I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1524 
To build capacity and provide support at the leadership level for successful 
school turnaround efforts. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 13, 2011 
Mr. PAYNE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To build capacity and provide support at the leadership 
level for successful school turnaround efforts. 
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 ‘‘Lead Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Research shows that school leadership qual-
ity is second only to teacher quality among school- 
related factors in the factors’ impact on student 
learning. 
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(2) Research shows that nearly 60 percent of a 
school’s impact on student achievement is attrib-
utable to teacher and principal effectiveness, with 25 
percent being attributable directly to the principal. 
(3) As of May of 2010, there are 3,419 schools 
implementing restructuring under section 1116(b)(8) 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316(b)(8)). 
(4) Research shows that only 2,000 high 
schools, 12 percent of all high schools, produce one- 
half of the Nation’s high school dropouts. In order 
to turn those schools around, the United States will 
need effective principals in those schools. 
(5) Developing an effective method and delivery 
system for training and supporting effective prin-
cipals in these schools is essential to the success of 
the students and the economy of the United States. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to build the capacity and increase the sup-
ply of effective principals and other school leaders to 
successfully lead school transformation and turn-
around efforts; 
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(2) to train and support a cohort of expert 
principals and other school leaders to lead successful 
school transformations and turnarounds; 
(3) to recruit and train effective mentors and 
coaches to support and increase the effectiveness of 
turnaround leaders; 
(4) to collect, build on, and disseminate infor-
mation about effective leadership practice for school 
transformations and turnarounds; 
(5) to support the development of open source 
professional development materials for principals 
and other school leaders; and 
(6) to support school transformation and turn-
around efforts. 
SEC. 4. PRINCIPAL AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP DEVELOP-
MENT. 
(a) PRINCIPAL AND SCHOOL LEADERSHIP DEVELOP-
MENT.—Part A of title II of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘Subpart 6—Principal and School Leadership 
Development 
‘‘SEC. 2161. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this subpart: 
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‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means a partnership between— 
‘‘(A) a nonprofit organization with a dem-
onstrated commitment and capacity to develop 
and support principals and other school leaders; 
and 
‘‘(B) an institution of higher education. 
‘‘(2) LEARNING COMMUNITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘learning 
community’ means a community within a school 
in which— 
‘‘(i) adults and students work together 
to demonstrate a commitment to contin-
uous and substantial improvement of 
school performance; and 
‘‘(ii) the turnaround leaders and 
teachers have established the core at-
tributes described in subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) CORE
ATTRIBUTES.—The core at-
tributes of a learning community are— 
‘‘(i) a shared school mission and goals 
with an explicit vision of quality teaching 
and learning that guides all instructional 
decisions; 
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‘‘(ii) turnaround leader and teacher 
commitment to student outcomes and im-
proving performance; 
‘‘(iii) the establishment of a contin-
uous cycle of improvement for the learning 
community; 
‘‘(iv) fostering a culture of account-
ability and teamwork where teachers, prin-
cipals, and other school leaders work to-
gether on a daily basis to analyze and im-
prove practice; 
‘‘(v) engagement by turnaround lead-
ers and teachers in data analysis, improve-
ment, and inquiry about what is working 
and what is not working; and 
‘‘(vi) supporting and sharing leader-
ship of the school, including fostering ac-
tive community and family engagement. 
‘‘(3) QUALIFIED
PARTNERSHIP.—The term 
‘qualified partnership’ means a partnership between 
or among— 
‘‘(A)(i) a nonprofit organization with a 
demonstrated commitment and capacity to de-
velop and support principals and other school 
leaders; 
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‘‘(ii) an institution of higher education; or 
‘‘(iii) a nonprofit organization described in 
clause (i) and an institution of higher edu-
cation; and 
‘‘(B) one or more State educational agen-
cies or local educational agencies. 
‘‘(4) SCHOOL
LEADERSHIP
ACADEMY.—The 
term ‘school leadership academy’ means the school 
leadership 
academy 
established 
under 
section 
2162(d)(1). 
‘‘(5) TURNAROUND LEADER.—The term ‘turn-
around leader’ means an experienced principal or 
other school leader who— 
‘‘(A) is selected for participation in a lead-
ership training program under this subpart on 
the basis of rigorous, competency-based, criteria 
determined by the school leadership academy; 
‘‘(B) participates in a leadership training 
program provided through the school leadership 
academy or through a school leadership center 
of excellence established under section 2163; 
and 
‘‘(C) makes a commitment to serve, for not 
less than 4 years, in a turnaround school, as 
described in section 2164(a)(1). 
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‘‘(6) TURNAROUND MENTOR.—The term ‘turn-
around mentor’ means a mentor or coach who— 
‘‘(A) participates in a leadership training 
program provided through the school leadership 
academy or through a school leadership center 
of excellence established under section 2163; 
‘‘(B) provides ongoing, individualized sup-
port to turnaround leaders; and 
‘‘(C) makes a commitment, for not less 
than 4 years, to support turnaround school 
leaders. 
‘‘(7) TURNAROUND SCHOOL.—The term ‘turn-
around school’ means a school that— 
‘‘(A) is subject to corrective action or re-
structuring under paragraph (7) or (8) of sec-
tion 1116(b); or 
‘‘(B) in the case of a secondary school, has 
a 4-year graduation rate of less than 60 per-
cent. 
‘‘SEC. 2162. SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. 
‘‘(a) SCHOOL
LEADERSHIP
ACADEMY
AUTHOR-
IZED.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made avail-
able to carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall 
award, on a competitive basis, not more than 1 
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grant to an eligible entity to enable the eligible enti-
ty to establish not more than 1 school leadership 
academy for the development of turnaround leaders 
and turnaround mentors, in order to transform and 
improve turnaround schools. 
‘‘(2) GRANT RENEWAL.—Notwithstanding para-
graph (1), the Secretary may renew the grant under 
this section on the basis of the performance of the 
eligible entity under the grant. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity desiring the 
grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and containing 
such information as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(c) AWARD BASIS.—In awarding the grant under 
this section, the Secretary shall give a competitive pref-
erence to eligible entities— 
‘‘(1) with a demonstrated capacity to train 
principals and other school leaders to serve high- 
need local educational agencies; and 
‘‘(2) that are committed to train principals and 
other school leaders to serve rural areas. 
‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) SCHOOL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY AND CORE 
PRINCIPLES.—The eligible entity receiving the grant 
under this section shall use the grant funds to estab-
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lish a school leadership academy for the development 
of turnaround leaders and turnaround mentors, in 
order to improve low-performing schools. The school 
leadership academy supported under this section, 
and the activities carried out by the school leader-
ship academy, shall be based on the following core 
principles for school leadership: 
‘‘(A) Developing a school culture, instruc-
tional program, and professional development 
program, with a primary focus on improving 
the learning of all students. 
‘‘(B) Ensuring effective management of 
the organization, operation staff, and resources 
of the school for a safe, efficient, and effective 
learning environment. 
‘‘(C) Supporting school faculty and com-
munity members, responding to diverse commu-
nity interests and needs, and mobilizing com-
munity resources. 
‘‘(D) Acting with integrity and fairness, 
and in an ethical manner. 
‘‘(E) Understanding and influencing the 
political, social, legal, and cultural context of 
the school. 
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‘‘(F) Utilizing student level data to drive 
instructional improvement and school level data 
to drive decisionmaking. 
‘‘(2) INITIAL
YEAR
OF
THE
GRANT.—During 
the first year of the grant under this section, the 
school leadership academy shall use grant funds— 
‘‘(A) to bring together experts in school 
leadership who are committed to dramatic and 
effective turnaround of low-performing schools 
and who can provide input about what the evi-
dence base shows regarding effective school 
leadership in turnaround schools, such as— 
‘‘(i) representatives of institutions of 
higher education; 
‘‘(ii) representatives of teacher labor 
organizations; 
‘‘(iii) principals; 
‘‘(iv) teachers; 
‘‘(v) administrators; 
‘‘(vi) representatives from the Na-
tional Board for Professional Teaching 
Standards; 
‘‘(vii) academic experts in the field of 
school transformations and turnarounds; 
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‘‘(viii) principals and individuals who 
have successfully turned around low-per-
forming schools; 
‘‘(ix) Governors or the Governors’ rep-
resentatives; 
‘‘(x) school support staff; 
‘‘(xi) parents; 
‘‘(xii) representatives of community- 
based organizations; 
‘‘(xiii) business leaders; 
‘‘(xiv) representatives of organizations 
that represent principals; and 
‘‘(xv) other stakeholders; 
‘‘(B) to collect and develop, in consultation 
with the experts described in subparagraph (A), 
a core body of knowledge regarding effective 
school leadership, which is evidence-based and 
tested over time; 
‘‘(C) to create the infrastructure to sup-
port the development of open source profes-
sional development materials for principals and 
other school leaders; 
‘‘(D) to develop a leadership training pro-
gram, for turnaround leaders and turnaround 
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mentors, that provides training in areas such 
as— 
‘‘(i) designing and implementing data- 
driven school improvement plans; 
‘‘(ii) using student assessment data, 
including formative and summative assess-
ments and program evaluation data, for 
the purpose of making instructional deci-
sions and improving school-based pro-
grams; 
‘‘(iii) building relationships within the 
learning community and supporting the 
school community, including parents of 
students and community stakeholders; 
‘‘(iv) designing professional develop-
ment approaches that are school-based and 
evidence-based; 
‘‘(v) facilitating and conducting group 
meetings; 
‘‘(vi) building relationships and com-
municating effectively with State and local 
educational agency officials and teacher 
labor organizations; 
‘‘(vii) ensuring that rigorous, relevant, 
and effective teaching practices are imple-
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mented through strong instructional lead-
ership; 
‘‘(viii) preparing turnaround leaders 
to provide teachers with useful feedback to 
improve the practice of the teachers; 
‘‘(ix) understanding staff recruitment, 
hiring, and dismissal courses of action to 
create 
highly 
functional 
instructional 
teams; 
‘‘(x) understanding collective bar-
gaining rules; 
‘‘(xi) understanding the needs of adult 
learners; 
‘‘(xii) creating a high-performance 
culture by cultivating a commitment to 
achievement and accountability for results 
from all adults and students in the school; 
‘‘(xiii) 
establishing 
performance 
benchmarks, identifying leading indicators 
of change, and assessing progress against 
goals; 
‘‘(xiv) understanding high-need stu-
dent populations, particularly special edu-
cation students, English language learners, 
and high-poverty students; and 
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‘‘(xv) enforcing a safe, disciplined en-
vironment with flexible, yet clear, orders of 
behavior; 
‘‘(E)(i) to select an initial cohort of turn-
around leaders and turnaround mentors from 
the individuals who seek to participate in the 
leadership training programs using rigorous, 
competency-based, selection criteria determined 
by the school leadership academy; 
‘‘(ii) to carry out the leadership training 
program described in subparagraph (D) for the 
cohort; and 
‘‘(iii) to ensure that the leadership training 
program described in subparagraph (D) is in-
formed, on an ongoing basis, by evidence re-
garding effective school leadership; 
‘‘(F) to provide stipends for turnaround 
leaders and turnaround mentors to support 
their participation in the leadership training 
program; and 
‘‘(G) to provide support for, and encourage 
interaction among, the initial cohort of partici-
pants after the cohort’s completion of the lead-
ership training program. 
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‘‘(3) SUCCEEDING GRANT YEARS.—For the sec-
ond year, and each succeeding year, of the grant 
under this section, the school leadership academy 
shall— 
‘‘(A) continue supporting the development 
of open source professional development mate-
rials for principals and other school leaders; 
‘‘(B) for the second year only, select a sec-
ond cohort of turnaround leaders and turn-
around mentors from the individuals who seek 
to participate in the leadership training pro-
grams and carry out the leadership training 
program described in paragraph (2)(D) for the 
cohort; 
‘‘(C) provide support for, and encourage 
interaction among, turnaround leaders and 
turnaround mentors in the leadership training 
programs conducted by the school leadership 
academy and by the school leadership centers of 
excellence supported under section 2163; and 
‘‘(D) disseminate information to turn-
around leaders, turnaround mentors, the school 
leadership centers of excellence established 
under section 2163, and others engaging in 
transformation and turnaround efforts, about 
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lessons learned from, and best practices in-
formed by, past school transformation and 
turnaround efforts. 
‘‘SEC. 2163. SCHOOL LEADERSHIP CENTERS OF EXCEL-
LENCE. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Beginning in the first 
school year after the initial cohort of turnaround 
leaders and turnaround mentors have been trained 
by the school leadership academy under section 
2162(d)(2)(E), the Secretary shall award, from 
amounts made available to carry out this subpart 
and on a competitive basis, grants to qualified part-
nerships (as defined in section 2161(3)) to enable 
the qualified partnerships to establish school leader-
ship centers of excellence. 
‘‘(2) RENEWAL.—The Secretary may renew a 
grant under this section on the basis of the perform-
ance of the qualified partnership under the grant. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—A qualified partnership desiring 
to receive a grant under this section shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(c) RURAL AREA.—The Secretary shall award not 
less than 1 grant under this section to a qualified partner-
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ship that intends to establish a school leadership center 
of excellence that focuses on training turnaround leaders 
and turnaround mentors to serve rural areas. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—A qualified partner-
ship receiving a grant under this section shall use the 
grant funds to establish a school leadership center of ex-
cellence to support cohorts of turnaround leaders and 
turnaround mentors to be served under the grant as the 
turnaround leaders and turnaround mentors lead school 
transformation and school turnaround efforts. Each school 
leadership center of excellence shall carry out the following 
activities: 
‘‘(1) Adopt and adapt the turnaround leader 
and turnaround mentor training program described 
in section 2162(d)(2)(D)— 
‘‘(A) to meet the needs of the local edu-
cational agencies proposed to be served by the 
qualified partnership; and 
‘‘(B) so that the program is informed, on 
an ongoing basis, by the evidence regarding ef-
fective school leadership. 
‘‘(2) Beginning in the school year after the sec-
ond cohort of turnaround leaders and turnaround 
mentors have been trained by the school leadership 
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academy under section 2162(d)(3)(B), and for each 
succeeding school year of the grant— 
‘‘(A) select, from individuals desiring to be 
turnaround leaders and turnaround mentors, 
using rigorous, competency-based, selection cri-
teria that is adapted from the criteria described 
in section 2162(d)(2)(E) to meet the needs of 
the local educational agencies proposed to be 
served by the qualified partnership in accord-
ance with section 2164, the cohort of the turn-
around leaders and turnaround mentors who 
will— 
‘‘(i) participate in the leadership 
training program in order to effectively 
lead school transformation and turnaround 
efforts; and 
‘‘(ii) receive stipends to support their 
participation in the leadership training 
program; and 
‘‘(B) carry out the leadership training pro-
gram, as adapted under paragraph (1), for each 
cohort, in cooperation with participating local 
educational agencies. 
‘‘(3) Use the open source materials supported 
by the school leadership academy under paragraphs 
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(2)(C) and (3)(A) of section 2162(d) and work with 
the school leadership academy in order to best train 
and support the participants. 
‘‘SEC. 2164. PARTICIPATION AGREEMENTS AND APPLICA-
TIONS. 
‘‘(a) AGREEMENT.—In order for a turnaround leader 
or turnaround mentor to participate in a leadership train-
ing program carried out by the school leadership academy 
or by a school leadership center of excellence under this 
subpart, the turnaround leader or turnaround mentor, re-
spectively, shall enter into an agreement with the school 
leadership academy or school leadership center of excel-
lence, as the case may be, under which— 
‘‘(1) the turnaround leader or turnaround men-
tor, respectively, agrees to participate in the leader-
ship training program and to make a commitment to 
serve, for not less than 4 years, in a turnaround 
school after the leadership training program, pursu-
ant to a mutual agreement between the turnaround 
leader or turnaround mentor, respectively, and the 
local educational agency the turnaround leader or 
turnaround mentor, respectively, will serve; and 
‘‘(2) the local educational agency the turn-
around leader or turnaround mentor, respectively, 
will serve agrees— 
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‘‘(A) to provide ongoing support for the 
turnaround leader or turnaround mentor, re-
spectively; 
‘‘(B) to support the turnaround leader or 
turnaround mentor, respectively, in developing a 
leadership team at the school; 
‘‘(C) to participate in the leadership train-
ing program, as appropriate; 
‘‘(D) to work to build community support 
for the school transformation or turnaround ef-
fort by involving parents, teachers, paraprofes-
sionals, and other school staff in the planning 
and implementation process; 
‘‘(E) to put the turnaround leader or turn-
around mentor, respectively, in touch with labor 
organizations; and 
‘‘(F) to implement the recommendations of 
the school leadership academy or school leader-
ship center of excellence to ensure success in 
the turnaround school where the turnaround 
leader or turnaround mentor, respectively, will 
serve. 
‘‘(b) NONCOMPLIANCE WITH AGREEMENT.—If, after 
receiving notification from the school leadership academy 
or a school leadership center of excellence supported under 
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