TITLE 
I—READY 
TO 
LEARN: 
EARLY 
CHILDHOOD 
AND 
SCHOOL READINESS 
SEC. 101. READY TO LEARN GRANTS. 
Subpart 3 of part D of title II of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6775) 
is amended by striking section 2431 and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 2431. SHORT TITLE. 
‘‘This subpart may be cited as ‘Ready-to-Learn Act’. 
‘‘SEC. 2432. READY-TO-LEARN EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION 
PROGRAMMING AND RELATED SERVICES. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to 
award a grant to a public broadcasting entity to enable 
the public broadcasting entity— 
‘‘(1) to provide a coordinated Ready-to-Learn 
television service described in subsection (c); and 
‘‘(2) to award subgrants or enter into contracts 
or cooperative agreements with an eligible entity to 
enable the eligible entity to operate a high-quality 
Ready-to-Learn program that is a part of the coordi-
nated Ready-to-Learn television service. 
‘‘(b) READY-TO-LEARN PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.— 
Each eligible entity receiving a subgrant or entering into 
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a contract or cooperative agreement under this subpart 
shall operate a Ready-to-Learn program that— 
‘‘(1) develops, produces, and distributes edu-
cational television programming and related services 
for preschool and elementary school children (espe-
cially preschool and elementary school children 
served under part A of title I), and the parents, edu-
cators, and caregivers of such children in order to 
help improve early childhood development and stu-
dent achievement in the areas of— 
‘‘(A) reading; 
‘‘(B) mathematics; 
‘‘(C) science; 
‘‘(D) health and wellness; 
‘‘(E) social and emotional development; or 
‘‘(F) other academic or developmentally 
appropriate areas; 
‘‘(2) facilitates the development of— 
‘‘(A) educational television programming 
and related services, directly or through con-
tracts, with producers of educational television 
programming and related services for preschool 
and elementary school children; 
‘‘(B) support materials and services that 
accompany such educational television program-
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ming and related services, including outreach 
services, in order to promote the effective use of 
such educational television programming and 
related services; and 
‘‘(C) related support resources for parents 
and caregivers that are designed for nationwide 
distribution over public television stations’ dig-
ital broadcasting channels and other high-tech 
delivery platforms; and 
‘‘(3) contracts with an entity that owns and op-
erates a television public broadcast station, as de-
fined in section 397(6) of the Communications Act 
of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 397(6))— 
‘‘(A) that demonstrates that the station is 
a member of a strong, local, community-based 
partnership, in order to deliver effective services 
which meet the educational needs of the chil-
dren in the community served by the broadcast 
area; and 
‘‘(B) so that educational television pro-
gramming and related services developed under 
this subpart are disseminated and distributed to 
the widest possible audience appropriately 
served by the most appropriate distribution 
technologies; or 
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‘‘(4) develops and disseminates educational or 
training material, directly related to the television 
programs assisted under this subpart, that— 
‘‘(A) is designed— 
‘‘(i) to promote school readiness for 
all children, especially children served 
under part A of title I, including English 
language learners; and 
‘‘(ii) to promote the effective use of 
related services and related support re-
sources developed under paragraphs (2) 
and (3), respectively, among parents, 
teachers, Head Start programs, Even Start 
programs, Early Reading First programs, 
Reading First programs, Reading is Fun-
damental program providers, providers of 
family literacy services, child care pro-
viders, early childhood development per-
sonnel, elementary school teachers, public 
libraries, 
museums, 
State 
educational 
agencies, businesses, institutions of higher 
education, and after school program per-
sonnel; and 
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‘‘(B) may include interactive programs or 
programs adaptable to distance learning tech-
nologies. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATED READY-TO-LEARN TELEVISION 
SERVICE.—In awarding subgrants and entering into con-
tracts and cooperative agreements under this subpart, a 
public broadcasting entity shall provide a coordinated 
Ready-to-Learn television service that— 
‘‘(1) shall include— 
‘‘(A) educational television programming, 
determined by the public broadcasting entity to 
be of sound content and artistic excellence, de-
livered on-air and on-line, aligned to— 
‘‘(i) State kindergarten through grade 
12 academic standards and State early 
learning standards, as appropriate; and 
‘‘(ii) related services; 
‘‘(B) effective, ongoing community out-
reach programs and ongoing partnerships with 
local organizations to help ensure that the pro-
gramming— 
‘‘(i) addresses specific community and 
school needs; 
‘‘(ii) reaches children served under 
part A of title I; and 
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‘‘(iii) engages multiple constituencies 
of children, parents, caregivers, and edu-
cators; 
‘‘(C) academic and developmental tele-
vision programming described in subsection 
(b)(l) in— 
‘‘(i) the topics described in subpara-
graphs (A) and (E) of subsection (b)(l); 
and 
‘‘(ii) not less than 1 other topic de-
scribed in subparagraphs (B), (C), (D), 
and (F) of subsection (b)(l); and 
‘‘(D) a rigorous evaluation of the impact of 
the television programming and related services 
described in subsection (b)(l) on— 
‘‘(i) school readiness skills of children 
in various socioeconomic areas, including 
rural and urban areas; 
‘‘(ii) teacher quality and effectiveness; 
and 
‘‘(iii) community engagement and 
awareness; and 
‘‘(2) may include— 
‘‘(A) a comprehensive preschool curriculum 
based upon the Ready-to-Learn programs; and 
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‘‘(B) ongoing professional development 
based upon the Ready-to-Learn programs de-
signed to help parents, teachers, librarians, or 
caregivers. 
‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, MATERIALS, TRAIN-
ING, AND CURRICULA.—A public broadcasting entity re-
ceiving a grant under this subpart shall provide eligible 
entities that receive a subgrant or enter into a contract 
or cooperative agreement under this subpart with tech-
nical assistance, supporting materials, training, and cur-
ricula to ensure effective implementation of subsection (c). 
‘‘(e) RESERVATION OF FUNDING.—A public broad-
casting entity shall use not less than 30 percent of the 
funds the public broadcasting entity receives under this 
subpart to award subgrants to or enter into contracts or 
cooperative agreements with eligible entities that are pub-
lic broadcast stations, as defined in section 397(6) of the 
Communications Act of 1934, to carry out subsection 
(c)(1)(B) and section 2435(c). 
‘‘(f) AVAILABILITY OF PROGRAMMING AND RELATED 
SERVICES.—In awarding a grant under this subpart, the 
Secretary shall ensure that a public broadcasting entity 
receiving a grant under this subpart makes educational 
television programming and related services widely avail-
able, with support materials available, as appropriate, to 
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young children, parents, teachers, Head Start programs, 
Even Start programs, Early Reading First programs, 
Reading First programs, Reading is Fundamental pro-
grams, providers of family literacy services, child care pro-
viders, early childhood development personnel, elementary 
school teachers, public libraries, and after school programs 
in order to increase the effective use of educational tele-
vision programming and related services. 
‘‘SEC. 2433. COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES. 
‘‘In carrying out this subpart, a public broadcasting 
entity receiving a grant under this subpart shall— 
‘‘(1) consult with the Secretary and the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services— 
‘‘(A) to maximize the use of high-quality 
educational television programming and related 
services by preschool and elementary school 
children, and to make such programming widely 
available to federally-funded programs serving 
such children; and 
‘‘(B) to coordinate activities assisted under 
this subpart with Federal programs that have a 
major training component for early childhood 
development, including programs under the 
Head Start Act, Even Start, and Early Reading 
First, and State training activities funded 
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under the Child Care and Development Block 
Grant Act of 1990, regarding the availability 
and use of the related services developed under 
section 2432(b)(2)(A) to enhance parent and 
childcare provider skills in early childhood de-
velopment and education; and 
‘‘(2) ensure that all materials acquired or pro-
duced by any eligible entity are determined to be of 
sufficient age-appropriate aesthetic appeal and edu-
cational effectiveness to warrant national distribu-
tion and support in order to maximize the impact of 
televised materials and the use of digital content. 
‘‘SEC. 2434. APPLICATION. 
‘‘To be eligible to receive a grant under this subpart, 
a public broadcasting entity shall submit to the Secretary 
an application at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
require. 
‘‘SEC. 2435. REPORTS AND EVALUATIONS. 
‘‘(a) ANNUAL REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—A pub-
lic broadcasting entity receiving a grant under this sub-
part shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an annual 
report that contains such information as the Secretary 
may require. At a minimum, the report shall describe the 
activities undertaken with funds received under the grant 
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awarded to the public broadcasting entity under this sub-
part, including each of the following: 
‘‘(1) PROGRAMMING AND RELATED SERVICES; 
TARGET
POPULATION.—The educational television 
programming and related services developed, directly 
or indirectly, by the public broadcasting entity, and 
the target population served by the programming 
and services. 
‘‘(2) SUPPORT OR TRAINING MATERIALS.—The 
support or training materials developed to accom-
pany the educational television programming and re-
lated services, and the method by which the mate-
rials were distributed to consumers and users of the 
educational television programming and related serv-
ices. 
‘‘(3) MEANS OF DISTRIBUTION.—The means by 
which educational television programming and re-
lated services developed under this subpart were dis-
tributed, including the distance learning technologies 
that were used to make the educational television 
programming and related services available, and the 
geographic distribution achieved through such tech-
nologies. 
‘‘(4) INITIATIVES.—The initiatives undertaken 
by the public broadcasting entity to develop public- 
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private partnerships to secure non-Federal support 
for the development, distribution, and broadcast of 
educational television programming and related serv-
ices. 
‘‘(5) IMPACT.—The impact of the educational 
television programming and related services on 
teaching and learning, including the impact on im-
proving school readiness skills, early reading skills, 
early mathematics skills, early science skills, and 
skills in other developmentally appropriate content 
areas. 
‘‘(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary shall 
prepare and submit to the relevant committees of Con-
gress a biannual report that includes the following: 
‘‘(1) ACTIVITY SUMMARY.—A summary of the 
activities assisted under section 2432. 
‘‘(2) EDUCATION AND TRAINING MATERIALS.— 
A description of the education and training mate-
rials described in section 2432(b)(2)(B) that are 
made available under this subpart, the manner in 
which outreach was conducted to inform parents and 
child care providers of the availability of such mate-
rials, and the manner in which such materials were 
distributed in accordance with section 2432. 
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‘‘(c) EVALUATION
OF OUTREACH ACTIVITIES.—A 
public broadcasting entity receiving a grant under this 
subpart shall require each eligible entity that receives a 
subgrant or enters into a contract or cooperative agree-
ment under this subpart to provide evaluation data that 
include descriptions of the impact of outreach activities 
carried out under this subpart, including— 
‘‘(1) the manner in which outreach was con-
ducted to inform parents and child care providers of 
the availability of the educational television pro-
gramming and related services produced under this 
subpart, including specific strategies used to reach a 
wide audience; 
‘‘(2) the extent to which the outreach programs 
included multiple outreach efforts with the same or-
ganizations or groups and resulted in lasting rela-
tionships with those organizations or groups and the 
members of those organizations or groups; and 
‘‘(3) the effectiveness of the outreach programs 
and services conducted and the number of children, 
families, and child care providers that had access to 
and utilized the educational television programming 
and related services provided under this subpart to 
improve school readiness skills. 
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‘‘(d) EVALUATION OF IMPACT ON SCHOOL READI-
NESS.—The Secretary shall evaluate the impact of the 
outreach content and services provided under this subpart 
on improving school readiness skills nationwide, particu-
larly with respect to children in the most disadvantaged 
communities. 
‘‘SEC. 2436. ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS. 
‘‘An eligible entity that receives a subgrant or enters 
into a contract or cooperative agreement under this sub-
part may use not more than 5 percent of the amount re-
ceived under the subgrant, contract, or cooperative agree-
ment, respectively, for the normal and customary expenses 
of administering the grant, contract, or cooperative agree-
ment, respectively. 
‘‘SEC. 2437. CONTINUATION OF AWARDS. 
‘‘Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an eligi-
ble entity that received a subgrant or enters into a con-
tract or cooperative agreement under this subpart (as this 
subpart existed on the day before the date of enactment 
of the Ready-to-Learn Act) shall continue to receive funds 
in accordance with the terms of the subgrant, contract, 
or cooperative agreement, respectively, until the date on 
which the subgrant, contract, or cooperative agreement, 
respectively, terminates under such terms. 
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‘‘SEC. 2438. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this subpart $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 and such 
sums as may be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding 
fiscal years. 
‘‘SEC. 2439. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this subpart— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 
‘‘(A) a national nonprofit membership or-
ganization that acquires and distributes pro-
gramming to noncommercial educational tele-
vision broadcasters through the national public 
television interconnection system that the orga-
nization manages and operates; 
‘‘(B) a local or statewide public television 
station or system; or 
‘‘(C) a nonprofit producer of high-quality 
children’s educational television and other 
media programming; and 
‘‘(2) the term ‘public broadcasting entity’ 
means— 
‘‘(A) the Corporation for Public Broad-
casting; 
‘‘(B) any licensee or permittee of a public 
broadcasting station; or 
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‘‘(C) any nonprofit institution engaged pri-
marily in the production, acquisition, distribu-
tion, or dissemination of educational and cul-
tural television or radio programs.’’. 
TITLE 
II—READY 
TO 
TEACH: 
HIGHLY QUALIFIED AND EF-
FECTIVE TEACHERS 
SEC. 201. READY TO TEACH GRANTS. 
Section 5481 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7257) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘a nonprofit telecommuni-
cations entity, or partnership of such entities’’ 
and inserting ‘‘an eligible entity described in 
subsection (b)’’; 
(B) 
by 
striking 
‘‘telecommunications- 
based’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘achieve’’ and inserting 
‘‘meet’’; and 
(2) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under this section, an entity shall be a public 
broadcasting entity.’’. 
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SEC. 202. APPLICATION REQUIRED. 
Section 5482 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7257a) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 5482. APPLICATION REQUIRED. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under section 5481, an eligible entity shall submit an ap-
plication to the Secretary. Each such application shall— 
‘‘(1) demonstrate that the applicant will use the 
public broadcasting infrastructure, and other high- 
tech delivery platforms to deliver educational content 
and services in an integrated service and to provide 
professional development on the use of materials and 
learning technologies for achieving challenging State 
academic content and student academic achievement 
standards; 
‘‘(2) contain an assurance that— 
‘‘(A) such integrated service will be con-
ducted in cooperation with appropriate State 
educational agencies, local educational agencies, 
and State or local affiliates of the eligible enti-
ties, if any; 
‘‘(B) in partnership with local television 
public broadcast stations, a significant portion 
of the benefits of such integrated service will be 
available to local educational agencies that have 
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high percentages of children counted under sec-
tion 1124(c), particularly those schools that 
have failed to make adequate yearly progress 
for 2 or more consecutive years under section 
1111(c); and 
‘‘(3) contain such additional information as the 
Secretary may reasonably require. 
‘‘(b) SITES.—In approving applications under sub-
section (a), the Secretary shall ensure that the program 
authorized under section 5481 is conducted at elementary 
schools and secondary schools served by the local edu-
cational agencies described in subsection (a)(2)(B) of this 
section throughout the United States.’’. 
SEC. 203. REPORTS AND EVALUATION. 
Section 5483 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7257b) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘An entity’’; and 
(B) inserting ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL—An enti-
ty’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘core curriculum areas’’ 
and inserting ‘‘curriculum core academic sub-
jects’’; 
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(B) by striking ‘‘core curriculum area’’ and 
inserting ‘‘curriculum core academic subject’’; 
and 
(C) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(3) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para-
graph (3); 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) the impact of the program on the academic 
achievement of all children served, particularly chil-
dren in schools identified for school improvement 
under 1116;’’. 
(5) in paragraph (3) (as redesignated by para-
graph (3)), by striking the period at the end and in-
serting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(6) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) the percentage of elementary school and 
secondary school teachers who had access to and uti-
lized the program funded under this part, including 
the percentage of teachers in schools that have failed 
to make adequate yearly progress for 2 or more con-
secutive years under section 1111(c). 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
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$15,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may 
be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 
TITLE III—READY TO ACHIEVE: 
MATH, 
SCIENCE, 
TECH-
NOLOGY, AND INNOVATION 
SEC. 301. DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING GRANTS. 
Section 5484 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7257c) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 
5484. 
DIGITAL 
EDUCATIONAL 
PROGRAMMING 
GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to 
award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities 
(described in subsection (b)) for the purpose of developing, 
disseminating, and providing training through high-qual-
ity, innovative educational digital content and services to 
improve math, science, and technology education in ele-
mentary schools and secondary schools. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under this section, an entity shall— 
‘‘(1) be— 
‘‘(A) a television public broadcast station 
as defined in section 397(6) of the Communica-
tions Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 397(6)); 
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‘‘(B) a partnership of entities described in 
subparagraph (A); or 
‘‘(C) a partnership among entities de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) and a national 
nonprofit membership organization that ac-
quires and distributes programming to non- 
commercial educational television broadcasters 
through the national public television inter-
connection system that it manages and operates 
that demonstrates a capacity for the develop-
ment and distribution of high-quality, innova-
tive educational digital content and services in 
core curriculum content areas; 
‘‘(2) partner with— 
‘‘(A) a State educational agency or a local 
educational agency (or a consortium of such 
agencies) that receives funds under part A of 
title I; and 
‘‘(B) a high-quality academic research and 
evaluation entity to ensure that the content de-
veloped pursuant to this section effectively ad-
dresses the needs of teachers and students and 
delivers a positive impact on student academic 
achievement in core curriculum areas. 
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‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that desires to 
receive a grant under this section shall submit an applica-
tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
accompanied by such information as the Secretary may 
reasonably require. 
‘‘(d) REQUIRED USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity 
that receives a grant under this section shall— 
‘‘(1) develop and use innovative, high-quality 
tools, products, and educational digital content and 
services for classroom learning in core curriculum 
content areas, particularly math, science, and tech-
nology, that— 
‘‘(A) include built-in teacher utilization 
and support components to ensure that teachers 
can easily understand and use the content of 
the programming either for group instruction of 
individual student use; and 
‘‘(B) are created for, or adaptable to, chal-
lenging State academic content standards and 
student academic achievement standards; 
‘‘(2) provide professional development for teach-
ers in the use of the content developed in paragraph 
(1); 
‘‘(3) conduct an evaluation as described in sub-
section (g); and 
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‘‘(4) provide age-appropriate programs, train-
ing, materials, and access to technology that— 
‘‘(A) build the critical and higher-order 
thinking skills of students in elementary schools 
and secondary schools; and 
‘‘(B) are capable of distribution through 
digital broadcasting and school digital networks. 
‘‘(e) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—An eligible entity 
that receives a grant under this section shall contribute 
to the activities assisted under such grant non-Federal 
matching funds in an amount equal to not less than 100 
percent of the amount of the grant. Such matching funds 
may include funds provided for the transition to digital 
broadcasting, as well as in-kind contributions. 
‘‘(f) DURATION.—A grant under this section shall be 
awarded for a period of 5 years in order to provide a suffi-
cient period of time for the creation of a substantial body 
of significant content. 
‘‘(g) REPORTS AND EVALUATION.—An eligible entity 
that receives a grant under this section shall prepare and 
submit to the Secretary an annual report that contains 
such information as the Secretary may require. At a min-
imum, such report shall describe the program activities 
undertaken with funds received under the grant, includ-
ing— 
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‘‘(1) the effectiveness of the comprehensive, 
high-quality program to improve the curriculum core 
academic subjects, including mathematics, science, 
and technology teaching and learning in elementary 
schools and secondary schools; and 
‘‘(2) the success of professional development in 
the use of materials described in subsection (d)(l). 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$15,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may 
be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 
SEC. 302. NATIONAL ON-DEMAND DIGITAL EDUCATION 
MEDIA SERVICE. 
The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 5485 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 5486. NATIONAL ON-DEMAND DIGITAL EDUCATION 
MEDIA SERVICE. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 
develop and operate a national on-demand digital edu-
cation media service that provides high-quality educational 
digital content, programming, professional development 
lessons, and other support available to all educators, par-
ents, institutions of higher education, research institu-
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tions, States, local educational agencies, and the public at 
low or no cost. 
‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall 
award grants under this section to eligible entities to de-
velop and to operate a national on-demand digital edu-
cation media service. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under this section, an entity shall— 
‘‘(1) be a television public broadcasting entity, 
as defined in section 397(11) of the Communications 
Act of 1934, or a consortium of such entities, that 
is able to demonstrate a capacity for the develop-
ment, operation, management, and marketing of a 
new national on-line, on-demand digital education 
media service; and 
‘‘(2) have the capacity to establish and to co-
ordinate an advisory committee to advise on the de-
velopment and implementation of the national media 
service to ensure that such service meets the needs 
of communities, schools, educators, and eligible enti-
ties, which members shall include not less than 1 of 
each of the following: 
‘‘(A) A representative of television public 
broadcast stations that are not grantees under 
this subpart. 
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‘‘(B) A representative of a State edu-
cational agency and a local educational agency. 
‘‘(C) A representative of the Corporation 
for Public Broadcasting. 
‘‘(D) A representative of the national orga-
nization representing the licensees and permit-
tees of noncommercial broadcast television sta-
tions. 
‘‘(E) A representative of a national non- 
profit membership organization that acquires 
and distributes programming to noncommercial 
educational television broadcasters through the 
national public television interconnection system 
that it manages and operates. 
‘‘(F) A teacher, principal, and adminis-
trator. 
‘‘(G) A parent. 
‘‘(H) An early education provider, such as 
a Head Start program. 
‘‘(I) A community based organization ad-
dressing family literacy. 
‘‘(J) An expert in evaluation and research 
in best practices in education, early education, 
and family literacy. 
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‘‘(K) An expert in the use of media and 
technology. 
‘‘(L) A for-profit content provider. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATIONS.—An eligible entity that desires 
to receive a grant under this section shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such assurances and information as the Sec-
retary may reasonably require. Each application shall de-
scribe— 
‘‘(1) the plan for how such entity will develop 
and operate the service in accordance with this sec-
tion; 
‘‘(2) the advisory committee that the entity will 
use and the plan for ensuring active participation by 
the committee to ensure that the media service will 
be high-quality and serve the needs of schools, par-
ents, and communities; 
‘‘(3) how the entity will ensure that the pro-
grams and materials available on the service will be 
high-quality, easily accessible to educators and par-
ents, and available at low or no cost; 
‘‘(4) how the service funded under this section 
will provide products, materials, and services that 
will help all children, including children with disabil-
ities and English-language learners— 
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‘‘(A) meet challenging State academic con-
tent standards and student academic achieve-
ment standards, 
‘‘(B) come to school ready to learn, and 
‘‘(C) achieve in mathematics, science, and 
technology; 
‘‘(5) how the service funded under this section 
will provide products, materials, and services that 
will help all adults, including English language 
learners, meet their literacy and work force needs; 
‘‘(6) how the service funded under this section 
will provide products, materials, and services that 
will help engage parents and communities in improv-
ing education for all children; 
‘‘(7) how the entity will continuously evaluate 
and improve the service to continuously meet the 
needs of the public and educators; 
‘‘(8) how the entity will develop and deliver the 
service so that the service will integrate into, or be 
interoperable with, existing local and State edu-
cational Internet-based portals already in use by 
schools and State educational agencies; 
‘‘(9) how other leading nonprofit or for-profit 
content providers will be engaged in the effort and 
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how such providers’ content resources may be 
accessed through or referenced within the service; 
‘‘(10) how the entity will leverage the distribu-
tion infrastructure of public broadcasting’s distribu-
tion infrastructure, including on-air digital broadcast 
channels and local community outreach mechanisms, 
to raise awareness about the availability of the serv-
ice and support the successful adoption and imple-
mentation of the service; and 
‘‘(11) the fair and balanced process that the en-
tity will use to establish the advisory committee de-
scribed in subsection (c)(2), how it will coordinate 
such committee, and how the entity will ensure that 
it takes into account the advice of such committee 
in planning and implementing all effective service. 
‘‘(e) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity 
that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant 
funds for— 
‘‘(1) the development and operation of a na-
tional on-line, on-demand digital education media 
service; 
‘‘(2) professional development and training of 
teachers and staff to use the service; 
‘‘(3) the evaluation, as described in subsection 
(g); 
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‘‘(4) outreach and marketing activities, particu-
larly to schools in need of improvement pursuant to 
section 1116, and disadvantaged schools and com-
munities; 
‘‘(5) quality control of the service and its con-
tents; 
‘‘(6) coordination and engagement with the ad-
visory committee; 
‘‘(7) digitization of appropriate analog content; 
and 
‘‘(8) other activities as needed to meet the pur-
pose of this section. 
‘‘(f) DURATION.—A grant under this section shall be 
awarded for a period of 10 years. 
‘‘(g) REPORTS AND EVALUATION.—An eligible entity 
that receives a grant under this section shall prepare and 
submit to the Secretary an annual report that contains 
such information as the Secretary may require. At a min-
imum, such report shall describe the program activities 
undertaken with funds received under the grant, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(1) the quality, breadth, and depth of the con-
tent provided by the service; 
‘‘(2) the use of the program by educators, par-
ents, and communities, particularly in the most dis-
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advantaged communities and by schools that have 
failed to make adequate yearly progress for 2 or 
more consecutive years under section 1111(c); 
‘‘(3) the effectiveness of the service and the 
availability of effective, low or no-cost resources; 
‘‘(4) the effectiveness of the outreach and mar-
keting activities in reaching a wide audience, par-
ticularly in the most disadvantaged communities and 
in schools in need of improvement pursuant to sec-
tion 1116; and 
‘‘(5) the impact and effectiveness of the advi-
sory committee on the service. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$15,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may 
be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.’’. 
TITLE IV—READY TO EARN 
GRANTS 
SEC. 401. READY TO EARN GRANTS. 
Chapter 4 of subtitle A of title II of the Workforce 
Investment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 9251 et seq.) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 244. TELEVISION BROADCAST WORKFORCE TRAINING 
GRANT PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to 
award grants, on a competitive basis, to an entity that 
owns and operates a television public broadcast station, 
as defined in section 397(6) of the Communications Act 
of 1934, or a partnership of such entities, for the purpose 
of developing, disseminating, and providing on-line and 
on-air education and training services for adults, including 
adult education, adult literacy, GED preparation, work-
force training, and related outreach services that are pri-
orities for the community. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under this section, an entity shall— 
‘‘(1) own or operate a local television public 
broadcast station, as defined in section 397(6) of the 
Communications Act of 1934, that is able to dem-
onstrate a capacity for the development and dis-
tribution of high-quality educational digital content 
and services in the areas of adult education, adult 
literacy, GED preparation, workforce training, and 
related outreach services; and 
‘‘(2) partner with an eligible agency as defined 
in section 203(4) or a State Board as described in 
section 111 or institutions of higher education in 
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order to implement a high-quality program in ac-
cordance with this section. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this section, an entity that owns and 
operates a television public broadcast station, as de-
fined in section 397(6) of the Communications Act 
of 1934, or partnership of such entities, shall submit 
an application to the Secretary. Each application 
shall— 
‘‘(A) describe the innovative, high-quality 
training, tools, products, and educational digital 
content and services that will be developed and 
used to improve the quality and delivery of 
adult education, adult literacy, GED prepara-
tion, work force training, and related outreach 
services; 
‘‘(B) describe the partnership and the roles 
of the partners in implementing a high-quality 
program in accordance with this section; 
‘‘(C) describe how the eligible entity or en-
tities will address the needs of adults who are 
non-English speakers; 
‘‘(D) describe the results of the needs as-
sessment of the community and how the com-
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prehensive program described in this section 
will meet the needs of that community and in-
clude partnerships with community-based orga-
nizations that serve adults in need of such serv-
ices; 
‘‘(E) describe the research-based practices 
and advanced technologies that the program 
funded under this section will use to carry out 
the purposes of this section; 
‘‘(F) describe the rigorous evaluation the 
eligible entity or entities will use to support 
continuous improvement of the program and 
services; and 
‘‘(G) contain such additional assurances as 
the Secretary may reasonably require. 
‘‘(d) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—Grant funds pro-
vided under this section shall be used for— 
‘‘(1) the development, training and use of inno-
vative, high-quality tools, products, and educational 
digital content and services for— 
‘‘(A) professional development, 
‘‘(B) community and family outreach, and 
‘‘(C) adult education, adult literacy, GED 
preparation, work force training, and related 
outreach services; 
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‘‘(2) professional development and training of 
staff; 
‘‘(3) evaluation as described in subsection (g); 
‘‘(4) outreach activities to engage adult learners 
and community organizations; 
‘‘(5) English language education and services 
for non-English speakers; and 
‘‘(6) other activities as needed to meet the pur-
poses of this section. 
‘‘(e) DURATION.—A grant under this section shall be 
awarded for a period of 5 years. 
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—An entity that re-
ceives a grant under this section may not use more than 
5 percent of the amount received under the grant for ad-
ministrative costs. 
‘‘(g) REPORTS AND EVALUATION.—An entity receiv-
ing a grant under this section shall prepare and submit 
to the Secretary an annual report that contains such infor-
mation as the Secretary may require. At a minimum, such 
report shall describe the program activities undertaken 
with funds received under the grant, including— 
‘‘(1) the success in engaging families and com-
munities; 
‘‘(2) the success of professional development 
and training for staff; 
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‘‘(3) the effectiveness of the comprehensive, 
high-quality program to provide adult education, 
adult literacy, GED preparation, workforce training, 
and related outreach services; 
‘‘(4) the effectiveness of the specific, innovative, 
high-quality training, tools, products, and edu-
cational digital content and services developed and 
used to improve the quality and delivery of adult 
education, adult literacy, GED preparation, work 
force training, and related outreach services; and 
‘‘(5) the impact of the program on adult lit-
eracy and English language skills, workforce skills, 
job placements, and GED passage rates. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2009 and such sums as may 
be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 
‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘GED’ means General Edu-
cational Development as recognized by the American 
Council on Education; and 
‘‘(2) the term ‘institution of higher education’ 
has the meaning given such term in section 101 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001).’’. 
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