jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Date: 2016-03-16 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.)

Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act

(Sec. 3) This bill directs the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to encourage women and girls to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), pursue careers in aerospace, and further advance the nation's space science and exploration efforts through support of the following initiatives:

 NASA GIRLS and NASA BOYS; Aspire to Inspire; and Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research. (Sec. 4) NASA shall submit to Congress a specified plan on how NASA can best facilitate and support both current and retired astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators, including early career female astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators, to engage with K-12 female STEM students and inspire the next generation of women to consider participating in STEM fields and to pursue careers in aerospace.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-03-17 00:00:00

Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2016

 This bill requires the National Science Foundation to award competitive grants to enable eligible entities to carry out the activities specified below in order to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

 An eligible entity that receives a grant shall use grant funds to carry out one or more of the following activities designed to increase the participation of women or minorities underrepresented in science and engineering, or both:

 online workshops, mentoring programs that partner STEM professionals with students, internships for undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields, outreach programs providing elementary and secondary school students with opportunities to increase their exposure to STEM fields, and programs to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-06-16 00:00:00

Local Education Freedom Act of 2016

This bill requires a state to carry out an education voucher program as a condition of receiving federal funds for elementary and secondary education.

Through the program, a parent of an eligible child may enter into an agreement with a state educational agency (SEA) if the child's school receives federal funds on the condition of implementing a federal mandate with which the parent disagrees. An SEA shall: (1) provide an education savings account to each eligible child whose parent enters into such an agreement, and (2) disburse to each account an amount equal to the state's average per-pupil expenditure.

The funds in an education savings account may be used only for:

 tuition and fees for a qualifying provider; textbooks, supplemental materials, and supplies; specified examination fees; transportation; a contribution to a qualified tuition program or specified education savings account; and other education expenses approved by the SEA. A "qualifying provider" is an SEA-approved entity that complies with specified requirements and is: (1) a public or nonpublic school; (2) a home school, provided that the eligible child was enrolled in a public school during the previous academic year; (3) a tutoring facility; (4) a provider of distance learning or specialized instructional support services; or (5) an institution of higher education.

In general, a qualified provider may not discriminate against program participants or applicants on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex. However, the prohibition on sex discrimination shall not apply to religiously affiliated providers to the extent that such application is inconsistent with the provider's religious tenets or beliefs.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

Keep Students in School Act of 2016

This bill establishes a grant program through which the Department of Education (ED) shall assist local educational agencies in carrying out one or more of the following activities:

 establishing an attendance program; funding after-school programs and recreational activities; establishing a teacher training and development program that focuses on issues relating to racial inequality and poverty; if applicable, making a zero tolerance policy more compatible with the goals of student retention and engagement; establishing a student absence policy with respect to at-risk children; collaborating with local agencies and social workers to address issues facing at-risk children; providing parents of at-risk children with resources and support; establishing or expanding a mentoring program; or providing schools with licensed social workers. ED shall provide technical assistance to grantees upon request.

In addition, ED shall establish a task force to develop a comprehensive work plan to address the hardships that disadvantaged youth may face in attending school and attaining academic success. The task force shall: (1) coordinate interagency efforts to address such hardships, (2) assess the effectiveness of federal programs aimed at addressing those hardships, and (3) develop a plan that implements improvements to such federal programs and incorporates positive youth development practices.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2016-09-28 00:00:00

Innovations to Recruit and Retain Excellent Teachers Act

This bill establishes a teacher support grant program through which the Department of Education (ED) shall award grants to educational agencies on a competitive basis. If funds for the program are authorized above a specified amount with respect to a given fiscal year, ED shall also award grants on a formula basis.

A grantee that is a state education agency (SEA) shall use the grant funds to: (1) make subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs), (2) provide technical assistance, (3) reduce bureaucratic barriers, and (4) conduct program evaluation.

In awarding subgrants, an SEA must give priority to LEAs that: (1) serve a high proportion of low-income students, (2) have either a teacher shortage or a high proportion of schools identified for support and improvement, and (3) demonstrate the capacity to carry out program activities.

An LEA shall use grant or subgrant funds to carry out a teacher support program in the elementary and secondary schools that it serves. The program must strengthen teaching careers by: (1) collaboratively reforming and improving compensation structures, (2) creating opportunities for personalized professional learning and enhancement for teachers, (3) creating leadership pathways, (4) using strategies such as innovative scheduling to support teacher improvement, and (5) implementing teacher-led initiatives. In addition, the program must carry out specified activities to strengthen teacher selection or induction.

The bill establishes requirements for grant applications, program evaluation, and reporting.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-01-29 00:00:00

Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2015 or the PRE-K Act

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to enhance or improve state-funded preschool programs to states that: (1) have curricula aligned with state early learning standards; (2) use nationally-established, or better, best practices for class size and teacher-to-student ratios; (3) require each teacher to have at least an associate degree in early childhood education or a related field; (4) require such programs to operate for at least a full academic year; and (5) have a plan for meeting the requirement, within five years of receiving such grant, that teachers have at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or have such degree in a related field, but have also completed specialized training in early childhood education.

Directs the Secretary to establish a competitive process for awarding grants to other states that demonstrate that they will meet such requirements within two fiscal years.

Prohibits state grantees from reducing their preschool or child care expenditures.

Requires states to give priority, in using grant funds, to preschool programs in communities with high concentrations of impoverished children.

 Includes among grant uses: (1) increasing the qualifications of, and benefits provided to, teachers, teacher aides, and program directors; (2) decreasing class size and improving teacher-to-student ratios; (3) providing certain comprehensive services that support healthy child development; (4) extending program duration; (5) improving program monitoring and learning environments; and (6) providing classroom supplies or equipment.

Reserves funds for competitive grants to Indians for their preschool programs.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-02-12 00:00:00

Promise Neighborhoods Authorization Act of 2015

Amends title IV (21st Century Schools) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a new part D, entitled "the Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2015."

Directs the Secretary, under subpart 1 (Promise Neighborhood Partnership Grants), to award renewable, competitive, matching grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs), Indian tribes or tribal organizations, or nonprofit organizations to implement a comprehensive continuum of coordinated services and supports that engage community partners in improving the academic achievement, health and social development, and college and career readiness of children who live in distressed neighborhoods with persistently low-achieving schools or schools with an achievement gap.

Directs the Secretary, under subpart 2 (Promise School Grants), to award renewable, competitive, matching grants to high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) that partner with nonprofit organizations or IHEs, and to Indian schools that partner with nonprofit organizations or IHEs, to implement school-centered strategies and integrated student supports that leverage community partnerships to improve student achievement and development in schools with high concentrations of low-income children. Gives priority to applicants that propose to: (1) include significant investments in high-quality early learning programs, and (2) give schools the operational flexibility to carry out grant activities.

Requires part D grantees to evaluate their programs continuously and improve them based on data and outcomes. Directs the Secretary to use certain performance metrics to determine the eligibility of part D grantees for continued funding and renewal of their grant. Directs the Secretary to evaluate this part's grant programs and disseminate research on best practices for improving the academic and developmental outcomes of children living in our most distressed communities.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-02-12 00:00:00

Every Child Counts Act

Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to establish alternate academic achievement standards and assessments for students who have the most significant cognitive disabilities.

Requires the alternate standards to meet certain conditions, including that they:

 are aligned with the state's challenging academic content and achievement standards; provide access to the general curriculum for the grade in which the student is enrolled; and establish, at a minimum, two levels of achievement (on-target and advanced) that indicate that a student meets or exceeds the state's proficient level of academic achievement; and establish, at a minimum, a third level of achievement (catch-up) that provides information about a student's progress toward proficiency. Requires each state using alternate assessments to ensure that: (1) not more than 1% of the total number of all students in each grade level in the state who are assessed in a subject are assessed using the alternate assessments, (2) the state's regular academic assessments remain accessible to all students, and (3) the alternate assessments are peer reviewed and based on the best available evidence.

Allows each state to count students who are determined to be proficient using such alternate assessments in its determination of the percentage of the state's students who are meeting or exceeding the state's academic content and achievement standards.

Requires states' annual report cards to: (1) include the number and percentage of disabled students who take the alternate assessments; and (2) break that information down by grade, subject matter, and disability type.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-02-12 00:00:00

Empowering Parents and Students Through Information Act

Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require each state that elects to use alternate academic achievement standards for students that have the most significant cognitive disabilities to:

 establish and monitor the implementation of clear and appropriate guidelines for individualized education program (IEP) teams to apply in determining, on an annual and subject-by-subject basis, when a child's significant cognitive disability justifies assessment using alternate standards; ensure that the parents of students the state plans to assess using alternate assessments are involved in, and provide informed consent to, the decision to apply such alternate standards; provide evidence that students with the most significant cognitive disabilities are making progress in the general curriculum for the grade in which the students are enrolled and in assessments aligned with that curriculum; develop and promote the use of reasonable accommodations to increase the number of such students participating in grade-level academic instruction and assessments aligned with grade-level academic standards; promote the use of such accommodations to increase the number of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who are tested against grade-level academic achievement standards; ensure that general and special education teachers and other appropriate staff know how to administer assessments for disabled students; require separate annual determinations about whether a student should be assessed using an alternate assessment based on alternate academic achievement standards for each subject assessed; and ensure that students who take such alternate assessments are not precluded from attempting to complete the state requirements for a regular secondary school diploma. Prohibits states from using any student's IEP in the state accountability system.

Requires states' annual report cards to: (1) include the number and percentage of disabled students who take the alternate assessments; and (2) break that information down by grade and subject matter and by the disability categories described in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-03-03 00:00:00

Continuum of Learning Act of 2015

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to coordinate school improvement and professional development activities with early childhood development and education programs.

Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the ESEA to require states to create or revise early learning guidelines for preschool age children and early learning standards for children in kindergarten through grade three.

Requires the guidelines and standards to be developmentally appropriate and cover all domains of child development and learning.

Requires states to encourage local educational agencies (LEAs) and elementary schools to use school improvement funds to offer early childhood education programs from birth to school entry.

Requires LEAs to: (1) ensure, to the extent feasible, starting with the 2017-2018 school year, that teachers placed in the early elementary school grades have a specialized early childhood education teaching license, credential, or endorsement; and (2) work with early childhood education programs to establish a continuity of curricular objectives and developmental expectations that support children's transition to school.

Limits the use of child assessments for children from birth through grade two.

Amends part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund) of title II of the ESEA to require states to incorporate knowledge regarding early childhood development and learning into teacher and principal certification or licensing requirements.

Requires professional development activities to include: (1) training in early child development and learning, and (2) joint training for elementary school staff and early childhood education program staff.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-03-03 00:00:00

Prepare All Kids Act of 2015

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to establish a Prekindergarten Incentive Fund from which matching grants shall be awarded to states and, through them, subgrants to qualified prekindergarten providers to establish, expand, or enhance voluntary high quality full-day prekindergarten programs serving children ages three through five.

Directs state grantees to set aside: (1) at least 15% of their grant for quality early childhood development programs for children from birth through age three, and (2) at least 10% of their grant to extend the hours of early childhood development programs to create extended day and year programs.

Requires prekindergarten subgrantees to: (1) maintain a maximum class size of 20 children, with at least 1 prekindergarten teacher per classroom; and (2) ensure that the ratio of children to prekindergarten teachers and teacher aides does not exceed 10 to 1.

Prohibits the use of program funds for assessments of children in prekindergarten or early childhood development programs if: (1) the assessments are used to reward or sanction individual children, teachers, programs, or schools; or (2) a single assessment is used as the primary or sole method for assessing program effectiveness.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-04-22 00:00:00

College Options for DREAMers Act

This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to allow Dreamer students to receive federal financial aid for higher education.

A "Dreamer student" is an individual who was under age 16 upon entering this country, has provided a list of secondary schools the individual attended in this country, and, in this country:

 has earned a high school diploma or the equivalent, is scheduled to complete the requirements for a high school diploma or equivalent before the next academic year begins, has acquired a degree from an institution of higher education, has successfully completed at least two years of a program for a baccalaureate or higher degree, is a beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or has served honorably in the uniformed services for at least four years. The Department of Education must provide for a hardship exception to the age and secondary school list requirements.

States are allowed to offer unlawful aliens postsecondary benefits on the basis of their residence in the state (e.g., in-state tuition).
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-05-04 00:00:00

STEM Gateways Act

This bill directs the Department of Education to award competitive grants for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) elementary and secondary school programs that:

 encourage interest in the STEM fields; motivate engagement in the STEM fields by providing relevant hands-on learning opportunities; support classroom success in the STEM disciplines; support STEM workforce training and career preparation for secondary school students; or improve the access of secondary school students to STEM career and continuing education opportunities.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-05-19 00:00:00

Strong Start for America's Children Act of 2015

This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to allot matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies, childhood education program providers, or consortia of those entities to implement high-quality prekindergarten programs for children from low-income families.

Grants are allotted to states based on each state's proportion of children who are age four and who are from families with incomes at or below 200% of the poverty level.

"High-quality prekindergarten programs" are those that serve children three or four years of age and meet criteria concerning: class size; learning environments; teacher qualifications, salaries, and professional development; program monitoring; and accessibility to comprehensive health and support services.

States may apply to use up to 15% of their grant for subgrants to high-quality early childhood education and care programs for infants and toddlers whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level.

ED and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall develop a process to: (1) provide Head Start program services to children younger than age four in states or regions that already provide four-year-olds whose family income is at or below 200% of the poverty level with sustained access to high-quality prekindergarten programs, or (2) convert programs to serve infants and toddlers.

ED shall award competitive matching grants to states to increase their capacity to offer high-quality prekindergarten programs. States must provide assurances that they will use their grant to become eligible, within three years of receiving the grant, for this Act's grants for high-quality prekindergarten programs.

The bill amends the Head Start Act to direct HHS to make grants to Early Head Start agencies to partner with center-based or family child care providers, particularly those that receive support under the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, to assist them in meeting program performance standards. Such partnerships may serve children through age three.

The bill reauthorizes the programs providing: (1) preschool grants for special education and related services, and (2) early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.

The bill expresses the sense of the Senate concerning the value of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program.
Topic: Education — Underprivileged
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-07-07 00:00:00

AmeriCorps School Turnaround Act of 2015

This bill authorizes a grant program to enable elementary schools, secondary schools, or specified entities that serve low-performing schools to: (1) improve the academic achievement of elementary and secondary school students, and (2) select national service participants and engage such participants in school turnaround projects.

An entity that receives a grant under the program must use the grant funds to carry out one or more of the following activities: (1) improving the quality and frequency of individualized learning time, (2) increasing individualized learning time or extended learning programs, (3) providing college and career readiness guidance and assistance, (4) accelerating reading and mathematics knowledge and skills, or (5) carrying out school-wide activities to increase graduation rates or address nonacademic factors impacting student achievement.