zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Teacher and Principal Improvement Act - Creates a new title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) consisting of a part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruitment Fund) and part B (Teacher Incentive Fund). Moves teacher liability and internet safety provisions to title IX of the ESEA. Authorize appropriations for title II through FY2016. Reserves at least 20% of such funding for the part B program, after the Secretary of Education reserves funds for certain national activities under part A. Allocates part A grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) pursuant to a formula that apportions: (1) 20% of the funding to states and LEAs on the basis of their share of students aged 5-17 on the national and state level, respectively; and (2) 80% of such funding on the basis of their share of impoverished students in that age group. Requires states to use 98.5% of those funds for subgrants to LEAs, with the remainder being used for specified state activities. Lists the projects which the subgrants may fund, including: (1) teacher and principal recruitment, training, and retention efforts; (2) teacher and principal evaluation systems that are based in significant part on student achievement; (3) model instructional programs in the core academic subjects; and (4) measures that improve students' access to school library materials, postsecondary level coursework, and extended learning opportunities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide technical assistance to part A grantees and subgrantees, (2) evaluate part A activities, and (3) award competitive matching grants to national nonprofit organizations for teacher or principal training programs. Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants under part B to states, LEAs, or partnerships between those entities and profit or nonprofit organizations to develop, implement, improve, or expand, performance-based compensation systems for teachers and principals. Favors grant applicants that focus on teachers and principals serving in high-need schools. Directs the Secretary to arrange for an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of part B programs.

Date: 2011-09-15
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Elementary and Secondary Education Amendments Act of 2011 - Amends title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to eliminate the requirement that local educational agencies (LEAs) and public elementary and secondary schools make adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic content and achievement standards. Requires, instead, that states: (1) adopt college and career ready academic content and achievement standards for all public elementary and secondary school students; (2) conduct student assessments in mathematics, reading, and science that involve multiple measures of academic achievement, including measures of student academic growth; and (3) use those assessments, secondary school graduation rates, and other state determined indicators to identify the lowest performing 5% of their schools. Allows states to adopt alternative academic achievement standards and assessments for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Requires each LEA with a school identified as being in the lowest performing 5% of schools to identify the factors that may be contributing to the school's low performance and choose an appropriate intervention strategy for the school. Lists the intervention strategies as: (1) transformation strategies, (2) restart strategies, (3) school closure strategies, (4) turnaround strategies, and (5) alternative state determined school turnaround strategies. Requires LEAs to give students in these lowest performing schools the option to transfer to higher performing public schools in their jurisdiction, provided the option is not prohibited by state law. Directs the Secretary of Education to allot grants to states and, through them, award competitive subgrants to LEAs to implement the intervention strategies and cover the transportation costs students incur in exercising their option to attend another school. Changes from mandatory to discretionary the authority of states to use title I administrative funds to establish a program to recognize exemplary schools and assist underperforming schools. Eliminates the requirement that all teachers be highly qualified, requiring instead that they meet applicable state certification and licensure requirements. Replaces the Student Reading Skills Improvement Grants program with a program awarding grants to states to assist them in developing academic assessments and academic content and achievement standards. Repeals: (1) the demonstrations of innovative practices, assessment evaluation, and Close Up Fellowship programs under part E; (2) part F (Comprehensive School Reform); (3) part G (Advanced Placement Programs); and (4) part H (School Dropout Prevention) of title I of the ESEA. Amends title VI (Flexibility and Accountability) of the ESEA to allow LEAs to transfer up to 100% of their allocations under titles II and IV between the two programs or into the school improvement program under part A of title I. Allows states to do the same with the amounts allotted to them under such programs for state level activities.

Date: 2011-09-15
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Fix America's Schools Today Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to allocate grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to modernize, renovate, or repair early learning or elementary or secondary education facilities. Requires the Secretary to allocate grants directly to the 100 LEAs with the largest numbers of children aged 5-17 living in poverty to modernize, renovate, or repair such facilities. Allocates such funds among these LEAs in proportion to each LEA's respective share of school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Requires states to give subgrant priority to projects that comply with certain green building standards. Prohibits the use of such grants for new construction, routine janitorial costs, or on facilities used for events for which the public is charged admission. Reserves funds for a survey, by the National Center for Education Statistics, of our public school construction, modernization, renovation, and repair needs. Directs the Secretary to allocate grants to states to modernize, renovate, or repair existing facilities at community colleges. Prohibits the use of such grants: (1) for routine janitorial costs, (2) on facilities used for events for which the public is charged admission, or (3) on facilities which are used for sectarian purposes. Requires states, in providing assistance to community college projects, to consider the extent to which the project complies with certain green building standards. Limits the amount of time states and LEAs have to obligate this Act's grants and subgrants. Requires, with certain exceptions, the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in projects funded by this Act to be domestic. Applies the prevailing wage rate requirements of the Davis-Bacon Act to projects assisted pursuant to this Act.

Date: 2011-09-21
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Growth to Excellence Act of 2011 - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to measure student progress toward academic achievement standards using adaptive assessments that are computerized, aligned with grade-level academic content standards, and measure student growth above and below grade level. Allows states, upon the Secretary of Education's approval, to adopt an alternative accountability model requiring their local educational agencies (LEAs) and public elementary and secondary schools to achieve adequate student growth toward college and career readiness standards. Requires such states to: (1) adopt college and career ready academic content standards; (2) adopt college and career ready assessments that measure annual student growth in mathematics and reading or the language arts; (3) measure secondary school graduation rates; (4) assess at least two additional indicators of students' college or career readiness; and (5) require schools that do not meet adequate student growth targets to be categorized, provided with appropriate support, and subject to consequences that include intervention measures. Requires an alternative accountability model to establish annual progress targets for each school that aim to reduce by half, in less than six years, the difference between the percentage of students (overall and in specified student subgroups) at the top performing schools who meet the college and career readiness standards or make adequate student growth, and the percentage of such students at each school that is not a top performing school. Requires annual progress targets for secondary schools to aim to reduce by half, in less than six years, the difference between the percentage of students who graduate and 90%. Describes what shall be considered adequate student growth toward college and career readiness standards.

Date: 2011-10-04
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Facilitating Outstanding Classrooms Using Size Act or 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: 2011-10-06
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Effective Teaching and Leading Act - Amends title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a new Part E: Building School Capacity for Effective Teaching and Leadership. Directs the Secretary of Education to allot grants to states for subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve teaching and school leadership through a system of teacher and principal induction, professional development, and evaluation that is developed, implemented, and evaluated in collaboration with local teacher, principal, and school leader organizations and preparation programs. Requires LEAs to include in such system: (1) a comprehensive, coherent, high quality formalized induction program for beginning teachers during their first two years of full-time employment; (2) high-quality effective professional development for teachers, principals, school librarians, and other school leaders at their lowest achieving schools; (3) a rigorous, transparent, and equitable teacher and principal evaluation system for all their schools; (4) ongoing high-quality support, coaching, and professional development for principals and other school leaders at their lowest achieving schools; (5) opportunities for teachers and school librarians to assume new school leadership roles and receive training regarding such roles; and (6) significant and sustainable stipends above a teacher's base salary for teachers that serve as mentors, instructional coaches, teacher leaders, or evaluators under these programs. Directs LEA grantees to conduct a valid and reliable full population survey of teaching and learning, at the school and LEA level, the results of which are to inform and be integrated into such systems. Requires a formal evaluation of each system to be conducted by the state, an institution of higher education, or an external agency and the results disseminated widely.

Date: 2011-10-06
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) 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 (2) work with early childhood education programs to establish a continuity of curricular objectives and developmental expectations that support children's transition to school. Limits the use of child assessments for children from birth through grade two. Amends part A (Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund) of title II of the ESEA to require states to incorporate knowledge regarding early childhood development and learning into teacher and principal certification or licensing requirements. Requires professional development activities to include: (1) training in early child development and learning, and (2) joint training for elementary school staff and early childhood education program staff.

Date: 2011-10-11
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Rehabilitation of Historic Schools Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow rehabilitation expenditures for a qualified public educational facility (defined as a school facility which is part of a public elementary or secondary school and is owned by a private, for-profit corporation pursuant to a public-private partnership agreement) to qualify for the rehabilitation tax credit.

Date: 2011-10-12
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Assuring Successful Students through Effective Teaching Act of 2011 - Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to define "highly qualified teachers" as those that have: (1) completed a state-approved traditional or alternative teacher preparation program, where available; or (2) passed a rigorous state-approved teacher performance assessment and obtained full state certification. Defines "effective teachers" as highly qualified teachers that demonstrate certain qualities and have done so for at least three years, as measured by a comprehensive teacher evaluation and support system developed by the relevant local educational agency (LEA). Requires LEAs to ensure that poor, minority, disabled, and limited English proficient students are taught by highly qualified and effective teachers at similar rates and ratios as other students. Requires states to provide additional supports to LEAs that fall short of that goal to assist them in making continuous progress towards it. Includes among those supports: (1) stronger teacher recruitment efforts, (2) efforts to improve teacher retention, and (3) ongoing teacher training. Requires LEAs to ensure that: (1) all their teachers are highly qualified no later than three years after this Act's enactment, (2) that none of their public schools has a disproportionate percentage of teachers neither highly qualified nor effective, and (3) teachers who are not highly qualified are closely mentored and overseen by an effective mentor teacher who is certified and effective in the mentored teacher's subject area.

Date: 2011-10-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Early Learning Proficiency Act - Requires states to issue guidance to local educational agencies (LEAs) regarding permissible uses of school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to serve preschool children. Amends title III of the ESEA to allow LEAs to use subgrant funds under the English language acquisition and language enhancement program to develop and implement prekindergarten language programs. Directs the Secretary of Education to issue guidance to LEAs on the use of funds under title III of the ESEA for prekindergarten programs. Requires that guidance to promote LEAs' use of funds under part B (Improving Language Instruction Educational Programs) of title III for early childhood professional development systems.

Date: 2011-10-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
School Accountability Improvements Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow local educational agencies (LEAs) that are unable to provide a small, rural, or remote school with a highly-qualified on-site classroom teacher for a core academic subject to use distance education provided by a teacher highly qualified in the subject, but only if a teacher highly-qualified in another subject is present in the classroom to assist students during the distance education. 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 LEAs identified as needing improvement to provide supplemental educational services themselves. Allows schools and LEAs 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 requirements that schools face corrective action or restructuring 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. Excepts teachers of American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian language, culture, or history from the requirement that teachers be highly qualified. Allows states to require a local tribe or tribal organization to verify their competency.

Date: 2011-10-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Educational Accountability and State Flexibility Act - Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require each state to establish a multi-tiered accountability system that places each public school in a tier that reflects the state's annual assessment of the extent to which the school needs improvement. (This replaces the current system of assessing schools as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring.) Requires states to weigh school needs by considering the extent to which: (1) schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards for students overall and for poor, minority, disabled, and limited English proficient student subgroups in particular; (2) schools are progressing toward the required graduation rate; and (3) a school's students are growing academically. Requires distinct tiers for schools: (1) making AYP; (2) nearly making AYP, achieving student academic growth, and improving their graduation rate; (3) not making AYP for a significant number of categories of students; and (4) not making AYP for multiple years. Lists minimum consequences for schools placed into each of these tiers: consequences that range from requiring states to recognize successful schools, to requiring local educational agencies (LEAs) to implement alternative school governance models or school improvement strategies based on a specified system of support model. Denies the Secretary of Education any authority to approve or disapprove of a state's multi-tiered accountability system. Requires state-approved providers of supplemental educational services to demonstrate success in serving any category of students at schools that do not make AYP. Authorizes LEAs to negotiate performance-based contracts with providers of supplemental educational services.

Date: 2011-10-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in awarding grants to states under the children's asthma treatment grants program, to favor states that require their public elementary and secondary schools to: (1) permit authorized personnel to administer epinephrine to any student believed to be having an anaphylactic reaction, and (2) maintain a supply of epinephrine that is prescribed by a licensed physician and is stored in a secure and easily accessible location. (States given this preference are also required by current law to require those schools to authorize students, under certain conditions, to self-administer medication to treat their asthma or anaphylaxis.) Requires such states to also have a Good Samaritan law protecting school employees and agents from liability related to the administration of epinephrine to students believed, in good faith, to be having an anaphylactic reaction.

Date: 2011-11-17
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Health
Student-to-School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act of 2012 - 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: 2012-01-31
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Josh Miller Helping Everyone Access Responsive Treatment in Schools Act of 2012 or Josh Miller HEARTS Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to: (1) purchase automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for use in their schools, and/or (2) provide training to meet the grant requirement that at least five adult employees or volunteers at each school where an AED is to be used successfully complete training in its use and in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Requires LEA grant applicants also to demonstrate that: (1) the AEDs are integrated into the schools' emergency response procedures, and (2) emergency services personnel are notified of their locations. Gives grant priority to schools that: (1) lack an AED; (2) typically have a significant number of students, staff, and visitors present during the day; (3) generally have a longer wait for emergency medical services than other public facilities in the community; and (4) have not received funds under the Rural Access to Emergency Devices Act.

Date: 2012-02-14
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Tax Credit for Early Educators Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an individual taxpayer who is employed in a position involving regular contact with students in an early childhood school or education program and whose position involves the formulation or implementation of educational programs for such school or program a $3,000 tax credit, adjusted for inflation after 2012; (2) extend until 2017 the tax deduction for certain expenses of eligible educators (currently, elementary and secondary school teachers) and expand the definition of "eligible educators" to include teachers, instructors, counselors, or aides in a preschool or early childhood program; and (3) eliminate the income-based reduction in the tax credit for employer-provided dependent care services (thus allowing a full 35% credit for employment-related expenses incurred for the care of a dependent).

Date: 2012-03-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation
Preparing and Reinvesting in Early Education Act of 2012 or PRE ED Act of 2012 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include early childhood educators in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) forgiveness programs for teachers. Makes early childhood educators eligible for FFEL or DL forgiveness if they are not in default on the loan being forgiven and have: (1) been employed as a full-time early childhood educator for five consecutive complete school years or a comparable period, as determined by the Secretary of Education; and (2) obtained an associate or baccalaureate degree in early childhood education prior to that period of service. Caps at $25,000 the amount of an early childhood educator's FFEL or DL that may be forgiven. Includes early childhood educators with associate degrees in early childhood development, early child education, or a related field in the program providing FFEL forgiveness for service in areas of national need. (Currently, early childhood educators are required to have completed a baccalaureate or advanced degree in such a field to qualify for participation in that program.)

Date: 2012-03-08
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Save Our Students Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to provide funds to states submitting specified plans for the National Guard to supplement state and local efforts to keep schools safe from violence.

Date: 2012-12-19
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
School Safety Enhancements Act of 2012 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize school security grants by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to be used for the installation of surveillance equipment and the establishment of hotlines or tiplines for the reporting of potentially dangerous students and situations. Increases the maximum federal share of the costs of a program provided by a grant to 80%. Requires a grant application to be accompanied by a report that: (1) is signed by the heads of each law enforcement agency and school district with jurisdiction over the schools where the safety improvements will be implemented; and (2) demonstrates that each proposed use of the grant funds will be an effective means for improving school safety, as well as consistent with a comprehensive approach to preventing school violence and individualized to the needs of each school. Requires the Office Director and the Secretary of Education to establish an interagency task force to develop and promulgate a set of advisory school safety guidelines. Authorizes appropriations for such grant program for FY2013-FY2015.

Date: 2012-12-19
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stop Abuse For Every Child Act of 2012 or the SAFE Child Act - Amends the federal criminal code to require the court to impose an additional special assessment equal to three times the amount assessed under current law on persons convicted of specified offenses (other than individuals convicted of an offense against the United States). Establishes a Surcharge Fund, to be administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), into which such assessments shall be deposited and from which the Secretary shall make a competitive grant every three years to a private nonprofit organization to operate a national child abuse hotline, encourage reporting of child abuse, and conduct public education on child abuse. Requires unobligated funds to be transferred to the Crime Victims Fund.

Date: 2012-12-21
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Safe Schools Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to repeal provisions making it unlawful to possess or discharge a firearm in a school zone.

Date: 2013-01-03
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
School Building Enhancement Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide grants to: (1) states and local educational agencies (LEAs) for providing intensive technical assistance for, and assisting the implementation of, the EnergySmart Schools Program of the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Star for K-12 School Districts program of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); (2) LEAs that become partners through such Energy Star program; and (3) states for use in the development, in partnership with the Secretary of Energy, of state-level school energy efficiency quality plans.

Requires the Secretary of Education to give priority to projects to provide assistance to state and local educational agencies with a demonstrated need for energy efficiency improvement.

Date: 2013-01-03
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Directs the Secretary of Education to allot funds to states for distribution to local educational agencies (LEAs) to recruit, hire, and train 100,000 new classroom paraprofessionals in order to improve educational achievement for children.

Requires that 80% of a state's allotment be allocated to LEAs on the basis of each LEA's proportion of low-income schoolchildren in the state, and that the remainder be allocated on the basis of each LEA's proportion of the overall population of schoolchildren in the state.

Date: 2013-01-04
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
End Radon in Schools Act - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review, update, revise, and publish the Radon Measurements In Schools Guidelines with current information and guidance on radon testing in public elementary and secondary schools.

Directs the Administrator, subject to the availability of appropriations, to award grants to states to: (1) follow the updated Guidelines, (2) test radon levels in their public elementary and secondary schools, and (3) provide funds to their local educational agencies (LEAs) to mitigate and re-test radon levels in schools found to have radon levels that the updated Guidelines deem unsafe.

Requires the Administrator to conduct such mitigation directly or by contract if an LEA does not certify to its state that it will use grant funds to mitigate unsafe radon levels at its schools.

Gives highest grant priority to states whose total landmass lies in Radon Zone 1 and second highest priority to states with at least 50% of their landmass in Radon Zone 1. Defines "Radon Zone 1" as areas that have a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than four picocuries per liter.

Date: 2013-01-15
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 the educational resources to succeed academically and in life. Requires such education to enable students to: (1) acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship, (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards, and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy.

Requires each system to do so by: (1) satisfying certain opportunity to learn indicators for all its schools, including highly effective teachers and equitable instructional resources; (2) providing educational services in local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in LEAs not receiving such funds; and (3) complying with any final federal or state court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitableness of the system. Requires withholding of specified portions of its federal funding for administrative expenses if a system: (1) fails to meet a yearly interim goal; (2) does not remedy, after two school years, a failure to provide comparable educational services to schools that receive funds for disadvantaged children; or (3) does not comply with a court order. Allows students or parents aggrieved by violations of this Act to bring civil actions for enforcement in federal district courts. Directs the Commissioner of Education Statistics to study the effects of educational disparities on economic growth and on national defense.

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Student Privacy Protection Act of 2009 [sic]- Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to revise provisions for military recruiter access to secondary school student information.

Requires ESEA-assisted local educational agencies (LEAs) to notify each secondary school student's parent of the option to consent to a release of the student's name, address, and telephone listing to military recruiters, and to give the parent the opportunity to provide such consent in writing. Requires such LEAs to provide military recruiters, upon their request, with access to such information on a student only if the student's parent has given such written consent.

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to alter the percentage of school improvement funds that are reserved for outlying areas and Indian education.

Reserves 0.5% of those funds for outlying areas and 0.75% for Indian education. (Currently, 1% of those funds are reserved for outlying areas and Indian education.)

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct coeducational elementary and secondary schools that participate in any ESEA program to: (1) report annually certain information on equality in their school athletic programs to the Commissioner for Educational Statistics; and (2) make such information available, upon request, to their students, potential students, and the public.

Directs the Commissioner to ensure that such data are posted on the Department of Education's Web site within a reasonable period of time.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Transforming Education through Technology Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to strengthen state and local technological infrastructure and professional development that supports digital learning.

Allocates grant funds among states in proportion to each state's share of school improvement funds under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965.

Requires states to use at least 90% of their grant to award subgrants to LEAs.

Requires LEAs to use: (1) at least 40% of those funds to support the acquisition of technology that addresses their technology infrastructure and access needs, and (2) at least 35% of those funds for professional development for digital learning.

Allows states to form purchasing consortia with other states, and allows LEAs to form purchasing consortia with other LEAs, to carry out grant and subgrant activities, including the purchase of technology.

Technology for Tomorrow Fund - Directs the Secretary to award renewable, competitive grants to eligible partnerships to improve student achievement, academic growth, and college-and-career readiness through the use of technology and digital learning.

Defines an "eligible partnership" as a partnership that includes at least one state or LEA and at least one LEA or educational service agency, institution of higher education, nonprofit or community-based organization, or business or for-profit organization.

Requires partnerships to use their grants to carry out activities that utilize technology and digital learning to promote: (1) personalized, individualized instruction; (2) improvements in teacher and school leader preparation, professional development, knowledge, skills, practice, and professional capacity; (3) students' equitable access to high-quality curriculum, instruction, assessments, technology, and digital learning; and (4) educational efficiency and productivity.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish partnership performance measures, (2) contract with an outside entity to evaluate the grant program and identify effective practices for improving student outcomes, (3) disseminate and provide technical assistance to LEAs and states on best practices in utilizing technology and digital learning for student advancement, and (4) ensure that the Department of Education applies those best practices to other innovation fund programs.

Date: 2013-02-06
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: 2013-02-06
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Protect America's Schools Act of 2013 - Makes supplemental appropriations for the Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs, for Community Oriented Policing Services, for school resource officers for FY2012.

Rescinds an equal amount of unobligated balances available for the Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for operations, research, and facilities.

Date: 2013-02-15
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Continuum of Learning Act of 2013 - 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 in schools and other settings from birth to the age of mandatory 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: 2013-02-15
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish a geography education grant program under title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement).

Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award a grant to a national nonprofit educational organization or consortium, with 75% to be used for matching subgrants to institutions of higher education associated with state geographic alliances, nonprofit educational organizations, or state or local educational agencies.

Requires program participants to use their grants and subgrants to enhance the geographic literacy of students in kindergarten through grade 12 by supporting specified activities, including: (1) educational research; (2) teacher training; (3) the development of effective teaching tools and learning materials; (4) the application of rigorous academic standards and assessment techniques; (5) comparative studies of world cultures, economies, and environments; and (6) the exchange of information regarding the state of geographic literacy and strategies for its improvement.

Date: 2013-02-26
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2013 or the PRE-K Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to states to enhance or improve state-funded preschool programs.

Sets forth a grant formula favoring states that: (1) have curricula aligned with state early learning standards; (2) use nationally-established, or better, best practices for class size and teacher-to-student ratios; (3) require each teacher to have at least an associate degree in early childhood education or a related field; (4) require such programs to operate for at least a full academic year; and (5) have a plan for meeting the requirement, within five years of receiving such grant, that teachers have at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or have such degree in a related field, but have also completed specialized training in early childhood education.

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

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

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

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

Reserves funds for competitive grants to Indians for their preschool programs.

Date: 2013-03-11
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2013 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects their education.

Requires LEAs to also provide: (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their discipline policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level; and (4) discipline policies that minimize the removal of students from instruction and prevent disproportionate punishment.

Requires: (1) the Secretary of Education to conduct, and report on, an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools; and (2) the Commissioner for Education Statistics to collect state data, that are subject to independent review, to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA discipline policies.

Date: 2013-03-14
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Education
Educational Opportunities Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers a tax credit for charitable contributions to a scholarship granting organization. Allows a maximum credit amount of $4,500 ($2,250 for a married individual filing a separate return). Defines "scholarship granting organization" as a tax-exempt entity whose exclusive purpose is to provide scholarships for the tuition and other expenses of elementary and secondary school students from low income households (i.e., household income not exceeding 250% of federal poverty guidelines).

Allows corporate taxpayers a tax credit, up to $100,000, for contributions to a scholarship granting organization.

Imposes a penalty on scholarship granting organizations that fail to distribute at least 90% of their total receipts for elementary and secondary school expenses in a taxable year.

Date: 2013-03-21
Topic: Education (Elementary & Secondary)
Subject: Taxation