zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
National Writing Project Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to raise monetary caps on the federal share of National Writing Project teacher training costs. Reauthorizes the National Writing Project through FY2013.

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
American History and Civics Achievement Act - Amends the National Assessment of Educational Progress Authorization Act to direct the Commissioner for Education Statistics to give a priority to conducting national assessments of student achievement in history at least once every four years in grades 4, 8, and 12. Requires the Commissioner to conduct, in at least ten geographically diverse states, trial state academic assessments of student achievement in: (1) U.S. history in grades 8 and 12; and (2) civics in grades 8 and 12. Directs the National Assessment of Educational Progress governing board to select the participating states.

Date: 2007-05-16
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states for the establishment of a task force composed of state, higher education, and early childhood education representatives and tasked with planning and reviewing the implementation of statewide early childhood education professional development and career systems.Includes among task force duties: (1) developing a professional development and career lattice that provides for a variety of early childhood professional roles with varying professional qualifications and responsibilities, including strategies that offer compensation commensurate with a individual's credentials and training support; (2) assisting institutions of higher education to develop articulation agreements that convert diverse training into academic credits; (3) supporting undergraduate and graduate degree programs in early childhood education; and (4) subjecting the system to quality assurance measures.Directs state grantees to submit their statewide plans for such systems to the Secretary within one year of receiving a grant.

Date: 2007-05-17
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Teaching Residency Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make competitive matching grants to partnerships of high-need local educational agencies (LEAs), nonprofit community agencies, and institutions of higher education to support one-year teaching residency programs under which recent college graduates or professionals outside the field of education engage in rigorous master's level coursework while undertaking a guided teaching apprenticeship alongside a trained and experienced mentor teacher. Requires program participants to earn a master's degree and attain full state teaching certification or licensure prior to completing the program and accept placement for three years thereafter in a high-need school served by the high-need LEA.

Date: 2007-06-07
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Amends title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to states for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to assist low-achieving, high-need schools that serve a high proportion of low-income students in implementing: (1) comprehensive, coherent, high-quality induction and mentoring programs for teachers during at least their first two years of full-time teaching; and (2) ongoing, high-impact professional development programs for teachers, principals, and administrators. Requires the induction and professional development programs to be: (1) integrated and aligned; (2) aligned with the state's school improvement efforts under title I of the ESEA; and (3) subject to a formal evaluation conducted by the state, institutions of higher education, or external agencies experienced in qualitative research. Permits LEAs to use school improvement funds under title I of the ESEA to supplement this Act's induction and professional development program grants.

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Amends title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to rename part D (Achievement through Technology and Innovation) and reauthorize it through FY2013. Alters the current program to require states to use a portion of their allotted funds to develop challenging academic content and achievement standards to ensure that students are technologically literate before the end of grade eight. Specifies that such standards are only for tracking technological literacy and not for assessing adequate yearly progress (AYP) under title I. Permits technological literacy testing to be embedded in other state tests or performance-based assessments portfolios, or made through other valid and reliable means. Requires states to use the bulk of their part D allotment for two new subgrant programs for local educational agencies (LEAs), devoting: (1) 60% for formula subgrants to improve teaching and learning through technology; and (2) 40% for competitive subgrants for systemic school redesign through technology integration. Requires LEAs to: (1) include a new or updated local long-range strategic educational technology plan in their applications; (2) use a specified percentage of each subgrant for teacher training; and (3) use each subgrant to acquire and apply technology to identify individual student learning needs and support individualized learning. Allows LEAs that receive funds for both programs to use all the funds for systemic school redesign through technology integration program activities. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) conduct an annual national study and report on the extent to which student technology literacy is attained by grade eight; (2) annually publish the results of state technology literacy assessments; and (3) implement, and update every five years, a National Education Technology Plan. Requires the Secretary to award a competitive grant to an education technology research entity, or a partnership comprising such an entity and one or more educational, nonprofit, or research entities, to establish a National Center for Achievement Through Technology that will identify and disseminate promising practices and exemplary programs that effectively use educational technologies.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
NOAA Scholarship Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a Science and Technology Scholarship Program to award scholarships to students at institutions of higher education to recruit and prepare them for careers in the National Weather Service and in NOAA marine research, atmospheric research, and satellite programs. Sets forth provisions governing such Program.

Date: 2007-10-15
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to: (1) award grants to encourage the establishment and operation of Teachers Institutes; and (2) provide technical assistance, either directly or through the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) in establishing and operating Teachers Institutes. Sets forth selection criteria, including consideration of the extent to which the proposed Institute will serve a community or communities that have a significant low-income population.Defines a Teachers Institute as a partnership or joint venture between one or more IHEs and one or more LEAs with significant low-income populations that is established to improve the quality of teaching and learning through collaborative seminars.

Date: 2007-10-19
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Internet Safety Education Act of 2007 - Directs the Attorney General, subject to the availability of funds, to create and administer a competitive grant program for eligible organizations to carry out free, age-appropriate programs that promote Internet safety for children. Directs the Attorney General to define, by rule, the term "eligible organization." Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2007-11-13
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Entitles a member of the uniformed services to additional pay of $1,500 per month while the member's service is extended, or eligibility for retirement is suspended, by the exercise of any provision of law commonly referred to as a "stop-loss authority."

Date: 2008-05-22
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education for the 21st Century Act of 2008 - Establishes the National Council for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (STEM Council) as a federally chartered corporation composed of stakeholders in effective STEM education. Directs the STEM Council to: (1) identify critical deficiencies in STEM education systems and propose collaborative strategies that will allow Council members to address such deficiencies; (2) serve as an informational resource for the Department of Education (Department) and, through it, state and local educational agencies on effective STEM education practices; (3) promote STEM fields and the value of a STEM education to the public; and (4) maintain a public database on federal STEM scholarship and fellowship opportunities and other STEM and relevant non-STEM programs. Establishes, within the Council, a standing committee on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education (STEM Committee) composed of representatives from all federal departments and agencies involved in STEM education. Requires the STEM Committee to coordinate all federally funded or administered STEM education efforts and harmonize them with state and local efforts through the STEM Council. Directs the Secretary of Education to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Department's STEM education programs.

Date: 2008-07-24
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Honorable Stephanie Tubbs Jones College Fire Prevention Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to make competitive demonstration grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs), fraternities, and sororities for up to half the cost of installing fire sprinkler systems, or other fire suppression or prevention technologies, in student housing and dormitories owned or controlled by such entities. Gives grant priority to applicants that demonstrate the greatest financial need. Reserves the following portions of grant funds made available for each fiscal year: (1) at least 10% for historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribally controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, and IHEs that are eligible for Institutional Aid under the Higher Education Act of 1965; and (2) at least 10% for social fraternities and sororities. Provides that any application for assistance under this Act, any negative determination on the part of the Secretary with respect to such application, or any statement of reasons for the determination, shall not be admissible as evidence in any proceeding of any court, agency, board, or other entity (except a proceeding to enforce an agreement entered into between the Secretary and a grantee under this Act).

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Safeguarding Our Hospitals' Futures Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in the case of discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2008, to continue to apply budget neutrality on a national basis in the calculation of the urban hospital wage floor for discharges occurring during FY2008 under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (through a uniform, national adjustment to the area wage index).

Date: 2008-09-25
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Health
Small Business Energy Innovation Act of 2008 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), to make grants and loan guarantees to small business concerns for the development of innovative energy-efficient technologies and products. Amends the Small Business Act to establish in the SBA the position of Director of Energy Innovation to coordinate SBA energy innovation activities and technical assistance programs. Establishes an energy innovation grant program to provide grants, on a competitive basis, to private, nonprofit organizations, including institutions of higher education, that are capable to providing technical assistance relating to renewable and advanced energy efficiency systems, advanced transportation fuels, carbon capture and sequestration practices and technologies, and other energy efficiency technologies.

Date: 2008-10-02
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Energy
National Principal Recruitment Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a National Principal Recruitment program awarding matching grants to up to three partnerships each of which consist of a nonprofit organization working with a research organization and local educational agencies to: (1) recruit new principals for high-need schools and provide them with a year-long preservice residency and ongoing support and professional development; and (2) rigorously research, evaluate, and report on such activities so that successful practices can be replicated and each grantee's success in improving student academic performance can be measured. Increases a grant by 50% after the third full school year of its implementation if: (1) such research and evaluation demonstrates that students in high-need schools led, for at least two years, by principals recruited, trained, and supported by the grantee are making greater academic gains than comparable students elsewhere; and (2) the grantee has the capacity to scale up its services. Terminates a grant by the end of the fourth year of its implementation if the students in high-need schools led, for at least two years, by such principals are not making greater academic gains than comparable students elsewhere. Defines "high-need schools" as public elementary or secondary schools where at least 40% of the students receive a free or reduced price lunch under the school lunch program.

Date: 2008-11-19
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Green Schools Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a program awarding matching grants to local educational agencies for green school construction and improvement projects that create healthy learning environments while saving natural resources and money. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend, through 2013, the Qualified Zone Academy Bond program (which provides tax credits to the holders of such bonds, which in turn finance low or no interest loans for the improvement of public schools serving low-income areas). Requires public school rehabilitation, repair, or equipment financed through such bonds to serve the green goals of creating healthy learning environments while saving natural resources and money.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Directs the Secretary of Labor to make a grant, to a public university with specified characteristics, to establish the Center for the Study of Women and Workplace Policy. Requires the Center to: (1) compile and analyze available data and data sets on the difference between the earnings of men and women, including the Panel Study of Income Dynamics housed at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; (2) identify factors which affect differences in earnings; and (3) disseminate findings, maintain a website as a clearinghouse, and publish an annual best practices guide.

Date: 2009-01-09
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Labor and employment
Assessment Accuracy and Improvement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to require the use of adaptive assessments of student progress toward state academic performance standards that accurately assess student achievement above and below grade level while also measuring grade-level performance. Defines an "adaptive assessment" as one that changes in difficulty in accordance with a student's performance, but reports its outcome on a scale common to all students.

Date: 2009-01-22
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2009 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 states to enhance or improve state-funded preschool programs. Sets forth a grant formula favoring 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; and (5) improving program monitoring and learning environments. Reserves funds for competitive grants to Indians for their preschool programs.

Date: 2009-01-27
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
National STEM Education Tax Incentive for Teachers Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain full-time elementary and secondary school teachers of math, science, engineering, or technology courses a refundable tax credit for 10% of their undergraduate tuition up to $1,000 in any taxable year. Increases such credit amount to $1,500 for teachers in schools serving disadvantaged children.

Date: 2009-01-27
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Taxation
Mentoring America's Children Act of 2009 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to make miscellaneous changes to the Mentoring grant program under title IV that include: (1) improvement of school connectedness and character education among mentoring's purposes; (2) corporations, universities, and other entities among program providers; (3) a requirement that mentors help children become responsible and successful adults; (4) suburban children in high crime areas and children living in high gang involvement, drug use, or dropout areas among those most in need of mentoring; (5) limitation of each mentor to no more than three children; and (6) mandatory information on grant applicants about plans for monitoring mentor/mentee matches and the satisfaction of grant matching requirements that increase from 10% to 50% over the three-year grant term. Allows grantees to be considered for new grants if: (1) their prior performance was satisfactory; (2) they propose to use the new grant exclusively for expanded service to a new area or population; and (3) they are able to provide a 50% match to the new grant funds. Directs the Secretary of Education to: (1) provide training and technical assistance to grantees, and track and evaluate their performance; and (2) arrange for research on school-based mentoring, the results of which are to be provided to the mentoring community. Includes mentoring in ESEA programs for: (1) Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaskan Native education; (2) the transitioning of youth offenders into education; and (3) school violence and drug abuse prevention.

Date: 2009-02-09
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Keep Teachers Teaching Act of 2009 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), states, and partnerships of LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education for the development and implementation of innovative teacher retention programs that include: (1) professional development; (2) teacher mentoring; (3) advanced certification or credentialing; (4) research, travel, or fellowship opportunities; and (5) pairing of teachers with research or industry professionals. Requires the Secretary to identify, and inform states and LEAs of, the most promising teacher retention strategies.

Date: 2009-02-24
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II, Teacher Quality Enhancement. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies. Requires various grantee and subgrantee activities designed to expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students by improving their teachers' professional development programs offered through institutions of higher education. Includes among such activities state-based conferences to assess geographic literacy and identify improvement strategies.

Date: 2009-02-26
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or the FIT Kids Act - (Sec. 3) Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require local educational agencies (LEAs) located in states receiving school improvement funds to annually provide the families of their students with information on healthful eating habits, physical education, and physical activity. Requires such LEAs to assist their schools in annually collecting and disseminating to the families of school students information on: (1) the most recent national recommendations for physical education and physical activity for students, as established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS); (2) whether the school follows an age-appropriate physical education curriculum for all students that adheres to such guidelines or state guidelines; (3) the amount of time that students in kindergarten through grade 12 are required to spend in physical education, disaggregated by grade level; (4) the facilities available for physical education and physical activity for students enrolled in the school; and (5) any health and wellness council located in the school or with which the school is involved. Requires: (1) LEAs to provide to their state a description of the amount of time that students in kindergarten through grade 12 are required to spend in physical education, disaggregated by grade level; and (2) the state to ensure that such information is made available to the public. (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of Education to contract with the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to study: (1) ways of incorporating physical education into school settings, and before- and after-school programs; (2) innovative and effective ways to increase physical activity for all students in kindergarten through grade 12; (3) efforts to encourage the participation of disabled students in physical education programs and the types of accommodations used to increase their participation; (4) the impact health and physical activity and education have on students' ability to learn; and (5) the progress students make in increasing their physical activity and improving their health and well-being, with specific recommendations for effectively measuring such progress. Directs the Secretary to study the participation of students in physical education and other physical activities in public elementary and secondary schools and assess their physical activity and fitness levels. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to: (1) identify and make available to states and LEAs, best practices on innovative physical education and physical activity policies and programs at the state and local level; and (2) update the best practices after the NAS study is completed. (Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of Agriculture, to encourage schools to participate in the HealthierUS School Challenge of the Food and Nutrition Service of the Department of Agriculture.

Date: 2009-03-18
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Grants for Renewable Energy Education for the Nation Act or the GREEN Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to partnerships of local educational agencies (LEAs), postsecondary institutions, and renewable energy industry representatives to develop programs of study focused on emerging careers and jobs in the renewable energy sector. Requires a priority be given to grant applications that: (1) use online learning or other innovative methods to deliver a program of study to individuals outside the partnership; and (2) focus on low-performing students and special populations. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to LEAs and postsecondary institutions to promote development of career and technical educational facilities that are energy efficient and use renewable energy practices.

Date: 2009-03-30
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Enhancement Act - Creates a part E (Gifted and Talented Students) under title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to, or contract with, states, local educational agencies (LEAs), institutions of higher education (IHEs), and other public or private agencies and organizations to assist them in meeting the educational needs of gifted and talented students, including by training school personnel in the identification and education of gifted and talented students. Requires the Secretary to establish a National Research Center for the Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth through grants to, or contracts with, one or more IHEs, states, or a combination or consortium of such entities and other public or private agencies and organizations. Directs the Secretary to make grants to states, based on each state's share of individuals aged 5-17, to fund competitive subgrants to LEAs for the development or expansion of gifted and talented education programs. Gives highest part E funding priority to programs and projects designed to develop new information that: (1) improves the capability of schools to identify and serve gifted and talented students; and (2) assists schools in identifying and providing services to gifted and talented students who may not be identified and served through traditional assessment methods.

Date: 2009-04-22
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Directs the Secretary of Education to award National Classified School Employees of the Year Awards to public school employees within certain occupational specialties who provide exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through higher education. Requires the Secretary to choose an awardee each year, out of nominations received from the chief State school officer of each state, from each of the following occupational specialties: (1) paraprofessionals; (2) clerical and administrative services; (3) transportation services; (4) food and nutrition services; (5) custodial and maintenance services; (6) security services; (7) health and student services; (8) technical services; and (9) skilled trades. Requires each nomination to contain, at a minimum, demonstrations of excellence in: (1) work performance; (2) school and community involvement; (3) leadership and commitment; (4) local support; (5) the enhancement of classified school employees' image in the community and schools; and (6) any other area of superior performance, such as health and safety promotion or the efficient use of energy or other resources. Directs the Secretary to develop uniform national guidelines for evaluating nominations.

Date: 2009-05-12
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Student Bill of Rights - Directs the Secretary of Education to make annual determinations as to whether each state's public school system provides all its students with educational resources to succeed academically and in life. Requires such education to enable students to: (1) acquire knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship; (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards; and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy. Requires each system to do so by: (1) satisfying certain opportunity to learn indicators for all its schools, including highly effective teachers and equitable instructional resources; (2) providing educational services in local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in LEAs not receiving such funds; and (3) complying with any final federal or state court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitableness of the system. Requires withholding of specified portions of its federal funding for administrative expenses if a system: (1) fails to meet a yearly interim goal; (2) does not remedy, after two school years, a failure to provide comparable educational services to schools that receive funds for disadvantaged children; or (3) does not comply with a court order. Allows students or parents aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring civil actions for enforcement in federal district courts. Directs the Commissioner of Education Statistics to study the effects of educational disparities on economic growth and on national defense.

Date: 2009-05-15
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Act of 2009 - Requires the President to establish, in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (STEM education) within the National Science and Technology Council. Establishes an Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education in the Department of Education, to be administered by an Assistant Secretary. Requires the Assistant Secretary to conduct at least every five years an evaluation of the STEM education programs administered by the department. Requires the Secretary of Education to award a grant to establish a voluntary State Consortium on STEM Education and a grant to the National Science Digital Library to establish the STEM Education Resource Alliance.

Date: 2009-06-04
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish an Innovation Inspiration school grant program to make grants to eligible entities for the promotion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and for participation in robotics and STEM competitions. Specifies that the goals of such grant program are to: (1) support eligible entities in non-traditional STEM education teaching methods; (2) support participation by student teams in certain not-for-profit STEM robotics competitions; (3) foster innovation and broaden access to careers in STEM by engaging students in after-school programs; and (4) encourage collaboration between students, engineers, and professional mentors in designing, building, programming, and competing in challenges with sophisticated robots. Instructs the Director to establish: (1) a communications and outreach program publicizing the grant program; and (2) an evaluation and monitoring program for determining the efficacy of the grant program.

Date: 2009-07-16
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of State to carry out, in cooperation with the government of India, the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative comprised of educational, scholarly, and professional exchange programs.

Date: 2009-07-24
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: International affairs
Directs the Secretary of Defense to carry out a program to provide grants to secondary schools with a recognized science and technology program to support research and development projects in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology in order to supplement Department of Defense (DOD) national security functions.

Date: 2009-07-24
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Strengthening Kids' Interest in Learning and Libraries Act or the SKILLs Act - Amends title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize appropriations for FY2010-FY2015 for the Improving Literacy through School Libraries grant program. Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive school improvement funds to ensure, to the extent feasible, that each of their schools receiving such funds employs at least one state certified school library media specialist. Directs states and LEAs that receive school improvement funds to ensure that by the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year there is at least one highly qualified school library media specialist in every school that receives such funds. Requires Improving Literacy through School Libraries funds to be: (1) proportionally distributed to serve students in elementary, middle, and high schools; (2) used for media resources appropriate for all grades; and (3) used for professional development in information literacy instruction that is appropriate for all grades. Expands the program of grants to states and subgrants to LEAs for the recruitment, retention, and professional development of teachers to require that highly qualified school library media specialists be included in the focus of such efforts.

Date: 2009-10-26
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Improving Mathematics and Science Teacher Quality Act - Amends part B of title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to authorize the inclusion of informal science education centers and business consortia as partners in the grant program to improve the quality of elementary and secondary school mathematics and science teachers. Requires the inclusion of teacher training departments of institutions of higher education in such partnerships, but removes state educational agencies as partnership participants. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award such grants to states for redistribution as competitive subgrants to eligible partnerships. (Currently, the Secretary awards grants directly to such partnerships if appropriations do not exceed a specified amount.) Requires that grant priority be given to eligible partnerships that carry out activities modeled after programs which are to be identified and disseminated by the Secretary, in consultation and coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation, for replication on a more expansive basis. Removes the provision of financial incentives to recruit and retain teachers from authorized grant uses. Reauthorizes appropriations for the programs under parts A and B of title II of the ESEA through FY2015.

Date: 2009-10-28
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a five-year grant to an experienced nonprofit organization to establish a National Technical Assistance and Training Center for Social and Emotional Learning that provides training and technical assistance to states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and community-based organizations to identify, promote, and support evidence-based social and emotional learning standards and programming in elementary and secondary schools. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive five-year grants to states and LEAs to work with the Center in developing and implementing such standards and programming in elementary and secondary schools. Gives grant priority to applicants that have a plan for sustaining the program beyond the grant period and serve schools that have high numbers or percentages of: (1) low-income students; and (2) students in schools identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). Directs the Secretary to conduct an independent evaluation of the activities funded by such grants to states and LEAs. Amends the ESEA to include: (1) programming that meets the social and emotional needs of students as part of the School Dropout Prevention program and the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program; and (2) teacher and principal training in practices that address those needs as part of the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund program.

Date: 2009-12-08
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
School Principal Recruitment and Training Act of 2009 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award renewable five-year matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) and certain educational or nonprofit entities that partner with LEAs to recruit, support, and train principals for service in high-need schools. Requires grantees to: (1) recruit, select, and provide training to individuals who are or aspire to be principals in high-need schools, agree to serve for at least four years in such schools, and work to ensure that student academic achievement in their schools improves substantially within three to six years; (2) provide aspiring principals with a pre-service residency for at least one year that focuses on instructional leadership and organizational management and is followed by ongoing training for at least two years after their residency ends and school leadership begins; and (3) deliver high-quality, differentiated, school-level support services that meet the specific needs of high-need schools led by individuals that are receiving or have received training pursuant to this Act. Directs the Secretary to award a grant to one or more research groups to develop a high-quality evaluation and information clearinghouse system to facilitate the sharing of best practices and inform: (1) the recruitment, selection, and training of principals for high-need schools; (2) the development of principal effectiveness standards; and (3) the development of system-wide supports and policies that foster school and principal actions identified as most often differentiating the most dramatically improved schools from others.

Date: 2009-12-16
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Positive Reduction of Incarceration by Maximizing Education (PRIME) Act of 2010 - Directs the Attorney General, through the Director of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, to establish national, regional, and local public awareness campaigns focused on promoting the advantages of continued education among youth.

Date: 2010-04-21
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to: (1) award grants to encourage the establishment and operation of Teachers Institutes; and (2) provide technical assistance, all or some of which may be provided through the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) in establishing and operating Teachers Institutes. Sets forth selection criteria, including consideration of the extent to which the proposed Institute will serve schools that have a significant low-income population. Defines a Teachers Institute as a partnership or joint venture between one or more IHEs and one or more LEAs serving one or more schools with significant low-income populations that is established to improve the quality of teaching and learning through collaborative seminars.

Date: 2010-06-17
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Computer Science Education Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award states: (1) two-year grants to develop comprehensive plans to strengthen elementary and secondary computer science education; and (2) five-year matching grants to implement the improvements proposed in their comprehensive plans. Requires such improvements to include: (1) challenging and grade-appropriate academic content standards for computer science; (2) grade-appropriate assessments of computer science learning; (3) programs to increase disadvantaged students' access to computer science courses; (4) computer science teacher training programs; (5) improved certification requirements and processes for such teachers; (6) programs to ensure that computer science courses are considered an integral part of the secondary school curriculum; (7) effective computer science curricula; and (8) computer science distance learning programs. Requires states to partner with institutions of higher education (IHEs) and local educational agencies in implementing such measures. Directs the Secretary to establish a Blue Ribbon Commission on Computer Science Education to provide recommendations to the Secretary and Congress for expanding and improving computer science education. Authorizes the Secretary to award five-year grants to IHEs to improve computer science teacher training.

Date: 2010-07-29
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to provide grants to, and enter into agreements with, local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve the education of girls and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and prepare them to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees and careers in such fields. Gives priority to LEAs that partner or coordinate with local, regional, or national entities. Requires the use of grant funds to: (1) involve the parents of girls and underrepresented minorities in stoking their children's interest in STEM; (2) provide tutoring and mentoring programs in such fields; (3) enable such students and their teachers to attend STEM events outside the classroom; (4) provide after-school and summer programs for students in such fields; (5) purchase education materials or equipment to facilitate STEM instruction; (6) provide such students with academic advice and assistance in selecting high school courses; (7) pay up to 50% of the cost of a STEM internship for such students; and (8) train school personnel to facilitate students' progress in such fields.

Date: 2010-07-30
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Race to the Top Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to implement reforms and innovations designed to improve educational outcomes significantly for all students and reduce achievement gaps significantly among specified student subgroups. Requires each grant applicant to have a comprehensive and coherent plan for doing so that includes, if applicable: (1) improving the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders and promoting their equitable distribution; (2) strengthening the use of data to improve education; (3) implementing internationally benchmarked, college- and career-ready elementary and secondary academic standards; (4) turning around its lowest-performing schools; (5) supporting, or coordinating with, early learning programs for high-need children from birth through third grade; and (6) creating or maintaining successful conditions for high-performing charter schools and other innovative, autonomous public schools. Requires each grantee to establish performance measures that track its progress in implementing its plan, and improving educational outcomes for students and specified student subgroups. Gives grant priority to LEAs with the highest number or percentages of impoverished children and those that serve rural schools. Requires each state grantee to use at least 50% of its grant for subgrants to LEAs that participate in its plan. Allows LEAs to receive a grant and subgrant for the same fiscal year.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Elevating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Act of 2010 - Establishes an Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (STEM) in the Department of Education, to be administered by an Assistant Secretary. Requires the Assistant Secretary to evaluate STEM education programs administered by the department at least every five years. Requires the Secretary of Education to award a grant to: (1) establish a voluntary State Consortium on STEM Education; and (2) the National Science Digital Library to establish the STEM Education Resource Alliance.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education
Early Learning Alignment Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to partnerships to: (1) provide professional development to elementary school principals in early childhood education and development; (2) gain a knowledge base and capacity to provide high quality early childhood education; and (3) collaborate with early childhood education providers, services providers, and families in creating a continuum of high quality development and learning for children in the community and school settings. Requires each partnership to consist of: (1) a public or private entity experienced in training elementary school principals; (2) at least one public agency; and (3) at least one early childhood education organization that trains early childhood education providers. Requires grantees to conduct an ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of their grant-funded programs and activities. Directs the Secretary to establish a panel of leading experts in elementary and early childhood education to: (1) identify the best practices in professional development for elementary school principals in early childhood education; (2) review the effective coordination of such training among this Act's grantees; and (3) disseminate the latest research and findings regarding such training.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Education (Excellence)
Subject: Education