zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Impact Aid Fairness and Equity Act of 2011 - 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 2012, 2013, and 2014. 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: 2011-01-26
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Children's Hope Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit of up to $100 ($200 for joint returns) for charitable contributions to an education investment organization that disburses 90% of its contributions to provide grants to students for elementary and secondary education expenses, if at least 50% of such disbursements go to students who qualify for free or reduced-cost school lunches. Requires a taxpayer claiming such credit, as a condition of eligibility to receive it, to first claim a state qualified scholarship tax credit.

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Assessment Accuracy and Improvement Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to require the use of adaptive assessments of student progress toward state academic performance standards that accurately assess student achievement above and below grade level while also measuring grade-level performance. Defines an "adaptive assessment" as one that changes in difficulty in accordance with a student's performance, but reports its outcome on a scale common to all students.

Date: 2011-01-26
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Universal Prekindergarten Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to a designated state agency for development of universal prekindergaten programs for all children three, four, and five years old in the state. Requires the state to: (1) match federal funds by at least 20%; and (2) submit with its grant application a plan to establish, coordinate, and implement a statewide universal prekindergarten program. Authorizes state agencies to set aside up to 5% of a grant for ongoing professional development activities for teachers and staff of prekindergarten programs that wish to participate.

Date: 2011-02-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Spending Control Act of 2011- Establishes the Grace Commission II to conduct a review of cost control in the federal government every two years with respect to improving management and reducing costs. Directs the Commission to conduct in-depth studies to evaluate potential improvements in the operations of executive agencies and to develop recommendations regarding: (1) opportunities for increased efficiency and reduced costs that can be realized by executive action or legislation, (2) areas where managerial accountability can be enhanced and administrative control can be improved, (3) opportunities for managerial improvements over the short and long terms, (4) specific areas where further study can be justified by potential savings, and (5) ways to reduce governmental expenditures and indebtedness and improve personnel management. Requires the Commission to submit final reports within 18 months after enactment of this Act and every two years thereafter until it submits its third final report. Requires such reports to contain the Commission's findings, conclusions, and recommendations for legislative and administrative actions and proposed legislation to carry out those recommendations. Sets forth congressional procedures for considering such legislation.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Phylicia's Law - Requires each local educational agency (LEA) that receives funds under the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities program to develop and make publicly available a written school safety policy for off-premises, overnight field trips. Encourages the Secretary of Education to provide guidance to such LEAs by taking the steps necessary, such as hosting a conference of interested parties, to further the development of a model school safety policy for such trips.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Sloan Hills Withdrawal Act - Withdraws certain land located in the Sloan Hills area of Clark County, Nevada, from location, entry, and patent under the mining laws and from disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials.

Date: 2011-03-01
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act or Keep Our PACT Act - Makes appropriations for: (1) school improvement programs under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for FY2011-FY2015; and (2) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, including specified amounts for FY2011-FY2015 and an amount determined pursuant to a specified formula (based on the number of children who received special education, the average per-pupil expenditure, and the rate of change in a state's population) for FY2016 and thereafter. Requires such appropriated amounts to be expended consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.

Date: 2011-03-01
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Amends the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies [LEAs] for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to compensate LEAs for educating children who are admitted into this country as citizens of one of the Freely Associated States (the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau).

Date: 2011-03-02
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2011 - Defines a "federal science agency" as any federal agency responsible for at least 2% of total federal research and development funding to institutions of higher education (IHEs), according to National Science Foundation (NSF) data. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop a policy for federal science agencies to carry out a program of workshops that educate specified federally funded researchers about methods that minimize the effects of gender bias in the evaluation of federal research grants and in the related academic advancement of the recipients of these grants. Authorizes federal science agencies to make grants to eligible organizations to carry out workshops. Requires OSTP to support at least one workshop every two years among the federal science agencies in the major science and engineering disciplines. Requires the Director to develop a policy to extend research grant support and provide interim technical support for federally funded researchers who are caregivers. Requires federal science agencies to collect specified standardized annual data for all applications for research and development grants to IHEs and to submit the data collected to the NSF. Requires NSF to report statistical summary data on the demographics of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) faculty at IHEs in the United States and report to Congress on how NSF will gather such data.

Date: 2011-03-02
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Federal Internship Improvement Act - Directs the head of each federal agency operating an internship program to appoint an internship coordinator within the agency. Directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to make publicly available on the Internet: (1) the coordinator's name and contact information and information regarding application procedures and deadlines for the program, and (2) links to the websites where such information is displayed. Requires OPM to establish a centralized electronic database that contains the names, contact information, and relevant skills of individuals who have completed or are nearing completion of an internship program and are currently seeking full-time federal employment. Requires the agency operating an internship program to conduct an exit interview, and administer a survey, with each intern who completes the program.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Professional Educators Tax Relief Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employees of prekindergarten, elementary, and secondary schools a tax credit of up to $3,000 (adjusted annually for inflation after 2011). Requires such employees to hold positions involving: (1) regular contact with students; and (2) the formulation or implementation of the educational program for the school.

Date: 2011-03-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Education Improvement Tax Cut Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax credit up to $5,000 per year (adjusted annually for inflation after 2011) for contributions to a school tuition organization which distributes at least 90 percent of its annual gross income for elementary and secondary school scholarships, and (2) a tax credit up to $5,000 per year (adjusted annually for inflation after 2011) for contributions to a school materials organization which distributes at least 90 percent of its annual gross income to elementary and secondary schools for materials and equipment for instruction and for extracurricular activities.

Date: 2011-03-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Teacher Tax Cut Act of 2011- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a tax credit of $3,000 for full-time elementary and secondary school teachers.

Date: 2011-03-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Anti-Bullying and Harassment Act of 2011 - 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: 2011-03-09
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Fitness Integrated with Teaching Kids Act or 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 Education to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for a study that: (1) assesses the effect 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: 2011-03-14
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
School Social Workers Improving Student Success Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award renewable grants to high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) to retain or hire additional school social workers. Permits grantees to use the funds to reimburse school social workers for expenses they incur in rendering services. Requires grant-funded social workers to target their services to the highest-need students. Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to high-need LEAs in applying for such grants. Prohibits the grant funds from being used to supplant other federal, state, or local funds used for hiring and retaining school social workers.

Date: 2011-03-16
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Local Taxpayer Relief Act - Amends the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies [LEAs] for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to alter the formula for determining the payments due LEAs for federal ownership of property when appropriations for a fiscal year are insufficient to provide them with full compensation. Prohibits an LEA from being paid amounts for federal ownership of property that exceeds its total current expenditures in the second prior fiscal year. Changes the method for calculating the value of federal property located in an LEA's area. 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. Continues an LEA's eligibility for such payments while activities associated with military base closures and realignments or force structure changes or relocations are ongoing. Allows the calculation of such payments using current student counts instead of prior fiscal year data when LEAs experience a specified influx of new federally-connected students due to federal activities or the closure of an LEA that was receiving Impact Aid due to federally-connected children. Requires the Secretary of Education to allow LEAs to count their federally-connected children using the date they register their students for the fiscal year for which their application is filed. Alters the formula for determining the construction payments due LEAs that are eligible for other Impact Aid payments. Divides 80% of the construction funds evenly between LEAs impacted by military dependent children and LEAs impacted by children residing on Indian lands, with the remainder reserved for emergency repair and modernization grants to LEAs serving Indian lands or experiencing a specified influx of new students due to federal activities. Alters the formula for determining whether a state's plan for equalizing assistance to its LEAs will except it from the prohibition on state aid to LEAs being affected by Impact Aid payments. Requires new LEAs applying for Impact Aid to have boundaries established by state law and the authority to tax or receive an imputed local tax. Directs the Secretary to complete Impact Aid payments to eligible LEAs within three fiscal years of their appropriation. Reauthorizes appropriations for the Impact Aid program.

Date: 2011-04-04
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Keeping All Students Safe Act - Directs the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to establish minimum standards that: (1) prohibit elementary and secondary school personnel from managing any student by using any mechanical or chemical restraint, physical restraint or escort that restricts breathing, or aversive behavioral intervention that compromises student health and safety; (2) prohibit such personnel from using physical restraint or seclusion, unless such measures are required to eliminate an imminent danger of physical injury to the student or others and certain precautions are taken; (3) require states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to ensure that a sufficient number of school personnel receive state-approved crisis intervention training and certification in first aid and certain safe and effective student management techniques; (4) prohibit physical restraint or seclusion from being written into a student's education plan, individual safety plan, behavioral plan, or individual education program as a planned intervention; and (5) require schools to establish procedures to notify parents in a timely manner if physical restraint or seclusion is imposed on their child. Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to states and, through them, competitive subgrants to LEAs to: (1) establish, implement, and enforce policies and procedures to meet such standards; (2) improve their capacity to collect and analyze data related to physical restraint and seclusion; and (3) implement school-wide positive behavior supports. Requires LEAs to allow private school personnel to participate, on an equitable basis, in activities supported by such grants and subgrants. Directs the Secretary to conduct a national assessment of this Act's effectiveness. Gives Protection and Advocacy Systems the authority provided under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 to investigate, monitor, and enforce this Act's protections for students. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish standards for Head Start agencies that are consistent with the minimum standards for the management of elementary and secondary school students. Authorizes the Secretary to allocate funds to the Secretary of HHS to assist Head Start agencies in establishing, implementing, and enforcing policies and procedures to meet such standards.

Date: 2011-04-06
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Every Student Counts Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require, beginning by the 2011-2012 school year, states, local educational agencies (LEAs), and secondary schools annually to include on the report cards required under title I of the Act: (1) their four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate; (2) the final number of students in their four-year adjusted cohort and their total number of four-year graduates; (3) their cumulative graduation rate; (4) the number and percentage of students graduating in more than four years with a regular secondary school diploma; (5) the number and percentage of students who have been removed from the adjusted cohort; (6) the number and percentage of students from each previous adjusted cohort who remain in secondary school after four years; and (7) the percentage of secondary school students in each grade, except the graduating grade, prepared to advance to the next grade. Requires such data, except for data on students who remain in secondary school after four years, to be disaggregated and cross tabulated by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, migrant status, English proficiency, and status as economically disadvantaged. Directs states, LEAs, and secondary schools in states that lack a statewide longitudinal data system with individual student identifiers to make certain annual interim graduation rate calculations; but prohibits the use of such interim calculations after the 2012-2013 school year. Requires the use of aggregate and disaggregated four-year adjusted cohort graduation rates or cumulative graduation rates in determining the success of each secondary school and LEA in making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards under the Act. Requires states, LEAs, and schools that do not have a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate or a cumulative graduation rate above 90% overall and for all of the student subgroups, to make specified yearly progress in improving such rate or be deemed as failing to make AYP.

Date: 2011-04-07
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Diverse Teachers Recruitment Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or nonprofits, educational service agencies, institutions of higher education, or states that enter into partnerships with such LEAs to: (1) recruit individuals from underrepresented groups as public elementary and secondary school teachers, and (2) provide training and retention incentives to public elementary and secondary school teachers. Prohibits grants to applicants that do not serve schools that have difficulty recruiting, training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups as teachers. Gives priority to applicants that serve the most high-need schools and those that serve schools with high concentrations of poor, minority, disabled, or limited English proficient students. Requires the Secretary to evaluate the success of the grantees and compile a database of best practices for recruiting, training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups as public elementary and secondary school teachers.

Date: 2011-04-12
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Access to Complete Education Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to promote and strengthen as an integral part of the curriculum one or more of the subjects of music and arts, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, history, geography, and physical education and health. Gives priority to LEAs that have the greatest numbers or percentages of children from families below the poverty line. Requires grantees to coordinate, to the extent practicable, their programs to promote or strengthen education in such subjects with opportunities provided by public or private cultural entities, including museums, education associations, libraries, and theaters.

Date: 2011-04-13
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states, on an ongoing basis, to: (1) collect and report certain information on bullying and harassment by youth in their elementary and secondary schools and communities; (2) conduct, and report the results of, a needs assessment for bullying and harassment prevention programs; and (3) provide technical assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools in their efforts to thwart bullying and harassment. Requires LEAs to: (1) include clear prohibitions against bullying and harassment within their discipline policies; (2) establish and monitor performance indicators for incidents of bullying and harassment; and (3) establish grievance procedures students, parents, and educators can use to redress such conduct. Directs LEAs to notify parents, students, and educators annually on: (1) the bullying and harassment prohibited by their discipline policies, (2) the numbers and nature of bullying and harassment incidents for each of their schools, and (3) grievance procedures for redressing such conduct. Requires: (1) the Secretary of Education to conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools; and (2) the Commissioner for Education Statistics to collect data, that are subject to independent review, to determine the incidence and prevalence of bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools in this country.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Teacher Tax Relief Act of 2011 - Amends Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for the expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers, to: (1) increase the maximum dollar amount of such deduction to $500, (2) allow the deduction of professional development expenses, and (3) make such deduction permanent.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow payment of home school expenses from Coverdell education savings accounts.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) payment of home school expenses from Coverdell education savings accounts, and (2) an annual inflation adjustment after 2010 to the contribution limit amount for such accounts. Makes permanent provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 relating to Coverdell education savings accounts, including an increase in the contribution limit amount for such accounts.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Keep Teachers Teaching Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), states, and partnerships of LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education for the development and implementation of innovative teacher retention programs that include: (1) professional development; (2) teacher mentoring; (3) advanced certification or credentialing; (4) research, travel, or fellowship opportunities; and (5) pairing teachers with research or industry professionals. Requires the Secretary to identify, and inform states and LEAs of, the most promising teacher retention strategies.

Date: 2011-05-06
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Post 9/11 Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act - Amends the Troops-to-Teachers program of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (which provides veterans with teacher certification stipends in exchange for three years of service in a high-need local educational agency [LEA] or public charter school). Expands program eligibility to cover certain individuals: (1) who, on or after September 11, 2001, serve at least 90 continuous days on active duty in the Armed Forces before being honorably released from such service; or (2) who, on or after January 8, 2002, are separated or released from active duty after at least four (currently, six) years of continuous active duty immediately preceding such separation or release, and agree to serve in the Armed Forces Reserves for at least three years. Makes any LEA that is receiving school improvement funds eligible to host Troops-to-Teachers program participants. Directs the Secretary of Education to establish an Advisory Board, composed of federal, state, and veteran service organization representatives, to collect, study, and disseminate feedback from the program and report to Congress on how the program is operating and might be improved.

Date: 2011-05-23
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Excellence and Innovation in Language Learning Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to undertake certain national activities at the elementary and secondary school level that include: (1) expanding the collection and dissemination of information on effective foreign language education, (2) encouraging states to adopt nationally recognized standards for foreign language education and effective assessments that are aligned to such standards, and (3) providing scholarships to students and their teachers for study-abroad opportunities. Directs the Secretary to award competitive grants to states to improve their elementary and secondary school foreign language programs. Requires each state grantee to use its grant to: (1) develop foreign language and international education policy and programs, (2) appoint a state foreign language and international education advisory council to assist it in doing so, (3) designate a state language and international education coordinator or coordinators, (4) adopt nationally recognized standards for foreign language education and effective assessments that are aligned to such standards, (5) implement in- and pre-service foreign language teacher training programs, (6) provide scholarships and incentives to recruit new teachers and encourage existing teachers to receive training, and (7) provide technical assistance to elementary and secondary schools. Directs the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to partnerships between state or local educational agencies and institutions of higher education to develop and maintain, or improve and expand, model programs that ensure the continuity of student progress in foreign language proficiency from kindergarten through grade 12. Requires each model program to include a research and evaluation component.

Date: 2011-05-25
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Great Teaching for Great Schools Act of 2011 - Amends title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to create a new part E (Building School and System Capacity for Effective Teaching). Directs the Secretary of Education to allot funds to states for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to implement a comprehensive professional learning system in their schools that: (1) fosters collective responsibility for improved student performance; (2) comprises professional learning that primarily occurs several times or hours each week among established teams of teachers, principals, and other instructional staff; and (3) may be supported by activities such as courses, workshops, institutes, networks, and conferences. Requires states to give subgrant priority to LEAs that demonstrate the greatest need for such funds by reason of their serving: (1) a population of children 40% of whom are eligible for free and reduced price meals under the school lunch program; (2) a school identified, under title I of the ESEA, as needing corrective action; and (3) schools having an average graduation rate below 65%. Allows LEA subgrantees to use school improvement funds received under title I of the ESEA for professional learning activities under this Act, which are to be integrated and aligned with their state's school improvement efforts under title I. Requires LEA subgrantees to conduct formal evaluations of their professional learning systems.

Date: 2011-06-16
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make matching demonstration grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) in which the student-to-school nurse ratio in each of their public elementary and secondary schools is 750 or more students to every school nurse to reduce such ratio. Gives grant priority to LEAs that serve a high number or percentage of impoverished students and demonstrate the greatest need for new or additional nursing services for their students.

Date: 2011-06-16
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Prepare All Kids Act of 2011 - Creates a part I (High Quality Full-Day Prekindergarten Programs) under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Implements such part by requiring the Secretary of Education to establish a Prekindergarten Incentive Fund from which matching grants shall be awarded to states and, through them, subgrants to qualified prekindergarten providers to establish, expand, or enhance voluntary high quality full-day prekindergarten programs serving children ages 3-5. Directs state grantees to set aside: (1) at least 15% of their grant for quality early childhood development programs for children ages 0-3, and (2) at least 10% of their grant to extend the hours of early childhood programs to create extended day and year programs. Requires prekindergarten subgrantees to: (1) maintain a maximum class size of 20 children, with at least 1 prekindergarten teacher per classroom; and (2) ensure that the ratio of children to prekindergarten teachers and teacher aides does not exceed 10 to 1.

Date: 2011-06-23
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning Act of 2011 - Amends title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include teacher and principal training in practices that address the social and emotional development needs of students among the activities funded under the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund program. Allows funded training to include training in classroom instruction and schoolwide initiatives that enable students to acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills most conducive to social and emotional competency.

Date: 2011-07-07
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
All Children are Equal Act or ACE Act - Amends part A of title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to alter the formula for determining the share of targeted grant funds and education finance incentive grant funds a local educational agency (LEA) receives. Alters the formula so that LEAs that have a high percentage of impoverished students, but a comparatively low number of such students, fare better in the allocation of such funding.

Date: 2011-07-11
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
No Child Left Inside Act of 2011 - 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 pre-kindergarten through grade 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 a local educational agency (LEA) and, permissibly, institutions of higher education (IHE), other educational entities, or federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, for activities involving, among other things, teacher training and the development of more rigorous environmental education curricula that advance the teaching of interdisciplinary courses. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to partnerships that include an LEA and, permissibly, IHEs, other educational entities, federal, state, regional, or local natural resource or environmental agencies, or park and recreation departments, for activities to improve and support environmental education that include: (1) advancing content and achievement standards, and (2) developing or disseminating innovations or model programs.

Date: 2011-07-14
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Working to Encourage Community Action and Responsibility in Education Act or WE CARE Act - Amends title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to assess the nonacademic factors affecting student academic performance and work with other public, private, nonprofit, and community-based entities to address those factors. Requires the annual report cards issued by states and LEAs to include additional performance data, including information on their efforts to increase community and parental involvement in students' education. Establishes a new program requiring the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to LEAs for the development and implementation of community involvement policies that leverage the resources, services, and opportunities available from public, private, nonprofit, and community-based partners to address students' academic and nonacademic needs and thereby support their attainment of state academic performance standards.

Date: 2011-07-15
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Citizens Protection Act of 2011 - Repeals provisions of the federal criminal code that prohibit the possession of a firearm in a school zone.

Date: 2011-07-21
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Developing Innovative Partnerships and Learning Opportunities that Motivate Achievement Act or DIPLOMA Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award renewable five-year grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local consortia that include a local educational agency (LEA) and other community partners to: (1) ensure the academic, physical, social, emotional, and civic development of disadvantaged youth; and (2) strengthen their families and communities. Requires each state grantee to develop and implement a state child and youth strategy that assesses children's needs and the assets within the state that can be mobilized, coordinated, and integrated to achieve quantifiable progress toward goals that include ensuring that: (1) children are ready for school; (2) students are engaged and achieving in school; (3) students are physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally healthy; (4) schools and neighborhoods are safe and provide a positive climate for learning; (5) families are supportive and engaged in their children's education; (6) students are ready for postsecondary education and 21st Century careers; and (7) students are contributing to their communities. Directs the consortia to develop and implement a local child and youth strategy that integrates multiple private and public services into a comprehensive, coordinated continuum of services directed toward achieving quantifiable progress toward such goals. Requires the Secretary to award competitive grants directly to local consortia if appropriated funds fall below a specified amount.

Date: 2011-07-25
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
P.E. for the 21st Century Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to local educational agencies and charter schools to improve physical fitness education and curricula in elementary and secondary schools. Requires each grantee to carry out a pilot program for one school year that: (1) makes technology a key component of assessing students' physical fitness and improvement; (2) creates partnerships with local businesses to ensure community support for the program, and their financial and professional assistance; and (3) incorporates physical fitness education (in addition to regular physical fitness education classes) into multiple areas of the curriculum. Limits such grants to one grantee in each state.

Date: 2011-07-28
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: 2011-07-28
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Continuum of Learning Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to coordinate school improvement and professional development activities with early childhood development and education programs. Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the ESEA to require states to create or revise early learning guidelines for preschool age children and early learning standards for children in kindergarten through grade three. Requires the guidelines and standards to be developmentally appropriate and cover all domains of child development and learning. Requires states to encourage local educational agencies (LEAs) and elementary schools to use school improvement funds to offer early childhood education programs from birth to school entry. Requires LEAs to: (1) assist their elementary schools in conducting a ready school needs review, at least once every three years, that is used to create a school environment that supports children's transition to school and achievement of state and grade level expectations; (2) ensure, to the extent feasible, starting with the 2015-2016 school year, that teachers placed in the early elementary school grades have a specialized early childhood education teaching license, credential, or endorsement; and (3) work with early childhood education programs to establish a continuity of curricular objectives and developmental expectations that support children's transition to school. Limits the use of child assessments for children from birth through grade two. Amends part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund) of title II of the ESEA to require states to incorporate knowledge regarding early childhood development and learning into teacher and principal certification or licensing requirements. Requires professional development activities to include: (1) training in early child development and learning, and (2) joint training for elementary school staff and early childhood education program staff.

Date: 2011-08-05
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Promoting Health as Youth Skills In Classrooms And Life Act - Amends the Department of Education Organization Act to establish an Office of Safe and Healthy Students in the Department of Education to assume the responsibilities of the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools and expand such responsibilities to broader health and physical education issues. Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include health education and physical education in the definition of "core academic subjects." Requires each state to determine the most feasible measure for assessing students in health education and physical education, including through adaptive assessments, to measure student knowledge and performance against state standards. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to, and enter into contracts with, local educational agencies (LEAs), community-based organizations, and nonprofit organizations to initiate, expand, and improve health education programs for students in kindergarten through grade 12, especially in rural areas. Authorizes appropriations for FY2012-FY2016 for the Carol M. White Physical Education Program, which provides matching grants to LEAs and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs (including after-school programs) for students in kindergarten through grade 12.

Date: 2011-08-12
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
School Athletic Facilities Restoration Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to local educational agencies for the construction, renovation, or repair of school athletic facilities.

Date: 2011-09-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Abstinence Education Reallocation Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award grants for qualified sexual risk avoidance education to youth and their parents. Requires such education to meet certain criteria, including: (1) being age-appropriate, medically accurate, and evidence-based; (2) having as its sole purpose the teaching of the skills and benefits of sexual abstinence as the optimal sexual health behavior for youth; and (3) teaching the benefits of refraining from nonmarital sexual activity, the advantage of reserving sexual activity for marriage, and the foundational components of a healthy relationship. Gives priority to programs that serve youth ages 12 to 19 and that will promote the protective benefits of parent-child communication regarding healthy sexual decisionmaking.

Date: 2011-09-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Health
Equal Access to Quality Education Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to partnerships between high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to: (1) establish or support teacher preparation programs, and (2) establish or support teacher induction and retention programs. Requires the teacher preparation programs to: (1) require participants to complete at least one year of residency followed by at least three years of teaching at the LEA's high-need schools, and (2) award participants a teaching credential or degree that meets state requirements for a teaching license or certification upon their completion of the program. Requires the teacher induction and retention programs to provide teachers with: (1) high-quality professional development; (2) updated information on developments in curricula, assessments, and educational research; (3) a mentor teacher and other support if they are new teachers; and (4) leadership opportunities. Allows the grants to be used for certain other activities designed to improve the quality of education in high-need areas. Gives grant priority to partnerships that: (1) have a plan to recruit teachers from among minority and local candidates and the disabled; (2) use a valid and reliable teacher performance assessment; or (3) include an IHE eligible to participate in the TEACH Grant program, a Tribal College or University, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, an Hispanic-serving institution, or an historically Black college and university.

Date: 2011-09-13
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education