[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 457 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 457
To establish a grant program for innovative partnerships among teacher
preparation programs, local educational agencies, and community-based
organizations to expand access to high-quality tutoring in hard-to-
staff schools and high-need schools, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 25, 2021
Mr. Booker (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Murphy, and Ms. Collins)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a grant program for innovative partnerships among teacher
preparation programs, local educational agencies, and community-based
organizations to expand access to high-quality tutoring in hard-to-
staff schools and high-need schools, and for other purposes.
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 ``Partnering Aspiring Teachers with
High-need Schools to Tutor Act of 2021'' or the ``PATHS to Tutor Act of
2021''.
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR HIGH-QUALITY TUTORING.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Educational service agency.--The term ``educational
service agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 8101
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 7801).
(2) Educator preparation program.--The term ``educator
preparation program'' means a State-accredited program at a
public or nonprofit institution of higher education or other
nonprofit provider that prepares individuals to serve as
educators.
(3) Hard-to-staff school.--The term ``hard-to-staff
school'' means a high-need school that has a high rate of
teacher turnover or a large concentration of teachers in their
first or second year of teaching.
(4) High-need school.--The term ``high-need school'' has
the meaning given the term in section 2211 of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6631).
(5) High-quality tutoring.--The term ``high-quality
tutoring'' means tutoring--
(A) that is provided by a tutor;
(B) that is one-on-one or in a small group not to
exceed a ratio of 1 to 4, or a small group ratio based
on evidence deemed sufficient by the State educational
agency in the State in which the tutoring takes place;
(C) that includes plans and time for tutors to
collaborate;
(D) that--
(i) includes multiple sessions each week
that are of sufficient length, such as the
length of a regularly scheduled class or
period; and
(ii) is embedded in the school schedule,
preferably during the regular school day or
tightly integrated to the regular school day
and provided before or after school, or during
school vacations;
(E) in which content and grade specific tutors are
matched with students;
(F) that is aligned to local standards and
curriculum;
(G) that includes high-quality pre-service training
and ongoing professional support;
(H) that is facilitated by the local consortium
where local educational agencies and schools support
tutors through direct supervision and feedback with
additional capacity provided by the education
preparation program faculty or staff; and
(I) where tutors are adequately compensated for
their work.
(6) Local consortium.--The term ``local consortium'' means
a consortium consisting of community partners as follows:
(A) The consortium shall include the following
entities, one or both of which shall serve as the lead
entity of the consortium:
(i) A local educational agency, an
individual school, or an educational service
agency.
(ii) An educator preparation program.
(B) The consortium may include a community partner,
such as--
(i) a community-based organization;
(ii) a child and youth serving organization
or agency;
(iii) an institution of higher education,
as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a));
(iv) a foundation;
(v) an educator organization;
(vi) an organization representing education
professionals;
(vii) a local government, including a
government agency serving children and youth,
such as a child welfare and juvenile justice
agency;
(viii) an organization representing
students; or
(ix) an organization representing parents.
(7) Local educational agency.--The term ``local educational
agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
7801).
(8) Mentor.--The term ``mentor'' means an experienced
educator, including a teacher-educator at an educator
preparation program, dedicated to advising a tutor or
administering the tutoring program.
(9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
(10) Tutor.--The term ``tutor'' means--
(A) a postsecondary student who is enrolled in an
educator preparation program;
(B) a recent graduate of an educator preparation
program;
(C) an individual serving as an education
paraprofessional or teaching aide; or
(D) a fully certified and licensed educator (such
as a recently retired educator, an educator
experiencing a gap in employment due to COVID-induced
budget cuts, or an educator providing tutoring before
or after school, or during the summer).
(b) Demonstration Competitive Grant Program.--The Secretary shall
award grants, on a competitive basis, to local consortia to enable the
local consortia to carry out high-quality tutoring, especially at hard-
to-staff schools or high-need schools.
(c) Application.--A local consortium that desires to receive a
grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary
at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as
the Secretary may require, including the following:
(1) A description of the local consortium, including which
public or nonprofit entity participating in the local
consortium shall serve as the fiscal agent for the local
consortium.
(2) A description of the strategy for recruitment, careful
selection, and matching of tutors with hard-to-staff schools
and high-need schools.
(3) A description of the pre-service training and ongoing
professional support for tutors.
(4) A list of hard-to-staff schools and high-need schools,
and the grades that will be supported in each school,
identified by the local consortium to receive comprehensive,
coordinated continuum of services and support.
(5) A description of how the high-quality tutoring program
plans to accelerate student learning.
(6) A description of how the local consortium will ensure
that tutoring does not result in the tracking or negative
labeling of students, or remediation.
(7) A description of the duration of tutoring, including
the duration of sessions, the number of days a week tutoring
will occur, and the length in weeks the tutoring will occur.
(8) An assurance that the local consortium will align
tutoring to the local curriculum and standards of the local
educational agency and school and will be designed to support
student success in the classroom.
(9) A description of materials and supports and how they
are aligned with the local curriculum and standards of the
local educational agency and school.
(10) A description of how the high-quality tutoring program
will build school capacity in the schools in which the tutors
will serve.
(11) An assurance that the local consortium will leverage
tutors to supplement, not supplant existing staff.
(12) A description of how tutors will be adequately
compensated.
(13) An assurance that the local consortium will use funds
to supplement and not supplant funds otherwise available to
carry out high-quality tutoring and will not use any funds to
replace teaching positions with tutoring positions.
(14) A description of how the tutoring program will
incorporate research-based social-emotional learning practices,
trauma-informed learning practices, and culturally and
linguistically responsive practices.
(d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary
shall give priority to local consortia that plan to support high-need
schools in building student learning capacity by using tutors who are
postsecondary students who are enrolled in educator preparation
programs.
(e) Use of Funds.--A local consortium that receives a grant under
this section may use the grant funds for the following:
(1) Matching, training, and placing tutors with schools to
deliver high-quality tutoring.
(2) Supporting tutors to work with small groups of students
attending high-need schools wherein tutors are providing
supervision and instruction, and time for collaboration with
mentors.
(3) Matching tutors with mentors.
(4) Providing stipends to tutors and mentors.
(5) Purchasing instructional materials and connectivity
resources, including internet access and accessible devices.
(6) Providing transportation for students attending the
tutoring program.
(7) Providing meals and snacks for students attending the
tutoring program.
(8) Providing facilities for conducting the tutoring
program.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this section $500,000,000.
(2) Allocation.--From the amounts appropriated to carry out
this section--
(A) not less than 85 percent shall be used for
directly supporting students, including providing
stipends to tutors and mentors, providing
transportation, meals, and snacks, and purchasing
instructional materials and connectivity resources for
students; and
(B) not more than 15 percent shall be used for
other uses in carrying out this section.
SEC. 3. COORDINATION WITH THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY
SERVICE.
(a) Interagency Agreement.--The Secretary of Education shall enter
into an interagency agreement with the Corporation for National and
Community Service under section 121(b) of the National and Community
Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571(b)) under which the Corporation
shall approve tutor positions under a program funded under section 2,
as approved national service positions (as defined in section 101 of
the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511)). Such
interagency agreement shall specify how a degree or certificate of
completion for a term of service as a provider of high-quality tutoring
will be submitted to the Corporation.
(b) Special Rule.--Notwithstanding section 148 of the National and
Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12604), the Secretary and the
Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community
Service shall develop a program under which national service
educational awards may be disbursed to tutors upon completion of
service under a program funded under section 2.
SEC. 4. REDUCING THE ECONOMIC BURDEN ON ASPIRING TEACHERS.
Section 420N(b)(1) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1070g-2(b)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
``(1) the applicant will--
``(A) serve as a full-time teacher (or, during any
of academic years 2020-2021, 2021-2022, or 2022-2023,
serve as a full-time tutor in high-quality tutoring or
a full-time instructor in small group instruction) for
a total of not less than 4 academic years within 8
years after completing the course of study for which
the applicant received a TEACH Grant under this
subpart;
``(B) teach in a school described in section
465(a)(2)(A), except if serving as a tutor or
instructor as described in subparagraph (A);
``(C) teach, except if serving as a tutor or
instructor as described in subparagraph (A), in any of
the following fields--
``(i) mathematics;
``(ii) science;
``(iii) a foreign language;
``(iv) bilingual education;
``(v) special education;
``(vi) as a reading specialist; or
``(vii) another field documented as high-
need by the Federal Government, State
government, or local educational agency, and
approved by the Secretary; and
``(D) submit evidence of such employment in the
form of a certification by the chief administrative
officer of the school upon completion of each year of
such service.''.
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