to support linked learning pathways 
to ensure that all high schools are aware of the program 
and the opportunities it provides to students to gain the 
knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in post-sec-
ondary education, careers, and as citizens. 
SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this Act— 
(1) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and 
(2) such sums as may be necessary for each of 
fiscal years 2012 through 2015. 
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(b) ALLOCATION.—Of the amounts appropriated to 
carry out this Act for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
use— 
(1) 90 percent for grants to eligible entities; 
and 
(2) 10 percent for— 
(A) the evaluation of grants described in 
section 9(b); 
(B) the technical assistance described in 
section 10; and 
(C) the evaluation and dissemination of 
best practices described in section 11. 
Æ 
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