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HR 3523 IH

To develop a generation of school leaders who are committed to, and effective in, increasing student achievement and to ensure that all low-income, under-performing schools are led by effective school leaders who are well-prepared to foster student success.

September 11, 2007

Mrs. DAVIS of California (for herself and Ms. CARSON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

To develop a generation of school leaders who are committed to, and effective in, increasing student achievement and to ensure that all low-income, under-performing schools are led by effective school leaders who are well-prepared to foster student success.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Improving the Leadership and Effectiveness of Administrators for Districts Act of 2007' or the `I LEAD Act of 2007'.

SEC. 2. SCHOOL LEADERSHIP.

(a) Findings- Congress finds the following:

(1) In the next 5 years, the number of openings for school principals is expected to grow by 20 percent and the number of principals retiring is likely to see a marked increase. The resulting principal shortage is expected to pose the greatest challenge for urban and rural local educational agencies with large concentrations of high-poverty and under-performing schools, as those local educational agencies often attract the fewest new principals.

(2) Literature from the American Educational Research Association concludes that school leadership has significant effects on student learning. School leaders can have positive effects on student achievement, primarily by galvanizing effort around ambitious goals and by establishing conditions that support teachers and help students succeed.

(3) School leaders, especially in under-performing schools, are often unprepared to foster student success, as the leaders themselves do not receive the proper support, resources, and professional development needed to become effective leaders.

(4) A 2003 Public Agenda report found that 72 percent of superintendents and 67 percent of principals agree that the typical leadership training that administrators receive does not give administrators `what it takes to run today's school district'.

(5) State educational leaders currently lack concrete benchmarks against which school leaders can be measured to determine adequacy. State educational agencies and local educational agencies also lack the funds necessary to recruit, train, and maintain successful school leaders.

(b) School Leadership- Section 2151(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6651(b)) is amended to read as follows:

`(b) School Leadership-

`(1) PURPOSES- The purposes of this subsection are--

`(A) to develop a generation of school leaders who are committed to, and effective in, increasing student achievement; and

`(B) to ensure that all under-performing schools are led by well-trained, well-supported, effective school leaders.

`(2) NATIONAL PRINCIPAL RECRUITMENT PROGRAM-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary is authorized to establish and carry out a national principal recruitment program to assist high-need local educational agencies in recruiting and training principals (including assistant principals) through such activities as--

`(i) providing financial incentives to aspiring new principals;

`(ii) providing stipends to principals who--

`(I) have a demonstrated record of effectiveness; and

`(II) mentor new principals;

`(iii) carrying out professional development programs in instructional leadership and management; and

`(iv) providing incentives that are appropriate for teachers or individuals from other fields who want to become principals and that are effective in retaining new principals.

`(B) GRANTS- The Secretary shall carry out this paragraph by making grants, on a competitive basis, to--

`(i) high-need local educational agencies;

`(ii) consortia of high-need local educational agencies; and

`(iii) partnerships of high-need local educational agencies and either or both--

`(I) non-profit organizations; and

`(II) institutions of higher education.

`(3) EVALUATION AND MODEL SCHOOL LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall establish a national competitive grant program to award School Leadership Partnership Grants to eligible entities to enable the eligible entities--

`(i) to carry out research-based evaluations described in subparagraph (D) examining the effectiveness of current State requirements for school leader certification or licensure and methods of recruiting, training, and retaining effective school leaders who improve student achievement at schools that receive funding under part A of title I;

`(ii) to develop recommendations described in subparagraph (E) to build upon the State school leader certification or licensure process; and

`(iii) to create model School Leadership Initiatives in accordance with subparagraph (F) by implementing such plans.

`(B) AMOUNT OF GRANTS- The amount of a grant under this paragraph shall be based on a formula developed by the Secretary that takes into consideration--

`(i) the size of the school-age population served by the eligible entity; and

`(ii) the availability of additional resources to support the implementation of the evaluation and the recommendations for improvements to the State certification or licensure process as well as improvements to the best practices for recruiting, training, and retaining school leaders.

`(C) APPLICATION- An eligible entity desiring a grant under this paragraph shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require. The application shall demonstrate that--

`(i) the results of the evaluation under subparagraph (D) will be used to recommend changes in the State certification or licensure process and best practices for recruiting, training, and retaining effective school leaders; and

`(ii) the eligible entity is well-positioned to implement a successful evaluation, as determined by--

`(I) a strong commitment to school leadership among the local school superintendents, teachers, parents, and the local community, such as private sector and higher education leaders; and

`(II) an ability to leverage additional funding to carry out the evaluation as well as the recommendations made as a result of the evaluation.

`(D) EVALUATION-

`(i) IN GENERAL- An eligible entity receiving a grant under this paragraph shall use grant funds to contract with an external agency that is experienced in conducting qualitative research to carry out a research-based evaluation of the school leader certification or licensure process in effect in the State, as well as current practices to recruit, train, and retain school leaders, as of the time of the evaluation, and the effect of such methods on student achievement.

`(ii) DEVELOPMENT- The evaluation described in clause (i) shall be developed in collaboration with groups such as--

`(I) veteran school leaders with track records of demonstrated gains in student achievement;

`(II) institutions of higher education involved with school leadership development located within the State; and

`(III) organizations that represent school leaders.

`(iii) MEASUREMENT- The evaluation described in clause (i) shall include a measurement of the following student achievement indicators for the State:

`(I) Student achievement on the State academic assessments described in section 1111(b)(3).

`(II) Secondary school graduation rates, if applicable.

`(III) The degree of family and community support for students' education.

`(IV) The rate of students entering college after graduation.

`(V) Interviews and questionnaires of students and teachers.

`(VI) The number of students taking Advanced Placement courses.

`(VII) Literacy rates.

`(VIII) Retention rates for school leaders, particularly in schools that have not made adequate yearly progress (as defined in section 1111(b)(2)(C)) for 1 or more of the school years following the date of enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110).

`(IX) A determination whether a school has a safe climate for academic achievement based on verifiable data reported in a consistent and uniform matter as prescribed by the state education agency, including the number of suspensions and expulsions, school-related crime data, and other indicators.

`(X) The administration of a positive school climate survey of students, parents, and school personnel that measures student self-discipline and attention to school work, tolerance for other students and teachers, students' care and respect for one another, mutual cooperation between students, student attention to task and concern for achievement at school, and teacher morale.

`(XI) Student and teacher attendance rates.

`(XII) Any other factor that the Secretary determines is of significant importance and necessary to substitute for an existing criterion listed in this clause.

The Secretary shall provide criteria on what the best practices are for implementation and monitoring of the policies relating to subclauses (V) and (X).

`(iv) SUBMISSION OF EVALUATION- After the completion of the evaluation under this subparagraph, an eligible entity receiving a grant under this paragraph shall submit a copy of the evaluation to the Secretary for approval under clause (v).

`(v) APPROVAL- The Secretary shall review an evaluation submitted under clause (iv), and shall approve or reject the evaluation based on the extent the evaluation meets the criteria described in this subparagraph.

`(E) BUILDING UPON STATE REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOL LEADER CERTIFICATION OR LICENSURE-

`(i) IN GENERAL- In the case of an eligible entity receiving a grant under this paragraph whose evaluation under subparagraph (D) demonstrates that the school leadership recruitment and training as well as the licensure or certification process of the State does have potential for improvement, as measured by the student achievement and other indicators described in subparagraph (D)(iii), the eligible entity, in collaboration with the groups described in subparagraph (D)(ii), shall make recommendations to the State Department of Education based on the data from the evaluation developed under this paragraph for with the goal of improving the effectiveness of school leadership recruitment and training and improvements to the state licensure or certification process.

`(ii) CONTENT- The plan described under clause (i) may include the following for potential school leaders:

`(I) Innovative recruitment, selection, and training programs for individuals within the teaching profession and from other fields to enable individuals to become effective school leaders.

`(II) Incentives to encourage veteran and new school leaders to lead low-income, under-performing schools.

`(III) Pre-service professional development programs and on-going professional development programs by organizations with histories of driving student achievement that would provide professional development through a partnership with the local educational agency.

`(IV) Ongoing support, including being partnered after the individual is placed as a school leader with a mentor who is a school leader with a demonstrated record of effectiveness to help design and implement a plan to improve student achievement at the new school leader's school.

`(V) Additional, specialized training for new principals leading schools with high populations of students with disabilities or students with limited English proficiency.

`(VI) Any other requirements the eligible entity developing the plan determines necessary for increasing student achievement.

`(F) SCHOOL LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE IMPLEMENTATION-

`(i) REQUIRED ACTIVITIES- An eligible entity that receives a grant under this paragraph and that is required to develop a plan under subparagraph (E) shall use grant funds to create a model School Leadership Initiative by implementing the plan developed by the eligible entity in either or both of the following--

`(I) an urban high-need local educational agency participating in the consortium described in paragraph (6)(A); and

`(II) a rural high-need local educational agency participating in such consortium.

`(ii) REPORT- Not later than 60 days after the last day of the grant period, an eligible entity that is required to carry out the activity described in clause (i) shall prepare and submit to the Secretary an analysis of the effectiveness of the model School Leadership Initiative based on evidence of the program's impact on the student achievement indicators described in subparagraph (D)(iii).

`(4) STUDY ON EFFECTIVENESS OF SCHOOL LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The grantee shall contract with an independent research and evaluation firm to determine the effectiveness of the School Leadership Initiative in the recruitment, training, and retraining of school leaders, as well as the effects of such initiatives on student achievement, as compared to the effectiveness of school leaders at similar schools served by local educational agencies not participating in the School Leadership Initiatives described in this subsection. The grantee shall describe the evaluation plan as part of its proposal to the Department, which will develop minimum standards for such evaluations. The evaluation shall begin when the School Leadership Initiative is created.

`(B) CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION- The criteria for the evaluation under subparagraph (A) shall be based on the student achievement indicators described in paragraph (3)(D)(iii).

`(5) GRANTS FOR REPLICATING SCHOOL LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES AND AMENDING SCHOOL LEADER CERTIFICATION OR LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall award a grant to each eligible entity that received a grant under paragraph (3) and successfully created a model School Leadership Initiative, as determined by the study under paragraph (4), to enable the eligible entity to use the data and research gathered and analyzed by the independent research and evaluation firm under paragraph (4) to implement the improvements deemed successful from the School Leadership Initiative to the State school leader certification or licensure process, as well as expand the successful practices of recruiting, training, and retaining effective school leaders.

`(B) APPLICATION- An eligible entity that received a grant under paragraph (3) and that desires to receive a grant under this paragraph shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

`(C) AMOUNT OF GRANT- In determining the amount of a grant under this paragraph, the Secretary shall increase the grant amount for each eligible entity that created a successful model School Leadership Initiative under paragraph (3)(G) that also demonstrated significant positive impact on student achievement.

`(D) REPORT- Not later than 60 days after the last day of the grant period, an eligible entity receiving a grant under this paragraph shall prepare and submit to the Secretary a report regarding the effectiveness of the program under this paragraph.

`(6) DEFINITIONS- In this subsection:

`(A) ELIGIBLE ENTITY- The term `eligible entity' means a State educational agency working in partnership with a consortium of high-need local educational agencies, which consortium shall include not less than 1 rural high-need local educational agency and not less than 1 urban high-need local educational agency.

`(B) SCHOOL LEADER- The term `school leader' means a principal or assistant principal or an individual on a designated pathway to become prepared to be a principal.

`(C) UNDER-PERFORMING SCHOOL- The term `under-performing school' means an elementary school or secondary school that has failed to make adequate yearly progress, as defined in section 1111(b)(2)(C), for 1 or more consecutive school years.

`(7) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There is authorized to be appropriated, to enable the Secretary to carry out this subsection and to award not less than a total of 10 grants under paragraphs (3) and (5) for each of 5 consecutive years, such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.'.

(c) Conforming Amendment- Section 2103(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6603(b)) is amended by inserting `(except for section 2151(b))' after `subpart 5'.