I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6464 
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for teacher-led projects 
to improve academic growth in elementary school and secondary school, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 7, 2016 
Mrs. DAVIS of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for 
teacher-led projects to improve academic growth in ele-
mentary school and secondary school, and for other pur-
poses. 
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 ‘‘Teach to Lead Act 
of 2016’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
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(1) Teachers, because of their position in the 
classroom, often see important opportunities to im-
prove student learning most directly and thus have 
a unique perspective from which to create practical 
solutions to help students succeed. 
(2) According to a Scholastic and Bill & 
Melinda Gates Foundation poll, 69 percent of teach-
ers feel that their voices are heard in their school, 
but only one-third feel heard in their district, five 
percent in their State, and two percent at the na-
tional level. 
(3) The failure to leverage teachers’ expertise 
has a negative impact on teacher engagement in 
education reforms and misses a critical opportunity 
for administrators and policymakers to draw on 
knowledge and expertise from the classroom that can 
help address critical education needs and challenges. 
(4) Empowering teachers to lead beyond the 
classroom, without necessarily leaving the classroom, 
will demonstrate the trust and respect for teachers, 
as professionals, that they deserve and will help im-
prove teaching and student outcomes. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to empower teachers to 
develop and implement projects with the potential to have 
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a wider impact on developing the knowledge, pedagogical 
skills, and conditions needed to improve teaching and stu-
dent outcomes, particularly academic growth, by bringing 
their classroom knowledge and expertise directly to bear 
on the many challenges confronting our education system. 
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the funds 
made available under section 7, the Secretary of 
Education may make grants, on a competitive basis, 
to one or more nonprofit organizations to award 
subgrants to eligible entities to develop and imple-
ment teacher-led projects to improve teaching and 
student outcomes in elementary school and sec-
ondary school, particularly academic growth. 
(2) GRANT PERIOD.—A grant made to a non-
profit organization under paragraph (1) shall be for 
a period of not more than five years. 
(3) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—A nonprofit orga-
nization that receives a grant under paragraph (1)— 
(A) shall reserve not less than 90 percent 
of the grant to award subgrants, on a competi-
tive basis, to eligible entities under subsection 
(c); and 
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(B) may use not more than 10 percent of 
the grant for administrative purposes. 
(b) APPLICATIONS.—A nonprofit organization that 
desires a grant under this section shall submit an applica-
tion to the Secretary at such time and in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary may re-
quire. The application shall— 
(1) demonstrate the entity’s ability to— 
(A) operate a national program, a multi- 
State program, or a program that reaches not 
less than 100,000 students; and 
(B) manage the administrative and fiscal 
aspects of the subgrant program described in 
this section; and 
(2) describe how the nonprofit organization 
will— 
(A) provide outreach and solicit subgrant 
applications nationwide, particularly in urban, 
rural, and tribal areas with significant numbers 
or concentration of high-need schools; 
(B) conduct a subgrant competition and 
ensure that selected projects will be designed 
and led by teachers, teams of teachers, or 
teachers and school leaders; 
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(C) conduct a peer review of all eligible 
project applications that selects high-quality 
projects likely to have the greatest impact on 
teaching or student outcomes; 
(D) provide technical assistance to help 
subgrantees ensure effective project implemen-
tation; 
(E) monitor project implementation and 
collect data on projects; 
(F) facilitate collaboration and interaction 
of subgrantees with each other and with experts 
in the field to solve ongoing problems of in-
structional practice and leadership, such as 
through the creation of communities of practice 
where teachers share best practices and work 
together to achieve similar goals; 
(G) evaluate projects and nationally dis-
seminate the results of effective projects; and 
(H) provide accountability for the use of 
the grant. 
(c) SUBGRANTS.— 
(1) SUBGRANT PRIORITY.—A nonprofit organi-
zation receiving a grant under this section shall use 
such grant to award subgrants to eligible entities 
under this subsection, and in awarding such sub-
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grants the nonprofit organization shall give priority 
to eligible entities that will use the subgrants to 
carry out projects that— 
(A) are designed to improve teaching and 
learning outcomes for all students in high-need 
schools or that target the educational needs of 
low-income or minority students; 
(B) are supported by evidence of effective-
ness or, at a minimum, is supported by a logic 
model; 
(C) are supported by evidence of teacher 
involvement in the development of such projects 
as demonstrated by research or survey data; 
and 
(D) have the potential to be scaled up in 
their school, local educational agencies, or State 
in order to have a wider impact on improving 
teaching and learning outcomes, particularly 
academic growth for all students. 
(2) SUBGRANT APPLICATIONS.—An eligible en-
tity that desires a subgrant under this section shall 
submit an application to the applicable nonprofit or-
ganization awarded a grant under this section at 
such time and in such manner, and containing such 
information as the nonprofit organization may rea-
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sonably require. Each application shall, at a min-
imum, describe— 
(A) 
the 
project 
proposed, 
including 
timelines, resources needed, and any measur-
able objectives to be used in determining how 
the project will improve teaching and student 
outcomes, particularly academic growth; 
(B) any partnerships entered into with 
school and local educational agency leaders, 
nonprofit organizations, community organiza-
tions, teacher preparation providers, in-service 
support providers, and other stakeholders, in-
cluding teachers, to develop and implement the 
proposed project; and 
(C) the potential to scale up the proposed 
project in the school, local educational agency, 
Tribal or Bureau of Indian Affairs educational 
system, and State, of the eligible entity. 
(3) USE OF SUBGRANT FUNDS.— 
(A) USE OF SUBGRANT FUNDS.—An eligi-
ble entity shall use the subgrant received under 
this section to develop and implement an inno-
vative project designed and led by teachers, 
teams of teachers, or teachers and school lead-
ers to improve teaching and learning at the ele-
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eligible entity, may use not more than two per-
cent of the subgrant for direct administrative 
expenses incurred in carrying out its respon-
sibilities under the subgrant. 
SEC. 5. PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT. 
The Secretary shall establish goals and performance 
indicators to measure and assess the impact of the activi-
ties carried out under this Act. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means an individual teacher, a team of teachers, 
or teachers and school leaders, in partnership with 
a local educational agency or a nonprofit organiza-
tion that serves as the fiscal agent with respect to 
funds awarded under this Act. 
(2) ESEA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘elementary 
school’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, ‘‘local educational agen-
cy’’, and ‘‘Secretary’’ have the meanings given the 
terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(3) HIGH-NEED SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘high-need 
school’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
2243(f)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6673(f)(2)). 
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(4) NONPROFIT ENTITY.—The term ‘‘nonprofit 
organization’’ means a nonprofit organization that 
works in education at the elementary school or sec-
ondary school level. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 
for each of the fiscal years 2017 through 2021 to carry 
out this Act. 
Æ 
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