21st Century Master Teacher Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``21st Century Master Teacher Act''.

SEC. 2. MASTER TEACHER PROGRAMS.

    Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 6601 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating part E as part G; and
            (2) by inserting after part D the following new part:

                    ``PART E--MASTER TEACHER PROGRAM

``SEC. 2351. FINDINGS.

    ``Congress makes the following findings:
            ``(1) The National Commission on Teaching and America's 
        Future reports that more than 12 percent of all newly hired 
        teachers enter the workforce with no training at all, and 
        another 15 percent enter the workforce without having fully met 
        State standards.
            ``(2) Annually, more than 50,000 people who lack the 
        training required for their jobs have entered teaching with 
        emergency or provisional licenses.
            ``(3) Only 500 of the Nation's 1,200 education schools meet 
        common professional standards.
            ``(4) Fewer than 75 percent of all teachers have studied 
        child development, and learning and teaching methods, have 
        degrees in their subject areas, and have passed State licensing 
        requirements.
            ``(5) Nearly \1/4\ of all secondary school teachers, and 
        more than 30 percent of secondary school mathematics teachers, 
        do not have even a college minor in their main subject area.
            ``(6) 64 percent of urban school districts allow teachers 
        who are not certified or licensed to teach under an emergency 
        certification or license, and 40 percent of those districts 
        allow the hiring of long-term substitute teachers.

``SEC. 2352. PURPOSES.

    ``The purposes of this part are--
            ``(1) to give local educational agencies the resources to 
        establish master teacher programs;
            ``(2) to increase the level of student performance at 
        elementary schools and secondary schools by improving the 
        quality of education provided by the teachers at such schools;
            ``(3) to give local educational agencies the resources to 
        fund efforts by teachers at elementary schools and secondary 
        schools to become board certified; and
            ``(4) to give local educational agencies the resources to 
        enable such agencies to provide salary incentives to teachers 
        to become board certified.

``SEC. 2353. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this part:
            ``(1) Board certified.--The term `board certified' means 
        successful completion of all requirements to be certified by 
        the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
            ``(2) Master teacher.--The term `master teacher' means a 
        teacher who is certified by the National Board for Professional 
        Teaching Standards and has been teaching for not less than 3 
        years.
            ``(3) Novice teacher.--The term `novice teacher' means a 
        teacher who has been teaching for not more than 3 years at a 
        public elementary school or secondary school.

``SEC. 2354. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    ``(a) Authority.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to award 
        grants on a competitive basis to local educational agencies to 
        establish master teacher programs as described in subsection 
        (d).
            ``(2) Priority.--In awarding grants under paragraph (1), 
        the Secretary shall give priority to local educational agencies 
        that--
                    ``(A) provide funding assistance to teachers to 
                become board certified, including the provision of the 
                board certification fee to become board certified; and
                    ``(B) provide salary incentives to teachers who 
                become board certified.
            ``(3) Geographic distribution.--To the maximum extent 
        practicable, the Secretary shall award grants under paragraph 
        (1) so that such grants are distributed among the school 
        districts with the highest concentration of teachers who are 
        not certified or licensed or are provisionally certified or 
        licensed.
    ``(b) Duration.--A grant under subsection (a) shall be awarded for 
a period of 5 years.
    ``(c) Amount.--The amount of a grant awarded under subsection (a), 
shall be determined based on--
            ``(1) the total amount appropriated for a fiscal year under 
        section 2360; and
            ``(2) the extent of the concentration of teachers who are 
        not certified or licensed or are provisionally certified or 
        licensed in the school district involved.
    ``(d) Authorized Activities.--The master teacher programs described 
in subsection (a) shall--
            ``(1) provide funding assistance to teachers to become 
        board certified, including the provision of the board 
        certification fee; and
            ``(2) provide salary incentives to teachers who become 
        board certified.

``SEC. 2355. APPLICATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--A local educational agency desiring a grant 
under section 2354 shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 
time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the 
Secretary may reasonably require.
    ``(b) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to subsection 
(a) shall include--
            ``(1) a statement describing the program activities for 
        which amounts received under the grant will be used;
            ``(2) a statement describing the goals and objectives for 
        the program activities described in paragraph (1), including a 
        goal of increasing the percentage of teachers who become board 
        certified and enhancing overall student achievement; and
            ``(3) a statement describing the manner in which the goals 
        and objectives described in paragraph (2) will be measured.
    ``(c) Approval of Application.--The Secretary shall make a 
determination regarding an application submitted under subsection (a) 
based on a recommendation of a peer review panel described in 
subsection (d), and any other criteria that the Secretary determines to 
be appropriate.
    ``(d) Peer Review Panel.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a peer 
        review panel to review and make recommendations as to whether 
        applications submitted pursuant to subsection (a) should be 
        approved.
            ``(2) Recommendations.--In making a recommendation 
        described in paragraph (1), the panel shall give consideration 
        to the same factors that the Secretary is required to consider 
        under paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 2354(a).

``SEC. 2356. PAYMENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--Grant payments shall be made under this part on 
an annual basis.
    ``(b) Administrative Costs.--Each local educational agency that 
receives a grant under section 2354 shall use not more than 2 percent 
of the amount awarded under the grant for administrative costs.
    ``(c) Denial of Grant.--If the Secretary determines that a local 
educational agency has failed to make substantial progress in attaining 
the performance objectives and goals described in section 2355(b)(2), 
such an agency shall not be eligible for a grant payment under this 
part in the next succeeding year.

``SEC. 2357. REPORTS.

    ``(a) Report by the Secretary.--Not later than 6 months after 
receipt of reports described in subsection (b), the Secretary shall 
prepare and submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
of the House of Representatives a report of program activities funded 
under this part.
    ``(b) Report by Applicant.--Not later than March 31, 2004, each 
local educational agency receiving a grant under this part shall submit 
a report to the Secretary describing whether the program established 
under section 2354 was effective in increasing student achievement for 
all students, and in increasing the percentage of teachers who have 
become board certified.

``SEC. 2358. MATCHING REQUIREMENT.

    ``The Secretary may not award a grant to a local educational agency 
under section 2354 unless the local educational agency agrees that, 
with respect to costs to be incurred by the agency in carrying out 
activities for which the grant was awarded, the agency shall provide 
(directly or through donations from public or private entities) in non-
Federal contributions an amount equal to 25 percent of the amount of 
the grant awarded to the agency.

``SEC. 2359. REPAYMENT OF FUNDS.

    ``(a) In General.--In the case of any program under this part in 
which assistance is provided to a teacher to pay the National Board for 
Professional Teaching Standard board certification fee to become board 
certified, assistance may only be provided if the teacher makes 
agreements as follows:
            ``(1) The teacher will enter and complete the National 
        Board for Professional Teaching Standards board certification 
        program to become board certified.
            ``(2) Upon becoming board certified, the teacher will teach 
        in the public school system for a period of not less than 5 
        years.
    ``(b) Breach of Agreements.--A teacher receiving assistance 
described in subsection (a) is liable to the local educational agency 
that provides such assistance for the amount of the certification fee 
described in subsection (a) if such teacher--
            ``(1) voluntarily withdraws or terminates the certification 
        program before taking the examination for board certification;
            ``(2) is dismissed from the certification program before 
        becoming board certified; or
            ``(3) fails to comply with the agreement under subsection 
        (a).
    ``(c) Waiver or Suspension of Liability.--In the case of a teacher 
making an agreement under subsection (a), the Secretary shall provide 
for the waiver or suspension of liability under subsection (b) if 
compliance by the teacher with the agreements involved is impossible, 
would involve extreme hardship to the individual, or if enforcement of 
the agreement with respect to the teacher would be unconscionable.
    ``(d) Date Certain for Recovery.--Subject to subsection (c), any 
amount that a local educational agency is entitled to recover under 
subsection (b) shall be paid to such an agency not later than the 
expiration of the 3-year period beginning on the date the local 
educational agency becomes so entitled.

``SEC. 2360. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part, 
$50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2000 through 2004.

                ``PART F--COMPETENCY EXAMINATION PROGRAM

``SEC. 2361. COMPETENCY EXAMINATION GRANTS.

    ``(a) Examination.--The Secretary shall enter into an agreement 
with the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering of the 
National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, under 
which the Center shall develop an advanced competency examination for 
elementary school and secondary school teachers of mathematics and 
science.
    ``(b) Grants.--The Secretary may make grants to local educational 
agencies to assist the agencies in supplementing the salaries of 
teachers that pass the examination described in subsection (a). A local 
educational agency that receives such a grant for a year shall provide 
an additional $2500 in salary for that year to teachers that have 
passed the examination, and that teach in schools served by the agency.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this part $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2000 through 2004.''.

SEC. 3. INFORMATION CAMPAIGN.

    Title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et 
seq.) is amended by inserting after section 204 the following:

``SEC. 204A. INFORMATION CAMPAIGN.

    ``(a) General Authority.--The Secretary may enter into contracts 
with appropriate entities to conduct information campaigns to broaden 
awareness of, and encourage mid-career professionals and other 
qualified individuals to consider, professional opportunities relating 
to elementary or secondary education.
    ``(b) Announcements.--Announcements distributed as part of such an 
information campaign shall publicize the availability of Federal 
assistance under this Act to obtain the necessary education, and to 
obtain certification or licensing, for the professional opportunities.
    ``(c) Requirements.--The provisions of sections 205 and 206 shall 
not apply to assistance provided under, and activities carried out 
under, this section.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary 
for each of fiscal years 2000 through 2004.''.

Summary: (Sec. 2) Revises ESEA title II to authorize the Secretary of Education to make competitive five-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish master teacher programs that provide: (1) funding assistance to teachers to become board certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, including the provision of the board certification fee; and (2) salary incentives to teachers who become board certified. Gives priority to LEAs that already provide such assistance and incentives. Requires the Secretary to establish peer review panels to review LEA applications and make recommendations on which ones should be approved. Requires LEA matching funds. Requires teachers receiving such assistance to: (1) enter and complete the board certification program; and (2) upon becoming board certified, teach in a public school system for at least five years. Authorizes appropriations.
Revises ESEA title II to authorize the Secretary to: (1) enter into an agreement with the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences, under which the Center shall develop an advanced competency examination for elementary school and secondary school teachers of mathematics and science; and (2) make grants to LEAs to assist them in supplementing the salaries of teachers that pass such examination. Requires such LEAs to provide an additional $2,500 in salary for each grant year to teachers who have passed the examination and teach in schools served by the LEA. Authorizes appropriations.
(Sec. 3) Revises HEA title II to authorize the Secretary to enter into contracts with appropriate entities to conduct information campaigns to broaden awareness of, and encourage mid-career professionals and other qualified individuals to consider, professional opportunities relating to elementary or secondary education. Requires announcements distributed as part of such information campaigns to publicize the availability of Federal assistance under HEA to obtain the necessary education, and to obtain certification or licensing, for such professional opportunities. Makes certain administrative, accountability, and evaluation provisions inapplicable to such contracts and campaigns. Authorizes appropriations.