To establish a grant program to ensure that students in high-need schools have equal access to a quality education delivered by an effective, diverse workforce.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Equal Access to Quality Education 
Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Education shall make grants on a 
competitive basis to eligible partnerships in high-need areas to 
develop and strengthen high-quality pathways for the teaching and 
education leadership professions, to create professional induction 
programs for the teaching profession, and to provide a stable and 
collaborative learning environment for educators and students.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the grant program established under 
this section shall be to--
            (1) increase the percentage of highly qualified teachers in 
        a State, including teachers from under-represented minority 
        groups;
            (2) close the achievement gap for students within subgroups 
        that are not showing expected performance;
            (3) decrease shortages of highly qualified teachers in poor 
        urban and rural areas;
            (4) decrease high turnover rates for educators in high-need 
        schools;
            (5) increase the number of highly qualified teachers in 
        shortage areas, including special education, bilingual 
        education, and education for English language learners, and in 
        science, mathematics, engineering, and technology;
            (6) increase opportunities for enhanced and ongoing 
        professional development that--
                    (A) improves the academic content knowledge of 
                teachers in the subject areas in which teachers are 
                certified or licensed to teach or in which the teachers 
                are working toward certification or licensure to teach;
                    (B) promotes strong teaching skills, including 
                instructional strategies that address diverse needs, 
                the use of data to inform instruction, and strategies 
                to improve student achievement; and
                    (C) provides time for teachers to share their 
                knowledge and innovation; and
            (7) provide all educators with the knowledge base and 
        professional skills to meet the needs of diverse learners, 
        including English language learners and students with 
        disabilities.
    (c) Use of Funds.--
            (1) Required uses.--A partnership that receives a grant 
        under this section shall use the funds to--
                    (A) establish or support a teacher preparation 
                program that--
                            (i) requires participants in the program to 
                        complete at least one year of residency at a 
                        high-need school in the local educational 
                        agency participating in the eligible 
                        partnership;
                            (ii) requires participants in the program 
                        to teach in a high-need school in such local 
                        educational agency for at least 3 years after 
                        completing residency; and
                            (iii) awards a teaching credential, an 
                        undergraduate degree, or a Masters degree that 
                        meets State requirements for a teaching license 
                        or certification upon completion of the 
                        program;
                    (B) establish or support a teacher induction and 
                retention program that--
                            (i) provides high-quality professional 
                        development to teachers to assist them in 
                        improving their knowledge, skills, and teaching 
                        practices in order to help students to improve 
                        their achievement and meet State academic 
                        standards;
                            (ii) provides teachers with updated 
                        information on developments in curricula, 
                        assessments, and educational research, 
                        including the manner in which the research and 
                        data can be used to improve teaching skills and 
                        practice;
                            (iii) provides a mentor teacher and other 
                        support for new teachers; and
                            (iv) provides leadership opportunities for 
                        teachers, including access to career ladders 
                        and roles as curriculum and instructional 
                        leaders, mentors, and coaches; and
                    (C) otherwise fulfill the purposes described in 
                subsection (b).
            (2) Authorized uses.--In addition to the activities 
        described in paragraph (1), a partnership that receives a grant 
        under this section may use the funds for any of the following:
                    (A) Providing support to each mentor teacher 
                working with new teachers.
                    (B) Providing preparation in effective, evidence-
                based instructional assessment practices and classroom 
                management strategies for general education teachers 
                serving students with disabilities and students with 
                limited English proficiency.
                    (C) Enabling teachers to engage in study groups, 
                professional learning communities, and other 
                collaborative activities and collegial interactions 
                regarding instruction assessment.
                    (D) Paying for release time and substitute teachers 
                in order to enable teachers to participate in 
                professional development and mentoring activities.
                    (E) Creating libraries of professional material, 
                catalogues of expert instruction, and education 
                technology.
                    (F) Providing high-quality professional development 
                for other instructional staff, such as 
                paraprofessionals, librarians, and counselors.
                    (G) Developing partnerships with businesses and 
                community-based organizations.
                    (H) Providing tuition assistance, scholarships, or 
                student loan repayment to teachers.
                    (I) Providing stipends to participants in the 
                teacher preparation program under paragraph (1)(A).
                    (J) Providing support for home visitation, 
                parenting education, and family engagement, especially 
                for parents who have limited English proficiency.
    (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to eligible partnerships that--
            (1) demonstrate a plan to recruit teachers from among 
        minority and local candidates and from individuals with 
        disabilities;
            (2) demonstrate the use of a valid and reliable teacher 
        performance assessment; or
            (3) include--
                    (A) an institution of higher education that is an 
                ``eligible institution'' for purposes of the TEACH 
                Grant program under subpart 9 of part A of title IV of 
                the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g et 
                seq.);
                    (B) a Tribal College or University, as defined in 
                section 316(b)(3) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3));
                    (C) an Asian American and Native American Pacific 
                Islander-serving institution, as defined in section 
                320(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059g(a));
                    (D) a Hispanic-serving institution, as defined in 
                section 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)); 
                or
                    (E) a historically Black college and university, as 
                defined in section 631(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
                1132(a)).
    (e) Matching Requirements.--
            (1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of any 
        activities funded by a grant received under this section shall 
        not exceed 75 percent.
            (2) Payment of non-federal share.--The non-Federal share 
        may be paid in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including 
        services.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible partnership.--The term ``eligible 
        partnership'' means a partnership--
                    (A) between a high-need local educational agency 
                and an institution of higher education; and
                    (B) that may include a teacher organization or a 
                nonprofit educational organization.
            (2) Family engagement.--The term ``family engagement'' 
        means a shared responsibility of families and schools for 
        student success, in which schools and community-based 
        organizations are committed to reaching out to engage families, 
        especially parents of non-Native English speakers, in 
        meaningful ways that encourage the families to actively support 
        their children's learning and development, as well as the 
        learning and development of other children. The shared 
        responsibility is continuous from birth through young adulthood 
        and reinforces learning that takes place in the home, school, 
        and community.
            (3) High-need local educational agency.--The term ``high-
        need local educational agency'' means a local educational 
        agency--
                    (A)(i) that serves not fewer than 10,000 low-income 
                children;
                    (ii) for which not less than 20 percent of the 
                children served by the agency are low-income children; 
                or
                    (iii) that has a percentage of low-income children 
                that is above the highest quartile among such agencies 
                in the State; and
                    (B)(i) for which one or more schools served by the 
                agency has a high percentage of teachers who are not 
                highly qualified; or
                    (ii) for which one or more schools served by the 
                agency has a high teacher turnover rate.
            (4) Highly qualified.--The term ``highly qualified'' has 
        the meaning given the term in section 9101(23) of the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7801(23)). 
        The definition given the term ``highly qualified teacher'' in 
        section 163 of Public Law 111-242 shall not apply with respect 
        to this section.
            (5) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
            (6) Low-income children.--The term ``low-income children'' 
        means--
                    (A) children from families with incomes below the 
                poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management 
                and Budget and revised annually in accordance with 
                section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 
                of 1981) applicable to a family of the size involved; 
                or
                    (B) children who are eligible for free or reduced 
                price lunches under the Richard B. Russell National 
                School Lunch Act.
            (7) Mentor teacher.--The term ``mentor teacher'' means a 
        teacher who--
                    (A) is highly qualified;
                    (B) has a minimum of 3 years of teaching 
                experience; and
                    (C) is recommended by the principal and other 
                current master and mentor teachers on the basis of--
                            (i) instructional excellence through 
                        observations and other evidence of classroom 
                        practice, including standards-based 
                        evaluations, such as certification by the 
                        National Board for Professional Teaching 
                        Standards;
                            (ii) an ability, as demonstrated by 
                        evidence of student learning in high-need 
                        schools, to increase student learning; and
                            (iii) excellent instruction and 
                        communication with an understanding of how to 
                        facilitate growth in other teachers, including 
                        new teachers.
            (8) Teacher performance assessment.--The term ``teacher 
        performance assessment'' means a program, based on State or 
        national professional teaching standards, that will measure 
        teachers' curriculum planning, instruction, and assessment of 
        students, including appropriate plans and adaptations for 
        English language learners and students with disabilities, and 
        multiple sources of evidence about student learning. Such 
        assessment will be validated against professional assessment 
        standards and reliably scored by trained external evaluators 
        with appropriate auditing of scoring to ensure consistency.
            (9) Teaching credential.--The term ``teaching credential'' 
        means a program of instruction for individuals who have 
        completed a baccalaureate degree, that does not lead to a 
        graduate degree, and that consists of courses required by a 
        State for a teacher candidate to receive a professional 
        certification or license that is required for employment as a 
        teacher in an elementary school or secondary school in that 
        State.

Summary: Equal Access to Quality Education Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to partnerships between high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to: (1) establish or support teacher preparation programs, and (2) establish or support teacher induction and retention programs.

Requires the teacher preparation programs to: (1) require participants to complete at least one year of residency followed by at least three years of teaching at the LEA's high-need schools, and (2) award participants a teaching credential or degree that meets state requirements for a teaching license or certification upon their completion of the program.

Requires the teacher induction and retention programs to provide teachers with: (1) high-quality professional development; (2) updated information on developments in curricula, assessments, and educational research; (3) a mentor teacher and other support if they are new teachers; and (4) leadership opportunities.

Allows the grants to be used for certain other activities designed to improve the quality of education in high-need areas.

Gives grant priority to partnerships that: (1) have a plan to recruit teachers from among minority and local candidates and the disabled; (2) use a valid and reliable teacher performance assessment; or (3) include an IHE eligible to participate in the TEACH Grant program, a Tribal College or University, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, an Hispanic-serving institution, or an historically Black college and university.