‘‘(A) After providing technical assistance
under paragraph (4) and taking other remedial
measures, the local educational agency—
‘‘(i) may take corrective action at any
time with respect to a school that has been
identified under paragraph (1);
‘‘(ii) shall take corrective action with
respect to any school that still fails to
make continuous and substantial gains, as
defined by the State in accordance with
section 1111(b)(3), immediately after the
3rd year following its identification under
paragraph (1), except that the local edu-
cational agency may refrain from taking
such action for not more than 1 additional
year if it assesses the school’s performance
and determines that—
‘‘(I) the school is meeting the
targets and goals of the school im-
provement plan described in para-
graph (3)(A)(iv), as shown by an im-
provement in student achievement
through a 1-year gain in scores on the
State assessment; and
‘‘(II) the school will meet the
State’s criteria for continuous and
substantial gains within 1 year; and
‘‘(iii) shall continue to provide tech-
nical assistance while instituting any cor-
rective action under clause (I) or (ii).
‘‘(B) As used in this paragraph, the term
‘corrective action’ means action, consistent with
State and local law, that—
‘‘(i) substantially and directly re-
sponds to the consistent academic failure
that caused that agency to take that action
and to any underlying staffing, curricular,
or other problems in the school; and
‘‘(ii) is designed to substantially in-
crease the likelihood that students in that
school will meet challenging State stand-
ards.
‘‘(C) In any case described in subpara-
graph (A)(ii), the local educational agency shall
take at least 1 of the following corrective ac-
tions:
‘‘(i) 
Instituting 
and 
fully 
imple-
menting a new curriculum, including ap-
propriate professional development for all
relevant staff, that is research-based and
offers substantial promise of improving
educational 
achievement 
for 
low-per-
forming students.
‘‘(ii) Redesigning the school by recon-
stituting all or part of the school staff in
a manner consistent with section 1119(a);
restructuring the school, such as by cre-
ating schools within schools or other small-
er learning environments; or re-opening the
school under alternative governance ar-
rangements, such as a public charter
school.
‘‘(iii) Closing the school.
‘‘(iv) In conjunction with any other
action described in clauses (i) through (iii),
allowing students in the school who are
served under this part to choose to attend
other public schools and providing them
transportation (or the costs of transpor-
tation) to those schools.
‘‘(D) The local educational agency shall
make public and disseminate any corrective ac-
tion it takes under this paragraph.
‘‘(E)(i) Before determining that it will take
corrective action with respect to any school
under this paragraph, the local educational
agency shall provide the school an opportunity
to review the school-level data, including assess-
ment data, on which the proposed determina-
tion is made.
‘‘(ii) If the school believes that the pro-
posed determination is in error for statistical or
other substantive reasons, it may provide sup-
porting evidence to the local educational agency,
which shall consider it before making a final de-
termination.
‘‘(6) STATE
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCY
RESPON-
SIBILITIES.—If a State educational agency deter-
mines that a local educational agency failed to carry
out its responsibilities under paragraphs (4) and (5),
it shall take such action as it finds necessary to im-
prove the affected schools and to ensure that the
local educational agency carries out those respon-
sibilities.
‘‘(7) SPECIAL RULE.—A local educational agen-
cy may remove from school-improvement status
under this subsection any school that meets the
State’s criteria under section 1111(b)(3), including
showing substantial gains by the lowest-performing
students, for at least 2 of the 3 years following its
identification under paragraph (1).
‘‘(d) STATE REVIEW AND LEA IMPROVEMENT.—
‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—In order to ensure that chil-
dren served under this part meet challenging State
standards, each State educational agency shall annu-
ally review the progress of each participating local
educational agency, in accordance with section
1111(b)(3), to determine whether it is meeting the
State’s criteria for accountability, including showing
continuous and substantial gains in the achievement
of the lowest-performing students.
‘‘(2) DISTINGUISHED
SCHOOL
DISTRICTS.—
Each State may designate as ‘Distinguished School
Districts’ those local educational agencies that, over
a 3-year period, meet or exceed such criteria as the
State may establish for performance and improve-
ment under this part.
‘‘(3) IDENTIFICATION.—
‘‘(A) A State educational agency shall
identify for improvement any local educational
agency that, for 2 consecutive years, does not
meet the State’s criteria for accountability
under section 1111(b)(3), including showing
continuous and substantial gains in achieve-
ment for the lowest-performing students, unless
the Secretary has approved an alternative pro-
cedure in the State’s plan under section
1111(b)(3)(C)(ii).
‘‘(B)(i) Before identifying a local edu-
cational agency for improvement under sub-
paragraph (A), the State educational agency
shall provide the local educational agency with
an opportunity to review the school-level data,
including assessment data, on which that pro-
posed identification is based.
‘‘(ii) If the local educational agency be-
lieves that such proposed identification is in
error due to statistical or other substantive rea-
sons, the local educational agency may provide
supporting evidence, which the State edu-
cational agency shall consider before making a
final determination.
‘‘(4) LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGENCY
REVI-
SIONS.—(A) Each local educational agency identified
under paragraph (3) shall, within 3 months of being
so identified, revise its plan under section 1112, in
consultation with schools, parents, and outside edu-
cational experts, to—
‘‘(i) address the fundamental teaching and
learning needs in the schools of that agency,
and the specific academic problems of low-per-
forming students;
‘‘(ii) have the greatest likelihood of improv-
ing the performance of participating children in
meeting the State’s student performance stand-
ards; and
‘‘(iii) identify annual student performance
targets and goals for the next 3 years.
‘‘(B) Such revision shall include determining
why the local educational agency’s plan failed to
bring about increased achievement.
‘‘(C) The local educational agency shall submit
its revised plan to the State educational agency for
peer review and approval.
‘‘(5) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY RESPONSI-
BILITY.—For each local educational agency identi-
fied under paragraph (3), the State educational
agency shall provide technical or other assistance, if
requested, as authorized under section 1117, to bet-
ter enable the local educational agency to—
‘‘(A) develop and implement its revised
plan; and
‘‘(B) work with schools needing improve-
ment.
‘‘(6) CORRECTIVE ACTION.—In order to ensure
that children served under this part meet chal-
lenging State standards, each State educational
agency shall implement a system of corrective action
in accordance with the following, unless the Sec-
retary has approved an alternative procedure in the
State’s plan under section 1111(b)(3)(C)(ii):
‘‘(A) After providing technical assistance
under paragraph (5) and taking other remedial
measures, the State educational agency—
‘‘(i) may take corrective action at any
time with respect to a local educational
agency that has been identified under
paragraph (3);
‘‘(ii) shall take such action with re-
spect to any local educational agency that
still fails to make continuous and substan-
tial gains, as defined by the State in ac-
cordance with section 1111(b)(3), imme-
diately after the 3rd year following its
identification under paragraph (3), except
that the State educational agency may re-
frain from taking such action for not more
than 1 additional year if it assesses the
local educational agency’s performance and
determines that—
‘‘(I) the local educational agency
is meeting the targets and goals in its
revised plan, as described in para-
graph (4)(A)(iii), as shown by an im-
provement in student achievement
through a 1-year gain in scores on the
State assessment; and
‘‘(II) the local educational agency
will meet the State’s criteria for ac-
countability, including continuous and
substantial gains, within 1 year; and
‘‘(iii) shall continue to provide tech-
nical assistance while instituting any cor-
rective action under clause (i) or (ii).
‘‘(B) As used in this paragraph, the term
‘corrective action’ means action, consistent with
State law, that—
‘‘(i) substantially and directly re-
sponds to the persistent academic failure
that caused that agency to take that action
and to any underlying staffing, curricular,
or other problems in the local educational
agency; and
‘‘(ii) is designed to substantially in-
crease the likelihood that students in the
local educational agency’s schools will meet
challenging State standards.
‘‘(C) In any case described in subpara-
graph (A)(ii), the State educational agency
shall take at least 1 of the following corrective
actions:
‘‘(i) Withholding of funds.
‘‘(ii) Appointing a receiver or trustee
to administer the affairs of the local edu-
cational agency in place of the super-
intendent and school board.
‘‘(iii) Abolishing or restructuring the
local educational agency.
‘‘(iv) In conjunction with any other
action described in this subparagraph, al-
lowing students in schools served under
this part to choose to attend public schools
in other local educational agencies and pro-
viding them transportation (or the costs of
transportation) to those schools.
‘‘(D) Before implementing any corrective
action under subparagraph (A), the State edu-
cational agency shall provide due process and a
hearing to the affected local educational agency,
if State law provides for such process and hear-
ing.
‘‘(E) The State educational agency shall
make public and disseminate any corrective ac-
tion it takes under this paragraph.
‘‘(7) SPECIAL
RULE.—A State educational
agency may remove from improvement status under
this subsection any local educational agency that, for
at least 2 of the 3 years following identification
under paragraph (3), makes substantial gains to-
ward meeting the State’s standards.’’.
SEC. 112. STATE ASSISTANCE FOR SCHOOL SUPPORT AND
IMPROVEMENT.
Section 1117 is amended to read as follows:
‘‘SEC. 1117. STATE ASSISTANCE FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT AND
SCHOOL SUPPORT AND IMPROVEMENT.
‘‘(a) SYSTEM
FOR
SUPPORT.—Each State edu-
cational agency shall establish a statewide system of inten-
sive and sustained support and improvement for local edu-
cational agencies and schools receiving funds under this
part, in order to increase the opportunity for all students
in those agencies and schools to meet the State’s content
standards and student performance standards.
‘‘(b) PRIORITIES.—In carrying out this section, the
State educational agency shall—
‘‘(1) first provide support and assistance to
local educational agencies subject to corrective action
under section 1116 and to help schools, in accord-
ance with section 1116(c)(6), for which a local edu-
cational agency has failed to carry out its respon-
sibilities under section 1116(c)(4) and (5);
‘‘(2) next, provide support and assistance to
other local educational agencies identified as in need
of improvement under section 1116; and
‘‘(3) then provide support and assistance to
other local educational agencies and schools partici-
pating under this part that need that support and
assistance in order to achieve the purpose of this
part.
‘‘(c) APPROACHES.—In order to achieve the purpose
described in subsection (a), each such system shall provide
technical assistance and support through such approaches
as—
‘‘(1) school support teams, composed of individ-
uals who are knowledgeable about research and
practice on teaching and learning, particularly about
strategies for improving educational results for low-
achieving students;
‘‘(2) the designation and use of ‘Distinguished
Educators’, chosen from schools served under this
part that have been especially successful in enabling
children to meet (or make outstanding progress to-
ward meeting) State standards; and
‘‘(3) a peer-review process designed to increase
the capacity of local educational agencies and
schools to develop high-quality school improvement
plans.
‘‘(d) FUNDS.—Each State educational agency—
‘‘(1) shall use funds reserved under section
1003(a)(1), but not used under section 1003(a)(2),
to carry out this section; and
‘‘(2) may use State administrative funds re-
served under section 1701(c) for that purpose.’’.
SEC. 113. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.
Section 1118 is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)(3)(A), by striking ‘‘(other
than funds allocated under section 1002(e))’’;
(2) in subsection (c)—
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘section
1114(b)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 1114(c)’’;
(B) in paragraph (4)(B)—
(i) by striking ‘‘school performance
profiles required under section 1116(a)(3)’’
and inserting ‘‘the school report cards re-
quired by section 11206’’; and
(ii) 
by 
striking 
‘‘section
1111(b)(3)(H)’’ and inserting ‘‘section
1111(b)(2)(H)’’; and
(C) in paragraph (5)—
(i) by striking ‘‘section 1114(b)(2)’’
and inserting ‘‘section 1114(c)’’; and
(ii) by striking ‘‘participating chil-
dren’’ and inserting ‘‘children attending
the school’’;
(3) in subsection (e)(1)—
(A) by striking ‘‘the National Education
Goals’’ and inserting ‘‘America’s Education
Goals’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘section 1111(b)(8)’’ and
inserting ‘‘section 1111(b)(6)’’;
(4) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘the parental
involvement requirements of’’; and
(5) by striking subsection (g).
SEC. 114. PARENT TRAINING AND INFORMATION CENTERS.
Section 1118(g) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(g) PARENT TRAINING
AND INFORMATION CEN-
TERS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make
grants to, and enter into contracts and cooperative
agreements with, community-based organizations or
local parent organizations to support parent train-
ing, information, and to establish and support cen-
ters that will help ensure that parents of students in
schools receiving assistance under this title have the
training, information, and support they need to en-
able them to participate effectively in helping their
children to meet challenging standards that have
been established for all children.
‘‘(2) 
REQUIRED
ACTIVITIES.—Each 
parent
training, information, and support center that re-
ceives assistance under this section shall—
‘‘(A) provide training, information, and
support that meets the needs of parents of chil-
dren in schools proposed to be served by the
grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, par-
ticularly underserved parents, low-income par-
ents, parents of students with limited English
proficiency, and parents of students in schools
identified as in need of assistance;
‘‘(B) understand and effectively use the
parent involvement provisions under this Act,
including parent compacts, parent involvement
policies, and joint decision making provisions,
and the school level requirements of sections
1114, 1115, and1115A of this Act.
‘‘(C) provide information in a language
and form that parents understand, including
taking steps to ensure that parents with limited
English proficiency are effectively informed and
assisted.
‘‘(D) assist parents to:
‘‘(i) understand state content and per-
formance standards, state and local assess-
ments, and how schools receiving assist-
ance under this title are required to help
students meet the state standards;
‘‘(ii) understand the accountability
system in place in the state, and support
activities which are likely to improve stu-
dent achievement in schools receiving as-
sistance under this title;
‘‘(iii) understand and analyze the
meaning of data that schools, districts, and
states must provide under the public re-
porting requirements of this and other
statutes, including state reporting require-
ments;
‘‘(iv) understand what their child’s
school is doing to enable students to meet
the standards, including understanding the
curriculum and instructional methods the
school is using to help students meet the
standards;
‘‘(v) better understand their child’s
educational needs, where they are in com-
parison to state standards, and how the
school is addressing the child’s educational
needs;
‘‘(vi) communicate effectively with
personnel responsible for providing edu-
cational services to their child and for
planning and implementing policies and
programs under this title in the school and
the district;
‘‘(vii) participate in decision making
processes at the school and district levels,
and in the development, review, and
amendments of school parent compacts,
the school and district parent involvement
policies, and the school plan, as well as re-
view the needs assessment of the school;
‘‘(viii) understand the provisions of
other Federal education programs which
may provide resources and opportunities
for the school to improve, or which may
provide educational resources to individual
students, including chapters 1 and 2 of
subpart 2 of part A of title IV of the High-
er Education Act of 1965;
‘‘(ix) participate in other school re-
form activities; and
‘‘(x) understand public school choice
options available in the local community,
including magnet, charter and alternative
schools;
‘‘(E) be designed to meet the specific needs
of families who experience significant isolation
from available sources of information and sup-
port;
‘‘(F) network with appropriate clearing-
houses;
‘‘(G) annually report to the Secretary on—
‘‘(i) the number of parents to whom it
provided information, training, and sup-
port in the most recently concluded fiscal
year;
‘‘(ii) the number of parents who par-
ticipated in training sessions and the aver-
age number of parents at training sessions;
‘‘(iii) evidence that trainings have
been held at times and places designed to
allow the largest number of parents of stu-
dents in schools receiving assistance under
this title to attend;
‘‘(iv) the effectiveness of strategies
used to reach and serve parents, including
underserved parents, low-income parents of
students with limited English proficiency;
‘‘(v) how the parent training and in-
formation center ensured that parents had
the skills necessary to participate in their
children’s education, as outlined in sub-
paragraph (D);
‘‘(vi) what information is provided to
parents by the school district(s) in the area
served by the Center; and
‘‘(vii) other measures, as deemed ap-
propriate by the Secretary.
‘‘(3) OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES.—Optional activities
may include—
‘‘(A) providing information to teachers and
other professionals in schools receiving assist-
ance under this title; and
‘‘(B) providing appropriate information
about the research on ways in which high pov-
erty schools have made real progress in getting
all students to meet state standards.
‘‘(4) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—Each ap-
plication for assistance under this section shall detail
the 
special 
efforts 
that 
the 
applicant 
will
undertake—
‘‘(A) to ensure that the needs for training
and information and support of underserved
parents of students in schools receiving assist-
ance under this title, particularly low-income
and parents of limited English proficient chil-
dren, are effectively met; and
‘‘(B) to work with community-based orga-
nizations.
‘‘ (5) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall
make at least 2 awards to community-based or-
ganizations or parent organizations in each
State, unless the Secretary does not receive at
least 2 applications from such organizations in
each State of sufficient quality to warrant ap-
proval.
‘‘(B) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—The Sec-
retary shall make grants to organizations that
serve parents of students, 50 percent of whom
are eligible for free and reduced price lunch,
with a particular emphasis on areas with a
large concentration of limited English proficient
students, or areas with a high dropout rate.
‘‘(6) QUARTERLY REVIEW.—
‘‘(A) REQUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(i) MEETINGS.—The board of direc-
tors or special governing committee of each
organization that receives an award under
this section shall meet at least once in each
calendar quarter to review the activities for
which the award was made.
‘‘(ii) CONTINUATION
AWARD.—When
an organization requests a continuation
award under this section, the board of di-
rectors or special governing committee
shall submit to the Secretary a written re-
view of the parent training and informa-
tion program conducted by the organiza-
tion during the preceding fiscal year.
‘‘(7) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligi-
ble to receive a grant under this subsection an orga-
nization shall—
‘‘(A) be a private nonprofit organization
(other than an institution of higher education);
‘‘(B) a special governing committee to ad-
minister the grant, contract, or cooperative
agreement, a majority of the members of which
are parents of students in schools receiving as-
sistance under this title, and a memorandum of
understanding between the special governing
committee and the board of directors of the or-
ganization that clearly outlines the decision
making responsibilities and authority of the
special governing committee; and
‘‘(C) is located in a community that has
schools which receive assistance under this title,
and is readily accessible to families of students
in those schools.
‘‘(8) EVALUATION.—The Secretary shall con-
duct an evaluation of each grant, and shall report on
the interim findings of such evaluation 3 years after
the date of the enactment of the Access to Excel-
lence in Education for the 21st Century Act.’’.
SEC. 115. TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.
Section 1119 is amended—
(1) by amending the section heading to read as
follows: ‘‘HIGH-QUALITY INSTRUCTION’’;
(2) by striking subsections (f), (h), and (i) and
redesignating subsections (b) through (e) and sub-
section (g) as subsections (d) through (h), respec-
tively;
(3) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows:
‘‘(a) PURPOSE AND GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.—In
order to enable all children to meet challenging State
standards, each local educational agency receiving assist-
ance under this part shall—
‘‘(1) hire qualified instructional staff, consistent
with subsections (b) and (c);
‘‘(2) provide high-quality professional develop-
ment that will improve teaching and learning in core
content areas, consistent with subsection (d); and
‘‘(3) use at least 5 percent of its allocation
under this part for fiscal years 2001 and 2002, and
10 percent of that allocation for subsequent fiscal
years, for that professional development.’’;
(4) by inserting new subsections (b) and (c) to
read as follows:
‘‘(b) MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHERS.—
Each local educational agency shall ensure that, by not
later than the date of the enactment of the Access to Ex-
cellence in Education for the 21st Century Act, all new
teachers in programs supported with funds under this
part—
‘‘(1) are certified in the field in which they will
teach; or
‘‘(2) have a bachelors degree and are enrolled
in a program through which they will obtain such
certification within 3 years.
‘‘(c) PARAPROFESSIONALS.—
‘‘(1) Each local educational agency shall ensure
that, not later than July 1, 2002, all paraprofes-
sionals working in programs supported with funds
under this part meet the educational requirements of
paragraph (2) or (3) and perform only the duties de-
scribed in those paragraphs.
‘‘(2) A paraprofessional may perform any of the
following duties only if he or she has completed at
least 2 years of college and is under the direct su-
pervision of a teacher:
‘‘(A) 1-on-1 tutoring for eligible students.
Any such tutoring must be at times that are in
addition to the time a student would otherwise
receive instruction from a teacher.
‘‘(B) Assisting with classroom manage-
ment, such as organizing instructional and
other materials.
‘‘(C) Providing assistance in a computer
laboratory.
‘‘(3) A paraprofessional who possesses a sec-
ondary school diploma or its equivalent, but who has
not completed at least 2 years of college, may per-
form only non-instructional duties, such as improv-
ing parental involvement, providing support in a li-
brary or media center, or providing non-instructional
communication.
‘‘(4) Each local educational agency shall ensure
that each paraprofessional described in paragraph
(1)—
‘‘(A) is appropriately trained and possesses
the knowledge and skills sufficient to support
teachers, parents, or school administrators, as
the case may be, in meeting the goals of this
part;
‘‘(B) participates in professional develop-
ment and other training opportunities directly
relevant to his or her work assignment or to up-
grading his or her assignment; and
‘‘(C) is supervised by a teacher or other
appropriate school staff member.’’;
(5) in subsection (d), as redesignated by para-
graph (2)—
(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as
follows:
‘‘(1) Professional development under this sec-
tion shall include principals, teachers, and other
school staff in its design and shall—
‘‘(A) improve the ability of teachers to help
all students, including children with disabilities,
children with limited English proficiency, and
economically disadvantaged children, reach high
State content and student performance stand-
ards;
‘‘(B) advance teacher understanding of 1
or more of the core academic subject areas and
effective instructional strategies for improving
student achievement in those areas;