Foundation, to continue the Eisenhower National Clear-
inghouse for Mathematics and Science Education.
‘‘SEC. 2043. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR PRIN-
CIPALS AS LEADERS OF SCHOOL REFORM.
‘‘(a) COMPETITIVE GRANTS.—The Secretary shall
award grants on a competitive basis to eligible
partnerships—
‘‘(1) consisting of—
‘‘(A) one or more institutions of higher
education that provide professional development
for principals and other school administrators;
and
‘‘(B) one or more local educational agen-
cies; and
‘‘(2) that may include other entities, agencies,
or organizations, such as a State educational agency,
a State agency for higher education, educational
service agencies, or professional organizations of
principals and teachers.
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Any eligible partnership
that desires to receive a grant under this section
shall submit an application at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require.
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Each such application shall
include a description of—
‘‘(A) the activities the partnership will
carry out to achieve the purpose of this section;
‘‘(B) how those activities will build on, and
be coordinated with, other professional develop-
ment programs and activities, including activi-
ties under title I of this Act and title II of the
Higher Education Act of 1965; and
‘‘(C) how principals, teachers, and other
interested individuals were involved in devel-
oping the application and will be involved in
planning and carrying out activities under this
section.
‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible partnership that
receives a grant under this section shall use the grant
funds to provide professional development to principals
and other school administrators to enable them to be effec-
tive school leaders and prepare all students to achieve to
challenging State content and student performance stand-
ards, including professional development relating to—
‘‘(1) leadership skills;
‘‘(2) recruitment, assignment, retention, and
evaluation of teachers and other staff;
‘‘(3) effective instructional practices, including
the use of technology;
‘‘(4) using smaller classes effectively; and
‘‘(5) parental and community involvement.
‘‘SEC. 2044. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR TEACHER EN-
TREPRENEURSHIP.
‘‘The Secretary may award a grant or contract to an
organization or institution with substantial experience in
entrepreneurship education to establish and operate a Na-
tional Clearinghouse for Teacher Entrepreneurship to co-
ordinate professional development opportunities for teach-
ers, collect and disseminate curricular materials, and un-
dertake other activities to encourage teacher interest and
involvement in entrepreneurship education, particularly
for teachers of grades 7 through 12.
‘‘SEC. 2045. RURAL TEACHERS.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award grants
on a competitive basis to rural eligible local educational
agencies to carry out activities described in subsection (b).
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—A rural eligible local edu-
cational agency that receives a grant under this section
may use such funds to develop incentive programs—
‘‘(1) to recruit and retain qualified teachers;
and
‘‘(2) to provide high-quality professional devel-
opment to teachers.
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant
under this section, a rural eligible local educational agency
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time,
in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may reasonably require.
‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section:
‘‘(1) METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREA.—The
term ‘metropolitan statistical area’ has the meaning
given such term by the Bureau of the Census.
‘‘(2) RURAL
ELIGIBLE
LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘rural eligible local educational
agency’ means a local educational agency—
‘‘(A) that is not located in a metropolitan
statistical area; and
‘‘(B) in which there is a high percentage of
individuals from families with incomes below
the poverty line (as defined by the Office of
Management and Budget and revised annually
in accordance with section 673(2) of the Com-
munity Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C.
9902(2))).
‘‘SEC. 2046. TRANSITION TO TEACHING.
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to ad-
dress the need of high-need local educational agencies for
highly qualified teachers in particular subject areas, such
as mathematics, science, foreign languages, bilingual edu-
cation, and special education, needed by those agencies,
following the model of the successful teachers placement
program known as the ‘Troops-to-Teachers program’, by
recruiting, preparing, placing, and supporting career-
changing professionals who have knowledge and experi-
ence that will help them become such teachers.
‘‘(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—
‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary is authorized
to use funds appropriated under paragraph (2) for
each fiscal year to award grants, contracts, or coop-
erative agreements to institutions of higher edu-
cation and public and private nonprofit agencies or
organizations to carry out programs authorized by
this section.
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
For the purpose of carrying out this section, there
are authorized to be appropriated $9,000,000 for
fiscal year 2000 and such sums as may be necessary
for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2004.
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Each applicant that desires an
award under subsection (b)(1) shall submit an application
to the Secretary containing such information as the Sec-
retary requires, including—
‘‘(1) a description of the target group of career-
changing professionals upon which the applicant will
focus its recruitment efforts in carrying out its pro-
gram under this section, including a description of
the characteristics of that target group that shows
how the knowledge and experience of its members
are relevant to meeting the purpose of this section;
‘‘(2) a description of the training that program
participants will receive and how that training will
relate to their certification as teachers;
‘‘(3) a description of how the applicant will col-
laborate, as needed, with other institutions, agencies,
or organizations to recruit, train, place, support, and
provide teacher induction programs to program par-
ticipants under this section, including evidence of
the commitment of those institutions, agencies, or
organizations to the applicant’s program;
‘‘(4) a description of how the applicant will
evaluate the progress and effectiveness of its pro-
gram, including—
‘‘(A) the program’s goals and objectives;
‘‘(B) the performance indicators the appli-
cant will use to measure the program’s
progress; and
‘‘(C) the outcome measures that will be
used to determine the program’s effectiveness;
and
‘‘(5) such other information and assurances as
the Secretary may require.
‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS AND PERIOD OF SERVICE.—
‘‘(1) AUTHORIZED
ACTIVITIES.—Funds under
this section may be used for—
‘‘(A) recruiting program participants, in-
cluding informing them of opportunities under
the program and putting them in contact with
other institutions, agencies, or organizations
that would train, place, and support them;
‘‘(B) training stipends and other financial
incentives for program participants, not to ex-
ceed $5,000 per participant;
‘‘(C) assisting institutions of higher edu-
cation or other providers of teacher training to
tailor their training to meet the particular
needs of professionals who are changing their
careers to teaching;
‘‘(D) placement activities, including identi-
fying high-need local educational agencies with
a need for the particular skills and characteris-
tics of the newly trained program participants
and assisting those participants to obtain em-
ployment in those local educational agencies;
and
‘‘(E) post-placement induction or support
activities for program participants.
‘‘(2) PERIOD OF SERVICE.—A program partici-
pant in a program under this section who completes
his or her training shall serve in a high-need local
educational agency for at least 3 years.
‘‘(3) REPAYMENT.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish such requirements as the Secretary determines
appropriate to ensure that program participants who
receive a training stipend or other financial incentive
under paragraph (1)(B), but fail to complete their
service obligation under paragraph (2), repay all or
a portion of such stipend or other incentive.
‘‘(e) EQUITABLE
DISTRIBUTION.—To the extent
practicable, the Secretary shall make awards under this
section that support programs in different geographic re-
gions of the Nation.
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section:
‘‘(1) The term ‘high-need local educational
agency’ has the meaning given such term in section
2061.
‘‘(2) The term ‘program participants’ means ca-
reer-changing professionals who—
‘‘(A) hold at least a baccalaureate degree;
‘‘(B) demonstrate interest in, and commit-
ment to, becoming a teacher; and
‘‘(C) have knowledge and experience that
are relevant to teaching a high-need subject
area in a high-need local educational agency.
‘‘Subpart 5—Funding
‘‘SEC. 2051. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
‘‘(a) FISCAL YEAR 2000.—For the purpose of car-
rying out this part (other than section 2043), there are
authorized to be appropriated $2,019,000,000 for fiscal
year 2000, of which $15,000,000 are authorized to be ap-
propriated to carry out subpart 4 (other than section
2043).
‘‘(b) OTHER FISCAL YEARS.—For the purpose of
carrying out this part (other than section 2043), there are
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be nec-
essary for fiscal years 2001 through 2004.
‘‘Subpart 6—General Provisions
‘‘SEC. 2061. DEFINITIONS.
‘‘For purposes of this part—
‘‘(1) ARTS AND SCIENCES.—The term ‘arts and
sciences’ means—
‘‘(A) when referring to an organizational
unit of an institution of higher education, any
academic unit that offers one or more academic
majors in disciplines or content areas cor-
responding to the academic subject matter
areas in which teachers provide instruction; and
‘‘(B) when referring to a specific academic
subject matter area, the disciplines or content
areas in which academic majors are offered by
the arts and sciences organizational unit.
‘‘(2) FULLY
QUALIFIED.—The term ‘fully
qualified’—
‘‘(A) when used with respect to a public el-
ementary or secondary school teacher (other
than a teacher teaching in a public charter
school), means that the teacher has obtained
State certification as a teacher (including cer-
tification obtained through alternative routes to
certification) or passed the State teacher licens-
ing exam and holds a license to teach in such
State; and
‘‘(B) when used with respect to —
‘‘(i) an elementary school teacher,
means that the teacher holds a bachelor’s
degree and demonstrates knowledge and
teaching skills in reading, writing, mathe-
matics, science, and other areas of the ele-
mentary school curriculum; or
‘‘(ii) a middle or secondary school
teacher, means that the teacher holds a
bachelor’s degree and demonstrates a high
level of competency in all subject areas in
which he or she teaches through—
‘‘(I) a high level of performance
on a rigorous State or local academic
subject areas test; or
‘‘(II) completion of an academic
major in each of the subject areas in
which he or she provides instruction.
‘‘(3) BEGINNING TEACHER.—The term ‘begin-
ning teacher’ means an educator in a public school
who has not yet been teaching 3 full school years.
‘‘(4) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN-
CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’
means a local educational agency that serves an ele-
mentary school or secondary school located in an
area in which there is—
‘‘(A) a high percentage of individuals from
families with incomes below 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 (42 U.S.C. 9902(2)));
‘‘(B) a high percentage of secondary school
teachers not teaching in the content area in
which the teachers were trained to teach; or
‘‘(C) a high teacher turnover rate.
‘‘(5) MENTORING PROGRAM.—The term ‘men-
toring program’ means to provide professional sup-
port and development, instruction, and guidance to
beginning teachers, but does not include a teacher or
individual who begins to work in a supervisory posi-
tion.
‘‘(6) PUBLICLY
REPORT.—The term ‘publicly
report’, when used with respect to the dissemination
of information, means that the information is made
widely available to the public, including parents and
students, through such means as the Internet and
major print and broadcast media outlets.
‘‘(7) SCIENTIFICALLY BASED RESEARCH.—The
term ‘scientifically based research’—
‘‘(A) means the application of rigorous,
systematic, and objective procedures to obtain
valid knowledge relevant to professional devel-
opment of teachers; and
‘‘(B) shall include research that—
‘‘(i) employs systematic, empirical
methods that draw on observation or ex-
periment;
‘‘(ii) involves rigorous data analyses
that are adequate to test the stated
hypotheses and justify the general conclu-
sions drawn;
‘‘(iii) relies on measurements or obser-
vational methods that provide valid data
across evaluators and observers and across
multiple measurements and observations;
and
‘‘(iv) has been accepted by a peer-re-
viewed journal or approved by a panel of
independent experts through a comparably
rigorous, objective, and scientific review.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(1) NATIONAL
WRITING
PROJECT.—Section
10992(i) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8332(i)) is amended
to read as follows:
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated for the grant to the Na-
tional Writing Project, such sums as may be necessary for
each of fiscal years 2000 through 2004 to carry out the
provisions of this section.’’.
(2) REFERENCE TO NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE
FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE EDUCATION.—Sec-
tion 13302(1) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8672(1)) is
amended by striking ‘‘2102(b)’’ and inserting
‘‘2042’’.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO READING EXCEL-
LENCE ACT.
(a) REPEAL OF PART B.—Part B of title II of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 6641–6651) is repealed.
(b) READING EXCELLENCE ACT.—
(1) PART HEADING.—Part C of title II of such
Act is redesignated as part B and the heading for
such part B is amended to read as follows:
‘‘PART B—READING EXCELLENCE ACT’’.
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
Section 2260(a) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6661i(a)) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(3) FISCAL YEARS 2001 TO 2004.—There are
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part
$260,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and such sums as
may be necessary for fiscal years 2002 through
2004.’’.
SEC. 4. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et
seq.) is amended—
(1) by repealing part D;
(2) by redesignating part E as part C; and
(3) by striking sections 2401 and 2402 and in-
serting the following:
‘‘SEC. 2401. PROHIBITION ON MANDATORY NATIONAL CER-
TIFICATION OF TEACHERS.
‘‘(a) PROHIBITION
ON MANDATORY TESTING
OR
CERTIFICATION.—Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the Secretary is prohibited from using Federal funds
to plan, develop, implement, or administer any mandatory
national teacher test or certification.
‘‘(b) PROHIBITION ON WITHHOLDING FUNDS.—The
Secretary is prohibited from withholding funds from any
State or local educational agency if such State or local
educational agency fails to adopt a specific method of
teacher certification.
‘‘SEC. 2402. PROVISIONS RELATED TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS.
‘‘The provisions of sections 14503 through 14506
apply to programs under this title.
‘‘SEC. 2403. HOME SCHOOLS.
‘‘Nothing in this title shall be construed to permit,
allow, encourage, or authorize any Federal control over
any aspect of any private, religious, or home school,
whether or not a home school is treated as a private school
or home school under State law. This section shall not be
construed to bar private, religious, or home schools from
participation in programs or services under this title.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(1) DEFINITION OF COVERED PROGRAM.—Sec-
tion 14101(10)(C) of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801(10)(C)) is
amended by striking ‘‘(other than section 2103 and
part D)’’.
(2) PRIVATE SCHOOL PARTICIPATION.—Section
14503(b)(1)(B) (20 U.S.C. 8893(b)(1)(B)) of such
Act is amended by striking ‘‘(other than section
2103 and part D of such title)’’.
SEC. 5. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS.
It is the sense of the Congress that high quality
teachers are an important part of the development of our
children and it is essential that Congress work to ensure
that the teachers who instruct our children are of the high-
est quality possible.
Passed the House of Representatives July 20, 1999.
Attest:
Clerk.