,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ecf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #f1 #bjac ,mrs4 ,davis of ,california 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,hinojosa1 ,mr4 ,grijalva1 and ,ms4 ,castor of ,florida7 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 the ,secretary of ,education to make grants for recruiting1 training1 and retaining individuals1 with a preference for individuals from underrepresented groups1 as teachers at public elementary and secondary schools1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,diverse ,teachers ,recruitment ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,findings and purposes 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,issues of teacher diversity and cultural awareness are critical factors influencing the achievement gap among elementary school and secondary school students and must be addressed by national education policy1 as recommended in the report entitled ,assessment of ,diversity in ,america's ,teaching ,force1 presented by the ,national ,collaborative on ,diversity in the ,teaching ,force in #bjjd4 7#b7 ,some experts believe the lack of diversity among public schoolteachers inhibits positive learning outcomes generally1 and can leave students in underrepresented groups without role models to whom the students can relate1 which may lead to poorer performance in the classroom4 ,statistics show that for students in some underrepresented groups1 a lack of diversity among public school teachers contributes to lower standardized test scores and lower graduation rates4 7#c7 ,department of ,education statistics confirm a lack of diversity among public schoolteachers4 ,during the school year of #bjjg through #bjjh1 an estimated #hc4a percent of public schoolteachers were ,caucasian1 while #g4a percent were ,latino1 #g percent were ,african-,american1 and #a4b percent were ,asian4 ,of all public schoolteachers1 #bd4a percent were male and #ge4i percent were female4 7#d7 ,teacher demographics should be sufficiently diverse to provide the educational benefits described in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b71 including ensuring that students have role models-- 7,a7 from diverse backgrounds and racial and ethnic groups2 and 7,b7 of different genders4 7b7 ,purposes ,the purposes of this ,act are-- 7#a7 to further a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits that result1 particularly for schools with a concentration of individuals in #a or more categories described in section #aaaa7;b77#b77;,c77v77,,ii7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa7;b77#b77;,c77v77,,ii771 from a diverse group of elementary school and secondary school teachers1 including-- 7,a7 promoting learning outcomes generally1 and reducing achievement gaps for diverse student bodies2 and 7,b7 increasing student cultural awareness by better preparing students for an increasingly diverse workforce and society2 7#b7 to provide narrowly tailored activities by funding the activities for the period needed to attain meaningful numbers or a critical mass of teachers who are individuals from underrepresented groups1 sufficient to address the low employment of teachers from such groups1 and offering the activities for other teachers as well2 and 7#c7 to remedy the historically low employment among teachers in public elementary schools and secondary schools who are individuals from underrepresented groups4 #c4 ,recruitment1 training1 and retention of teachers1 including teachers from underrepresented groups 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 following new part3 ,e ,recruitment1 training1 and retention of teachers1 including teachers from underrepresented groups #beja4 ,grant program 7a7 ,authorization ,from amounts appropriated under section #beje1 the ,secretary shall make grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for-- 7#a7 recruitment and outreach targeted toward recruiting individuals from underrepresented groups as teachers at public elementary schools and secondary schools2 and 7#b7 providing training 7on promoting learning outcomes1 reducing achievement gaps for diverse student bodies1 and increasing student cultural awareness7 and retention incentives 7other than retention rights7 to teachers at public elementary schools and secondary schools4 7b7 ,eligibility ,the ,secretary may only make a grant under subsection 7a7 to an eligible entity that-- 7#a7 serves schools that have difficulty in-- 7,a7 recruitment and outreach targeted toward recruiting individuals from underrepresented groups as teachers2 and 7,b7 training and retaining such individuals as teachers2 and 7#b7 submits an application at such time1 in such form1 and containing such information and assurances as the ,secretary may require1 including-- 7,a7 a description of how the eligible entity through the activities the entity carries out with the grant funds-- 7i7 will seek to conduct recruitment and outreach targeted toward recruiting individuals from underrepresented groups as teachers2 and 7ii7 will provide training and retention activities to all teachers at eligible elementary and secondary schools2 7,b7 a description of the difficulty conducting recruitment and outreach targeted toward1 and training and retaining1 individuals from underrepresented groups experienced by the schools served by the eligible entity2 and 7,c7 information-- 7i7 demonstrating the educational benefits that the activities are designed to provide1 resulting from a diverse group of elementary school and secondary school teachers1 including-- 7,i7 promoting positive learning outcomes generally1 and reducing achievement gaps for diverse student bodies2 and 7,,ii7 increasing student cultural awareness by better preparing students for an increasingly diverse workforce and society2 and 7ii7 demonstrating that the schools involved do not have a sufficiently diverse group of teachers to provide the benefits4 7c7 ,priority ,in making grants under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall give priority to-- 7#a7 eligible entities 7or consortia of eligible entities7 that serve the most high-need schools2 and 7#b7 eligible entities 7or consortia of eligible entities7 that serve schools with concentrations of students in #a or more categories described in section #aaaa7;b77#b77;,c77v77,,ii7 of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #fcaa7;b77#b77;,c77v77,,ii77 in their student populations4 7d7 ,use of funds ,an eligible entity shall use funds received under this section to conduct the recruitment and outreach described in subsection 7a77#a71 which may include-- 7#a7 promotional and informational activities at institutions of higher education that serve large numbers of individuals from underrepresented groups2 7#b7 promotional and informational activities targeted toward candidates who are-- 7,a7 in career fields other than teaching2 and 7,b7 individuals from underrepresented groups2 7#c7 promotional and informational activities targeted toward undergraduate students who graduated from a high school located within the eligible entity2 and 7#d7 provision of funds to cover travel or lodging expenses of individuals from underrepresented groups who are being recruited as teachers under this section4 7e7 ,matching funds 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may not make a grant to an eligible entity under subsection 7a7 unless the eligible entity agrees that1 with respect to the costs to be incurred by the eligible entity in carrying out the activities for which the grant is awarded1 the eligible entity will make available non-,federal contributions in an amount equal to not less than #aj percent of the ,federal funds provided under the grant4 7#b7 ,satisfying matching requirement ,the non-,federal contributions required under paragraph 7#a7 may be-- 7,a7 in cash or in-kind1 including services1 fairly evaluated2 and 7,b7 from-- 7i7 any private source2 or 7ii7 a ,state educational agency or local educational agency4 7#c7 ,waiver ,the ,secretary may waive or reduce the non-,federal contribution required by paragraph 7#a7 if the eligible entity involved demonstrates that the eligible entity cannot meet the contribution requirement due to financial hardship4 7f7 ,duration 7#a7 ,determination ,in determining whether to make a grant to an eligible entity for a local educational agency1 the ,secretary shall determine whether the elementary schools and secondary schools in the agency have attracted a sufficiently diverse group of teachers to provide the educational benefits described under subsection 7b77#b77;,c74 7#b7 ,grant ,the ,secretary shall make the grant only if the ,secretary determines that the schools described in paragraph 7#a7 have not attracted that group and need additional activities under this section to provide the educational benefits4 #bejb4 ,reports to ,secretary ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under section #beja7;a7 shall submit to the ,secretary not later than #ij days after the end of each school year in which the eligible entity receives grant funds a report that contains-- 7#a7 a description of the activities for which the eligible entity used grant funds during such school year2 7#b7 data concerning1 with respect to the schools served by the eligible entity-- 7,a7 the number of individuals from underrepresented groups that began teaching during such school year2 7,b7 the retention rate of teachers who are individuals from underrepresented groups2 7,c7 in the case of the report covering the last school year in which the eligible entity receives grant funds1 indicators of student academic achievement during such school year as compared with previous school years1 disaggregated1 if possible1 by the achievement of-- 7i7 economically disadvantaged students2 7ii7 students from major racial and ethnic groups2 7iii7 students with disabilities2 and 7iv7 students with limited ,english proficiency2 7,d7 student graduation rates for the school year covered by the report as compared with previous school years1 if applicable in the case of the schools served by the eligible entity2 and 7,e7 student attendance rates for the school year covered by the report as compared with previous school years2 and 7#c7 a description of and data regarding such characteristics of the schools served by the eligible entity1 and the students of such schools1 as the ,secretary considers appropriate1 including the number and percentage of students in each of the groups listed in clauses 7i7 through 7iv7 of paragraph 7#b77;,c74 #bejc4 ,best practices information clearinghouse 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall evaluate the success of the activities carried out by eligible entities using grant funds received under section #beja7;a7 and compile a database of best practices for recruiting1 conducting outreach to1 training1 and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups as public elementary school and secondary school teachers4 ,the ,secretary shall make such database available to eligible entities 7regardless of whether the eligible entities have received grants under such section7 through an ,internet ,web site4 7b7 ,funds available ,of the amounts appropriated to carry out this part for a fiscal year1 the ,secretary may use not more than #aj percent to carry out this section during such fiscal year4 #bejd4 ,definitions ,in this part1 the following definitions apply3 7#a7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means-- 7,a7 a local educational agency 7or consortium of local educational agencies72 or 7,b7 an entity that-- 7i7 has entered into a partnership with a local educational agency 7or consortium of local educational agencies7 in which the local educational agency 7or consortium of local educational agencies7 is the primary partner2 and 7ii7 is a private nonprofit organization1 an educational service agency1 an institution of higher education1 or a ,state educational agency4 7#b7 ,high-need high school ,the term high-need high school means a secondary school-- 7,a7 in which the entering grade of the school is not lower than grade #i and that includes grade #ab2 and 7,b7 that has a graduation rate of not more than #fe percent in each of the #b academic years prior to the submission of the grant application4 7#c7 ,high-need middle school ,the term high-need middle school means a secondary school-- 7,a7 in which the entering grade is not lower than grade #f and the highest grade is not higher than grade #i2 and 7,b7 from which not less than #ce percent of the students who complete such school enroll in a high-need high school4 7#d7 ,high-need school ,the term high-need school means a public school1 including a charter school 7as such term is defined in section #ebaj7a77-- 7,a7 in which not less than #dj percent of the enrolled students are eligible to receive free or reduced price lunches under section #i7;b7 of the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ageh7;b772 or 7,b7 that is a high-need high school or a high-need middle school4 7#e7 ,individual from an underrepresented group ,the term individual from an underrepresented group means an individual who is a member of a racial or gender group that has historically been underrepresented among teachers in public elementary schools and secondary schools in the school district involved4 #beje4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part such sums as are necessary for fiscal years #bjad through #bjai4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of contents in section #b of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife is amended by adding after the item related to section #bdda the following3 ,part ,e--,recruitment1 training1 and retention of teachers1 including teachers from underrepresented groups ,sec4 #beja4 ,grant program4 ,sec4 #bejb4 ,reports to ,secretary4 ,sec4 #bejc4 ,best practices information clearinghouse4 ,sec4 #bejd4 ,definitions4 ,sec4 #beje4 ,authorization of appropriations4 4