I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2663
To provide a grant program to support the establishment and operation 
of Teachers Professional Development Institutes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 26, 2005
Ms. DELAURO (for herself, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. SIMMONS, Mrs. 
JOHNSON of Connecticut, and Mr. SHAYS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To provide a grant program to support the establishment 
and operation of Teachers Professional Development In-
stitutes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN-
STITUTES. 
Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
‘‘PART C—TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL 
DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTES 
‘‘SEC. 241. SHORT TITLE. 
‘‘This part may be cited as the ‘Teachers Professional 
Development Institutes Act’. 
‘‘SEC. 242. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 
‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
‘‘(1) Ongoing, subject-specific teacher profes-
sional development is essential to improved student 
learning. 
‘‘(2) The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 
calls for a highly qualified teacher in every core-sub-
ject classroom; attaining this goal will require inno-
vative and effective approaches to improving the 
quality of teaching. 
‘‘(3) The Teachers Institute Model is an inno-
vative and proven approach that encourages collabo-
ration between urban school teachers and university 
faculty. The model focuses on teachers’ continuing 
academic preparation and on the personal and col-
laborative application of their studies in their class-
rooms, schools, and districts. 
‘‘(4) The Teachers Institute Model has a proven 
record, as demonstrated by the success of a 3-year 
national demonstration pilot project (referred to in
this part as the ‘National Demonstration Project’) in 
several United States cities. 
‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this part is to pro-
vide Federal assistance to support the establishment and 
operation of Teachers Professional Development Institutes 
for local educational agencies that serve significant low-
income populations in States throughout the Nation—
‘‘(1) to improve student learning; and 
‘‘(2) to enhance the quality of teaching by 
strengthening the subject matter mastery and peda-
gogical skills of current teachers through continuing 
teacher preparation. 
‘‘SEC. 243. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this part: 
‘‘(1) POVERTY LINE.—The term ‘poverty line’ 
means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of 
Management and Budget, and revised annually in 
accordance with section 673(2) of the Community 
Services Block Grant Act) applicable to a family of 
the size involved. 
‘‘(2) SIGNIFICANT LOW-INCOME POPULATION.—
The term ‘significant low-income population’ means 
a student population of which not less than 25 per-
cent are from families with incomes below the pov-
erty line.
‘‘(3) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 
the several States of the United States, the District 
of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 
‘‘(4) TEACHERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
INSTITUTE.—The term ‘Teachers Professional De-
velopment Institute’ means a partnership or joint 
venture between or among 1 or more institutions of 
higher education, and 1 or more local educational 
agencies serving a significant low-income population, 
which partnership or joint venture—
‘‘(A) is entered into for the purpose of im-
proving the quality of teaching and learning 
through collaborative seminars designed to en-
hance both the subject matter and the peda-
gogical resources of the seminar participants; 
and 
‘‘(B) works in collaboration to determine 
the direction and content of the collaborative 
seminars. 
‘‘SEC. 244. GRANT AUTHORITY. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized—
‘‘(1) to award grants to Teachers Professional 
Development Institutes to encourage the establish-
ment and operation of Teachers Professional Devel-
opment Institutes; and
‘‘(2) to provide technical assistance, either di-
rectly or through existing Teachers Professional De-
velopment Institutes, to assist local educational 
agencies and institutions of higher education in pre-
paring to establish and in operating Teachers Pro-
fessional Development Institutes. 
‘‘(b) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In selecting a Teachers 
Professional Development Institute for a grant under this 
part, the Secretary shall consider—
‘‘(1) the extent to which the proposed Teachers 
Professional Development Institute will serve a com-
munity with a significant low-income population; 
‘‘(2) the extent to which the proposed Teachers 
Professional Development Institute will follow the 
Understandings and Necessary Procedures that have 
been developed following the National Demonstra-
tion Project; 
‘‘(3) the extent to which the local educational 
agency participating in the proposed Teachers Pro-
fessional Development Institute has a high percent-
age of teachers who are unprepared or under pre-
pared to teach the core academic subjects the teach-
ers are assigned to teach; and 
‘‘(4) the extent to which the proposed Teachers 
Professional Development Institute will receive a
level of support from the community and other 
sources that will ensure the requisite long-term com-
mitment for the success of a Teachers Professional 
Development Institute. 
‘‘(c) CONSULTATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In evaluating applications 
under subsection (b), the Secretary may request the 
advice and assistance of existing Teachers Profes-
sional Development Institutes. 
‘‘(2) STATE
AGENCIES.—If the Secretary re-
ceives 2 or more applications for new Teachers Pro-
fessional Development Institutes that propose serv-
ing the same State, the Secretary shall consult with 
the State educational agency regarding the applica-
tions. 
‘‘(d) FISCAL AGENT.—For the purpose of this part, 
an institution of higher education participating in a 
Teachers Professional Development Institute shall serve 
as the fiscal agent for the receipt of grant funds under 
this part. 
‘‘(e) LIMITATIONS.—A grant under this part—
‘‘(1) shall be awarded for a period not to exceed 
5 years; and
‘‘(2) shall not exceed 50 percent of the total 
costs of the eligible activities, as determined by the 
Secretary. 
‘‘SEC. 245. ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A Teachers Professional Devel-
opment Institute that receives a grant under this part may 
use the grant funds—
‘‘(1) for the planning and development of appli-
cations for the establishment of Teachers Profes-
sional Development Institutes; 
‘‘(2) to provide assistance to existing Teachers 
Professional Development Institutes established dur-
ing the National Demonstration Project to enable 
the Teachers Professional Development Institutes—
‘‘(A) to further develop existing Teachers 
Professional Development Institutes; or 
‘‘(B) to support the planning and develop-
ment of applications for new Teachers Profes-
sional Development Institutes; 
‘‘(3) for the salary and necessary expenses of a 
full-time director to plan and manage such Teachers 
Professional Development Institute and to act as li-
aison between the participating local educational 
agency and institution of higher education;
‘‘(4) to provide suitable office space, staff, 
equipment, and supplies, and to pay other operating 
expenses for the development and maintenance of 
Teachers Professional Development Institutes; 
‘‘(5) to provide stipends for teachers partici-
pating in collaborative seminars in the sciences and 
humanities, and to provide remuneration for those 
members of the higher education faculty who lead 
the seminars; and 
‘‘(6) to provide for the dissemination through 
print and electronic means of curriculum units pre-
pared in conjunction with Teachers Professional De-
velopment Institutes seminars. 
‘‘(b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 
use not more than 50 percent of the funds appropriated 
to carry out this part to provide technical assistance to 
facilitate the establishment and operation of Teachers 
Professional Development Institutes. For the purpose of 
this subsection, the Secretary may contract with existing 
Teachers Professional Development Institutes to provide 
all or a part of the technical assistance under this sub-
section.
‘‘SEC. 246. APPLICATION, APPROVAL, AND AGREEMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant under this 
part, a Teachers Professional Development Institute shall 
submit an application to the Secretary that—
‘‘(1) meets the requirement of this part and any 
regulations under this part; 
‘‘(2) includes a description of how the Teachers 
Professional Development Institute intends to use 
funds provided under the grant; 
‘‘(3) includes such information as the Secretary 
may require to apply the criteria described in section 
244(b); 
‘‘(4) includes measurable objectives for the use 
of the funds provided under the grant; and 
‘‘(5) contains such other information and assur-
ances as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(b) APPROVAL.—The Secretary shall—
‘‘(1) promptly evaluate an application received 
for a grant under this part; and 
‘‘(2) notify the applicant within 90 days of the 
receipt of a completed application of the Secretary’s 
approval or disapproval of the application. 
‘‘(c) AGREEMENT.—Upon approval of an application, 
the Secretary and the Teachers Professional Development 
Institute shall enter into a comprehensive agreement cov-
ering the entire period of the grant.
‘‘SEC. 247. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS. 
‘‘(a) REPORT.—Each Teachers Professional Develop-
ment Institute receiving a grant under this part shall re-
port annually on the progress of the Teachers Professional 
Development Institute in achieving the purpose of this 
part and the purposes of the grant. 
‘‘(b) EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION.—
‘‘(1) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall evalu-
ate the activities funded under this part and submit 
an annual report regarding the activities to the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
sions of the Senate and the Committee on Education 
and the Workforce of the House of Representatives. 
‘‘(2) DISSEMINATION.—The Secretary shall 
broadly disseminate successful practices developed 
by Teachers Professional Development Institutes. 
‘‘(c) REVOCATION.—If the Secretary determines that 
a Teachers Professional Development Institute is not 
making substantial progress in achieving the purpose of 
this part and the purposes of the grant by the end of the 
second year of the grant under this part, the Secretary 
may take appropriate action, including revocation of fur-
ther payments under the grant, to ensure that the funds 
available under this part are used in the most effective 
manner.
‘‘SEC. 248. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this part—
‘‘(1) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; 
‘‘(2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; 
‘‘(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; 
‘‘(4) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and 
‘‘(5) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.’’.
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