Success for Rural Students and Communities Act of 2021
Bill: S.885 | Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. (R-ME)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Success for Rural Students and Communities Act of 2021
This bill establishes a grant program through which the Department of Education may award funds to eligible partnerships to support rural postsecondary education and economic growth and development in rural communities.
A grant recipient must be a partnership whose members represent at least three designated types of organizations, specifically (1) a local educational agency or educational service agency serving a rural area, (2) an institution of higher education (IHE), (3) a regional economic development entity, or (4) a rural community-serving organization with demonstrated success supporting rural students in accessing higher education and attaining degrees.
A grant recipient must use awarded funds to carry out no fewer than two specified activities, namely (1) improving postsecondary enrollment rates for rural secondary school students, (2) increasing enrollment and completion rates of rural nontraditional students in degree programs at IHEs, (3) creating or strengthening academic programs at rural-serving IHEs to prepare graduates to enter into high-need occupations in the regional and local economies, or (4) generating local and regional economic development that creates employment opportunities for rural students with postsecondary degrees.


To establish a rural postsecondary and economic development grant 
                                program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Success for Rural Students and 
Communities Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. RURAL POSTSECONDARY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM.

    Part Q of title VIII of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1161q) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 862. RURAL POSTSECONDARY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are to--
            ``(1) increase enrollment and graduation rates of secondary 
        school graduates and nontraditional students from rural areas 
        at 2-year and 4-year institutions of higher education, their 
        articulation from 2-year degree programs into 4-year degree 
        programs, and their attainment of market-relevant credentials 
        and certificates;
            ``(2) ensure rural communities benefit from their students' 
        success by advancing rural economic development and cultivation 
        of a skilled local workforce with employment opportunities for 
        college graduates;
            ``(3) promote economic growth and development in the rural 
        United States through partnership grants to consortia of rural 
        serving institutions of higher education, local educational 
        agencies, and regional economic development entities;
            ``(4) foster innovation and development of effective 
        practices, identify and document effective practices for the 
        purpose of continuous quality improvement, and ensure that 
        additional rural areas benefit from innovations through 
        dissemination of practices that are most effective in rural 
        areas; and
            ``(5) foster elevated levels of investment in rural 
        students and communities by State, private sector, and 
        philanthropic partners.
    ``(b) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
            ``(1) Nontraditional student.--The term `nontraditional 
        student' means an individual who--
                    ``(A) delays enrollment in an institution of higher 
                education by 3 or more years after secondary school 
                graduation;
                    ``(B) attends an institution of higher education 
                part-time; or
                    ``(C) attends an institution of higher education 
                and--
                            ``(i) works full-time;
                            ``(ii) is an independent student, as 
                        defined in section 480;
                            ``(iii) has 1 or more dependents other than 
                        a spouse;
                            ``(iv) is a single parent or is the primary 
                        caregiver for a family member;
                            ``(v) is aging out of foster care;
                            ``(vi) has been involved in the juvenile 
                        justice system or the adult criminal justice 
                        system; or
                            ``(vii) is in recovery from a substance use 
                        disorder.
            ``(2) Regional economic development entity.--The term 
        `regional economic development entity' means an entity working 
        to promote economic development in, or employing residents of, 
        a rural area, which may include local boards (as defined in 
        section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), 
        Chambers of Commerce, and employers in the rural region covered 
        by the grant.
            ``(3) Rural area.--The term `rural area' means an area that 
        is defined, identified, or otherwise recognized as rural by a 
        governmental agency of the State in which the area is located.
            ``(4) Rural serving institution of higher education.--The 
        term `rural serving institution of higher education' means an 
        institution of higher education that serves rural areas.
    ``(c) Eligible Partnership.--
            ``(1) Eligible partnership.--A partnership eligible to 
        apply for a grant and carry out activities under this section 
        (referred to in this section as an `eligible partnership') 
        shall include partners representing not less than 3 of the 
        following types of organizations:
                    ``(A) A local educational agency or educational 
                service agency (as such term is defined in section 8101 
                of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) 
                serving a rural area.
                    ``(B) An institution of higher education.
                    ``(C) A regional economic development entity.
                    ``(D) A rural community-serving organization, 
                including a philanthropy, with demonstrated success 
                supporting rural students in accessing higher education 
                and attaining 2-year or 4-year degrees, including 
                supporting students articulating from a 2-year to a 4-
                year college.
            ``(2) Optional partners.--Other organizations serving rural 
        students, families, or communities, including agencies of 
        Tribal, State, or local government, community action agencies, 
        or other non-governmental agencies, and local elected officials 
        may participate in the eligible partnership as optional 
        partners.
            ``(3) Lead applicant.--Any required partner in an eligible 
        partnership described in paragraph (1) may be designated by the 
        eligible partnership to serve as the lead applicant and submit 
        a competitive application on behalf of the eligible partnership 
        of which that partner entity is a member.
            ``(4) Limitation.--No more than 1 partner may submit a 
        grant application under this section on behalf of an eligible 
        partnership.
    ``(d) Grants Authorized.--
            ``(1) In general.--From amounts made available under 
        subsection (j), the Secretary may award grants, on a 
        competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to carry out the 
        activities described in subsection (f).
            ``(2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section shall 
        be awarded for a period of not less than 5 years and not more 
        than 9 years.
            ``(3) Minimum grants.--A grant awarded under this section 
        shall be in an amount not less than $1,000,000.
    ``(e) Applications.--
            ``(1) In general.--Each eligible partnership desiring a 
        grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an 
        application at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
            ``(2) Special considerations.--In awarding grants under 
        this section, the Secretary shall give special consideration to 
        applications that demonstrate the most potential and propose 
        the most promising and innovative approaches for--
                    ``(A) increasing the number and percentage of 
                graduates from rural secondary schools who enroll in 
                and graduate from institutions of higher education;
                    ``(B) increasing the number of market-relevant 
                credentials and certificates awarded to students in 
                rural communities;
                    ``(C) meeting the employment needs of regional 
                employers;
                    ``(D) strengthening the regional economy of a rural 
                area;
                    ``(E) utilizing Labor Market Information data to 
                determine regional job growth opportunities and connect 
                that information to education and other partners; and
                    ``(F) creating shared data systems accessible to 
                all partners.
    ``(f) Match.--As part of the application, each eligible partnership 
applying for a grant under this section shall secure and document 
commitments of matching funds, in cash or in kind, totaling not less 
than 20 percent of the amount of grant funding that the eligible 
partnership is requesting in the application. Matching funds may be 
contributed from any non-Federal source, including a State, local, 
private, nonprofit, or philanthropic source.
    ``(g) Use of Funds.--An eligible partnership that receives a grant 
under this section shall use grant and matching funds to carry out not 
less than 2 of the following 4 activities:
            ``(1) Improving postsecondary enrollment rates for rural 
        secondary school students by providing supports to students, 
        beginning as early as middle school, but in no case later than 
        grade 11, and continuing through completion of postsecondary 
        education. Such supports may include--
                    ``(A) providing students and families with 
                counseling related to applying for postsecondary 
                education, and Federal and State financial assistance 
                for postsecondary education;
                    ``(B) providing students at rural high schools, and 
                their families, with exposure and access to campuses, 
                courses, programs, and internships of institutions of 
                higher education, including covering the cost of 
                transportation to and from such institutions;
                    ``(C) providing students of rural high schools 
                exposure and access to courses offering dual or 
                concurrent enrollment that will earn credits towards 
                postsecondary degrees, credentials, or certificates;
                    ``(D) supporting early connectivity to regional 
                employment opportunities for rural students, including 
                early opportunities for career exploration and 
                exposure, expanding career counseling and opportunities 
                for work-based learning experiences, opportunities 
                available through career and technical education 
                schools, and designing and implementing college and 
                career pathways in secondary schools that align to 
                local labor market demands;
                    ``(E) supporting the transition of students from 
                high school to postsecondary education;
                    ``(F) supporting students in completing their 
                postsecondary degree or credential;
                    ``(G) supporting the transition of students 
                articulating from 2-year degree programs to 4-year 
                degree programs; and
                    ``(H) other initiatives that assist students and 
                families in developing interest in, applying for, 
                attending, and graduating from rural serving 
                institutions of higher education.
            ``(2) Increasing enrollment and completion rates of rural 
        nontraditional students in degree programs at institutions of 
        higher education, which may include--
                    ``(A) programs to provide nontraditional students 
                with counseling related to applying for postsecondary 
                education, and Federal and State financial assistance 
                for postsecondary education;
                    ``(B) community outreach initiatives to encourage 
                nontraditional students to enroll in an institution of 
                higher education;
                    ``(C) programs to increase rural nontraditional 
                student persistence in and completion of postsecondary 
                education; or
                    ``(D) programs to improve the enrollment of 
                nontraditional students in 2-year degree programs and 
                the transition of nontraditional students articulating 
                from 2-year degree programs to 4-year degree programs.
            ``(3) Creating or strengthening academic programs at rural 
        serving institutions of higher education to prepare graduates 
        to enter into high-need occupations in the regional and local 
        economies, and to provide additional career training to such 
        students in fields relevant to the regional economy. Such 
        activities may include--
                    ``(A) developing and expanding work-based learning 
                opportunities, such as apprenticeships or paid 
                internships, including covering the cost of 
                transportation or the cost of internet access for 
                virtual opportunities;
                    ``(B) establishing policies and processes for 
                assessing and awarding course credit for prior 
                learning;
                    ``(C) developing and expanding programs that 
                accelerate learning and recognized postsecondary 
                credential attainment, including competency-based 
                education, corequisite remediation, and other 
                strategies for acceleration;
                    ``(D) developing and expanding efficient career 
                pathways to credentials, including the development of 
                stackable credentials and integrated education and 
                training strategies;
                    ``(E) working with local boards on the use of labor 
                market information for making program decisions; or
                    ``(F) engaging employers in the development of 
                programs and curricula.
            ``(4) Generating local and regional economic development 
        that creates employment opportunities for rural students with 
        postsecondary degrees, which may include--
                    ``(A) promoting and incentivizing remote work 
                opportunities to connect local talent with non-local 
                employers;
                    ``(B) supporting entrepreneurship as a part of 
                career pathways in secondary school and postsecondary 
                academic and career programs;
                    ``(C) developing strategies to address 
                transportation and internet connectivity gaps that 
                create barriers to employment opportunities in rural 
                areas;
                    ``(D) designing and implementing marketing efforts 
                to attract employers and talent to the region or 
                community; or
                    ``(E) developing strategies to identify start-up 
                funding for local entrepreneurs.
    ``(h) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may reserve not more 
than 5 percent of funds authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
section to provide technical assistance to assist eligible partnerships 
in preparing and submitting successful applications, and to support 
grantees in the successful implementation of grant awards under this 
section.
    ``(i) Research, Evaluation, and Dissemination of Promising 
Practices.--
            ``(1) Ongoing data collection and research.--The Secretary 
        shall reserve not less than 10 percent of the amount 
        appropriated to carry out this section for the purpose of--
                    ``(A) ongoing data collection and research to--
                            ``(i) identify innovative practices that 
                        improve attainment of market-relevant 
                        credentials, certificates, and degrees for 
                        rural students; or
                            ``(ii) enhance rural economic development 
                        that results in employment opportunities for 
                        graduates of postsecondary education in rural 
                        areas; and
                    ``(B) dissemination of the findings related to that 
                data collection and research on a regular basis 
                throughout the duration of the grant period.
            ``(2) Data collection and research by grantees.--At the 
        Secretary's discretion, data collection and research under this 
        subsection may be conducted by eligible partnerships.
            ``(3) Purpose; prohibited use.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The purpose of data collection 
                and research under this subsection shall be to 
                identify, document, and disseminate effective practices 
                throughout the duration of the grant period in order to 
                support continuous quality improvement of programs 
                funded under this section.
                    ``(B) Prohibited use.--To incentivize innovation, 
                experimentation, and collaboration, findings that 
                result from data collection and research under this 
                subsection shall not be used for the purpose of denying 
                subsequent applications for Federal funds.
    ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 
and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.''.
                                 <all>