,,ii #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ceh ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,february #ad1 #bjac ,mr4 ,franken 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,nelson1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,south ,dakota1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 and ,ms4 ,warren7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions ,a ,,bill ,to establish a ,science1 ,technology1 ,engineering1 and ,math 7,,stem7 ,master ,teacher ,corps program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,numerous recent reports by national advisory groups1 including the ,president's ,council of ,advisors on ,science and ,technology and ,national ,academies' committees1 have highlighted the need to raise student achievement in ,,stem fields to enable the ,united ,states to maintain its competitive edge in the global economy4 7#b7 ,success in the ,american workforce increasingly requires science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics skills4 7#c7 ,according to the ,bureau of ,labor ,statistics1 there will be #f1gej1jjj ,,stem-related job openings by #bjbj1 as defined by the ,occupational ,information ,network4 7#d7 ,recent standardized tests show ,united ,states students' mathematics and science performance is only average or below average compared with their international peers4 ,according to the #bjaa ,trends in ,international ,mathematics and ,science ,study1 #fj percent of ,u4,s4 eighth graders failed to meet the intermediate international benchmark in mathematics and #bg percent failed to reach the same benchmark in science4 7#e7 ,too few ,american students graduate from high school with the interest and the preparation to successfully pursue ,,stem degrees in college4 ,well over half of college students in ,china and ,japan major in ,,stem fields1 compared with only a third of ,u4,s4 students4 7#f7 ,several researchers1 including at ,stanford ,university1 have found that the effects of well-prepared teachers on student achievement can be stronger than the influences of student background factors1 such as poverty1 language background1 and minority status4 7#g7 ,the ,harvard ,graduate ,school of ,education report ,who ,stays in ,teaching and ,why cites research that shows more young people would consider teaching if it offered more opportunities for advancement1 and that if schools fail to offer teachers these opportunities throughout their teaching careers1 they may risk losing them permanently4 ,it also reports that well implemented mentoring and induction programs provide the support novices need to feel satisfied and remain in their schools4 7#h7 ,researchers at the ,university of ,pennsylvania have found that ,,stem teachers migrate within the teaching profession to better paying jobs at better-funded schools1 resulting in local imbalances and leaving schools in high-poverty communities struggling to find knowledgeable teachers4 7#i7 ,individuals with strong ,,stem skills have opportunities for more lucrative careers outside of teaching4 ,according to the ,organisation for ,economic ,co-operation and ,development 7,,oecd71 the ,united ,states ranks in the bottom third of ,,oecd countries in terms of teacher salary relative to other occupations requiring tertiary education4 ,furthermore1 data from the ,national ,association of ,colleges and ,employers show the average salary offered to recent college graduates in #bjab in certain ,,stem-related fields was up to #bj1jjj higher than that offered to new secondary school teachers and up to #bc1jjj higher than that offered to new elementary school and middle school teachers4 #c4 ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps 7a7 ,in general ,subpart #e of part ,a of title ,,ii of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ffea et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 by inserting before section #baea the following3 ,a ,national activities of demonstrated effectiveness 2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 ,b ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps #baee4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this chapter is to establish a ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps program that-- 7#a7 elevates the status of the ,,stem teaching profession by recognizing and rewarding outstanding ,,stem teachers2 7#b7 attracts and retains effective ,,stem teachers1 particularly in high-need schools1 by offering them additional compensation1 instructional resources1 and instructional leadership roles2 and 7#c7 creates a network of outstanding ,,stem teacher-leaders who will-- 7,a7 share best practices and resources2 7,b7 take on leadership responsibilities in their schools1 districts1 ,states 7if part of the participating area71 or consortia with the authority to provide professional support to their ,,stem colleagues not participating in the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps2 7,c7 aid in the development and retention of beginning teachers by serving as their role models and providing them with instructional support2 and 7,d7 inform the development of ,,stem education policy4 #baef4 ,definitions ,in this chapter3 7#a7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means a consortium of local educational agencies or #a or more ,state educational agencies1 acting in partnership with #a or more-- 7,a7 institutions of higher education2 or 7,b7 nonprofit organizations with a demonstrated record of success in preparing or improving the effectiveness of ,,stem teachers4 7#b7 ,high-need school ,the term high-need school means a public school1 which may be a public charter school1 that meets #a or more of the following criteria3 7,a7 ,not less than #dj percent of the students enrolled at the school-- 7i7 receive or are eligible to receive a free or reduced price lunch under the ,richard ,b4 ,russell ,national ,school ,lunch ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agea et seq472 or 7ii7 are from low-income families1 as determined using #a of the measures of poverty specified under section #aaac7;a77#e74 7,b7 ,the school is among the lowest performing #aj percent of schools in the ,state in which it is located4 7,c7 ,in the case of a public high school1 the school has a graduation rate of #fe percent or less4 7,d7 ,in the case of a public school containing middle grades1 the school feeds into a public high school that has a graduation rate of #fe percent or less4 7#c7 ,participating area ,the term participating area means-- 7,a7 in the case of an eligible entity that includes a ,state educational agency or consortium of ,state educational agencies1 the ,state or ,states2 or 7,b7 in the case of an eligible entity that includes a consortium of local educational agencies1 the area served by such agencies4 7#d7 ,rural school ,the term rural school means a public school-- 7,a7 designated with a school locale code of ,distant ,town1 ,remote ,town1 ,fringe ,rural1 ,distant ,rural1 or ,remote ,rural2 and 7,b7 served by a local educational agency in which not less than two-thirds of the students served by the agency attend a school designated with #a of the school locale codes listed in subparagraph 7,a74 7#e7 ,,stem ,the term ,,stem means science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics4 #baeg4 ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps ,program 7a7 ,in general 7#a7 ,grants authorized ,the ,secretary1 in consultation with the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation and the heads of other appropriate ,federal agencies1 as determined by the ,secretary1 shall establish a ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps program by awarding1 on a competitive basis1 #a or more grants of not less than #ae1jjj1jjj each to eligible entities to enable the eligible entities to establish the program1 in accordance with section #baei4 7#b7 ,planning grants ,the ,secretary may award planning grants to eligible entities to enable the entities to make plans to establish the program1 in accordance with section #baei4 7b7 ,duration of grant 7#a7 ,in general ,a grant awarded under this chapter shall be for a period of not more than #e years4 7#b7 ,review ,the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 review1 #c years after an eligible entity is awarded a grant under this chapter1 the performance of the entity during the #c-year period2 and 7,b7 fund the remaining grant period for such entity if the ,secretary determines1 based on such review1 that the entity is achieving satisfactory results4 7c7 ,matching requirement 7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71 an eligible entity that receives a grant under this chapter shall provide1 from non-,federal sources1 an amount equal to not less than #ej percent of the amount of the grant1 which may be provided in cash or in-kind1 to carry out the activities supported by the grant4 7#b7 ,exception 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may waive the #ej percent matching requirement under paragraph 7#a7 for an eligible entity that the ,secretary determines is unable to meet such requirement4 ,the ,secretary shall set a matching requirement for such eligible entities according to the sliding scale described in subparagraph 7,b74 7,b7 ,sliding scale ,the amount of a match under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be established based on a sliding fee scale that takes into account-- 7i7 the relative poverty of the population to be targeted by the eligible entity2 and 7ii7 the ability of the eligible entity to obtain such matching funds4 7#c7 ,consideration ,the ,secretary shall not consider an eligible entity's ability to match funds when determining which eligible entities will receive grant awards under this chapter4 #baeh4 ,application 7a7 ,in general ,an eligible entity desiring a grant under this chapter shall submit an application to the ,secretary at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7b7 ,contents ,an application submitted under this section shall include-- 7#a7 a description of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps program that the eligible entity intends to carry out1 including the number of ,corps members the entity intends to select1 the intended distribution of subjects and grade levels taught1 the geographic and economic characteristics of the local educational agencies that are part of the participating area1 such as the rural-urban continuum codes and proportion of high-need schools served1 and the type of activities proposed for recruitment of ,corps members2 7#b7 a description of the roles and responsibilities that each participating local educational agency1 ,state1 institution of higher education1 or nonprofit organization1 as applicable1 will have2 7#c7 a demonstration that the entity has sufficient capacity to carry out the activities described in section #baei2 7#d7 a description of the member selection process and criteria that the applicant will use to select members of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps1 in accordance with section #baei7;b72 7#e7 a description of how the eligible entity intends to facilitate networking and sharing of best practices and educational resources relating to ,,stem education among ,corps members1 particularly at rural schools1 if applicable1 and make a selection of these best practices and resources more widely available to other teachers and the ,,stem educational community1 including through electronic means2 7#f7 a demonstration that the entity has a clear plan for-- 7,a7 offering research-based professional development to ,corps members1 including training on instructional leadership1 mentoring1 engaging and effectively teaching historically underachieving or underrepresented groups in ,,stem fields1 such as girls1 minorities1 low-income students1 ,english language learners1 and students with disabilities1 and effective ,,stem teaching methods1 such as incorporating hands-on ,,stem projects into their lesson plans2 and 7,b7 tracking the effectiveness of such professional development2 7#g7 a demonstration that the entity has a clear plan for evaluating the impact of the professional support provided by ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members to other teachers in their school1 district1 ,state 7if part of the participating area71 or consortium2 7#h7 a description of how the local educational agencies and schools served by the eligible entity intend to align ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members' duties with school systems and activities already in place1 if applicable1 such as professional development and mentoring2 7#i7 an explanation of how ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members will be afforded the time1 authority1 and resources to fulfill requirements under the program1 and how other teachers will be afforded the time to receive professional support from ,corps members2 7#aj7 a demonstration that the entity has a clear plan for oversight to ensure that ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members carry out the responsibilities described in section #baei7;c7 to the fullest extent practicable1 and a description of the actions to be taken if a member does not carry out such responsibilities2 and 7#aa7 a description of how the grant funds will be financially managed4 7c7 ,criteria for awarding grants 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall award grants under this chapter on the basis of merit considering1 at a minimum1 the following3 7,a7 ,the extent to which the local educational agencies that are part of the eligible entity are committed to integrating the program into existing school structures1 policies1 operations1 and budgets1 such as by enabling ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members to take on leadership roles in their schools1 districts1 ,states1 if part of the participating area1 or consortia1 in addition to their classroom duties1 including assisting in the development and implementation of professional development activities and driving the instructional program of the school4 7,b7 ,the quality of the proposed professional development1 teacher leadership and mentorship activities1 and networking opportunities4 7,c7 ,demonstration that the local educational agencies and schools they serve have removed barriers to full participation in the program1 including affording ,corps members and the teachers they mentor the time to participate in activities required by the program4 7,d7 ,the number and quality of the individuals that will be served by the program4 7,e7 ,the capacity of the eligible entity to effectively carry out the program4 7#b7 ,priority ,in awarding grants under this chapter1 the ,secretary shall give priority to-- 7,a7 eligible entities that intend to include large numbers of teachers in the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps2 and 7,b7 eligible entities that intend to include rural schools1 particularly high-need rural schools1 in the participating area to be served4 #baei4 ,required use of funds 7a7 ,in general ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under this chapter shall use grant funds to-- 7#a7 administer the selection of teachers for membership in the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps1 in accordance with the requirements of subsection 7b72 7#b7 provide compensation to each public school teacher who is selected and serves as a member of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps1 in recognition of the teacher's teaching accomplishments1 leadership1 and increased responsibilities1 which amount shall-- 7,a7 supplement1 and not supplant1 the teacher's base salary2 and 7,b7 be equal to-- 7i7 in the case of a teacher who teaches at a high-need public school1 including a high-need charter school1 #ae1jjj per year for each year the teacher serves as a member of the ,corps2 and 7ii7 in the case of a teacher who teaches at a public school1 including a charter school1 that is not a high-need school1 #e1jjj per year for each year the teacher serves as a member of the ,corps2 7#c7 provide research-based professional development activities for members of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps1 as described in subsection #baeh7;b77#f71 and track the effectiveness of such professional development in order to determine whether to alter professional development activities2 7#d7 provide discretionary resources for ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members at high-need public schools to use in their classrooms and schools1 including for afterschool activities1 to enrich ,,stem education and to facilitate long-distance networking1 mentoring1 and sharing of best practices1 including equipment and technology2 7#e7 assist in coordinating instructional leadership roles for ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members and mentoring relationships between ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members and other teachers in the same school1 school district1 ,state1 if part of the participating area1 or consortium in which the ,corps members serve as instructional leaders2 7#f7 facilitate efforts by ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members to inform ,,stem education policy at the national1 ,state1 and local levels2 7#g7 help defray costs associated with affording ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members the time to fulfill their duties as ,corps members2 and 7#h7 support other activities that advance the purpose of this chapter4 7b7 ,selecting ,members of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps 7#a7 ,selection criteria for corps members ,the eligible entity shall select1 as members of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps1 exemplary ,,stem teachers at the elementary school and secondary school levels who teach in the participating area1 which may also include special education teachers and teachers of ,english language learners who teach a ,,stem subject4 ,in selecting the members1 the eligible entity shall-- 7,a7 make decisions based on the teacher's-- 7i7 ability to improve student academic achievement in the ,,stem fields1 as demonstrated by1 if applicable1 student academic growth in such fields2 7ii7 ability to enhance student engagement in such fields2 7iii7 record of leadership in the teacher's school and involvement in professional and outreach activities2 7iv7 record of teaching students not on grade level or not on track to graduate college and career ready2 and 7v7 demonstrated ability to facilitate student academic achievement growth with the students described in clause 7iv71 where such measures are available2 and 7,b7 evaluate the teacher's ability and record based on multiple measures1 such as-- 7i7 teacher evaluations of pedagogical skills2 7ii7 an assessment of content knowledge2 7iii7 the performance and improvement of the teacher's students on tests2 7iv7 demonstration of practical professional experience in the teacher's discipline1 such as having worked in industry or research2 7v7 involvement in ,,stem discipline professional societies2 7vi7 ,,stem outreach and community involvement2 and 7vii7 certification by the ,national ,board for ,professional ,teaching ,standards1 or other equivalently rigorous1 performance-based1 peer-reviewed certification1 as a high-performing teacher4 7#b7 ,overall corps membership requirements ,an eligible entity receiving a grant under this chapter shall ensure that-- 7,a7 not more than #e percent of the ,,stem teachers who teach in the participating area are members of the ,corps2 7,b7 not less than #ge percent of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members are teachers at high-need schools2 7,c7 the proportion of ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members in the participating area who teach at rural high-need schools is not less than the proportion of all teachers who teach at rural high-need schools in the participating area2 7,d7 there are multiple cohorts of ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members2 and 7,e7 the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps includes teachers from each of science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics1 if teachers from each of these disciplines meeting the standards of ,corps membership are available in the participating area4 7#c7 ,participation of private school teachers ,an eligible entity may select ,,stem teachers who teach at private schools in the participating area to be members of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps1 except that-- 7,a7 not more than #e percent of teachers selected as ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps members shall be teachers at private schools2 and 7,b7 private school teachers shall not be eligible for compensation described in subsection 7a77#b71 discretionary resource funds described in subsection 7a77#d71 or for defrayment funds described in subsection 7a77#g74 7c7 ,corps member requirements ,each teacher selected to be a member of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps who wishes to join the ,corps shall enter into an agreement with the eligible entity1 under which the teacher shall1 as a condition of receiving the compensation described in subsection 7a77#b7 and the discretionary resources described in subsection 7a77#d71 agree to carry out the responsibilities of a master teacher as required by the eligible entity1 including-- 7#a7 participating in professional development activities offered by the program2 7#b7 networking and sharing best practices and educational resources with other members of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps2 and 7#c7 contributing to the professional development of the teacher's colleagues1 which may include providing school-based professional support to other ,,stem teachers through regular weekly professional development sessions and individual coaching1 where possible1 leading professional learning communities1 and taking on other instructional leadership roles in the teacher's school1 district1 ,state1 if part of the participating area1 or consortium4 7d7 ,collection for ,noncompliance 7#a7 ,monitoring compliance ,each eligible entity that receives a grant under this chapter shall monitor whether each teacher the entity selects to be a member of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps is in compliance with the ,corps member requirements described in subsection 7c74 7#b7 ,collection of repayment 7,a7 ,in general ,a teacher selected to be a member of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps shall repay the additional compensation provided for a school year described in subsection 7a77#b7 to the eligible entity if-- 7i7 the entity finds the teacher not in compliance with the ,corps member requirements described in subsection 7c7 and the entity determines the teacher should no longer be a member of the ,corps for such year2 or 7ii7 the teacher withdraws during such year from membership in the ,corps without an accepted excuse1 as determined by the eligible entity4 7,b7 ,compensation returned to the ,treasury 7i7 ,in general ,except as provided in clause 7ii71 an eligible entity that receives repaid compensation under subparagraph 7,a7 shall return such compensation to the ,united ,states ,treasury4 7ii7 ,administrative costs ,an eligible entity that receives repaid compensation under subparagraph 7,a7 may retain a percentage1 determined by the ,secretary1 of such repayment to defray administrative costs associated with the collection4 #bafj4 ,report and evaluation 7a7 ,administrative and reporting costs ,of the amounts appropriated for this chapter for any fiscal year1 the ,secretary may use not more than #f percent of the funds appropriated for such fiscal year for administrative costs and report and evaluation costs under this section1 except that the ,secretary may use not more than #c percent of the funds appropriated for such fiscal year for administrative costs4 7b7 ,reports to the ,secretary 7#a7 ,in general ,each eligible entity receiving a grant under this chapter shall provide an annual report to the ,secretary that-- 7,a7 summarizes the activities assisted under the grant and program outcomes2 and 7,b7 includes1 with respect to each member of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps1 the following3 7i7 ,the name of the member4 7ii7 ,the school at which the member teaches and the location of such school4 7iii7 ,the subject area the teacher teaches4 7iv7 ,the grade level the teacher teaches4 7#b7 ,publication ,each eligible entity receiving a grant under this chapter shall publicize the information described in paragraph 7#a77;,b74 7c7 ,,ies ,evaluation ,the ,secretary1 acting through the ,director of the ,institute of ,education ,sciences1 shall-- 7#a7 evaluate the implementation and impact of the program under this chapter1 particularly with regard to the program's success in achieving the purpose described in section #baee2 7#b7 identify optimal strategies for the design1 implementation1 and continuing development of the ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps program2 and 7#c7 identify best practices for developing1 supporting1 and retaining ,,stem teachers based on lessons learned from the program4 7d7 ,dissemination ,the ,secretary shall disseminate findings from the evaluation conducted under subsection 7c7 to the ,,stem education field and make the findings publicly available4 7e7 ,reports to ,congress ,not later than #d years after the establishment of the program under this chapter1 and not later than #b years thereafter1 the ,secretary shall prepare and submit to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce and the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation and the ,committee on ,health1 ,education1 ,labor1 and ,pensions of the ,senate1 a report that summarizes-- 7#a7 the activities assisted under the program under this chapter2 7#b7 the outcomes of the program2 and 7#c7 any recommendations regarding changes to1 the termination of1 or the continuation and expansion of the program4 #bafa4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this chapter #ce1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjad and such sums as may be necessary for each of the #d succeeding fiscal years4 4 7b7 ,table of contents ,the table of contents in section #b of the ,elementary and ,secondary ,education ,act of #aife is amended-- 7#a7 by inserting after the item relating to subpart #e of part ,a of title ,,ii the following3 ,chapter ,a--,national activities of demonstrated effectiveness 2 and 7#b7 by inserting after the item relating to section #baea the following3 ,chapter ,b--,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps ,sec4 #baee4 ,purpose4 ,sec4 #baef4 ,definitions4 ,sec4 #baeg4 ,,stem ,master ,teacher ,corps ,program4 ,sec4 #baeh4 ,application4 ,sec4 #baei4 ,required use of funds4 ,sec4 #bafj4 ,report and evaluation4 ,sec4 #bafa4 ,authorization of appropriations4 4