I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1514 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize 
competitive grants to prepare and train school principals on effective 
core competencies and instructional leadership skills. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 11, 2013 
Mr. SARBANES 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 authorize competitive grants to prepare and 
train school principals on effective core competencies and 
instructional leadership skills. 
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 ‘‘Instructional Leader-
ship Act of 2013’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
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(1) According to a 2004 study commissioned by 
the Wallace Foundation entitled ‘‘How Leadership 
Influences Student Learning’’, principals are second 
only to teachers in impacting increased student aca-
demic achievement (Leithwood, Louis, Whalstrom). 
(2) According to education research conducted 
by the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal 
Data in 2010 entitled ‘‘Principal Effectiveness and 
Leadership in an Era of Accountability: What Re-
search Says’’, a school principal must serve as both 
an organizational leader and most importantly, is ex-
pected to be an instructional leader, meaning the 
principal must possess the knowledge and instruc-
tional skills to guide teaching and learning in a 
school (Rice). 
(3) There is a clear intention within the amend-
ments made by the No Child Left Behind Act of 
2001 to the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) that principals 
become instructional leaders. Section 2113(c) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 6613(c)) calls for principals to have— 
(A) the instructional leadership skills to 
help teachers teach and students learn; and 
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(B) to help students meet challenging 
State student academic achievement standards. 
(4) Despite this recognition of the importance 
of instructional leadership, adequate attention and 
resources have not been committed to training and 
supporting school principals— 
(A) in meeting the standards of instruc-
tional leadership in States where such stand-
ards exist; and 
(B) in developing such standards in States 
where such standards do not exist. 
(5) Licensure of school principals typically does 
not give adequate emphasis to instructional leader-
ship skills in the certification process. 
(6) The term ‘‘highly qualified principal’’ added 
by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 to the Ele-
mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) should be defined in such Act 
to include a strong emphasis on instructional leader-
ship. 
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title I of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et 
seq.) is amended by redesignating part I as part J and 
by inserting after part H the following new part: 
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‘‘PART I—INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP 
‘‘SEC. 1851. COMPETITIVE GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS 
AND SITES.—From the amounts made available under 
subsection (h), the Secretary shall make grants, on a com-
petitive basis, to eligible entities to develop and implement 
innovative programs and sites to train school principals 
in instructional leadership skills, including skills relating 
to— 
‘‘(1) establishing a vision for continuous school 
improvement and a shared responsibility for learn-
ing; 
‘‘(2) refining and implementing instructional 
practices aligned to the vision of continuous im-
provement; 
‘‘(3) providing on-going learning and profes-
sional development opportunities for teachers and 
other staff; 
‘‘(4) monitoring the alignment of curriculum, 
instruction, and assessment; 
‘‘(5) improving instructional practices through 
the purposeful observation and evaluation of teach-
ers; 
‘‘(6) ensuring the regular integration of assess-
ments appropriate to the needs of students into daily 
classroom instruction; 
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‘‘(7) using technology and multiple sources of 
data to improve classroom instruction; 
‘‘(8) providing teachers and other staff with fo-
cused, sustained, research-based professional devel-
opment; and 
‘‘(9) engaging all community stakeholders in a 
shared responsibility for student and school success. 
‘‘(b) GRANTS FOR PILOT PROGRAMS.—In addition to 
awarding grants under subsection (a), from the amounts 
appropriated under subsection (h), the Secretary shall 
make grants, on a competitive basis, to State educational 
agencies or partnerships or consortia that include State 
educational agencies to develop and implement pilot pro-
grams designed to evaluate and promote the incorporation 
of standards of instructional leadership described in para-
graphs (1) through (9) of subsection (a) into State prin-
cipal certification or licensing requirements. 
‘‘(c) DURATION.—A grant made under this section 
shall be awarded for a period of 2 years, and may be re-
newed for a period of 2 additional years. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE
ENTITIES.—An eligible entity 
desiring to receive a grant under subsection (a) shall 
submit an application to the Secretary at such time, 
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in such manner, and containing such information as 
the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(2) STATE
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCIES, PART-
NERSHIPS, AND
CONSORTIA.—A State educational 
agency, partnership, or consortia desiring to receive 
a grant under subsection (b) shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary at such time, in such man-
ner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
‘‘(e) REPORT.—A recipient of a grant under this sec-
tion shall submit to the Secretary a report describing the 
results of its activities funded by such grant. Such report 
shall be submitted at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such additional information as the Secretary may 
require. 
‘‘(f) REVISED
CONCEPT
OF
EFFECTIVE
PRIN-
CIPAL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Based on the reports sub-
mitted pursuant to subsection (e), the Secretary 
shall, by regulation, establish a definition of ‘an ef-
fective principal’ that emphasizes standards of in-
structional leadership. 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing such a 
definition, the Secretary shall give consideration to 
the need for principals to— 
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‘‘(A) lead elementary schools and sec-
ondary schools in a way that places student 
learning, professional development, and assist-
ance for parents in helping their children learn 
at the center; 
‘‘(B) set high expectations and standards 
for academic, social, emotional and physical de-
velopment of all students; 
‘‘(C) demand content and instruction that 
ensure student achievement of agreed upon 
standards; 
‘‘(D) create a culture of continuous learn-
ing for teachers, other staff, and parents on the 
subject of student learning and other school 
goals; 
‘‘(E) manage data and knowledge to in-
form decisions and measure progress of a stu-
dent and school performance; and 
‘‘(F) actively engage the community to cre-
ate shared responsibility for student academic 
performance and successful development. 
‘‘(g) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘eligible entity’ means— 
‘‘(1) a State educational agency; 
‘‘(2) a local educational agency; 
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