,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bbfh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #e1 #bjac ,mr4 ,loebsack 7for himself and ,mr4 ,polis7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife to authorize a national elementary and secondary service-learning program that promotes student academic achievement1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,engaging ,students ,through ,service ,learning ,act4 #b4 ,k-#ab service-learning program 7a7 ,in general ,title ,,ii of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ffja et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,e ,enhancing the effectiveness of ,k-#ab education through service learning #beja4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,students learn best when they are actively engaged in meaningful and challenging learning experiences that encourage higher order skills development1 critical thinking1 and problem solving4 7#b7 ,service learning is a pedagogy that encompasses key elements of effective teaching and learning1 including active learning1 authentic experiences1 opportunities for peer collaboration1 problem solving1 student leadership and empowerment1 and cognitively challenging academic activities4 7#c7 ,students invest themselves in learning when their educational experiences have personal meaning to them and are connected to authentic1 real issues in their everyday lives4 7#d7 ,in service learning1 students apply their knowledge and skills to solve actual community problems and experience the real-world value of what they are learning in school4 ,service learning can therefore have a powerful effect on students1 increasing their academic engagement1 their civic engagement and their social and emotional development4 7#e7 ,service learning can have a powerful effect on students1 helping them to increase their academic engagement and performance1 their civic engagement and desire to help others1 and their social-emotional learning in areas related to #bast century skill acquisition1 such as task persistence1 intellectual curiosity1 and ability to work in teams4 7#f7 ,in service learning1 students connect to the community and to their classmates in ways that are far more powerful than simple cooperative learning4 7#g7 ,service learning has been found to promote behavioral and dispositional factors that mediate students' educational success such as greater motivation for school1 engagement in learning tasks1 building of self-efficacy and self-esteem1 and propensity to engage in pro-social behaviors4 7#h7 ,research has demonstrated that test scores of students who participated in service learning are higher in reading1 writing1 mathematics1 social studies1 and science than those of non-participants4 7#i7 ,high-quality service learning will improve student achievement and our schools because it employs effective1 experiential learning strategies associated with student engagement in academic work and preparation for success in college and the workplace1 engages students in solving complex problems1 probes for deeper learning1 and seeks opportunities for students to transfer knowledge from one context to another4 7#aj7 ,principals report that service learning has a positive impact on teacher satisfaction1 school climate1 academic achievement1 and school engagement4 7#aa7 ,teachers who use service learning in the classroom as a type of positive teaching strategy achieve better results in a variety of academic and behavioral categories than those who don't1 are more effective1 challenged1 and energized1 and are more likely to remain within their chosen profession4 7#ab7 ,only an estimated #bd percent of the approximately #ec1cjj1jjj ,k-#ab youth in the ,united ,states are given the opportunity to engage in any kind of service-learning experience1 a decline from #cb percent in #aiii4 7#ac7 ,schools in high-poverty areas are less likely to employ service learning as a teaching strategy1 yet research has shown this is a particularly effective pedagogy for use in such schools4 ,service learning can significantly reduce the achievement gap between affluent and low-income students4 ,low-income students who participated in service opportunities have better school attendance and grades than low-income students who do not participate4 7#ad7 ,there is a need for a rigorous and focused initiative to demonstrate and broadly promote high-quality service learning that enhances teacher effectiveness1 improves student learning and educational success1 and positively affects school climate4 7#ae7 ,state educational agencies are the only entities with comprehensive1 statewide responsibility for the quality of learning within a ,state4 #bejb4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this part is to authorize a national service-learning program that will expand opportunities for students in elementary and secondary schools to engage in high-quality service learning that-- 7#a7 promotes student achievement in academic subjects1 including science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics2 7#b7 incorporates #bast century skills1 such as critical thinking1 problem solving and collaboration2 7#c7 integrates content knowledge and use of technology2 7#d7 enhances school climate and civic engagement2 and 7#e7 prepares students for college or a career4 #bejc4 ,national activities ,the ,secretary shall reserve funds for national activities as follows3 7#a7 ,the ,secretary shall reserve not more than #aj percent of the appropriation for this program in any fiscal year to establish a ,national ,center for ,k-#ab ,service ,learning-- 7,a7 to provide technical assistance to ,state educational agencies to develop and expand the capacity of local educational agencies to improve teacher quality1 school climate1 and educational outcomes by providing an infrastructure for sustainable service-learning efforts through vision and leadership1 professional development1 curriculum and assessment1 school-community collaborations1 and continuous improvement2 and 7,b7 to provide oversight1 coordinate with key ,federal education initiatives1 foster sustainability1 provide evidence for the strengths and limitations of service-learning practices1 and disseminate study findings4 7#b7 ,the ,secretary shall reserve not more than #aj of the appropriation for this program in any fiscal year percent for research and evaluation activities1 including a study1 conducted by the ,institute of ,education ,sciences using data culled from the ,state longitudinal data systems authorized under title ,,ii of the ,educational ,technical ,assistance ,act of #bjjb1 on the effects of academic service learning on instructional quality and the academic success of students in low-performing schools4 ,the study shall include the following elements3 7,a7 ,a comprehensive1 rigorous research design that builds on prior studies on effective pedagogies1 service learning1 and student success4 7,b7 ,gathering qualitative and quantitative data to comprehensively assess the impact service learning has on students' academic1 civic1 and behavioral performance1 including student engagement4 7,c7 ,identifying1 tracking1 and measuring the success of systemic1 district-level change based on exemplary service-learning policies and practices4 7,d7 ,measuring the effectiveness of a high-quality professional development leadership system1 including the effect the professional development provided under this section has on teaching and pedagogy1 including the impact on teachers likelihood of providing students with real-world problem-solving opportunities1 opportunities for deeper learning and tying academic concepts to real-world contexts1 opportunities for leadership1 and opportunities for peer collaboration4 7,e7 ,systematically measuring the influence of service-learning participation on students' academic achievement within and across ,states4 7,f7 ,reporting annually to the public and the ,congress4 7#c7 ,the ,secretary shall reserve not more than #e percent of the appropriation for this program in any fiscal year for training and technical assistance for ,state-level program development consistent with the purposes of this ,act4 ,the ,secretary shall contract with an entity1 or entities1 with a demonstrated record of achievement in promoting and disseminating best practices in service learning-- 7,a7 to continually scan the field and build an ever-expanding knowledge base of exemplary service-learning models2 7,b7 to help ensure the dissemination1 adoption1 and continuous improvement of these exemplary practices at the ,state and local level2 and 7,c7 to conduct specific activities1 including-- 7i7 developing and disseminating exemplary program models that demonstrate how high-quality service-learning programs can be replicated and can become sustainable at the ,state and local level by advancing the use of service learning as a high-quality instructional pedagogy2 7ii7 providing resources to support effective policy development at the ,state and local level to advance efforts with respect to high-quality teachers and the equitable distribution of high-quality teachers2 and 7iii7 providing exemplary professional development models and technical assistance materials to any interested party4 #bejd4 ,state activities 7a7 ,grants ,a ,state educational agency desiring a grant under this part shall submit an application to the ,secretary that includes an assurance that1 not later than #ij days after receiving a grant-- 7#a7 all local educational agencies in the ,state will have access to high-quality professional development and peer mentoring through a cascade model1 including resources and ongoing support to transform instructional practices2 7#b7 the ,state educational agency will implement strategies for improvement in the lowest performing geographic areas utilizing service-learning policies and practices1 ,national ,school ,climate ,standards1 and exemplary practices for enhancing teacher quality2 7#c7 the ,state educational agency will establish ,state policies and support systems that are designed to result in effective programs2 and 7#d7 the ,state educational agency will establish partnerships with entities1 such as institutions of higher education1 institutions of teacher training1 and nonprofit organizations with a demonstrated record of experience in school-based service learning1 to develop systemic implementation of service learning in teacher preparation and professional development4 7b7 ,service-,learning specialist ,of the funds made available to a ,state educational agency under this part1 the agency shall reserve a portion of those funds appropriated to support a service-learning specialist who acts as a conduit of information between the ,state and local level1 provides training and technical assistance1 program improvement1 and progress monitoring4 7c7 ,state-,level activities ,of the funds made available to a ,state educational agency under this part1 the agency shall reserve #cj percent to support the following3 7#a7 ,collaboration and mentoring to increase consistency in implementation across ,states to ensure high-quality practice and sustainability4 7#b7 ,implementation of a statewide cascade professional development model4 7#c7 ,on-site support and mentoring of local educational agencies4 7#d7 ,dissemination of resources to support implementation1 capacity building1 and sustainability of local efforts1 including through grants or contracts with qualified national intermediaries or community-based organizations4 #beje4 ,subgrants to local educational agencies 7a7 ,in general ,a ,state educational agency that receives funds under this part shall use the funds remaining after the application of section #bejd to make subgrants to local educational agencies that use-- 7#a7 the service-learning model to strengthen the content area disciplines and implementation of key educational innovations in schools with a high percentage of underperforming youth2 and 7#b7 a cascade professional development model to bring practice to scale4 7b7 ,competitive subgrants ,subgrants under subsection 7a7 shall be made on a competitive basis with consideration for geographic diversity1 including distribution between urban and rural local educational agencies4 ,in making awards1 the ,state educational agency must give priority to local educational agencies with high proportions of students living in poverty or performing below grade level4 7c7 ,application ,a local educational agency applying for a subgrant under this section shall submit an application to the ,state educational agency that includes information on how-- 7#a7 funds will be used to participate in the cascade professional development model1 ensure sustainability1 and replicate the service-learning model to increase academic engagement and performance in content area courses1 increase civic skills and engagement1 and enable students in low-performing schools to help their own communities by giving them the knowledge1 skills1 and opportunities necessary to participate in high-quality service-learning experiences2 7#b7 educators will-- 7,a7 receive support in using instructional practices that incorporate the application of academic knowledge and skills to address relevant needs in their community2 and 7,b7 identify current data1 set measurable goals for their instructional activities1 and measure impact on both students and the community2 and 7#c7 partnerships will be established to create a community-wide expectation that service learning is an essential part of a high-quality education4 #bejf4 ,definition of cascade professional development model ,in this part1 the term cascade professional development model means a professional development model in which specialists are trained in high-quality practice and delivery of professional development4 ,these experts then train educators1 who are responsible for training1 mentoring1 and supporting their peers4 ,this model allows for replication of effective practice and increased consistency in quality among all ,states4 #bejg4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year #bjad and for each of the #e succeeding fiscal years4 4 7b7 ,conforming amendment ,the table of contents for the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #bdda the following3 ,part ,e--,enhancing the effectiveness of ,k-#ab education through service learning ,sec4 #beja4 ,findings4 ,sec4 #bejb4 ,purposes4 ,sec4 #bejc4 ,national activities4 ,sec4 #bejd4 ,state activities4 ,sec4 #beje4 ,subgrants to local educational agencies4 ,sec4 #bejf4 ,definition of cascade professional development model4 ,sec4 #bejg4 ,authorization of appropriations4 4