Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act of 2022
Bill: H.R.7454 | Sponsor: Rep. Castro, Joaquin (D-TX)
Policy area: Education

Summary:
Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act of 2022
This bill directs the Department of Education to (1) award grants to Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education (IHEs) to improve and expand innovative collaboration agreements between local educational agencies and IHEs to better serve Hispanic and Latino students, (2) provide technical assistance to such IHEs, and (3) contract with a third party to conduct an independent evaluation of grant activities.
Such grants must be used for specific activities, such as improving school-based and institutional practices to prepare students for postsecondary education and addressing nonacademic needs of students that are barriers to college enrollment.

To promote and support collaboration between Hispanic-serving 
 institutions and local educational agencies with high enrollments of 
          Hispanic or Latino students, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Hispanic Educational Resources and 
Empowerment Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Hispanics and Latinos are the largest, youngest, and 
        second-fastest growing minority population in the United 
        States, accounting for half of the Nation's population growth 
        between 2010 and 2020.
            (2) While Hispanics and Latinos compose 18 percent of the 
        population of the United States, they compose 26 percent of the 
        prekindergarten through grade 12 public school student 
        enrollment in the United States.
            (3) Over 3,300 local educational agencies have 25 percent 
        or more Hispanic and Latino enrollment and those local 
        educational agencies enroll 78 percent of all prekindergarten 
        through grade 12 Hispanic and Latino students in the United 
        States.
            (4) Hispanic and Latino students face disparities in 
        educational outcomes, including lower grades, lower scores on 
        standardized tests, and higher dropout rates.
            (5) Hispanic and Latino students tend to face greater 
        barriers once in college than their non-Hispanic and Latino 
        peers. Seventy percent of Hispanic and Latino college students 
        are first-generation college students and nearly half of 
        Hispanic and Latino college students are eligible to receive a 
        Federal Pell Grant.
            (6) Hispanics and Latinos have less access to enrolling in, 
        or graduating from, institutions of higher education.
            (7) More Hispanics and Latinos are going to college than 
        ever before, but only slightly more than half of the Hispanic 
        and Latino students who enroll earn a bachelor's degree.
            (8) Hispanics and Latinos lag behind non-Hispanic Whites, 
        Blacks, and Asian American and Native American Pacific 
        Islanders in educational attainment of high school diplomas, 
        associate's degrees, and bachelor's degrees.
            (9) In 2019, the median weekly earnings among high school 
        graduates with no postsecondary degree were lower than such 
        earnings for individuals holding associate's degrees by $123, 
        and for individuals holding bachelor's degrees by $635. Given 
        this information, and the growth in the Hispanic and Latino 
        population relative to the nearly stagnant population growth of 
        the Nation as a whole, gains in Hispanic and Latino educational 
        attainment are crucial to economic gains for the United States.
            (10) Hispanics and Latinos are an increasingly vital 
        component of the workforce of the United States. The number of 
        Hispanics and Latinos in the labor force is expected to grow by 
        approximately 6,900,000 between 2020 and 2030.
            (11) To help ensure that the United States is prepared to 
        meet the needs of its changing workforce, Hispanics and Latinos 
        and the institutions that enroll them most, Hispanic-serving 
        institutions, must be afforded the resources and support 
        necessary to close the achievement and opportunity gaps.

SEC. 3. COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS AND LOCAL 
              EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES.

    Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new part:

``PART D--COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISPANIC-SERVING INSTITUTIONS AND LOCAL 
   EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES WITH HIGH ENROLLMENTS OF HISPANIC OR LATINO 
                                STUDENTS

``SEC. 531. PURPOSES.

    ``The purposes of this part are--
            ``(1) to promote and support opportunities for academic 
        alliances and collaborative partnerships between Hispanic-
        serving institutions and local educational agencies with high 
        enrollments of Hispanic or Latino students for the purpose of 
        improving postsecondary educational attainment of Hispanic and 
        Latino students; and
            ``(2) to expand and enhance the course offerings, program 
        quality, and overall functionality of the colleges, 
        universities, and local educational agencies that educate the 
        majority of Hispanic and Latino students.

``SEC. 532. PROGRAM AUTHORITY, APPLICATION, AND ELIGIBILITY.

    ``(a) Program Authority.--Subject to the availability of funds 
appropriated to carry out this part, the Secretary shall award grants, 
on a competitive basis, to Hispanic-serving institutions serving as 
grant recipient and fiscal agent for an eligible entity, to enable the 
eligible entity to carry out activities described under section 533 to 
improve and expand the capacity to develop innovative collaboration 
agreements between local educational agencies and institutions of 
higher education to better serve Hispanic and Latino students.
    ``(b) Eligible Entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
partnership that--
            ``(1) shall include--
                    ``(A) one or more Hispanic-serving institutions, 
                one of which shall serve as the grant recipient and 
                fiscal agent for the eligible entity; and
                    ``(B) one or more local educational agencies with 
                high enrollments of Hispanic or Latino students; and
            ``(2) may include--
                    ``(A) one or more emerging Hispanic-serving 
                institutions;
                    ``(B) one or more local educational agencies with 
                high enrollments of Hispanic or Latino students; and
                    ``(C) one or more nonprofit or community-based 
                organizations, or public or private nonprofit entities 
                with a demonstrated record of success in implementing 
                activities similar to the activities authorized under 
                section 533.
    ``(c) Application.--An eligible entity that desires to receive a 
grant under this part shall--
            ``(1) designate a Hispanic-serving institution that is a 
        member of the eligible entity to serve as the grant applicant, 
        grant recipient, and fiscal agent for the eligible entity; and
            ``(2) through such designated Hispanic-serving institution, 
        submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
        manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary 
        may require under part C and this part.

``SEC. 533. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

    ``An eligible entity that receives a grant under this part shall 
use the grant funds for 1 or more of the following activities to 
support eligible students:
            ``(1) Creating a college-bound culture among students, 
        which may include activities to promote the early exposure of 
        such students and their families to the opportunities and 
        requirements of postsecondary education, and other evidence-
        based services, including services determined to have proven 
        positive outcomes by the What Works Clearinghouse maintained by 
        the Institute of Education Sciences.
            ``(2) Improvements to school-based and institutional 
        practices to prepare students for postsecondary education, and 
        provide high quality postsecondary supports when necessary, 
        which may include--
                    ``(A) aligning high school coursework and high 
                school graduation requirements with the requirements 
                for entrance into credit-bearing coursework at 4-year 
                institutions of higher education, including Hispanic-
                serving institutions;
                    ``(B) early identification and support for students 
                at risk of not graduating from high school within 4 
                years, or at risk of requiring remediation upon 
                enrolling in postsecondary education;
                    ``(C) developing and implementing pathways to 
                postsecondary education that--
                            ``(i) provide students with advanced 
                        coursework and result in a recognized 
                        postsecondary credential, as defined in section 
                        3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 
                        Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); or
                            ``(ii) integrate rigorous and challenging 
                        career and technical education, work-based 
                        learning, and advanced coursework or other 
                        academic instruction aligned with the 
                        challenging State academic standards adopted by 
                        the State in which the eligible entity is 
                        located under section 1111(b)(1) of the 
                        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
                        (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1));
                    ``(D) co-requisite courses;
                    ``(E) technology-enhanced diagnostics and delivery 
                of remedial education;
                    ``(F) use of multiple measures by institutions of 
                higher education for the purposes of placement;
                    ``(G) analysis of a given placement approach and 
                how the approach affected equity;
                    ``(H) faculty development to ensure effective 
                instruction; and
                    ``(I) practices to teach college success skills.
            ``(3) Support for students for high school completion and 
        transition to postsecondary education, which may include--
                    ``(A) assistance with the college application 
                process;
                    ``(B) assistance with applying for financial aid; 
                and
                    ``(C) assistance with selecting institutions of 
                higher education to which a student should apply based 
                on the needs and attributes of the student, available 
                degree programs, and outcomes of the institutions.
            ``(4) Addressing non-academic needs that are barriers to 
        college enrollment, persistence, and completion for students, 
        which may include--
                    ``(A) activities to address the comprehensive needs 
                of students, including child care, housing and food 
                insecurity, finances, health issues, and 
                transportation; and
                    ``(B) activities to promote a positive campus 
                climate at institutions of higher education and to 
                increase the sense of belonging among students, 
                including through first year support programs such as 
                mentoring and peer networks and advisories.
            ``(5) Developing and offering `grow your own' programs that 
        encourage students to pursue careers in education and that 
        provide pathways to meet applicable certification and licensure 
        requirements in the State such program is operating in, 
        including any requirements for certification obtained through 
        alternative routes to certification, which may include--
                    ``(A) opportunities for students to take dual 
                credit courses in education, where such courses align 
                with the regular high school diploma (as defined in 
                section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
                Act of 1965) and count for credit at the institution of 
                higher education;
                    ``(B) opportunities for students to engage in work-
                based learning opportunities in the field of education;
                    ``(C) experiential learning that supports the 
                success of students and increases students' interest in 
                pursuing a teaching career;
                    ``(D) providing direct supports, including wrap-
                around services, for students to enroll and be 
                successful in postsecondary enrollment options for 
                courses that would meet degree requirements for teacher 
                licensure; and
                    ``(E) scholarships to students who have completed a 
                secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent 
                to enroll in teacher preparation programs.

``SEC. 534. REPORTING.

    ``Each eligible entity receiving a grant under this part shall, 
through the Hispanic-serving institution designated under section 
532(b), submit to the Secretary, at the end of each grant period, a 
report that includes information the Secretary may require. Such report 
shall include information on the outcomes of the activities carried out 
by the eligible entity, before and after such activities were funded 
under this part, on the number and percentage of students entering, 
persisting, and completing postsecondary education. Such information 
shall be disaggregated to measure the specific impact on economically 
disadvantaged students, students from each major racial and ethnic 
group, students with disabilities, English learners, students of 
different genders, and migrant students.

``SEC. 535. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EVALUATION.

    ``(a) Reservations.--From the total amount appropriated for this 
part under section 528(a) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall 
reserve not more than the lesser of 5 percent or $5,000,000 for--
            ``(1) providing technical assistance to eligible entities, 
        directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative 
        agreements, by qualified experts on using practices grounded in 
        evidence to improve the outcomes of programs funded under this 
        part; and
            ``(2) conducting the evaluation described in subsection 
        (b).
    ``(b) Evaluation.--The Secretary, in partnership with the Director 
of the Institute of Education Sciences, shall contract with a third 
party to conduct an independent evaluation of the activities funded 
under this part. Such evaluation shall include the impact of the 
policies and services resulting from such activities on the number and 
percentage of students entering, persisting, and completing 
postsecondary education. The data collected by such evaluation shall be 
disaggregated to measure the specific impact on economically 
disadvantaged students, students from each major racial and ethnic 
group, students with disabilities, English learners, students of 
different genders, and migrant students.

``SEC. 536. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this part:
            ``(1) Advanced coursework.--The term `advanced coursework' 
        means coursework designed for students to earn postsecondary 
        credit upon successful completion of the coursework while still 
        in secondary school, such as Advanced Placement, International 
        Baccalaureate, dual or concurrent enrollment programs, and 
        early college high school programs.
            ``(2) Co-requisite courses.--The term `co-requisite 
        courses' means courses designed for students at institutions of 
        higher education that combine credit-bearing postsecondary-
        level coursework with supplemental instruction or additional 
        academic support.
            ``(3) Dual or concurrent enrollment program.--The term 
        `dual or concurrent enrollment program' has the meaning given 
        the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            ``(4) Early college high school.--The term `early college 
        high school' has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of 
        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        7801).
            ``(5) Eligible student.--The term `eligible student' 
        means--
                    ``(A) any student who is enrolled or eligible to 
                enroll in a secondary school that is served by a local 
                educational agency with high enrollments of Hispanic or 
                Latino students; and
                    ``(B) any student who is enrolled or has been 
                accepted for enrollment at a Hispanic-serving 
                institution or an emerging Hispanic-serving 
                institution.
            ``(6) Emerging hispanic-serving institution.--The term 
        `emerging Hispanic-serving institution' means an institution of 
        higher education that--
                    ``(A) is an eligible institution, as defined in 
                section 502; and
                    ``(B) has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time 
                equivalent students that is at least 15 percent but 
                less than 25 percent Hispanic students at the end of 
                the award year immediately preceding the date of the 
                application for a grant under this part.
            ``(7) Local educational agency with high enrollments of 
        hispanic or latino students.--The term `local educational 
        agency with high enrollments of Hispanic or Latino students' 
        means a local educational agency--
                    ``(A) in which at least 25 percent of the students 
                served by the local educational agency are Hispanic or 
                Latino students, as determined by the enrollment data 
                of the local educational agency no later than the date 
                by which student membership data is collected annually 
                by State educational agencies for submission to the 
                National Center for Education Statistics under section 
                153 of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 
                U.S.C. 9543); and
                    ``(B) in which at least 50 percent of the students 
                served by the local educational agency meet a measure 
                of poverty described in section 1113(a)(5) of the 
                Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                U.S.C. 6313(a)(5)).''.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 528(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1103g(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(3) Part d.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        carry out part D $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 and such 
        sums as may be necessary for each of the 5 succeeding fiscal 
        years.''.
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