I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5036
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reserve
funds to provide special training, technical assistance, and professional
development to eligible entities implementing Even Start programs and
to the staff of such programs, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 27, 2002
Mrs. DAVIS of California 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 reserve funds to provide special training,
technical assistance, and professional development to eli-
gible entities implementing Even Start programs and
to the staff of such programs, 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 ‘‘Even Start Quality
Improvement Act’’.
SEC. 2. RESERVATION FOR SPECIAL TRAINING AND TECH-
NICAL ASSISTANCE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1232(b) of Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
6381a(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(3) SPECIAL TRAINING AND TECHNICAL AS-
SISTANCE.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—For the first fiscal
year after fiscal year 2002 for which the
amount appropriated under section 1002(b)(3)
exceeds the amount appropriated under such
section for the preceding fiscal year by
$8,000,000 or more, the Secretary shall reserve
from such excess amount $5,000,000. The Sec-
retary shall use such reserved amount to pro-
vide special training, technical assistance, and
professional development to eligible entities im-
plementing Even Start programs, and to the
staff of such programs, in order to improve the
quality of services for eligible participants, and
to assist personnel in meeting the professional
development requirements described in section
1235(5).
‘‘(B) GRANT
OR
CONTRACT.—The Sec-
retary shall carry out subparagraph (A) by en-
tering into a grant or contract with not less
than 2 eligible organizations with experience
and expertise in the provision of training, tech-
nical assistance, and professional development
to family literacy providers, particularly eligible
organizations with experience in the provision of
such services to Even Start programs. Such en-
tities may include the National Even Start As-
sociation, the National Center for Family Lit-
eracy, and the William F. Goodling Institute for
Research in Family Literacy. In awarding
grants or contracts under this subparagraph,
the Secretary shall give priority to eligible orga-
nizations that work cooperatively with other eli-
gible organizations.
‘‘(C) ACTIVITIES.—Activities carried out
with amounts reserved under this paragraph
shall include—
‘‘(i) training and technical assistance;
‘‘(ii) assistance to personnel in meet-
ing the professional development require-
ments described in section 1235(5); and
‘‘(iii) training and the development of
materials to ensure that instructional pro-
grams are based on scientifically based
reading research.
‘‘(i) literacy and reading instructional
approaches and practices that are based on
scientifically based reading research; and
‘‘(ii) best practices for serving adult
learners.’’.
(b) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATION DEFINED.—Section
1232(e)(2) of Elementary and Secondary Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381a(e)(2)) is amended by inserting
‘‘the National Even Start Association,’’ after ‘‘Center for
Family Literacy,’’.
SEC. 3. STUDY OF EVEN START PARTICIPANTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall contract with
a qualified entity (such as a private organization, govern-
mental agency, or institution of higher education) with ex-
perience and expertise in family literacy services (as de-
fined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)) to conduct a
study of—
(1) children who participated in the program
known as the ‘‘William F. Goodling Even Start
Family Literacy Program’’ (authorized, on the date
of the enactment of this Act, under subpart 3 of
part B of title I of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6381–6381k))
and are in the 3rd or 4th grade during the study;
(2) the parents of such children; and
(3) other adults who participated with such
children in such program.
(b) ASSESSING RESULTS OF CHILDREN’S PARTICIPA-
TION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The study shall assess the
impact of participation by such children in such pro-
gram with respect to—
(A) whether or not such children are read-
ing on grade level and otherwise performing on
a level equal to or better than their peers;
(B) school attendance; and
(C) whether or not such children have been
retained for more than 1 year in any grade and
the reasons for such retention, if applicable.
(2) PARENTAL
CONSENT.—The consent of a
child’s parent (as defined in section 9101 of the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 7801)) shall be obtained prior to commencing
any effort to obtain data under paragraph (1) with
respect to the child.
(c) ASSESSING RESULTS OF ADULTS’ PARTICIPA-
TION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The study shall also assess
the long-term impact of participation by parents (or
other adults) in such program, through methods
such as—
(A) personal interviews; and
(B) testing of such individuals for retained
or improved literacy skills (but only in cases in
which there are baseline test results for an indi-
vidual available for comparison that were ob-
tained just prior to the individual’s commencing
or ceasing participation in such program).
(2) INFORMATION INCLUDED.—The study shall
gather information regarding adult participants’ cur-
rent educational and employment endeavors and the
perceived impact of participation in such program on
the adult’s ability to participate in their child’s edu-
cation.
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