IIB 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2211
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 10, 2003
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions 
AN ACT 
To reauthorize title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ready to Teach Act 
of 2003’’. 
SEC. 2. TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT GRANTS. 
Part A of title II of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is amended to read as fol-
lows:
‘‘PART A—TEACHER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT 
GRANTS FOR STATES AND PARTNERSHIPS 
‘‘SEC. 201. PURPOSES; DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this part are to—
‘‘(1) improve student academic achievement; 
‘‘(2) improve the quality of the current and fu-
ture teaching force by improving the preparation of 
prospective teachers and enhancing professional de-
velopment activities; 
‘‘(3) hold institutions of higher education ac-
countable for preparing highly qualified teachers; 
and 
‘‘(4) recruit qualified individuals, including mi-
norities and individuals from other occupations, into 
the teaching force. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this part: 
‘‘(1) ARTS AND SCIENCES.—The term ‘arts and 
sciences’ means—
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‘‘(A) when referring to an organizational 
unit of an institution of higher education, any 
academic unit that offers 1 or more academic 
majors in disciplines or content areas cor-
responding to the academic subject matter 
areas in which teachers provide instruction; and 
‘‘(B) when referring to a specific academic 
subject matter area, the disciplines or content 
areas in which academic majors are offered by 
the arts and science organizational unit. 
‘‘(2) EXEMPLARY TEACHER.—The term ‘exem-
plary teacher’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(3) HIGHLY
QUALIFIED.—The term ‘highly 
qualified’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(4) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN-
CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 
means a local educational agency—
‘‘(A)(i)(I) that serves not fewer than 
10,000 children from families with incomes 
below the poverty line; or
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‘‘(II) for which not less than 25 percent of 
the children served by the agency are from fam-
ilies with incomes below the poverty line; 
‘‘(ii) that is among those serving the high-
est number or percentage of children from fam-
ilies with incomes below the poverty line in the 
State, but this clause applies only in a State 
that has no local educational agency meeting 
the requirements of clause (i); or 
‘‘(iii) with a total of less than 600 students 
in average daily attendance at the schools that 
are served by the agency and all of whose 
schools are designated with a school locale code 
of 7, as determined by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(B)(i) for which there is a high percent-
age of teachers not teaching in the academic 
subjects or grade levels that the teachers were 
trained to teach; or 
‘‘(ii) for which there is a high percentage 
of teachers with emergency, provisional, or tem-
porary certification or licensing. 
‘‘(5) POVERTY LINE.—The term ‘poverty line’ 
means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of 
Management and Budget, and revised annually in 
accordance with section 673(2) of the Community
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Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) ap-
plicable to a family of the size involved. 
‘‘(6) 
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.—The 
term ‘professional development’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801). 
‘‘(7) SCIENTIFICALLY
BASED
READING
RE-
SEARCH.—The term ‘scientifically based reading re-
search’ has the meaning given such term in section 
1208 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6368). 
‘‘(8) SCIENTIFICALLY BASED RESEARCH.—The 
term ‘scientifically based research’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801). 
‘‘(9) TEACHING
SKILLS.—The term ‘teaching 
skills’ means skills that—
‘‘(A) are based on scientifically based re-
search; 
‘‘(B) enable teachers to effectively convey 
and explain subject matter content; 
‘‘(C) lead to increased student academic 
achievement; and
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‘‘(D) use strategies that—
‘‘(i) are specific to subject matter; 
‘‘(ii) include ongoing assessment of 
student learning; 
‘‘(iii) focus on identification and tai-
loring of academic instruction to students’s 
specific learning needs; and
‘‘(iv) focus on classroom management. 
‘‘SEC. 202. STATE GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available 
under section 210(1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary is 
authorized to award grants under this section, on a com-
petitive basis, to eligible States to enable the eligible 
States to carry out the activities described in subsection 
(d). 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE STATE.—
‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this part, the term ‘eligi-
ble State’ means—
‘‘(A) the Governor of a State; or 
‘‘(B) in the case of a State for which the 
constitution or law of such State designates an-
other individual, entity, or agency in the State 
to be responsible for teacher certification and 
preparation activity, such individual, entity, or 
agency.
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‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—The Governor or the in-
dividual, entity, or agency designated under para-
graph (1)(B) shall consult with the Governor, State 
board of education, State educational agency, or 
State agency for higher education, as appropriate, 
with respect to the activities assisted under this sec-
tion. 
‘‘(3) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sub-
section shall be construed to negate or supersede the 
legal authority under State law of any State agency, 
State entity, or State public official over programs 
that are under the jurisdiction of the agency, entity, 
or official. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, an eligible State shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary that—
‘‘(1) meets the requirement of this section; 
‘‘(2) demonstrates that the State is in full com-
pliance with sections 207 and 208; 
‘‘(3) includes a description of how the eligible 
State intends to use funds provided under this sec-
tion; 
‘‘(4) includes measurable objectives for the use 
of the funds provided under the grant;
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‘‘(5) demonstrates the State has submitted and 
is actively implementing a plan that meets the re-
quirements of sections 1111(h)(1)(C)(viii) and 1119 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)(1)(C)(viii) and 6319); and 
‘‘(6) contains such other information and assur-
ances as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible State that re-
ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds 
to reform teacher preparation requirements, to coordinate 
with State activities under section 2113(c) of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
6613(c)), and to ensure that current and future teachers 
are highly qualified, by carrying out one or more of the 
following activities: 
‘‘(1) REFORMS.—Ensuring that all teacher 
preparation programs in the State are preparing 
teachers who are highly qualified, are able to under-
stand scientifically based research and its applica-
bility, and are able to use advanced technology effec-
tively in the classroom, including use for instruc-
tional techniques to improve student academic 
achievement, by assisting such programs—
‘‘(A) to retrain faculty; and
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‘‘(B) to design (or redesign) teacher prepa-
ration programs so they—
‘‘(i) are based on rigorous academic 
content, scientifically based research (in-
cluding scientifically based reading re-
search), and challenging State student aca-
demic content standards; and 
‘‘(ii) promote strong teaching skills. 
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION OR LICENSURE REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Reforming teacher certification (including 
recertification) or licensing requirements to ensure 
that—
‘‘(A) teachers have the subject matter 
knowledge and teaching skills in the academic 
subjects that the teachers teach that are nec-
essary to help students meet challenging State 
student academic achievement standards; and 
‘‘(B) such requirements are aligned with 
challenging State academic content standards. 
‘‘(3) ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL TEACHER 
PREPARATION
AND
STATE
CERTIFICATION.—Pro-
viding prospective teachers with alternative routes to 
State certification and traditional preparation to be-
come highly qualified teachers through—
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‘‘(A) innovative approaches that reduce un-
necessary barriers to State certification while 
producing highly qualified teachers; 
‘‘(B) programs that provide support to 
teachers during their initial years in the profes-
sion; and 
‘‘(C) alternative routes to State certifi-
cation of teachers for qualified individuals, in-
cluding mid-career professionals from other oc-
cupations, former military personnel, and recent 
college graduates with records of academic dis-
tinction. 
‘‘(4) INNOVATIVE
PROGRAMS.—Planning and 
implementing innovative programs to enhance the 
ability of institutions of higher education to prepare 
highly qualified teachers, such as charter colleges of 
education or university and local educational agency 
partnership schools, that—
‘‘(A) permit flexibility in meeting State re-
quirements as long as graduates, during their 
initial years in the profession, increase student 
academic achievement; 
‘‘(B) provide long-term data gathered from 
teachers’ performance over multiple years in the
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classroom on the ability to increase student aca-
demic achievement; 
‘‘(C) ensure high-quality preparation of 
teachers from underrepresented groups; and 
‘‘(D) create performance measures that 
can be used to document the effectiveness of in-
novative methods for preparing highly qualified 
teachers. 
‘‘(5) MERIT
PAY.—Developing, or assisting 
local educational agencies in developing—
‘‘(A) merit-based performance systems that 
reward teachers who increase student academic 
achievement; and
‘‘(B) strategies that provide differential 
and bonus pay in high-need local educational 
agencies to retain—
‘‘(i) principals; 
‘‘(ii) highly qualified teachers who 
teach in high-need academic subjects, such 
as reading, mathematics, and science; 
‘‘(iii) highly qualified teachers who 
teach in schools identified for school im-
provement under section 1116(b) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6316(b));
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‘‘(iv) special education teachers; 
‘‘(v) teachers specializing in teaching 
limited English proficient children; and 
‘‘(vi) highly qualified teachers in 
urban and rural schools or districts. 
‘‘(6) TEACHER ADVANCEMENT.—Developing, or 
assisting local educational agencies in developing, 
teacher advancement and retention initiatives that 
promote professional growth and emphasize multiple 
career paths (such as paths to becoming a highly 
qualified mentor teacher or exemplary teacher) and 
pay differentiation. 
‘‘(7) TEACHER REMOVAL.—Developing and im-
plementing effective mechanisms to ensure that local 
educational agencies and schools are able to remove 
expeditiously incompetent or unqualified teachers 
consistent with procedures to ensure due process for 
the teachers. 
‘‘(8) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Providing tech-
nical assistance to low-performing teacher prepara-
tion programs within institutions of higher education 
identified under section 208(a). 
‘‘(9) TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS.—Developing—
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‘‘(A) systems to measure the effectiveness 
of teacher preparation programs and profes-
sional development programs; and 
‘‘(B) strategies to document gains in stu-
dent academic achievement or increases in 
teacher mastery of the academic subjects the 
teachers teach as a result of such programs. 
‘‘(10) TEACHER
RECRUITMENT
AND
RETEN-
TION.—Undertaking activities that—
‘‘(A) develop and implement effective 
mechanisms to ensure that local educational 
agencies and schools are able effectively to re-
cruit and retain highly qualified teachers; or 
‘‘(B) are described in section 204(d).
‘‘(11) 
PRESCHOOL
TEACHERS.—Developing 
strategies—
‘‘(A) to improve the qualifications of pre-
school teachers, which may include State certifi-
cation for such teachers; and 
‘‘(B) to improve and expand preschool 
teacher preparation programs. 
‘‘(e) EVALUATION.—
‘‘(1) EVALUATION SYSTEM.—An eligible State 
that receives a grant under this section shall develop 
and utilize a system to evaluate annually the effec-
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tiveness of teacher preparation programs and profes-
sional development activities within the State in pro-
ducing gains in—
‘‘(A) the teacher’s annual contribution to 
improving student academic achievement, as 
measured by State academic assessments re-
quired under section 1111(b)(3) of the Elemen-
tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6311(b)(3)); and 
‘‘(B) teacher mastery of the academic sub-
jects they teach, as measured by pre- and post-
participation tests of teacher knowledge, as ap-
propriate. 
‘‘(2) USE OF EVALUATION SYSTEM.—Such eval-
uation system shall be used by the State to evalu-
ate—
‘‘(A) activities carried out using funds pro-
vided under this section; and 
‘‘(B) the quality of its teacher education 
programs. 
‘‘(3) PUBLIC
REPORTING.—The State shall 
make the information described in paragraph (1) 
widely available through public means, such as post-
ing on the Internet, distribution to the media, and 
distribution through public agencies.
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‘‘SEC. 203. PARTNERSHIP GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) GRANTS.—From amounts made available under 
section 210(2) for a fiscal year, the Secretary is author-
ized to award grants under this section, on a competitive 
basis, to eligible partnerships to enable the eligible part-
nerships to carry out the activities described in subsections 
(d) and (e). 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS.—In this part, 
the term ‘eligible partnership’ means an entity 
that—
‘‘(A) shall include—
‘‘(i) a partner institution; 
‘‘(ii) a school of arts and sciences; 
‘‘(iii) a high-need local educational 
agency; and 
‘‘(iv) a public or private educational 
organization; and 
‘‘(B) may include a Governor, State edu-
cational agency, the State board of education, 
the State agency for higher education, an insti-
tution of higher education not described in sub-
paragraph (A), a public charter school, a public 
or private elementary school or secondary 
school, a public or private educational organiza-
tion, a business, a science-, mathematics-, or
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technology-oriented entity, a faith-based or 
community organization, a prekindergarten pro-
gram, a teacher organization, an education 
service agency, a consortia of local educational 
agencies, or a nonprofit telecommunications en-
tity. 
‘‘(2) PARTNER INSTITUTION.—In this section, 
the term ‘partner institution’ means an institution of 
higher education, the teacher training program of 
which demonstrates that—
‘‘(A) graduates from the teacher training 
program exhibit strong performance on State-
determined qualifying assessments for new 
teachers through—
‘‘(i) demonstrating that the graduates 
of the program who intend to enter the 
field of teaching have passed all of the ap-
plicable State qualification assessments for 
new teachers, which shall include an as-
sessment of each prospective teacher’s sub-
ject matter knowledge in the content area 
or areas in which the teacher intends to 
teach; or
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‘‘(ii) being ranked among the highest-
performing teacher preparation programs 
in the State as determined by the State—
‘‘(I) using criteria consistent with 
the requirements for the State report 
card under section 207(a); and 
‘‘(II) using the State report card 
on teacher preparation required under 
section 207(a); or 
‘‘(B) the teacher training program requires 
all the students of the program to participate in 
intensive clinical experience, to meet high aca-
demic standards, and—
‘‘(i) in the case of secondary school 
candidates, to successfully complete an 
academic major in the subject area in 
which the candidate intends to teach or to 
demonstrate competence through a high 
level of performance in relevant content 
areas; and 
‘‘(ii) in the case of elementary school 
candidates, to successfully complete an 
academic major in the arts and sciences or 
to demonstrate competence through a high
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level of performance in core academic sub-
ject areas. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Each eligible partnership desir-
ing 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. 
Each such application shall—
‘‘(1) contain a needs assessment of all the part-
ners with respect to teaching and learning and a de-
scription of how the partnership will coordinate with 
other teacher training or professional development 
programs, and how the activities of the partnership 
will be consistent with State, local, and other edu-
cation reform activities that promote student aca-
demic achievement; 
‘‘(2) contain a resource assessment that de-
scribes the resources available to the partnership, 
the intended use of the grant funds, including a de-
scription of how the grant funds will be used in ac-
cordance with subsection (f), and the commitment of 
the resources of the partnership to the activities as-
sisted under this part, including financial support, 
faculty participation, time commitments, and con-
tinuation of the activities when the grant ends; 
‘‘(3) contain a description of—
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‘‘(A) how the partnership will meet the 
purposes of this part; 
‘‘(B) how the partnership will carry out 
the activities required under subsection (d) and 
any permissible activities under subsection (e); 
‘‘(C) the partnership’s evaluation plan pur-
suant to section 206(b); 
‘‘(D) how faculty of the teacher prepara-
tion program at the partner institution will 
serve, over the term of the grant, with highly 
qualified teachers in the classrooms of the high-
need local educational agency included in the 
partnership; 
‘‘(E) how the partnership will ensure that 
teachers, principals, and superintendents in pri-
vate elementary and secondary schools located 
in the geographic areas served by an eligible 
partnership under this section will participate 
equitably in accordance with section 9501 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7881); 
‘‘(F) how the partnership will design and 
implement a clinical program component that 
includes close supervision of student teachers by
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faculty of the teacher preparation program at 
the partner institution and mentor teachers; 
‘‘(G) how the partnership will design and 
implement an induction program to support all 
new teachers through the first 3 years of teach-
ing that includes mentors who are trained and 
compensated by the partnership for their work 
with new teachers; and 
‘‘(H) how the partnership will collect, ana-
lyze, and use data on the retention of all teach-
ers in schools located in the geographic areas 
served by the partnership to evaluate the effec-
tiveness of its teacher support system; and 
‘‘(4) contain a certification from the high-need 
local educational agency included in the partnership 
that it has reviewed the application and determined 
that the grant proposed will comply with subsection 
(f). 
‘‘(d) REQUIRED USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible part-
nership that receives a grant under this section shall use 
the grant funds to reform teacher preparation require-
ments, to coordinate with State activities under section 
2113(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6613(c)), and to ensure that current
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and future teachers are highly qualified, by carrying out 
one or more of the following activities: 
‘‘(1) REFORMS.—Implementing reforms within 
teacher preparation programs to ensure that such 
programs are preparing teachers who are highly 
qualified, are able to understand scientifically based 
research and its applicability, and are able to use 
advanced technology effectively in the classroom, in-
cluding use for instructional techniques to improve 
student academic achievement, by—
‘‘(A) retraining faculty; and 
‘‘(B) designing (or redesigning) teacher 
preparation programs so they—
‘‘(i) are based on rigorous academic 
content, scientifically based research (in-
cluding scientifically based reading re-
search), and challenging State student aca-
demic content standards; and 
‘‘(ii) promote strong teaching skills. 
‘‘(2) 
CLINICAL
EXPERIENCE
AND
INTER-
ACTION.—Providing 
sustained 
and 
high-quality 
preservice and in-service clinical experience, includ-
ing the mentoring of prospective teachers by exem-
plary teachers, substantially increasing interaction 
between faculty at institutions of higher education
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and new and experienced teachers, principals, and 
other administrators at elementary schools or sec-
ondary schools, and providing support for teachers, 
including preparation time and release time, for such 
interaction. 
‘‘(3) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—Creating 
opportunities for enhanced and ongoing professional 
development that improves the academic content 
knowledge of teachers in the subject areas in which 
the teachers are certified to teach or in which the 
teachers are working toward certification to teach, 
and that promotes strong teaching skills. 
‘‘(4) TEACHER PREPARATION.—Developing, or 
assisting local educational agencies in developing, 
professional development activities that—
‘‘(A) provide training in how to teach and 
address the needs of students with different 
learning styles, particularly students with dis-
abilities, limited English proficient students, 
and students with special learning needs; and 
‘‘(B) provide training in methods of—
‘‘(i) improving student behavior in the 
classroom; and
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‘‘(ii) identifying early and appropriate 
interventions to help students described in 
subparagraph (A) learn. 
‘‘(e) ALLOWABLE USES
OF FUNDS.—An eligible 
partnership that receives a grant under this section may 
use such funds to carry out the following activities: 
‘‘(1) ALTERNATIVES TO TRADITIONAL TEACHER 
PREPARATION
AND
STATE
CERTIFICATION.—Pro-
viding prospective teachers with alternative routes to 
State certification and traditional preparation to be-
come highly qualified teachers through—
‘‘(A) innovative approaches that reduce un-
necessary barriers to teacher preparation while 
producing highly qualified teachers; 
‘‘(B) programs that provide support during 
a teacher’s initial years in the profession; and 
‘‘(C) alternative routes to State certifi-
cation of teachers for qualified individuals, in-
cluding mid-career professionals from other oc-
cupations, former military personnel, and recent 
college graduates with records of academic dis-
tinction. 
‘‘(2) DISSEMINATION
AND
COORDINATION.—
Broadly disseminating information on effective prac-
tices used by the partnership, and coordinating with
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the activities of the Governor, State board of edu-
cation, State higher education agency, and State 
educational agency, as appropriate. 
‘‘(3) MANAGERIAL AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS.—
Developing and implementing professional develop-
ment programs for principals and superintendents 
that enable them to be effective school leaders and 
prepare all students to meet challenging State aca-
demic content and student academic achievement 
standards. 
‘‘(4) TEACHER RECRUITMENT.—Activities—
‘‘(A) to encourage students to become 
highly qualified teachers, such as extra-
curricular enrichment activities; and 
‘‘(B) activities described in section 204(d).
‘‘(5) CLINICAL EXPERIENCE IN SCIENCE, MATH-
EMATICS, AND TECHNOLOGY.—Creating opportuni-
ties for clinical experience and training, by participa-
tion in the business, research, and work environ-
ments with professionals, in areas relating to 
science, mathematics, and technology for teachers 
and prospective teachers, including opportunities for 
use of laboratory equipment, in order for the teacher 
to return to the classroom for at least 2 years and
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provide instruction that will raise student academic 
achievement. 
‘‘(6) COORDINATION
WITH
COMMUNITY
COL-
LEGES.—Coordinating with community colleges to 
implement teacher preparation programs, including 
through distance learning, for the purposes of allow-
ing prospective teachers—
‘‘(A) to attain a bachelor’s degree and 
State certification or licensure; and 
‘‘(B) to become highly qualified teachers. 
‘‘(7) TEACHER
MENTORING.—Establishing or 
implementing a teacher mentoring program that—
‘‘(A) includes minimum qualifications for 
mentors; 
‘‘(B) provides training and stipends for 
mentors; 
‘‘(C) provides mentoring programs for 
teachers in their first 3 years of teaching; 
‘‘(D) provides regular and ongoing oppor-
tunities for mentors and mentees to observe 
each other’s teaching methods in classroom set-
tings during the school day; 
‘‘(E) establishes an evaluation and ac-
countability plan for activities conducted under
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this paragraph that includes rigorous objectives 
to measure the impact of such activities; and 
‘‘(F) provides for a report to the Secretary 
on an annual basis regarding the partnership’s 
progress in meeting the objectives described in 
subparagraph (E). 
‘‘(8) 
COMPUTER
SOFTWARE
FOR
MULTI-
LINGUAL
EDUCATION.—Training teachers to use 
computer software for multilingual education to ad-
dress the needs of limited English proficient stu-
dents. 
‘‘(f) SPECIAL RULE.—At least 50 percent of the 
funds made available to an eligible partnership under this 
section shall be used directly to benefit the high-need local 
educational agency included in the partnership. Any entity 
described in subsection (b)(1)(A) may be the fiscal agent 
under this section. 
‘‘(g) CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall 
be construed to prohibit an eligible partnership from using 
grant funds to coordinate with the activities of more than 
one Governor, State board of education, State educational 
agency, local educational agency, or State agency for high-
er education. 
‘‘(h) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds made 
available under this section shall be used to supplement,
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and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local funds 
that would otherwise be expended to carry out the pur-
poses of this section. 
‘‘SEC. 204. TEACHER RECRUITMENT GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts made 
available under section 210(3) for a fiscal year, the Sec-
retary is authorized to award grants, on a competitive 
basis, to eligible applicants to enable the eligible applicants 
to carry out activities described in subsection (d). 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT DEFINED.—In this part, 
the term ‘eligible applicant’ means—
‘‘(1) an eligible State described in section 
202(b); or 
‘‘(2) an eligible partnership described in section 
203(b). 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Any eligible applicant desiring 
to receive a grant under this section shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary at such time, in such form, and 
containing such information as the Secretary may require, 
including—
‘‘(1) a description of the assessment that the el-
igible applicant, and the other entities with whom 
the eligible applicant will carry out the grant activi-
ties, have undertaken to determine the most critical
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needs of the participating high-need local edu-
cational agencies; 
‘‘(2) a description of the activities the eligible 
applicant will carry out with the grant, including the 
extent to which the applicant will use funds to re-
cruit minority students to become highly qualified 
teachers; and 
‘‘(3) a description of the eligible applicant’s 
plan for continuing the activities carried out with 
the grant, once Federal funding ceases. 
‘‘(d) USES OF FUNDS.—Each eligible applicant re-
ceiving a grant under this section shall use the grant 
funds—
‘‘(1)(A) to award scholarships to help students, 
such as individuals who have been accepted for their 
first year, or who are enrolled in their first or second 
year, of a program of undergraduate education at an 
institution of higher education, pay the costs of tui-
tion, room, board, and other expenses of completing 
a teacher preparation program;
‘‘(B) to provide support services, if needed to 
enable scholarship recipients—
‘‘(i) to complete postsecondary education 
programs; or
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‘‘(ii) to transition from a career outside of 
the field of education into a teaching career; 
and 
‘‘(C) for followup services provided to former 
scholarship recipients during the recipients first 3 
years of teaching; or 
‘‘(2) to develop and implement effective mecha-
nisms to ensure that high-need local educational 
agencies and schools are able effectively to recruit 
highly qualified teachers. 
‘‘(e) 
ADDITIONAL
DISCRETIONARY
USES
OF 
FUNDS.—In addition to the uses described in subsection 
(d), each eligible applicant receiving a grant under this 
section may use the grant funds—
‘‘(1) to develop and implement effective mecha-
nisms to recruit into the teaching profession employ-
ees from—
‘‘(A) high-demand industries, including 
technology industries; and 
‘‘(B) the fields of science, mathematics, 
and engineering; and 
‘‘(2) to conduct outreach and coordinate with 
inner city and rural secondary schools to encourage 
students to pursue teaching as a career. 
‘‘(f) SERVICE REQUIREMENTS.—
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish such requirements as the Secretary determines 
necessary to ensure that recipients of scholarships 
under this section who complete teacher education 
programs—
‘‘(A) subsequently teach in a high-need 
local educational agency for a period of time 
equivalent to—
‘‘(i) one year; increased by 
‘‘(ii) the period for which the recipient 
received scholarship assistance; or 
‘‘(B) repay the amount of the scholarship.
‘‘(2) USE
OF
REPAYMENTS.—The Secretary 
shall use any such repayments to carry out addi-
tional activities under this section. 
‘‘(g) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority 
under this section to eligible applicants who provide an 
assurance that they will recruit a high percentage of mi-
nority students to become highly qualified teachers. 
‘‘SEC. 205. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 
‘‘(a) DURATION; ONE-TIME AWARDS; PAYMENTS.—
‘‘(1) DURATION.—
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE STATES AND ELIGIBLE AP-
PLICANTS.—Grants awarded to eligible States
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and eligible applicants under this part shall be 
awarded for a period not to exceed 3 years. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE
PARTNERSHIPS.—Grants 
awarded to eligible partnerships under this part 
shall be awarded for a period of 5 years. 
‘‘(2) ONE-TIME AWARD.—An eligible partner-
ship may receive a grant under each of sections 203 
and 204, as amended by the Ready to Teach Act of 
2003, only once. 
‘‘(3) PAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall make 
annual payments of grant funds awarded under this 
part. 
‘‘(b) PEER REVIEW.—
‘‘(1) PANEL.—The Secretary shall provide the 
applications submitted under this part to a peer re-
view panel for evaluation. With respect to each ap-
plication, the peer review panel shall initially rec-
ommend the application for funding or for dis-
approval. 
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In recommending applications 
to the Secretary for funding under this part, the 
panel shall—
‘‘(A) with respect to grants under section 
202, give priority to eligible States that—
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‘‘(i) have initiatives to reform State 
teacher certification requirements that are 
based on rigorous academic content, sci-
entifically based research, including sci-
entifically based reading research, and 
challenging State student academic content 
standards; 
‘‘(ii) have innovative reforms to hold 
institutions of higher education with teach-
er preparation programs accountable for 
preparing teachers who are highly qualified 
and have strong teaching skills; or 
‘‘(iii) have innovative efforts aimed at 
reducing the shortage of highly qualified 
teachers in high poverty urban and rural 
areas; and 
‘‘(B) with respect to grants under section 
203—
‘‘(i) give priority to applications from 
broad-based eligible partnerships that in-
volve businesses and community organiza-
tions; and 
‘‘(ii) take into consideration—
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‘‘(I) providing an equitable geo-
graphic distribution of the grants 
throughout the United States; and 
‘‘(II) the potential of the pro-
posed activities for creating improve-
ment and positive change. 
‘‘(3) SECRETARIAL SELECTION.—The Secretary 
shall determine, based on the peer review process, 
which application shall receive funding and the 
amounts of the grants. In determining grant 
amounts, the Secretary shall take into account the 
total amount of funds available for all grants under 
this part and the types of activities proposed to be 
carried out. 
‘‘(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(1) STATE GRANTS.—Each eligible State re-
ceiving a grant under section 202 or 204 shall pro-
vide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 
50 percent of the amount of the grant (in cash or 
in kind) to carry out the activities supported by the 
grant. 
‘‘(2) PARTNERSHIP
GRANTS.—Each eligible 
partnership receiving a grant under section 203 or 
204 shall provide, from non-Federal sources (in cash 
or in kind), an amount equal to 25 percent of the
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grant for the first year of the grant, 35 percent of 
the grant for the second year of the grant, and 50 
percent of the grant for each succeeding year of the 
grant. 
‘‘(d) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—
An eligible State or eligible partnership that receives a 
grant under this part may not use more than 2 percent 
of the grant funds for purposes of administering the grant. 
‘‘SEC. 206. ACCOUNTABILITY AND EVALUATION. 
‘‘(a) STATE GRANT ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT.—An 
eligible State that receives a grant under section 202 shall 
submit an annual accountability report to the Secretary, 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
sions of the Senate, and the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce of the House of Representatives. Such re-
port shall include a description of the degree to which the 
eligible State, in using funds provided under such section, 
has made substantial progress in meeting the following 
goals: 
‘‘(1) PERCENTAGE
OF
HIGHLY
QUALIFIED 
TEACHERS.—Increasing the percentage of highly 
qualified teachers in the State as required by section 
1119 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6319).
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‘‘(2) STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT.—In-
creasing student academic achievement for all stu-
dents as defined by the eligible State. 
‘‘(3) RAISING STANDARDS.—Raising the State 
academic standards required to enter the teaching 
profession as a highly qualified teacher. 
‘‘(4) INITIAL CERTIFICATION OR LICENSURE.—
Increasing success in the pass rate for initial State 
teacher certification or licensure, or increasing the 
numbers of qualified individuals being certified or li-
censed as teachers through alternative programs. 
‘‘(5) DECREASING TEACHER SHORTAGES.—De-
creasing shortages of highly qualified teachers in 
poor urban and rural areas. 
‘‘(6) INCREASING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFES-
SIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.—Increasing opportunities 
for enhanced and ongoing professional development 
that—
‘‘(A) improves the academic content knowl-
edge of teachers in the subject areas in which 
the teachers are certified or licensed to teach or 
in which the teachers are working toward cer-
tification or licensure to teach; and 
‘‘(B) promotes strong teaching skills.
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‘‘(7) TECHNOLOGY
INTEGRATION.—Increasing 
the number of teachers prepared effectively to inte-
grate technology into curricula and instruction and 
who use technology to collect, manage, and analyze 
data to improve teaching, learning, and decision-
making for the purpose of increasing student aca-
demic achievement. 
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP EVALUATION.—Each 
eligible partnership applying for a grant under section 203 
shall establish, and include in the application submitted 
under section 203(c), an evaluation plan that includes 
strong performance objectives. The plan shall include ob-
jectives and measures for—
‘‘(1) increased student achievement for all stu-
dents, as measured by the partnership; 
‘‘(2) increased teacher retention in the first 3 
years of a teacher’s career; 
‘‘(3) increased success in the pass rate for ini-
tial State certification or licensure of teachers; 
‘‘(4) increased percentage of highly qualified 
teachers; and 
‘‘(5) increasing the number of teachers trained 
effectively to integrate technology into curricula and 
instruction and who use technology to collect, man-
age, and analyze data to improve teaching, learning,
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and decisionmaking for the purpose of improving 
student academic achievement. 
‘‘(c) REVOCATION OF GRANT.—
‘‘(1) REPORT.—Each eligible State or eligible 
partnership receiving a grant under section 202 or 
203 shall report annually on the progress of the eli-
gible State or eligible partnership toward meeting 
the purposes of this part and the goals, objectives, 
and measures described in subsections (a) and (b). 
‘‘(2) REVOCATION.—
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE STATES AND ELIGIBLE AP-
PLICANTS.—If the Secretary determines that an 
eligible State or eligible applicant is not making 
substantial progress in meeting the purposes, 
goals, objectives, and measures, as appropriate, 
by the end of the second year of a grant under 
this part, then the grant payment shall not be 
made for the third year of the grant. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE
PARTNERSHIPS.—If the 
Secretary determines that an eligible partner-
ship is not making substantial progress in 
meeting the purposes, goals, objectives, and 
measures, as appropriate, by the end of the 
third year of a grant under this part, then the
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grant payments shall not be made for any suc-
ceeding year of the grant. 
‘‘(d) EVALUATION AND DISSEMINATION.—The Sec-
retary shall evaluate the activities funded under this part 
and report annually the Secretary’s findings regarding the 
activities to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce of the House of Representatives. 
The Secretary shall broadly disseminate successful prac-
tices developed by eligible States and eligible partnerships 
under this part, and shall broadly disseminate information 
regarding such practices that were found to be ineffective. 
‘‘SEC. 207. ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PROGRAMS THAT PRE-
PARE TEACHERS. 
‘‘(a) STATE REPORT CARD ON THE QUALITY OF 
TEACHER PREPARATION.—Each State that receives funds 
under this Act shall provide to the Secretary annually, in 
a uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms with 
the definitions and methods established by the Secretary, 
a State report card on the quality of teacher preparation 
in the State, both for traditional certification or licensure 
programs and for alternative certification or licensure pro-
grams, which shall include at least the following: 
‘‘(1) A description of the teacher certification 
and licensure assessments, and any other certifi-
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cation and licensure requirements, used by the 
State. 
‘‘(2) The standards and criteria that prospec-
tive teachers must meet in order to attain initial 
teacher certification or licensure and to be certified 
or licensed to teach particular subjects or in par-
ticular grades within the State. 
‘‘(3) A description of the extent to which the 
assessments and requirements described in para-
graph (1) are aligned with the State’s standards and 
assessments for students. 
‘‘(4) The percentage of students who have com-
pleted at least 50 percent of the requirements for a 
teacher preparation program at an institution of 
higher education or alternative certification program 
and who have taken and passed each of the assess-
ments used by the State for teacher certification and 
licensure, and the passing score on each assessment 
that determines whether a candidate has passed that 
assessment. 
‘‘(5) For students who have completed at least 
50 percent of the requirements for a teacher prepa-
ration program at an institution of higher education 
or alternative certification program, and who have 
taken and passed each of the assessments used by
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the State for teacher certification and licensure, 
each such institution’s and each such program’s av-
erage raw score, ranked by teacher preparation pro-
gram, which shall be made available widely and pub-
licly. 
‘‘(6) A description of each State’s alternative 
routes to teacher certification, if any, and the num-
ber and percentage of teachers certified through 
each alternative certification route who pass State 
teacher certification or licensure assessments. 
‘‘(7) For each State, a description of proposed 
criteria for assessing the performance of teacher 
preparation programs in the State, including indica-
tors of teacher candidate skills and academic content 
knowledge and evidence of gains in student academic 
achievement. 
‘‘(8) For each teacher preparation program in 
the State, the number of students in the program, 
the average number of hours of supervised practice 
teaching required for those in the program, and the 
number of full-time equivalent faculty and students 
in supervised practice teaching. 
‘‘(b) REPORT OF THE SECRETARY ON THE QUALITY 
OF TEACHER PREPARATION.—
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‘‘(1) REPORT CARD.—The Secretary shall pro-
vide to Congress, and publish and make widely avail-
able, a report card on teacher qualifications and 
preparation in the United States, including all the 
information reported in paragraphs (1) through (8) 
of subsection (a). Such report shall identify States 
for which eligible States and eligible partnerships re-
ceived a grant under this part. Such report shall be 
so provided, published and made available annually. 
‘‘(2) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—The Secretary 
shall report to Congress—
‘‘(A) a comparison of States’ efforts to im-
prove teaching quality; and 
‘‘(B) regarding the national mean and me-
dian scores on any standardized test that is 
used in more than 1 State for teacher certifi-
cation or licensure. 
‘‘(3) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of programs 
with fewer than 10 students who have completed at 
least 50 percent of the requirements for a teacher
preparation program taking any single initial teacher 
certification or licensure assessment during an aca-
demic year, the Secretary shall collect and publish 
information with respect to an average pass rate on
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State certification or licensure assessments taken 
over a 3-year period. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION.—The Secretary, to the extent 
practicable, shall coordinate the information collected and 
published under this part among States for individuals 
who took State teacher certification or licensure assess-
ments in a State other than the State in which the indi-
vidual received the individual’s most recent degree. 
‘‘(d) INSTITUTION AND PROGRAM REPORT CARDS ON 
QUALITY OF TEACHER PREPARATION.—
‘‘(1) REPORT CARD.—Each institution of higher 
education or alternative certification program that 
conducts a teacher preparation program that enrolls 
students receiving Federal assistance under this Act 
shall report annually to the State and the general 
public, in a uniform and comprehensible manner 
that conforms with the definitions and methods es-
tablished by the Secretary, both for traditional cer-
tification or licensure programs and for alternative 
certification or licensure programs, the following in-
formation: 
‘‘(A) PASS RATE.—(i) For the most recent 
year for which the information is available, the 
pass rate of each student who has completed at 
least 50 percent of the requirements for the
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teacher preparation program on the teacher cer-
tification or licensure assessments of the State 
in which the institution is located, but only for 
those students who took those assessments 
within 3 years of receiving a degree from the 
institution or completing the program. 
‘‘(ii) A comparison of the institution or 
program’s pass rate for students who have com-
pleted at least 50 percent of the requirements 
for the teacher preparation program with the 
average pass rate for institutions and programs 
in the State. 
‘‘(iii) A comparison of the institution or 
program’s average raw score for students who 
have completed at least 50 percent of the re-
quirements for the teacher preparation program 
with the average raw scores for institutions and 
programs in the State. 
‘‘(iv) In the case of programs with fewer 
than 10 students who have completed at least 
50 percent of the requirements for a teacher 
preparation program taking any single initial 
teacher certification or licensure assessment 
during an academic year, the institution shall 
collect and publish information with respect to
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an average pass rate on State certification or li-
censure assessments taken over a 3-year period. 
‘‘(B) PROGRAM INFORMATION.—The num-
ber of students in the program, the average 
number of hours of supervised practice teaching 
required for those in the program, and the 
number of full-time equivalent faculty and stu-
dents in supervised practice teaching. 
‘‘(C) STATEMENT.—In States that require 
approval or accreditation of teacher education 
programs, a statement of whether the institu-
tion’s program is so approved or accredited, 
and by whom. 
‘‘(D) 
DESIGNATION
AS
LOW-PER-
FORMING.—Whether the program has been des-
ignated as low-performing by the State under 
section 208(a). 
‘‘(2) 
REQUIREMENT.—The 
information 
de-
scribed in paragraph (1) shall be reported through 
publications such as school catalogs and promotional 
materials sent to potential applicants, secondary 
school guidance counselors, and prospective employ-
ers of the institution’s program graduates, including 
materials sent by electronic means.
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‘‘(3) FINES.—In addition to the actions author-
ized in section 487(c), the Secretary may impose a 
fine not to exceed $25,000 on an institution of high-
er education for failure to provide the information 
described in this subsection in a timely or accurate 
manner. 
‘‘(e) DATA QUALITY.—Either—
‘‘(1) the Governor of the State; or 
‘‘(2) in the case of a State for which the con-
stitution or law of such State designates another in-
dividual, entity, or agency in the State to be respon-
sible for teacher certification and preparation activ-
ity, such individual, entity, or agency; 
shall attest annually, in writing, as to the reliability, valid-
ity, integrity, and accuracy of the data submitted pursuant 
to this section. 
‘‘SEC. 208. STATE FUNCTIONS. 
‘‘(a) STATE ASSESSMENT.—In order to receive funds 
under this Act, a State shall have in place a procedure 
to identify and assist, through the provision of technical 
assistance, low-performing programs of teacher prepara-
tion within institutions of higher education. Such State 
shall provide the Secretary an annual list of such low-per-
forming institutions that includes an identification of 
those institutions at risk of being placed on such list. Such
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levels of performance shall be determined solely by the 
State and may include criteria based upon information col-
lected pursuant to this part. Such assessment shall be de-
scribed in the report under section 207(a). 
‘‘(b) TERMINATION OF ELIGIBILITY.—Any institu-
tion of higher education that offers a program of teacher 
preparation in which the State has withdrawn the State’s 
approval or terminated the State’s financial support due 
to the low performance of the institution’s teacher prepa-
ration program based upon the State assessment described 
in subsection (a)—
‘‘(1) shall be ineligible for any funding for pro-
fessional development activities awarded by the De-
partment of Education; and 
‘‘(2) shall not be permitted to accept or enroll 
any student who receives aid under title IV of this 
Act in the institution’s teacher preparation program. 
‘‘SEC. 209. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 
‘‘(a) METHODS.—In complying with sections 207 and 
208, the Secretary shall ensure that States and institu-
tions of higher education use fair and equitable methods 
in reporting and that the reporting methods do not allow 
identification of individuals.
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE.—For each State in which there 
are no State certification or licensure assessments, or for
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States that do not set minimum performance levels on 
those assessments—
‘‘(1) the Secretary shall, to the extent prac-
ticable, collect data comparable to the data required 
under this part from States, local educational agen-
cies, institutions of higher education, or other enti-
ties that administer such assessments to teachers or 
prospective teachers; and 
‘‘(2) notwithstanding any other provision of this 
part, the Secretary shall use such data to carry out 
requirements of this part related to assessments or 
pass rates. 
‘‘(c) LIMITATIONS.—
‘‘(1) FEDERAL CONTROL PROHIBITED.—Noth-
ing in this part shall be construed to permit, allow, 
encourage, or authorize any Federal control over any 
aspect of any private, religious, or home school, 
whether or not a home school is treated as a private 
school or home school under State law. This section 
shall not be construed to prohibit private, religious, 
or home schools from participation in programs or 
services under this part. 
‘‘(2) NO CHANGE IN STATE CONTROL ENCOUR-
AGED OR REQUIRED.—Nothing in this part shall be 
construed to encourage or require any change in a
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State’s treatment of any private, religious, or home 
school, whether or not a home school is treated as 
a private school or home school under State law. 
‘‘(3) NATIONAL SYSTEM OF TEACHER CERTIFI-
CATION PROHIBITED.—Nothing in this part shall be 
construed to permit, allow, encourage, or authorize 
the Secretary to establish or support any national 
system of teacher certification. 
‘‘SEC. 210. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this part $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 and such sums 
as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years, of which—
‘‘(1) 45 percent shall be available for each fiscal 
year to award grants under section 202; 
‘‘(2) 45 percent shall be available for each fiscal 
year to award grants under section 203; and 
‘‘(3) 10 percent shall be available for each fiscal 
year to award grants under section 204.’’. 
SEC. 3. PREPARING TOMORROW’S TEACHERS TO USE TECH-
NOLOGY. 
(a) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 222(a)(3)(D) of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1042(a)(3)(D)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘nonprofit telecommunications enti-
ty,’’ after ‘‘community-based organization,’’.
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(b) 
PERMISSIBLE
USES
OF
FUNDS.—Section 
223(b)(1)(E) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1043(b)(1)(E)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(E) To use technology to collect, manage, 
and analyze data to improve teaching, learning, 
and decisionmaking for the purpose of increas-
ing student academic achievement.’’. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
224 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1044) is amended by striking ‘‘each of fiscal years 2002 
and 2003.’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2004 and each of 
the 4 succeeding fiscal years.’’.
SEC. 4. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. 
Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following:
‘‘PART C—CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE 
‘‘SEC. 231. PURPOSES; DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this part are—
‘‘(1) to help recruit and prepare teachers, in-
cluding minority teachers, to meet the national de-
mand for a highly qualified teacher in every class-
room; and
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‘‘(2) to increase opportunities for Americans of 
all educational, ethnic, class, and geographic back-
grounds to become highly qualified teachers. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this part: 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligi-
ble institution’ means—
‘‘(A) an institution of higher education 
that has a teacher preparation program that 
meets the requirements of section 203(b)(2) 
and that is—
‘‘(i) a part B institution (as defined in 
section 322); 
‘‘(ii) a Hispanic-serving institution (as 
defined in section 502); 
‘‘(iii) a Tribal College or University 
(as defined in section 316); 
‘‘(iv) an Alaska Native-serving institu-
tion (as defined in section 317(b)); or 
‘‘(v) a Native Hawaiian-serving insti-
tution (as defined in section 317(b)); 
‘‘(B) a consortium of institutions described 
in subparagraph (A); or
‘‘(C) an institution described in subpara-
graph (A), or a consortium described in sub-
paragraph (B), in partnership with any other
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institution of higher education, but only if the 
center of excellence established under section 
232 is located at an institution described in 
subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(2) HIGHLY
QUALIFIED.—The term ‘highly 
qualified’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
tion 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(3) SCIENTIFICALLY
BASED
READING
RE-
SEARCH.—The term ‘scientifically based reading re-
search’ has the meaning given such term in section 
1208 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6368). 
‘‘(4) SCIENTIFICALLY BASED RESEARCH.—The 
term ‘scientifically based research’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 9101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801). 
‘‘SEC. 232. CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE. 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts 
appropriated to carry out this part, the Secretary is au-
thorized to award competitive grants to eligible institu-
tions to establish centers of excellence. 
‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants provided by the Sec-
retary under this part shall be used to ensure that current
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and future teachers are highly qualified, by carrying out 
one or more of the following activities: 
‘‘(1) Implementing reforms within teacher prep-
aration programs to ensure that such programs are 
preparing teachers who are highly qualified, are able 
to understand scientifically based research, and are 
able to use advanced technology effectively in the 
classroom, including use for instructional techniques 
to improve student academic achievement, by—
‘‘(A) retraining faculty; and 
‘‘(B) designing (or redesigning) teacher 
preparation programs that—
‘‘(i) prepare teachers to close student 
achievement gaps, are based on rigorous 
academic content, scientifically based re-
search (including scientifically based read-
ing research), and challenging State stu-
dent academic content standards; and 
‘‘(ii) promote strong teaching skills. 
‘‘(2) Providing sustained and high-quality 
preservice clinical experience, including the men-
toring of prospective teachers by exemplary teachers, 
substantially increasing interaction between faculty 
at institutions of higher education and new and ex-
perienced teachers, principals, and other administra-
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tors at elementary schools or secondary schools, and 
providing support, including preparation time, for 
such interaction. 
‘‘(3) Developing and implementing initiatives to 
promote retention of highly qualified teachers and 
principals, including minority teachers and prin-
cipals, including programs that provide—
‘‘(A) teacher or principal mentoring from 
exemplary teachers or principals; or 
‘‘(B) induction and support for teachers 
and principals during their first 3 years of em-
ployment as teachers or principals, respectively. 
‘‘(4) Awarding scholarships based on financial 
need to help students pay the costs of tuition, room, 
board, and other expenses of completing a teacher 
preparation program. 
‘‘(5) Disseminating information on effective 
practices for teacher preparation and successful 
teacher certification and licensure assessment prepa-
ration strategies. 
‘‘(6) Activities authorized under sections 202, 
203, and 204. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Any eligible institution desiring 
a grant under this section shall submit an application to
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the Secretary at such a time, in such a manner, and ac-
companied by such information the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(d) MINIMUM GRANT AMOUNT.—The minimum 
amount of each grant under this part shall be $500,000. 
‘‘(e) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—
An eligible institution that receives a grant under this part 
may not use more than 2 percent of the grant funds for 
purposes of administering the grant. 
‘‘(f) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 
such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this 
part. 
‘‘SEC. 233. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this part $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 and such sums 
as may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal 
years.’’. 
SEC. 5. TRANSITION. 
The Secretary of Education shall take such actions 
as the Secretary determines to be appropriate to provide 
for the orderly implementation of this Act.
Passed the House of Representatives July 9, 2003. 
Attest: 
JEFF TRANDAHL, 
Clerk.