schools between the Department and other Fed-
eral agencies, as appropriate.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
for such Act is amended by redesignating the items relat-
ing to sections 219 and 220 as relating to sections 220 
and 221, respectively, and by inserting after the item re-
lating to section 218 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 219. Office of Specialized Instructional Support.’’. 
SEC. 4. GRANTS TO STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES TO RE-
DUCE BARRIERS TO LEARNING. 
(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: 
‘‘PART I—REDUCED BARRIERS TO LEARNING 
‘‘SEC. 1901. PURPOSES. 
‘‘The purposes of this part are— 
‘‘(1) to build the capacity of States to identify 
and respond to the need for specialized instructional 
support services at the local educational agency level 
in order to promote student success for all students; 
‘‘(2) to promote comprehensive and coordinated 
delivery of services within and across Federal, State, 
and local educational agencies and in collaboration 
with available community agencies supports and 
services; 
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‘‘(3) to promote evidenced-based practices that 
have demonstrated effectiveness in reducing barriers 
to learning and improving student outcomes; 
‘‘(4) to monitor the access, use, availability, and 
adequacy of resources, services, and personnel de-
signed to specifically address barriers to learning at 
the district and individual school level; 
‘‘(5) to assist in the recruitment, retention, and 
adequate staffing of specialized instructional support 
personnel to meet the needs of students experiencing 
barriers to learning at the local educational agency 
and individual school level; and 
‘‘(6) to improve shared accountability for stu-
dent outcomes by all school personnel. 
‘‘SEC. 1902. GRANTS TO STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award 
competitive grants under this part to State edu-
cational agencies— 
‘‘(A) to establish or expand specialized in-
structional support services and programs at 
the State level that are designed to provide 
technical assistance, and coordinate and sup-
port specialized instructional support services 
and programs, for the purpose of addressing 
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barriers to learning within local educational 
agencies and individual schools; and 
‘‘(B) to hire and support specialized in-
structional support services coordinators to pro-
vide such assistance, coordination, and support. 
‘‘(2) BARRIERS TO LEARNING.—For purposes 
of this part, the term ‘barriers to learning’ include 
any social, emotional, behavioral, physical, environ-
mental, or academic factor that substantially inter-
feres with a student’s ability to achieve academically 
and successfully complete secondary school. Such 
factors may include acute or transitional factors 
such as family conflict, homelessness, geographic re-
location, grief and loss, emotional stress, mental or 
physical illness, or mild learning problems, and more 
chronic or severe factors commonly associated with 
a disability. 
‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall give priority to applications that 
demonstrate— 
‘‘(1) the greatest financial need based upon the 
percentage of students identified as requiring spe-
cialized instructional support services and programs 
in order to overcome barriers to learning and aca-
demic achievement; 
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‘‘(2) the greatest need based upon the limited 
amount of resources, services, or personnel (within 
local educational agencies and individual schools) 
available to specifically address barriers to learning 
and academic achievement; and 
‘‘(3) the greatest potential for program sustain-
ability following the completion of the grant’s dura-
tion. 
‘‘(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—To be eligible to 
receive a grant under this section, a State educational 
agency shall provide non-Federal matching funds equal to 
not less than 50 percent of the amount of the grant. 
‘‘(d) DURATION.—Grants under this section shall be 
awarded for a period of not more than 5 years. 
‘‘(e) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—A State educational 
agency that receives a grant under this part may reserve 
not more than 15 percent of the grant funds for adminis-
trative expenses. 
‘‘(f) SUPPLEMENT; NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds made 
available under this part shall be used to supplement, and 
not supplant, any other Federal, State, or local funds that 
would otherwise be available to carry out the activities as-
sisted under this part. 
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‘‘SEC. 1903. STATE APPLICATIONS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State educational agency 
seeking a grant under this part shall submit an application 
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accom-
panied by such information as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—Each application for a grant under 
this section shall also describe— 
‘‘(1) the needs of the State in meeting the pur-
poses of this part; 
‘‘(2) if a State intends to hire a specialized in-
structional support services coordinator, the quali-
fications of the specialized instructional support 
services coordinators demonstrating that personnel 
are knowledgeable and experienced in school sys-
tems, operations, and the specific role and function 
of specialized instructional support services; 
‘‘(3) the specific leadership activities to be per-
formed by the coordinators in order to address such 
purposes; 
‘‘(4) the school population to be targeted for 
services by the specialized instructional support serv-
ices; 
‘‘(5) the specific student outcomes expected as 
a result of delivering these services; 
‘‘(6) the adequacy of staffing as compared to 
student needs for specialized instructional support 
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