SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Keeping Parents and 
Communities Engaged Act’’ or the ‘‘Keeping PACE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Research studies consistently show a posi-
tive relationship between parental involvement and 
student achievement. This relationship holds across 
families of all economic, racial/ethnic, and edu-
cational backgrounds and for students of all ages. 
(2) Educators recognize, on the basis of social 
science and common experience, that effective paren-
tal and community involvement is a critical element 
in children’s academic and social development. Pov-
erty, limited English proficiency, and varying cul-
tural expectations are among the biggest barriers to 
effective parental involvement in schools. 
(3) Schools with effective parent and commu-
nity involvement activities provide bridges between 
parents, community-based organizations, and schools 
to improve communication, information sharing, 
services, and comprehensive supports for children 
and families. 
(4) Educational research suggests that student 
achievement improves in environments where learn-
ing is a community value, and where schools have 
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the ability to address a broad range of educational 
needs for all students, such as in full-service commu-
nity schools. 
(5) Cross-sector community engagement of 
businesses, institutions of higher education, philan-
thropic organizations, school boards, family and care 
organizations, neighborhood and service organiza-
tions, after-school providers, and community-based 
organizations, is essential if schools are to ensure 
that all children meet college and work-ready stand-
ards. 
(6) More than 1,000,000 of the students who 
enter ninth grade do not receive a high school di-
ploma 4 years later and approximately 7,000 stu-
dents drop out of school each day, including a sig-
nificant percentage of students with the potential of 
high academic achievement. 
(7) Integrated services and comprehensive sup-
ports, including after-school and other services, are 
necessary components of effective, school-based ef-
forts to dramatically affect dropout prevention rates, 
increase graduation rates, and improve student 
achievement. In one national study, 98 percent of 
students receiving such services and supports stayed 
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in school, 89 percent had fewer suspensions, and 85 
percent of eligible seniors graduated. 
SEC. 3. OUTREACH AND COORDINATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title V of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7201 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘PART E—PARENT AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH 
AND ENGAGEMENT 
‘‘SEC. 5700. GRANTS AUTHORIZED. 
‘‘(a) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants to States to enable the States to award sub-
grants— 
‘‘(1) on a competitive basis, to local educational 
agencies that receive assistance under part A of title 
I to enable such agencies to assist public elementary 
schools and public secondary schools served by such 
agencies to hire and maintain Parent and Commu-
nity Outreach Coordinators, pursuant to subpart 1; 
‘‘(2) on a competitive basis, to eligible entities 
to provide necessary integrated services and com-
prehensive supports to students and schools, pursu-
ant to subpart 2; and 
‘‘(3) to eligible entities to create schools as cen-
ters of communities, pursuant to subpart 3. 
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‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—A State that desires to receive 
a grant under this section shall submit an application to 
the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accom-
panied by such information as the Secretary may require, 
including the following: 
‘‘(1) A description of the State’s need to engage 
parents and the community in students’ education, 
as described in subpart 1. 
‘‘(2) A description of the State’s need for com-
munity-based resources to address student and fam-
ily needs. 
‘‘(3) A description of the progress a State is 
seeking relating to the indicators outlined in section 
5707(b). 
‘‘(4) A description of the State’s capacity and 
resources across multiple State agencies to integrate 
their existing State and Federal (managed by the 
State) programs with local educational agencies, 
schools, and community-based organizations. 
‘‘SEC. 5700A. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 
‘‘The Secretary is authorized to enter into a contract 
with a nonprofit organization with a demonstrated record 
of effectiveness and extensive national, State, and local ex-
perience in providing effective integrated student supports 
in order to ensure accountability in the execution of sub-
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parts 1 and 2. Such nonprofit organization shall be re-
sponsible for— 
‘‘(1) providing technical assistance and training 
to grantees and subgrantees to promote the effec-
tiveness of the programs assisted under this part in 
improving the coordination, availability, delivery, and 
effectiveness of integrated services and comprehen-
sive supports for children and families; and 
‘‘(2) establishing a national clearinghouse for 
the collection and dissemination of information on 
effective parent, family, and community engagement 
practices and programs, which information shall be 
disseminated to State educational agencies and made 
available to local educational agencies, schools, and 
community-based organizations. 
‘‘SEC. 5700B. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this part $260,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2012 
through 2016, of which— 
‘‘(1) 50 percent shall be used to carry out sub-
part 1; 
‘‘(2) 30 percent shall be used to carry out sub-
part 2; and 
‘‘(3) 20 percent shall be used to carry out sub-
part 3. 
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