I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1693 
To provide grants to eligible consortia to provide professional development 
to superintendents, principals, and to prospective superintendents and 
principals. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 19, 2005 
Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. 
LEE, and Mr. ETHERIDGE) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To provide grants to eligible consortia to provide professional 
development to superintendents, principals, and to pro-
spective superintendents and principals. 
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 ‘‘Investment in Quality 
School Leadership Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Nation is experiencing a shortage of 
qualified school administrators and principals with
such shortage expected to intensify. This shortage 
comes at a time when States are enacting new and 
more rigorous learning standards, school officials are 
expected to handle an increasing number of non-edu-
cational problems and issues, and the current gen-
eration of school administrators and officials are re-
tiring. The combination of these factors results in a 
shrinking pool of qualified applicants. 
(2) The shortage is particularly severe in high 
poverty school districts because of lower salaries and 
the challenging work environment. In many such 
districts, a disproportionate number of school admin-
istrators and principals have less than 3 years of ex-
perience. 
(3) The ability of a school or district to improve 
teaching and raise student achievement is greatly 
dependent on the quality of leadership. Quality lead-
ership can only be achieved if potential leaders are 
provided with the necessary support, professional de-
velopment, and resources. 
(4) All current and prospective principals and 
superintendents need support in their first 3 years, 
such as mentoring and sustained professional devel-
opment, to become effective school leaders and to 
raise school and classroom performance effectively.
SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 
The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to provide ongoing, intensive professional 
development to superintendents, principals, and pro-
spective superintendents and principals, particularly 
those serving, or intending to serve, in high-poverty, 
low-performing school districts and schools; 
(2) to improve the capacity of current and pro-
spective superintendents and principals to serve as 
effective leaders and successfully implement stand-
ards-based reforms; 
(3) to encourage the recruitment and retention 
of quality school leaders at the district- and school- 
level by enabling them to further develop their skills 
and knowledge; and 
(4) to recognize and support the importance of 
principals and superintendents in facilitating student 
learning and improving academic achievement. 
SEC. 4. GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) GRANT AWARDS.—From the amounts ap-
propriated to carry out this section and not reserved 
under subsection (g) for any fiscal year, the Sec-
retary of Education (in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) shall award grants to eligible consortia
to establish professional development programs de-
scribed in paragraph (2). 
(2) PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.—A pro-
gram referred to in paragraph (1) shall serve a 
State or region and provide superintendents, prin-
cipals, and prospective superintendents and prin-
cipals, particularly those serving, or intending to 
serve, in high-poverty, low-performing school dis-
tricts and schools, with ongoing, intensive profes-
sional development opportunities to improve their ca-
pacity to serve as effective leaders and successfully 
implement standards-based reforms. 
(b) AWARD BASIS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants on a competitive basis to eligible applicants 
to carry out this section. 
(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall give priority to consortia 
in which the local educational agency participating 
in the consortium serves the highest concentration of 
children living in poverty. 
(c) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(1) REQUIRED PARTICIPANTS.—In order to re-
ceive a grant under this section, a consortium shall 
include not less than—
(A) one local educational agency serving a 
high concentration of children living in poverty; 
(B) one institution of higher education; 
and 
(C) one organization that does not usually 
provide educational services, but has the nec-
essary expertise to provide professional develop-
ment to school administrators. 
(2) OTHER PARTICIPANTS.—An eligible consor-
tium may also include— 
(A) one or more additional local edu-
cational agencies; 
(B) State educational agencies; 
(C) for-profit organizations with the exper-
tise to provide professional development to 
school administrators; and 
(D) public or private nonprofit organiza-
tions with the expertise to provide professional 
development to school administrators. 
(d) APPLICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to receive an award 
under this section, an eligible applicant shall submit 
an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require.
(2) CONTENTS.—Each such application shall 
include— 
(A) information demonstrating that the ap-
plicant shall meet the matching requirement of 
subsection (f); and 
(B) a description of the involvement of su-
perintendents and principals in developing the 
application. 
(e) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) REQUIRED USES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A consortium that re-
ceives a grant under this section shall use the 
grant funds to establish or expand a leadership 
development program described in subpara-
graph (B). 
(B) ACTIVITIES.—The program referred to 
in subparagraph (A) shall provide superintend-
ents, principals, and prospective superintend-
ents and principals, particularly individuals 
serving, or intending to serve, in high-poverty, 
low-performing schools and school districts, 
with ongoing, intensive professional develop-
ment opportunities through activities that in-
crease the knowledge and skills of participants 
in such areas as—
(i) effective instructional practices; 
(ii) the content of the State’s stand-
ards and supporting implementation of the 
standards in the classroom; 
(iii) comprehensive whole-school re-
form approaches and programs; 
(iv) the effective use of educational 
technology to improve teaching and learn-
ing; 
(v) the recruitment, assignment, re-
tention, and evaluation of school staff; 
(vi) the enhancement and development 
of management and organizational skills; 
(vii) leadership skills; 
(viii) the effective use of data for deci-
sionmaking; and 
(ix) the implementation of school- 
based leadership teams. 
(2) ADDITIONAL USES.—A consortium that re-
ceives a grant under this section may also use the 
grant funds to support— 
(A) the recruitment and preparation of 
prospective principals and superintendents, in-
cluding candidates with leadership and manage-
rial experience in fields other than education; 
and 
(B) alternative pathways to administrative 
positions. 
(f) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Each recipient of a 
grant under this Act shall provide not less than 
50 percent of the annual cost of the project as-
sisted by the grant from sources other than this 
Act. 
(B) CONTRIBUTIONS.—A grantee’s share 
of such costs may be provided in cash or in 
kind, fairly evaluated. 
(2) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive the 
matching requirement of paragraph (1) with respect 
to applicants that the Secretary determines serve 
low-income areas. 
(g) RESERVATION.—The Secretary may reserve not 
more than 4 percent of the amount appropriated under 
subsection (i) for each fiscal year for technical assistance, 
evaluation, dissemination of information on effective pro-
grams for preparing and training district and school-level 
administrators, carrying out activities to encourage the 
spread and adoption of successful leadership development
centers, and other national activities that support the pro-
grams under this section. 
(h) REPORT.— 
(1) EXISTING PROGRAMS.— 
(A) STUDY.—The Secretary shall, in con-
sultation with representatives of local edu-
cational agencies, State educational agencies, 
institutions of higher education, superintend-
ents, principals, education organizations, com-
munity groups, business, and labor, conduct a 
study to evaluate and report to Congress re-
garding existing professional development pro-
grams that recruit, prepare, and train district- 
and school-level administrators to serve as ef-
fective leaders and successfully implement 
standards-based reforms in diverse educational 
environments across the Nation. 
(B) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—The Sec-
retary shall submit a report to Congress not 
later than one year after the date of enactment 
of this Act regarding the findings of the study 
conducted under subparagraph (A). 
(2) PROGRAM
REPORT.—The Secretary shall 
submit to Congress a report not later than March 1, 
2010, regarding the effectiveness of professional de-
velopment programs, established pursuant to this 
section, to recruit and retain principals and super-
intendents. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated $100,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2006 through 2010 to carry out this sec-
tion. 
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