I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1240
To provide grants to eligible consortia to provide professional development 
to superintendents, principals, and to prospective superintendents and 
principals. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 12, 2003
Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr. 
FROST, Mr. CARSON of Oklahoma, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. OWENS, Mr. LAN-
TOS, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. 
BISHOP of New York, and Ms. SCHAKOWSKY) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Work-
force 
A BILL 
To provide grants to eligible consortia to provide professional 
development to superintendents, principals, and to pro-
spective superintendents and principals.
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 ‘‘Investment in Quality 
School Leadership Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Nation is experiencing a shortage of 
qualified school administrators and principals with 
such shortage expected to intensify. This shortage 
comes at a time when States are enacting new and 
more rigorous learning standards, school officials are 
expected to handle an increasing number of non-edu-
cational problems and issues, and the current gen-
eration of school administrators and officials are re-
tiring. The combination of these factors results in a 
shrinking pool of qualified applicants. 
(2) The shortage is particularly severe in high 
poverty school districts because of lower salaries and 
the challenging work environment. In many such 
districts, a disproportionate number of school admin-
istrators and principals have less than 3 years of ex-
perience. 
(3) The ability of a school or district to improve 
teaching and raise student achievement is greatly 
dependent on the quality of leadership. Quality lead-
ership can only be achieved if potential leaders are 
provided with the necessary support, professional de-
velopment, and resources. A recent report by the 
Educational Research Service (ERS) cites studies 
that find that the one attribute of all high-per-
forming schools is a dedicated and dynamic prin-
cipal. 
(4) All current and prospective principals and 
superintendents need support in their first 3 years, 
such as mentoring and sustained professional devel-
opment, to become effective school leaders and to 
raise school and classroom performance effectively. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to provide ongoing, intensive professional 
development to superintendents, principals, and pro-
spective superintendents and principals, particularly 
those serving, or intending to serve, in high-poverty, 
low-performing school districts and schools; 
(2) to improve the capacity of current and pro-
spective superintendents and principals to serve as 
effective leaders and successfully implement stand-
ards-based reforms; 
(3) to encourage the recruitment and retention 
of quality school leaders at the district- and school-
level by enabling them to further develop their skills 
and knowledge; and 
(4) to recognize and support the importance of 
principals and superintendents in facilitating student 
learning and improving academic achievement.
SEC. 4. GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—
(1) GRANT AWARDS.—From the amounts ap-
propriated to carry out this section and not reserved 
under subsection (g) for any fiscal year, the Sec-
retary of Education (in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) shall award grants to eligible consortia 
to establish professional development programs de-
scribed in paragraph (2). 
(2) PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.—A pro-
gram referred to in paragraph (1) shall serve a 
State or region and provide superintendents, prin-
cipals, and prospective superintendents and prin-
cipals, particularly those serving, or intending to 
serve, in high-poverty, low-performing school dis-
tricts and schools, with ongoing, intensive profes-
sional development opportunities to improve their ca-
pacity to serve as effective leaders and successfully 
implement standards-based reforms. 
(b) AWARD BASIS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants on a competitive basis to eligible applicants 
to carry out this section. 
(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall give priority to consortia 
in which the local educational agency participating