zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Success in the Middle Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make grants to states, based on their proportion of poor children aged 5 to 17, to: (1) implement state middle grades needs analyses and, on the basis of such analyses, improvement plans that describe what students must master to complete successfully the middle grades and succeed in academically rigorous high school coursework; and (2) award competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships of LEAs and institutions of higher education, educational service agencies, or educational nonprofit organizations to implement a comprehensive middle school improvement plan for each eligible school. Favors LEAs, or partnerships that include LEAs, that serve high proportions of poor children and children attending eligible schools. Defines "eligible schools" as those where: (1) a high proportion of middle grade students matriculate to high schools with graduation rates below 65%; (2) more than 25% of the students who finish grade six, or the school's earliest middle grade level, exhibit key risk factors for failure; and (3) a majority of middle grade students are not rated proficient on required state assessments in mathematics, reading, or language arts. Permits states to make subgrants to LEAs and partnerships that did not receive a competitive subgrant to assist them in applying for competitive subgrants and developing comprehensive middle school improvement plans. Provides the Secretary with funding to: (1) contract for studies that identify promising practices for, and review existing research to identify factors that might lead to, the improvement of middle grades education; (2) create a national clearinghouse in best middle grade educational practices and a national database identifying factors that facilitate or impede middle grade student achievement; (3) require certain educational field research designed to enhance the performance of middle grade schools and students; (4) create a research and development center that addresses topics pertinent to the middle grades; and (5) provide grants to entities that partner with states and LEAs to develop, adapt, or replicate effective models for turning around low-performing middle grades.

Date: 2009-06-23
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program to reduce class size through the use of fully-qualified teachers. Allots funds to states and local educational agencies to recruit, hire, and train additional teachers in order to: (1) reduce class sizes nationally, in grades one through three, to an average of 18 students per classroom; and (2) improve teaching in those grades so that all students can learn to read independently and well by the end of the third grade.

Date: 2009-06-23
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Financial Literacy for Youth Act of 2009 or the FLY Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish a pilot program awarding grants to 10 state or local educational agencies (LEAs) to develop financial literacy programs in elementary and secondary schools. Requires grant funds to be used to: (1) integrate financial literacy programs into elementary and secondary school curricula; (2) provide financial literacy teacher training; and (3) collect, analyze, and develop the information necessary to accomplish the pilot program.

Date: 2009-06-25
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Time for Innovation Matters in Education Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to states to enable them to award competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or partnerships between LEAs and other public or nonprofit entities to plan and implement expanded learning time initiatives at high-need schools that they serve. Requires such initiatives to: (1) increase the total number of school hours each year at participant schools by at least 300 hours, compared to the school hours per year that are standard for comparable schools served by their LEAs; and (2) expand learning time for all students in all grade levels in such schools, except in high schools where expanded learning time must apply to at least one entire grade level. Directs states to give subgrant priority to LEAs that serve a high percentage of students from low-income families and partnerships that include a nonprofit community-based organization or an organization focused on alternative learning or dropout prevention. Permits the Secretary to: (1) award planning and implementation grants directly to a partnership that serves more that one area in more than one state; and (2) provide technical assistance to grantees and subgrantees in developing and implementing expanded learning time initiatives. Requires the Secretary to contract with an independent organization with expertise in school improvement, program evaluation, and measurement to evaluate this Act's program and provide technical assistance to grantees and subgrantees in collecting data and evaluating their programs pursuant to specified performance measures.

Date: 2009-07-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Tax Relief for Educators Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase from $250 to $500 the allowable amount of the tax deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers; (2) make such deduction permanent; (3) revise the definition of "eligible educator" for purposes of such deduction to reduce from 900 to 450 the number of hours which such educators must spend in their positions and include as eligible educators teachers, instructors, counselors, or aides in an early childhood education program; and (4) allow an inflation adjustment to the amount of such deduction after 2010.

Date: 2009-07-09
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Kids with Healthy Hearts Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make five grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to conduct demonstration projects to screen children in kindergarten through grade six for high blood pressure. Requires screening programs, subject to parental consent, to screen children every six months during the school year, but to screen children one month after their initial screening if they fall in the 95th percentile or above for students with high blood pressure. Requires grantees to provide parents of children who remain in such range after their second screening with: (1) referrals to health care providers for consultations about high blood pressure; and (2) written information from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding hypertension risks and lifestyle changes related to diet and exercise that can improve overall health. Directs the Secretary to give grant preference to at least one LEA serving a high percentage of Native American, Latino, or African-American students.

Date: 2009-07-14
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Adolescent Web Awareness Requires Education Act or the AWARE Act - Directs the Attorney General to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), partnerships between states and LEAs, nonprofit organizations, or consortia of elementary and secondary schools that collaborate with such entities to carry out an age-appropriate, research-based Internet safety education program that encourages safe and responsible Internet use. Requires such program to educate children, parents, and communities about how to prevent or respond to problems or dangers related to the Internet or new media. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) enter into contracts with one or more private companies, government agencies, or nonprofit organizations to complete a study on Internet safety; and (2) provide technical assistance to grant recipients.

Date: 2009-07-15
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Student Breakfast and Education Improvement Act of 2009 - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants to state or local educational agencies (LEAs) for the establishment or enhancement of school breakfast programs at, and through the provision of subgrants to, schools where at least 65% of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches under the school lunch program. Authorizes schools to use the school breakfast subgrants to: (1) increase the quantity of local or fresh food available under their programs; (2) provide nutrition education and first-hand knowledge of food systems to students; (3) extend the period during which breakfast is available, including during the school day; (4) increase participation in their breakfast programs, including through the provision of universal free breakfasts; or (5) collaborate with institutions of higher education or other research entities in compiling data and reports on their breakfast programs. Gives priority to subgrant applicant schools at least 75% of whose students are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches and which intend to use the funds to procure local produce, provide universal free breakfasts, or provide breakfast during the school day. Directs grantees, at least 180 days before the end of a grant term, to evaluate whether it would be cost-effective for subgrantee schools to provide universal free breakfasts under the school breakfast program.

Date: 2009-07-21
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Keeping Parents and Communities Engaged Act or Keeping PACE Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to award grants to states for competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Act to enable such LEAs to assist public elementary and secondary schools to hire and maintain Parent and Community Outreach Coordinators responsible for improving family and community involvement in such schools. Gives subgrant priority to LEAs targeting schools with the highest proportions of needy students or students failing to meet state academic performance standards. Requires each assisted school to appoint a committee of school officials, parents, and community members to screen Coordinator applicants and evaluate Coordinator performance. Directs state grantees to award competitive subgrants to partnerships between community-based organizations and public schools to connect integrated services and comprehensive supports to students and families to enhance student performance. Gives priority to applicants targeting schools with the highest proportions of needy students or students failing to meet state academic performance standards. Requires state grantees to award competitive matching subgrants to consortia composed of a school, LEA, mayor, and at least one other community partner to redesign schools as centers of communities that encourage family and community participation in students' education and provide community education. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with a nonprofit organization experienced in providing integrated student supports to: (1) provide technical assistance and training to this Act's grantees and subgrantees; and (2) establish a national information clearinghouse on effective parent, family, and community engagement practices and programs.

Date: 2009-07-24
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
S.O.S. (Save Our Schools) Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to eliminate the requirement that states conduct the yearly student academic assessments in mathematics, reading or language arts, and science that are used in determining whether states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards. Eliminates related requirements, such as those subjecting LEAs and schools to certain improvements, corrective actions, or restructuring, if they fail to make AYP toward state academic performance standards for two consecutive years or more.

Date: 2009-07-29
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Federal Electronic Equipment Donation Act of 2009 - Directs each federal agency to identify useful federal electronic equipment that the agency has determined is excess to its needs and to: (1) report such equipment to the Administrator of General Services (GSA) for processing for transfer to an educational recipient in accordance with provisions relating to the donation of personal property through state agencies; (2) transfer such equipment directly to such a recipient by arrangement with the Administrator; or (3) report such equipment to the Administrator as excess property if transfer is not practicable.Provides procedures, in the transfer of such equipment, for refurbishing for classroom use and data removal.Requires transferring agencies to give the highest preference to educational recipients located in an enterprise community or empowerment zone designated under the Internal Revenue Code or a qualifying small town or county (those with certain levels of poverty). Requires state plans of operation for property transfers to give the same preference.Defines "educational recipient" as a school or community-based educational organization. Defines "federal electronic equipment" to include computers and peripheral equipment, fax machines, and software (where a license transfer is permitted).Requires a report to Congress from the Administrator on equipment inventories and transfers not later than 18 months after enactment of this Act.States that this Act supersedes Executive Order No. 12999 of April 17, 1996 (entitled "Educational Technology: Ensuring Opportunity for All Children in the Next Century").

Date: 2009-07-31
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Full-Service Community Schools Act of 2009 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to: (1) consortia composed of a local educational agency and one or more community-based, nonprofit, or other public or private entities to assist public elementary or secondary schools to function as full-service community schools; and (2) state collaboratives to support the development of full-service community school programs. Requires such schools to: (1) participate in community-based efforts to coordinate educational, developmental, family, health, and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public and private partnerships; and (2) provide access to such services to students, families, and the community. Gives local grant priority to consortia that: (1) will serve at least two full-service community schools eligible for schoolwide programs under the Act, and more than one full-service community school as part of a community or districtwide strategy; (2) demonstrate a record of effectiveness in coordinating multiple qualified services; and (3) will be connected to a school and community partnership group that brings together key stakeholders across varied sectors to improve results for students and their families. Establishes a Full-Service Community Schools Advisory Committee.

Date: 2009-09-09
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Impact Aid Fairness and Equity Act of 2009 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, with respect to the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies (LEAs) for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas), to alter the formula for determining the payments due LEAs for federal ownership of property in their areas. Prohibits LEAs from being paid amounts that: (1) exceed their total current expenditures in the second prior fiscal year; or (2) are less than 85% of their payment for the prior fiscal year, in FYs 2010, 2011, and 2012. Requires the ratable reduction of payments due LEAs for federal ownership of property when appropriations for a fiscal year are insufficient to provide them with full compensation. Alters the formula for determining the payments due LEAs for eligible federally-connected children. Includes not only children in average daily attendance, but also those enrolled pursuant to a state open enrollment policy. Caps such payments for heavily impacted LEAs at the amount needed to raise their per-pupil expenditures to the higher of 110% of the average per-pupil expenditure of their state or the average per-pupil expenditure of three comparable LEAs. Continues a heavily impacted LEA's eligibility for such payments while activities associated with military base closures and realignments or force structure changes or relocations are ongoing. Alters the formula for determining the construction payments due LEAs that are eligible for other Impact Aid payments. Requires the Secretary of Education to use all Impact Aid construction appropriations to award: (1) emergency construction grants to LEAs that have no practical capacity, or minimal capacity, to issue bonds or are otherwise eligible for Impact Aid and have a school facility emergency; and (2) modernization grants to LEAs that are eligible for other Impact Aid payments.

Date: 2009-09-25
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Teacher Incentive Fund Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a Teacher Incentive Fund program of competitive grants to assist states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and nonprofit organizations to develop, implement, or improve, appraisal and performance-based compensation systems to reward teachers and principals who raise student academic achievement and close the achievement gap, especially in the highest-need schools. Increases required nonfederal contributions to the program, on a graduated basis, from an amount equal 10% of the grant amount received in the first year to 70% of the grant amount received in the grant's fifth and final year. Allows the Secretary of Education to waive such matching requirement for high-need LEAs.

Date: 2009-09-30
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Safe Routes to High Schools Act - Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to include high school students as beneficiaries of the safe routes to school program. (Currently, the program provides funding to states for projects that encourage, and enhance the ability of, primary and secondary school students to walk or bike to school safely.) Requires states to give priority to projects for primary and middle schools and to projects that propose to serve a combination of at least one primary, middle, and high school within the same school district.

Date: 2009-11-04
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Hunger Free Schools Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to make performance awards to states that demonstrate outstanding performance or show substantial improvement in directly certifying as eligible for free meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs any children whose families are eligible for supplemental nutrition assistance under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. (Direct certification eliminates the need for such families to submit applications for participation in the school lunch and breakfast programs.) Requires each state that directly certifies less than 95% of their children who are eligible for direct certification to implement: (1) a corrective action plan for the current school year; and (2) a direct certification improvement plan, approved by the Secretary, for the following school year. Requires direct certification of children who are members of a household that includes a child: (1) who is eligible for and receiving assistance under title XIX (Medicaid) or title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program [CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP]) of the Social Security Act; and (2) whose income does not exceed 133% of the federal poverty level. Directs the Secretary to award grants to states to assist them in implementing such certification program. Allows local educational agencies (LEAs) to directly certify children whose household is eligible for a supplemental subsistence allowance for low-income members of the Armed Forces with dependents. Permits schools and LEAs to receive special assistance payments for free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs that are based not on applications for such meals, but on: (1) estimates, made from recent socioeconomic data, of the number of children eligible for such meals; or (2) if the school or LEA is from a high poverty area, the direct certification of a specified minimum percentage of their students as eligible for free meals due to their eligibility for certain other public assistance. Requires such schools and LEAs to provide free meals to all their students under the school lunch and breakfast programs and cover, from nonfederal sources, the costs of serving such meals that exceed the assistance received under such programs.

Date: 2009-11-19
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Graduation Promise Act of 2009 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for differentiated high school improvement systems targeting support to schools with low student achievement and graduation rates after such schools fail for two consecutive years to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) pursuant to state academic performance standards. Allots grant funds to states pursuant to a formula that favors states with low graduation rates and a high percentage of students attending low-income LEAs. Requires state grantees to establish comprehensive school performance indicators and minimum annual improvement benchmarks for use, in addition to current AYP measures, in analyzing school performance and determining the improvement category into which a school is placed. Directs LEA subgrantees to: (1) categorize each of their schools that fail to make AYP for two consecutive years as needing targeted intervention, whole school reforms, or replacement; (2) convene a local school improvement team for each of such schools that will use performance indicators, AYP measures, and other relevant data to conduct a school needs assessment and develop a multiyear school improvement plan tailored to the school's need categorization; and (3) support the successful implementation of such plans and district-wide high school improvement strategies. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education to develop and implement, or replicate, effective secondary school models for struggling students and dropouts.

Date: 2009-12-02
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
America's Better Classrooms Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow issuers of qualified zone academy and school construction bonds a refundable tax credit for interest payments under such bonds. Exempts such bonds from the requirement that they be issued before January 1, 2011.

Date: 2009-12-11
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Universal Classroom Breakfast Expansion Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants to states and, through them, subgrants to schools to assist such schools in establishing universal free breakfast programs that provide all of their students with free breakfasts for at least three years under the school breakfast program. Requires students to be allowed to eat such breakfasts in the classroom after school starts. Limits subgrant eligibility to elementary or secondary schools in which at least 40% of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the school lunch program. Directs state grantees to provide: (1) technical assistance to schools in implementing such programs; (2) targeted outreach to schools with the highest percentage of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches under the school lunch program; and (3) subgrant priority to schools in which 75% or more of the students are eligible for such lunches. Requires subgrantees to cover, from nonfederal sources, the costs of serving free breakfasts that exceed the assistance received under the school breakfast program.

Date: 2009-12-15
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Children's Fruit and Vegetable Act of 2009 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) promote the use of salad or fruit and vegetable bars in schools participating in the school lunch program; (2) provide training and technical assistance to states and schools on how to do so; and (3) provide grants to states for a one-time payment to schools for the cost of setting up and operating salad or fruit and vegetable bars. Directs the Secretary to identify and remove barriers to the equitable purchase of fruits and vegetables within the Secretary's procurement and distribution systems. Authorizes the Secretary to use administrative funds under the Act's fresh fruit and vegetable program to provide program participants with technical assistance and national and regional training conferences that emphasize best practices. Directs the Secretary, within two years of receiving the findings of the National Academy of Sciences' review of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program Meal Patterns and Nutrient Standards, to promulgate a final rule updating the nutrition standards and meal requirements for school meal programs so they are consistent with such findings. Requires the Secretary to allocate funds to states, in proportion to each state's administrative expense allocation under the school lunch and breakfast programs, so they can award competitive grants to school food authorities for the equipment needed to prepare, process, and store food for the school lunch program. Directs the Secretary to provide competitive matching grants and technical assistance to schools and nonprofit entities to carry out farm-to-school programs that improve the access of school lunch and breakfast program participants to local foods.

Date: 2009-12-16
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Access to Nutritious Meals for Young Children Act of 2009 - Amends the the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to increase reimbursement rates for free, reduced price, and paid meals and snacks served under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) at nonresidential child care centers and family or group day care homes. Allows such providers to be reimbursed for the service of three meals and a snack. (Currently, reimbursement is provided for two meals and a snack.) Lowers the percentage of children or school children in an area that must be eligible for free or reduced price meals under the school lunch or breakfast programs to make family or group day care homes in the area eligible for higher CACFP reimbursement rates as tier I homes. Increases the maximum monthly administrative payment per home provided to sponsors of family or group day care homes. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to improve the ability of the CACFP to reach low-income families by streamlining program and paperwork requirements.

Date: 2009-12-16
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Social welfare
Physical Education to Create a Healthier Nation Act - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states and local educational agencies that receive school improvement funds under such part to ensure that their schools provide: (1) 150 minutes of physical education per week for elementary school students; (2) 225 minutes of physical education per week for middle and secondary school students; and (3) disabled students with such physical education as is determined appropriate under their individualized education programs.

Date: 2010-02-02
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
School Meal Safety and Standards Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) develop guidelines for determining when it is appropriate to institute an administrative hold on suspect food and commodities being used in school meal programs; (2) work with states to increase the timeliness and completeness of their notifications to schools and school food authorities of food and commodity holds and recalls; (3) improve the timeliness and completeness of direct notifications to states, schools, and school food authorities about holds and recalls; (4) establish a timeframe for improving commodity hold and recall procedures so that they address the role of processors and distributors and facilitate the provision of more timely and complete information to states, schools, and school food authorities; (5) revise procedures to provide states with more specific instructions for schools and school food authorities about how to dispose of recalled foods and commodities and obtain timely reimbursement; (6) institute a systematic quality check procedure to ensure that holds and recalls on foods and commodities used by schools are carried out effectively; (7) study existing commercial practices and standards regarding food quality, safety, and testing; and (8) implement regulations that require the Department of Agriculture to meet or exceed, with respect to the school meal programs, commercial practices and standards. Directs the Secretary, within one year of this Act's enactment, to revise the procedures of the Food Safety and Inspection Service to ensure that schools are included in recall effectiveness checks.

Date: 2010-02-03
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Healthy Food for Healthy Schools Act of 2010 - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) provide states, school food authorities, local educational agencies, and local processing entities with model product specifications and practices for foods offered in the school lunch and breakfast programs so that such foods reflect the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans; (2) analyze, and report to Congress on, the quantity and quality of nutritional information available to school food authorities about food service products and commodities; and (3) purchase, to the maximum extent possible, the widest variety of healthful foods for the school lunch and breakfast programs that reflect the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Date: 2010-02-04
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Healthy Start Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to deliver commodity assistance to states for their school breakfast programs. (Currently, commodity assistance is delivered to states for their school lunch programs.) Sets forth the formula for determining the amount of such assistance to be provided to each state for its school breakfast program.

Date: 2010-02-22
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Asthma Management Plans in School Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to schools that are receiving school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and are located in areas that have a high prevalence of asthma so they can: (1) develop and implement an asthma management plan; and (2) purchase the asthma inhalers, spacers, and other supplies necessary for the relief and treatment of affected students. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to local health or education departments to carry out such activities if they are the entities that would routinely carry out such activities in an area. Requires grantees to: (1) find innovative ways to encourage rapid bidirectional communication between schools and students' physicians and students' adherence to asthma treatment; and (2) ensure that they have on staff a nurse or individual who is trained to administer emergency asthma care.

Date: 2010-03-12
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
School Accountability Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to alter requirements for adequate yearly progress (AYP) assessments of student groups by: (1) allowing states to vary the number of students sufficient for such an assessment from local educational agency (LEA) to LEA and from school to school; (2) lowering the percentage of students in a failing group who must show improvement from the preceding year for a school to avoid corrective action; (3) changing the method of counting students in more than one group; (4) allowing states to use alternative methods of defining AYP; (5) allowing states to use a combination of AYP assessments; (6) exempting a higher percentage of students from such assessments; (7) giving states greater flexibility in the use of alternative assessments for disabled students and those not proficient in English; (8) allowing states to continue to include students in the disabled and limited English proficient student groups for three years after their status as disabled or limited English proficient ends; and (9) allowing multiple assessments of the same student prior to the following school year and measurement of the achievement of students as if they were in their prior grade. Provides that a state's intermediate academic achievement goals need not increase in equal increments for all groups. Permits states to adopt alternative calculations of graduation and dropout rates to account for students who do not graduate on time, but are still enrolled in school or are receiving a postsecondary education. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to conduct research regarding, and make grants to states to develop and implement, AYP standards that: (1) meet the expectation that students be prepared for postsecondary education or the workplace; and (2) are consistent with high caliber standards in other countries. Gives states certain incentives to adopt such standards. Requires that states be given maximum flexibility in devising academic improvement plans. Limits the implementation of sanctions to schools and LEAs that fail AYP standards in the same subject for the same group for two consecutive school years, and the provision of school transfers and supplemental services to students in the group who failed AYP standards. Provides further exceptions to and conditions on the application of corrective actions. Involves LEAs in the choice and critique of supplemental service providers as well as the provision of such services. Authorizes states, LEAs, and schools to defer implementation of certain corrective actions in any fiscal year when the amount appropriated under ESEA and the Individuals with Disabilities Act does not equal or exceed a specified authorized amount. Applies AYP assessments to private schools receiving benefits under ESEA. Allows states to deny such benefits to private schools that fail state AYP standards for three consecutive years and underperform local public schools.

Date: 2010-03-12
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Healthy School Meals Act of 2010 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to select school food authorities to participate in a pilot program evaluating the use of plant-based alternate protein products and fluid milk substitutes under the school lunch and breakfast programs. Directs the Secretary to: (1) deliver plant-based alternate protein products and fluid milk substitutes to such food authorities at no cost for the preparation of meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs; and (2) assess which of such foods would be best for more general use in the school lunch and breakfast programs, and deliver them for general use under such programs, within two years of this Acts' enactment. Requires the Secretary, within two years of this Act's enactment, to promulgate regulations that: (1) reflect specific recommendations for increased consumption of plant-based foods; and (2) provide for the distribution of supplemental commodity assistance or cash in lieu thereof to states and certain school food authorities that offer a plant-based entree on their daily lunch menus, for the purchase of entirely plant-based commodity food products or fluid milk substitutes. Requires schools participating in the school lunch program to serve a nondairy beverage that is nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk and meets certain nutritional standards to students who cannot consume fluid milk because of a disability or medical or other special dietary need. (Eliminates the requirement that students who cannot consume fluid milk due to a disability provide schools with a statement from a physician that identifies such disability and specifies the fluid milk substitute.)

Date: 2010-03-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Healthy Children Through School Nutrition Education Act - Amends the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 to require local educational agencies participating in the school lunch or breakfast programs to include in their school wellness policies the requirement that each student receive 50 hours of nutrition education each school year. Requires such instruction to meet specified standards, including that it is consistent with rules promulgated by the Secretary of Agriculture requiring food served under the school lunch and breakfast programs to satisfy the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Date: 2010-03-25
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants to institutions of higher education for the implementation or expansion of research-based reforms in master's and doctoral level STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education that emphasizes preparation for diverse careers in the STEM workforce, including at institutions of higher education, in industry, and at government agencies and research laboratories. Describes the activities that may be supported by grants awarded under this Act.

Date: 2010-03-25
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Education, Achievement, and Opportunity Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for the qualified education expenses of children attending a public, private, parochial, or religious school providing elementary or secondary education. Defines "qualified education expenses" as amounts paid for tuition and fees, computers, educational software, computer support services, required books, academic tutoring, special needs services for children with disabilities, transportation fees, and academic testing services. Limits the annual amount of such credit to $2,500 for a child enrolled in an elementary school and $3,500 for a child enrolled in a secondary school, and reduces such credit for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income exceeds $75,000 ($150,000 in the case of a joint return).

Date: 2010-04-15
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to require local educational agencies (LEA) participating in the school lunch or breakfast programs to establish or expand a local school wellness policy for their schools that: (1) includes goals for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness; (2) includes nutrition guidelines for all foods in school during the day that promote student health and reduce childhood obesity; (3) ensures that the dietary guidelines for reimbursable school meals are no less restrictive than those issued by the Secretary of Agriculture under the school lunch program; (4) provides for the measurement and oversight of the policy's implementation; and (5) involves parents, students, the school food authority, the school board, school administrators, and the public in its development. Directs the Secretary to provide LEAs, school food authorities, and states, on request, information and technical assistance in: (1) establishing healthy school nutrition environments; (2) reducing childhood obesity; and (3) preventing diet-related chronic diseases. Directs the Secretary to establish the Healthy Habits School Challenge program to reduce childhood obesity by recognizing schools that are creating healthier school environments for children by promoting good nutrition and physical activity. Requires such schools to adopt a model school wellness policy developed by the Secretary. Requires the Secretary to contract with the Institute of Medicine to provide the Secretary with recommendations for updating the nutrition rules for the school lunch and breakfast programs.

Date: 2010-04-22
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Instructional Leadership Act of 2009 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states, local educational agencies (LEAs), nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, or partnerships or consortia which include at least one of those entities to develop and implement innovative programs and sites (such as leadership development schools) to train school principals in instructional leadership skills. Requires the Secretary to award additional competitive grants to states or partnerships or consortia which include states for pilot programs that evaluate and promote the incorporation of instructional leadership standards into state principal certification or licensure. Directs the Secretary to establish a definition of "highly-qualified principal" that is based on reports from this Act's grantees and emphasizes instructional leadership standards. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants to states and high-need LEAs or partnerships between such LEAs and certain educational entities to develop state-of-the-art principal induction programs that provide new principals a minimum of three years of extensive, high-quality, comprehensive induction into the field of school administration.

Date: 2010-04-28
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Amends the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act to require: (1) states to use grants for safe and drug-free schools to collect and report information on the incidence of bullying and harassment; and (2) local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools to use subgrants to prevent and respond to incidents of bullying and harassment. Requires such LEAs or schools to: (1) notify parents and students annually of conduct prohibited in their school discipline policies, that now must include bullying and harassment; and (2) establish complaint procedures for students and parents to register complaints regarding such conduct. Includes bullying and harassment within the Act's definition of violence.

Date: 2010-04-29
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Family Engagement in Education Act of 2010 - Amends title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allocate funds to states and, through them, local educational agencies (LEAs) to develop certain policies and practices to strengthen family engagement in their children's education. Requires states and correctional facilities to work with family members and aftercare providers in developing educational services and transition plans for youth following their stay in state and local institutions for neglected or delinquent youth. Requires states to use part of their grant under part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund) of title II of the ESEA to train teachers and principals to effectively engage families in their children's education. Establishes a new part E (Family Engagement in Education Programs) under title V of the ESEA requiring the Secretary of Education to provide funding to each state to establish a State Family Engagement Coordinating Council to assure coordination and integration of family engagement activities across the education spectrum. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to: (1) statewide nonprofit organizations to establish Statewide Family Engagement Centers to provide comprehensive training, technical assistance, and capacity building to states, LEAs, schools, and organizations that support family-school partnerships to assist parents in participating effectively in their children's education; and (2) local nonprofit parent organizations to create Local Family Engagement Centers which are to be assessed on their ability to assist parents in overcoming barriers to engaging in their children's education. Directs the Secretary to issue rules that specify research-based metrics on family engagement in education for entities receiving this Act's funding. Requires that there be established in the Department of Education dedicated staff, including a Director, for family and community engagement within the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Date: 2010-05-05
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Nurses for Impoverished Schools Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to make demonstration grants to eligible local educational agencies to reduce the student-to-nurse ratio in public elementary and secondary schools. Defines an "eligible local education agency" as one for which: (1) not less than 20% of the students served are from families with incomes below the poverty line; and (2) the student-to-school nurse ratio in public elementary and secondary schools is 750 or more students to every school nurse.

Date: 2010-05-18
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Health
Teacher and Principal Improvement Act - Amends title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a new Part E: Building School Capacity for Effective Teaching and Leadership. Directs the Secretary of Education to allot grants to states for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve teacher and principal quality through a system of teacher and principal induction, professional development, and evaluation that is developed, implemented, and evaluated in collaboration with local teacher, principal, and school leader organizations and preparation programs. Requires LEAs to include in such system: (1) a comprehensive, coherent, high quality formalized induction program for beginning teachers during their first two years of full-time employment; (2) high-quality effective professional development for teachers, principals, school librarians, and other school leaders at their lowest achieving schools; (3) a rigorous, transparent, and equitable teacher and principal evaluation system for all their schools; (4) ongoing high-quality support, coaching, and professional development for principals and other school leaders at their lowest achieving schools; (5) opportunities for teachers to assume new school leadership roles and training regarding such roles; and (6) significant and sustainable stipends above a teacher's base salary for teachers that serve as mentors, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, or evaluators under these programs. Directs LEA grantees to conduct a valid and reliable full population survey of teaching and learning, at the school and LEA level, the results of which are to inform and be integrated into such systems. Requires a formal evaluation of each system to be conducted by the state, an institution of higher education, or an external agency and the results disseminated widely.

Date: 2010-05-18
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education