zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Empowering Parents Through Choice Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide students with Promise Scholarships, covering the cost of attending private elementary or secondary schools chosen by their parents, if their schools are subject to restructuring for failing to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) pursuant to state academic performance standards. Requires: (1) each scholarship to remain in effect until the student completes the grade that is the last grade taught at the school from which the student transfers; and (2) such students to be assessed in reading, language arts, mathematics, and science at the same grade levels as public school students to determine if the schools and LEAs are making AYP. Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states, LEAs, or nonprofit organizations to support projects that enable students from low-income families that have been attending schools subject to restructuring, as well as their siblings, to receive: (1) Opportunity Scholarships to attend the private elementary or secondary school of their parents' choice or a public school of their parents' choice outside their school district, if allowed by state law; and (2) intensive, sustained supplemental educational services on an annual basis. Requires grantees to: (1) continue each scholarship until the student completes the grade that is the last grade taught at the school from which the student transferred, or the student's family income exceeds a specified poverty level higher than the level required for initial eligibility; and (2) fund the scholarships before funding supplemental educational services.

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Graduation Promise Act of 2007 - 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 the school fails for two consecutive years to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) pursuant to state academic performance standards. 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 convene a local school improvement team for each school placed in an improvement category that will use performance indicators to conduct a school needs assessment and develop a multiyear school improvement plan tailored to the school's need categorization. Permits LEAs to use funds to improve feeder middle schools. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to: (1) LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education to develop and implement, or replicate, effective school models for struggling students and dropouts; and (2) states to adjust their policies to allow for educational innovations that improve high school graduation rates while ensuring rigorous education content standards and assessments, if such states implement differentiated high school improvement systems and statewide longitudinal student data systems.

Date: 2007-04-23
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
School Safety Enhancements Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to: (1) allow the placement and use of surveillance equipment in schools under the matching grant program for public elementary and secondary school security; (2) allow the use of grant funds to establish hotlines or tiplines for reporting potentially dangerous students and situations and for making capital improvements to make school facilities more secure; (3) set the federal matching share of program costs at 80%; and (4) revise application requirements for school security grants. Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Secretary of Education to establish an interagency task force to develop and promulgate advisory school safety guidelines. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education participating in any program under title IV (Student Assistance) of that Act to: (1) conduct an annual campus safety assessment in consultation with local law enforcement officials; and (2) develop and implement a campus emergency response plan that addresses a comprehensive set of emergency situations, including natural disasters, law enforcement emergencies, and terrorism.

Date: 2007-04-25
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
School Accountability Improvements Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to exempt teachers who teach multiple subjects in certain small middle or secondary schools from being required to be highly qualified in each of their subjects if they: (1) are highly qualified in at least one; and (2) demonstrate highly effective teaching skills on a state performance assessment. Allows states to use a growth model in calculating whether students are making adequately yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards if the state plan ensures their attainment of proficiency within certain periods of time. Gives schools which are identified as needing improvement an extra year to make AYP before being required to allow student transfers. Limits the transfer option to students who do not meet proficiency standards. Permits local educational agencies (LEAs) identified as needing improvement to provide supplemental educational services themselves. Allows schools identified as needing improvement due to an underperforming disabled or limited English proficient (LEP) student subgroup to limit their improvement plan to such failing subgroup. Eliminates the requirement that schools be restructured and LEAs face corrective action because of such a subgroup's underperformance, if AYP can be shown using a growth model that counts students who are on track to attain proficiency by their final year in secondary school. Requires AYP measurements of certain schools providing Native language instruction to kindergarten through second grade children in states with no AYP assessment in such language to exclude grade three results and employ a growth model requiring progress toward proficiency by seventh grade. Allows partnerships receiving subgrants for preparing, recruiting, and training teachers and principals to include parent teacher organizations and use funds for activities enhancing parental involvement.

Date: 2007-04-26
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income up to 25% of the wages earned by a certified master teacher in certain schools identified as in need of improvement or in a Head Start program. Defines "certified master teacher" as a teacher who: (1) has at least five years teaching experience in a public elementary or secondary school; (2) is highly qualified as defined by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; (3) has a master's degree; and (4) has advanced certification in the applicable state licensing system. Terminates such exclusion after 2013.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Homeland Security Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to award scholarships for the pursuit of bachelor degrees in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and critical foreign languages. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary to award grants to: (1) school districts which upgrade their mathematics and science programs and work with private or state or local government entities willing to donate equipment, mentoring personnel, and higher education scholarships for students participating in the programs; (2) scientists and engineers who return to school to become teachers in their fields in needy schools; (3) partnerships between school districts and institutions of higher education working to enhance the recruitment and professional development of foreign language teachers; and (4) institutions of higher education which develop programs to immerse students in a foreign language while they study science, technology, or engineering here or abroad. Amends the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991 to alter the terms of the work agreements required of recipients of scholarships and graduate fellowships in studies or languages critical to national security. Includes the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State among the agencies where service may be rendered. Sets federal employment and teaching alternatives when priority positions are unavailable. Directs the Secretary to award grants enabling institutions of higher education, in collaboration with elementary and secondary schools, to establish language learning pathways training students from elementary through graduate education to be proficient in critical foreign languages. Requires the Secretary to award scholarships to individuals proficient in critical foreign languages who return to school to become foreign language teachers in needy elementary or secondary schools. Amends federal law to create a student loan repayment pilot program for federal employees with critical science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and foreign language skills.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Keeping Parents and Communities Engaged Act or the 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 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 consortiums 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.

Date: 2007-05-03
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Teacher Excellence for All Children Act of 2007 - Revises and establishes programs relating to recruitment, preparation, distribution, and retention of public elementary and secondary school teachers and principals. Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to establish: (1) teacher education assistance for college and higher education (TEACH ) grants for undergraduate and graduate students who agree to serve as teachers in high-need schools and fields; and (2) grants to recruit teachers with mathematics, science, or language majors. Extends the authorization of appropriations for HEA teacher quality enhancement grants for states and partnerships. Revises HEA student loan forgiveness requirements to: (1) increase the amount of loan forgiveness available to mathematics, science, and special education teachers; (2) make reading specialists eligible for such forgiveness; and (3) apply such forgiveness in annual increments rather than in a lump sum at end of their service obligation.. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish grant programs to improve teaching at high-need schools. Requires states to provide assurances of their reasonable progress toward equitable access to teacher quality as a condition of assistance under ESEA. Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act to direct the Statistics Commissioner to publish results of certain schools and staffing surveys. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) exclude from gross income up to $15,000 for compensation of teachers and principals in certain high-need schools or teaching certain high-need subjects; and (2) increase to a maximum of $500 and make permanent the above-the-line deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers.

Date: 2007-05-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
21st Century Skills Incentive Fund Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to states to establish statewide 21st Century Skills initiatives. Conditions grant eligibility on a state's: (1) developing a comprehensive plan for such initiative; (2) showing a commitment to advancing such skills within standards and assessments, curriculum, professional development, and the learning environment; (3) achieving broad support for the initiative among state education, business, and civic leaders; and (4) being approved as a 21st Century Partner state by the nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Directs the Secretary to establish a 21st Century Skills Incentive Fund from which grants shall be awarded. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require that the percentage limitation on corporate charitable contributions be applied separately to cash contributions to state 21st Century Skills initiatives and all other corporate charitable contributions.

Date: 2007-05-24
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
21st Century Community Learning Centers Act of 2007 - Amends the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program under title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include the provision of service learning and nutrition education and, in place of recreation programs, physical fitness and wellness programs, among the activities for which community learning centers will receive funding. Raises from 3% to 5% the percentage of program funds a state may use for monitoring, evaluating, and providing training and technical assistance to community learning center grantees. Makes community learning center grants renewable for a period of between three and five years.

Date: 2007-06-06
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Teacher Tax Credit Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow elementary and secondary school (K-12) teachers a tax credit for 50% of their education expenses (books, supplies, computer equipment, and supplementary materials) and their professional development expenses up to $300 in any taxable year.

Date: 2007-06-28
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Lead Poisoning Reduction Act of 2007 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act to establish a Select Group on Lead Exposure. Requires the Group to: (1) conduct a study of state, tribal, and local programs to protect children from exposure to lead at child-occupied facilities constructed before January 1, 1978; (2) develop baseline standards such programs must meet to receive a grant under this Act; and (3) develop a model program to protect children from exposure to lead at such facilities that can be adopted by state, local, and tribal governments. Requires the model program to meet or exceed standards that require facilities to be notified as soon as practicable after a child is diagnosed with lead poisoning and to be tested for the presence of lead upon receiving such notification. Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish a program to provide grants to assist such facilities in carrying out activities to protect children from lead exposure; (2) promulgate regulations requiring such facilities to test applicable exposure pathways for lead, prohibiting states and Indian tribes from issuing a license to such facilities until the testing is complete and the exposure to lead is eliminated, and requiring all child-occupied facilities to eliminate the risk of exposure to lead through applicable exposure pathways; and (3) apply regulations governing lead-based paint activities to contractors and workers engaged in the renovation, remodeling, or painting of such facilitates and to establish a program to provide information and training about those activities to them.

Date: 2007-07-18
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Environmental protection
Mentoring America's Children Act of 2007 - 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, foster care group homes, and other entities among program providers; (3) a requirement that mentors help children become responsible and successful adults; (4) foster youth, children with an incarcerated parent, suburban children in high crime areas, and children living in high gang involvement, drug use, dropout, or youth suicide areas among those most in need of mentoring; (5) children's participation in internships as a program goal; (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; and (7) entities serving foster children or children living in high youth suicide areas as priority grant recipients.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, and track and evaluate the performance of, grantees; 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: 2007-07-18
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Ready to Learn Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to schools, child care entities, Head Start programs, or other community-based prekindergarten providers for full day voluntary prekindergarten programs that prepare four-year olds for school. Requires that such programs: (1) first serve children whose family income is no higher than 200% of the poverty level or who are limited English proficient; (2) ensure that, within two years of grant receipt, each classroom is taught by a teacher who has at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or such a degree and specialized training in early childhood development; (3) use curricula that are aligned with state early learning standards; and (4) have teacher-child ratios of no more than 1 to 10 and group sizes of no more than 20.

Date: 2007-07-19
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Prescribe A Book Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a Pediatric Early Literacy program under which the Secretary of Education awards matching grants to nonprofit organizations for the implementation of three-part models through which: (1) health care providers encourage parents to read aloud to their children and offer them recommendations and strategies for doing so; (2) health care providers give each visiting child between the ages of six months and five-years a new, developmentally appropriate children's book to take home and keep; and (3) volunteers reading to children in health care facility waiting areas show parents the techniques and pleasures of reading aloud to children. Requires that the books provided to children under the program be obtained at a discount.

Date: 2007-07-30
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise the process for blocking the access of military recruiters or institutions of higher education (IHEs) to secondary school student information. Requires ESEA-assisted local educational agencies (LEAs) to notify each secondary school student's parent of the option to submit a written request to the LEA that the student's name, address, and telephone listing not be released to military recruiters or IHEs without the parent's prior written consent. Prohibits LEAs from providing military recruiters or IHEs access to such information once they have received such consent request, unless the student's parent provides written consent to such access. Gives students the rights accorded to their parents when they reach age 18. Requires the Secretary of Defense to notify the Governor of the LEA's state and the Secretary of Education when an LEA denies access to military recruiters. Requires the Secretary of Education, upon receiving such notice, to determine whether: (1) the LEA has failed to comply substantially with the requirement to provide military recruiters with access to students and student information unless the parents have filed a prior consent request under this Act; and (2) the imposition of a penalty or remedy against the LEA is warranted.

Date: 2007-07-31
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Getting Retention and Diplomas Up Among Today's Enrolled Students Act or the GRADUATES Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to establish a Secondary School Innovation Fund program awarding competitive matching grants to partnerships, which must include at least one state or local educational agency, for the implementation of innovative strategies to improve the achievement of at-risk students in secondary schools. Permits partnerships to award subgrants to schools for the implementation of such strategies. Lists activities, one or more of which grantees or subgrantees must implement, that include: (1) creating multiple pathways that offer students a range of educational options aligned with their needs and interests and preparing them for postsecondary education and the workforce; (2) creating expanded learning time opportunities, such as arts, service, higher, and work-based education; (3) improving student transitions from middle school to high school or from high school to postsecondary education and the workforce; (4) increasing the autonomy and flexibility of secondary schools; (5) improving rural education through educational technology; (6) redesigning middle schools; and (7) improving teaching and increasing academic rigor at the secondary school level. Requires the Secretary to disseminate best practices in improving secondary school student achievement.

Date: 2007-08-01
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Public School Repair and Renovation Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Secretary of Education to allocate funds to states for competitive school repair and renovation grants to local educational agencies (LEAs). Requires each state, in awarding such grants, to: (1) award high-need and rural LEAs, in the aggregate, at least the same proportion of this Act's LEA funds for the state that they received of total LEA school improvement funds for the state under part A of Title I of the ESEA; and (2) consider the percentage of poor children LEAs serve, the condition of their public schools, and their fiscal capacity to cover repairs and renovations without such a grant. Directs each state to reserve a portion of their allocation for a state-level database of public school facility inventory, condition, design, and utilization. Requires the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the costs of, and public and private expenditures for, repairing, renovating, and constructing public elementary and secondary schools.

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Co-Teaching Educator Professional Development Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), or LEAs in collaboration with an institution of higher education, a teacher organization, or a state, to provide professional development and high-quality support for general education teachers and special education teachers, principals, and administrators that implement a co-teaching model that allows disabled students, with appropriate support and services, to be educated with their peers in the least restrictive environment.

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
No Child Left Inside Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states, as a prerequisite to receiving implementation grants, to develop environmental literacy plans, approved by the Secretary of Education, for kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) that include environmental education standards and teacher training. Directs the Secretary to award Environmental Education Professional Development Grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to partnerships that include an LEA and, permissibly, institutions of higher education (IHE), other educational entities, or state or local natural resource or environmental agencies, for activities involving, among other things, teacher training and the operation of model environmental education programs. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to nonprofit organizations, states, LEAs, or IHEs for activities to improve and support environmental education that include: (1) advancing content and achievement standards; (2) developing or disseminating innovations or model programs; (3) research; and (4) creating new funding sources. Authorizes the use of grants to states out of the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund for activities incorporating field-based learning, service learning, and outdoor experiential learning into the curricula and instruction. Authorizes the use of funds under the Fund for the Improvement of Education program to advance environmental education. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to create an Office of Environmental Education to advance K-12 environmental education and administer environmental education grant programs.

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive five-year matching grants to states to build or upgrade statewide pre- through high-school longitudinal data systems that include: (1) unique and consistent statewide student identifiers; (2) the ability to track student participation and performance over time; (3) unique and consistent statewide teacher identifiers that match student records to the appropriate teacher; and (4) the ability to link their data to data from higher education, workforce development, unemployment insurance, child welfare, juvenile justice, and military services information systems. Increases the state match required as a grant matures. Authorizes the Secretary to award matching grants to states to build the capacity of educators and policymakers, at the local educational agency and school level, to use data and data systems by: (1) training educational personnel to effectively collect, report, and use data; (2) developing processes to analyze and disseminate the best approaches for using the data systems to enhance teaching and learning; and (3) aligning statewide longitudinal data systems with local student information management systems and curriculum or instructional management systems. Provides such funding as is necessary to support a state education data center and state educational data coordinators.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Rural Education Achievement Program Reauthorization Act of 2007 - Amends part B (Rural Education Initiative) of title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise the Small, Rural School Achievement program, which gives rural local educational agencies (LEAs) federal formula grants and greater flexibility in the use of state educational funds. Limits eligibility to LEAs whose schools are all designated with a school locale code of Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, or Remote Rural, unless located in an area the state defines as rural. Raises federal grant limits when funds available to implement the program equal or exceed $100 million. Alters LEAs' eligibility for federal funds under the Rural and Low-Income School program by requiring that: (1) at least 40% of the children ages 5 through 17 that LEAs serve be eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act; and (2) all of their schools be designated with a school locale code of Distant Town, Remote Town, Fringe Rural, Distant Rural, or Remote Rural.

Date: 2007-09-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Improving Student Testing Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to use academic indicators other than statewide standardized assessments in determining whether schools need improvement, corrective action, or restructuring. (Currently, such indicators may not be used to reduce the number of schools requiring such interventions.) Permits states to use growth or hybrid growth and status models in determining whether students are making adequate progress toward state standards. Requires growth models and the growth portion of hybrid models to: (1) use statewide education data systems capable of tracking individual student growth; and (2) assess students annually in grades 3 through 8, and once in grades 9 through 12. Allows states to alter their current assessment systems by: (1) conducting statewide assessments less frequently, but at least once in grades 3 through 5, 6 through 9, and 10 through 12; or (2) using multiple measures of assessments instead of, or in addition to, statewide standardized assessments. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to states to implement certain privacy protection measures for statewide education data systems. Waives the requirement that all students meet state academic proficiency standards by the end of the 2013-2014 school year if, for each of FY2008-FY2015, school improvement funds appropriated do not match those authorized. Makes changes to the state education improvement plan peer review process that involve the composition of peer review panels, the feedback they provide, and the consistency of their decisions from state to state. Requires states to disaggregate high school graduation rates by student subgroups. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states to disaggregate and report student graduation and performance data. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to: (1) states to develop multiple measures of assessment, rather than one standardized test; and (2) states and local educational agencies to improve their capacity to implement alternative accountability and assessment systems and meet school improvement requirements. Directs the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce to eliminate federal spending on trade promotion activities by imposing fees on promotion beneficiaries.

Date: 2007-09-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Teachers at the Table Act - Amends title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish the Volunteer Teacher Advisory Committee to monitor the effects of such title (amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001) in classrooms, with its focus solely on children and families. Requires that committee membership consist of a diverse group of public school classroom teachers who are past or present Teachers of the Year.

Date: 2007-09-18
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Back to School: Improving Standards for Nutrition and Physical Education in Schools Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to revise the standards that set a minimal nutritional value for competitive foods and beverages (sold outside of the federally-funded school lunch and breakfast programs) so that they are consistent with those described in a report of the Institute of Medicine (Institute) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), dated April 25, 2007. Applies such standards to all competitive foods and beverages sold on school campuses during the school day. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) to arrange for the Institute to develop recommendations, every five years, for updating such standards so they reflect the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and scientific knowledge. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, after receiving the Institute's recommendations, to revise such standards. Directs the Secretary to establish the Nutrition Standards in Schools Task Force to assist in establishing a user friendly system for identifying foods and beverages that meet nutrition standards. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to states, high-need local educational agencies (LEAs), and Indian tribes to provide food service and school personnel with the training needed to implement nutrition standards. Requires federally-funded LEAs to implement policies requiring student participation in physical education programs that meet standards for physical activity issued by the Secretary, based on recommendations from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education. Directs the Secretary to award competitive grants to states, high-need LEAs, and Indian tribes to provide teachers with the training and support needed to implement such physical education programs. Requires the Carol M. White Physical Education program to meet the Secretary's standards for physical activity.

Date: 2007-09-18
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Positive Behavior for Effective Schools Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to allow states to allocate school improvement funds under title I of the ESEA for coordinated, early intervention services for all students. Includes among such services, schoolwide positive behavior support, defined as a systematic approach to embed proven practices for early intervention services in order to achieve important social outcomes and increase student learning, while preventing problem behaviors. Requires improvements in schoolwide learning climates, including schoolwide positive behavior supports, to be a target of: (1) technical assistance provided by states to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools, and by LEAs to schools identified as needing improvement; (2) schoolwide programs that allow LEAs to consolidate educational funds to upgrade the entire educational program of schools that serve a high proportion of low-income families; (3) professional development funding; (4) funding under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program; and (5) elementary and secondary school counseling programs. Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish, within the Department of Education, an Office of Specialized Instructional Support Services to oversee, implement, and ensure adequate evaluation of, the provision of specialized instructional support services in schools by school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other qualified professionals.

Date: 2007-09-27
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Education Research & Development To Improve Achievement Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award grants to research and development entities to develop, evaluate, and encourage the replication of innovations in core activities under title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Act, including: (1) instruction in mathematics, reading or language arts, and science; (2) school improvement and restructuring; (3) supplemental educational services; and (4) the Reading First program.

Date: 2007-09-28
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Proven Programs for the Future of Education Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide that in all competitive grants awarded by the Department of Education to states or local educational agencies (LEAs) or by states to LEAs under the Act, 10% of the competitive preference points may be awarded to states and LEAs that propose to use research-proven programs, if appropriate. Requires reading instruction under the Reading First program to be research-proven or, at a minimum, meet the current requirement that it be scientifically-based. Defines "research-proven reading programs" as those that are deemed to be such programs by a Department of Education review panel and are evaluated in at least two studies, both of which meet specified minimum criteria that require the use of control groups.

Date: 2007-09-28
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Facilitating Outstanding Classrooms Using Size reduction Act (FOCUS Act) - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to award formula grants to states for allocation to their local educational agencies (LEAs) to: (1) reduce class size, particularly in the early elementary grades, by using highly qualified teachers; and (2) create a continuum of small classes from kindergarten through third grade for all their students. Permits LEAs to use such funds to recruit highly qualified teachers, test new teachers, and provide professional development that enables teachers to teach effectively in their content areas. Requires 80% of an LEA's allocation to be based on its proportion of the state's low-income students, with the remainder based on its proportion of the state's enrolled students. Requires LEAs that receive allocations to provide written notice to the parent of each child who is taught for two or more consecutive weeks by a substitute teacher or a teacher who is not highly qualified. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for an independent evaluation of this Act's effectiveness in reducing class size and improving teaching in small classrooms; and (2) develop and maintain, through the National Center for Education Statistics, a database that accurately calculates class size for every school, school district, and state. Amends the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 to require the National Center for Education Research, in the Institute of Education Sciences, to develop and maintain a web-based National Clearinghouse on Class Size to inform the public regarding class size reduction research, resources, and best practices.

Date: 2007-10-01
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Student Breakfast and Education Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states 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 state and LEA 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: 2007-10-04
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Expanded Education Act - Amends title I of the the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a new part I (Expanded Education) program awarding grants to states for the conduct of separate expanded day, week, or year pilot programs. Requires that for each of the expanded day and week programs at least: (1) 20 schools in each small state and 50 schools in each large state participate; (2) 50% of each participating school's student population consist of low-income students; (3) one entire grade in each participating school be involved in the program. Requires each expanded day and week program to: (1) increase student proficiency in reading and language arts, and mathematics; (2) provide education in new areas or directions, so that it is not wholly remedial; and (3) include sufficient recreational, social, or extra-curricular cultural activities. Allows each participating state to conduct expanded year programs through one or a combination of three school-based models: (1) two to be conducted by participating schools, institutions of higher education (IHE), or nonprofit organizations in schools at least 50% of whose students are low-income students, but differing in whether they require the mandatory participation of at least one entire grade or allow the voluntary participation of at least two grades at participating schools; and (2) one requiring the state to establish a voluntary summer learning institute for low-income students at an IHE to be run by the IHE or a nonprofit organization. Requires each expanded year program to: (1) provide education in new areas or directions, or increase student expertise; (2) emphasize non-remedial work; and (3) include sufficient recreational, social, or extra-curricular cultural activities.

Date: 2007-10-04
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or the FIT Kids Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to require annual state and local educational agency report cards to include specified information on school health and physical education programs. Includes the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles by students within ESEA grant programs that support school counseling, smaller learning communities, community learning centers, and parental involvement in their childrens' education. Revises the professional development program for teachers and principals to include training for physical and health education teachers, and training on improving students' health habits and participation in physical activities. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to fund a study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) that: (1) assesses the affect health and physical education have on students' ability to learn; and (2) makes recommendations for improving, and measuring improvements to, their health and physical education in schools.

Date: 2007-10-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
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) providing specified fundamentals of educational opportunity to students at each public elementary and secondary school; (2) providing educational services in school districts that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are at least comparable to educational services provided in school districts 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 each state receiving federal financial assistance for elementary and secondary education to submit an accountability plan to the Secretary annually. 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.

Date: 2007-10-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to establish the National Park Ranger School Partnerships program authorizing the Secretary of Education to award competitive, three-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to enter into partnerships that include the National Park Service (NPS), and may include nonprofit NPS partners, to provide kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) students with educational programs and K-12 teachers with professional development emphasizing science, the environment, natural resources, mathematics, civics, and history. Deems LEAs to be eligible for such a grant only if they: (1) have, are capable of, or will develop certain connections to the NPS; (2) have been identified as needing improvement under title I of the ESEA; and (3) are a high-need LEA. Permits: (1) the NPS to participate in the Mathematics and Science Partnerships program that provides training to teachers of such subjects under title II of the ESEA; and (2) educational service agencies, including federal agencies that serve as educational service providers, to partner with LEAs under such title's Teaching American History Grant Program.

Date: 2007-10-18
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education