NEA-Supported Bills on NCLB for the 113th Congress
NEA supports a number of bills in the new Congress to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act/No Child Left Behind (ESEA/NCLB).
NEA supports the following 65 bills
Senate
S. 146, the School Safety Enhancements Act of 2013 by Sen. Boxer (D-CA) would amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the use of school security grants to install surveillance equipment and to establish hotlines or tiplines for reporting potentially dangerous students and situations. [A related bill is H.R. 1470 by Rep. Capps (D-CA).] See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.146.
S. 195, the Mental Health in Schools Act of 2013 by Sen. Franken (D-MN) would amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend projects relating to children and violence to provide access to school-based comprehensive mental health programs. The bill would require a comprehensive school mental health program funded under the Act, and would revise the eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement to include that: (1) the local education agency will enter into a memorandum of understanding with at least one relevant community-based entity that clearly states the responsibilities of each partner; (2) the program will include training of all school personnel, family members of children with mental health disorders, and concerned members of the community; and (3) the program will demonstrate the measures to be taken to sustain the program after funding terminates. [The companion measure is H.R. 628 by Rep. Napolitano (D-CA).] See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.195.
S. 217 (112th S. 1269), the High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 by Senator Murray (D-WA) would amend the ESEA to require the Secretary of Education to collect the following information annually from each coeducational elementary and secondary school that receives federal financial assistance and has an interscholastic athletic program: (1) the number, gender, and race or ethnicity of students that attended the school; and (2) for each team that competed in athletic competition, the number, gender, and race or ethnicity of participants, the total expenditures, including total salary expenditures for coaches, the number, gender, and employment status of trainers, medical personnel, and coaches, the number of competitions, and postseason record. The bill would require such schools to make the information available to the public, and to inform all students and parents of their right to request such information. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.217.
Note: NEA believes that average salaries should not be made public where an individual salary would be revealed due to cohort size.
S. 254, the Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Risk Assessment and Training in the Schools (HEARTS) Act of 2013 by Senator Menendez (D-NJ) would amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop and disseminate public education and awareness materials and resources that include: (1) background information to increase education and awareness of cardiomyopathy and other related causes of sudden cardiac death among school administrators, educators, and families; (2) a cardiomyopathy risk assessment worksheet; (3) guidelines regarding the placement of automated external defibrillators in schools and child care centers; (4) training information on defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and (5) recommendations for how schools and child care centers can develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan. [The companion bill is H.R. 565 by Rep. Pallone (D-NJ).] See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.254.
S. 274, the CHEW Act by Senator Gillibrand (D-NY) would require each local educational agency (LEA) participating in the school improvement program under part A of title I of the ESEA to: (1) develop and implement healthy eating and nutrition education programs in its schools, and (2) periodically monitor schools' efforts to improve students' healthy eating and nutritive knowledge. The bill would include professional development for teachers, staff, and food service workers as part of those programs. The bill would create an inter-agency task force to review nutrition education curricula and recommend effective programs for elementary and secondary schools. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.274.
S. 282, the Counseling for Career Choice Act by Senator Begich (D-AK) would amend the ESEA to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states to develop and implement comprehensive school counseling programs that provide students with effective postsecondary education planning and career guidance services. The bill would require that programs be aligned with a statewide counseling framework, and that grant funds be used to: (1) train and hire school counselors; (2) identify regional workforce trends and postsecondary options available in the state; (3) establish, improve, or coordinate postsecondary opportunities; and (4) recommend curricular improvements to better align curricula with workforce trends and available postsecondary opportunities. The bill allows states to carry out program activities directly or through competitive subgrants. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.282.
S. 283 (112th S. 895), the Investing in Innovation for Education Act of 2013 by Senator Begich (D-AK) would direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) and nonprofit organizations to support school innovation efforts of public schools and LEAs. At least 25 percent of grant funds would have to be awarded for projects in rural areas. The bill would require each grant applicant to demonstrate that it has partnered with at least one private, nonprofit, or community-based organization that will provide matching funds, though the Secretary could waive the matching funds requirement upon a showing of exceptional circumstances. The bill requires that each grant be used to address at least one of the following areas of school reform: (1) improving the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders and promoting their equitable distribution; (2) strengthening the use of data to improve education; (3) providing high-quality instruction that is based on rigorous standards and measuring students' proficiency using high-quality assessments that are aligned to those standards; (4) turning around the lowest-performing schools; and (5) any other area of school reform the Secretary chooses. The bill would require the Secretary to establish performance measures for tracking each grantee's progress in improving the academic performance of public elementary and secondary school students, and specified subgroups of those students. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.283.
S. 322 (112th S. 1170), the Ready to Learn Act by Senator Murray (D-WA) would amend ESEA to authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to schools, child care entities, Head Start programs, or other community-based prekindergarten providers for high-quality, full-day, voluntary prekindergarten programs that prepare four-year olds for school. The bill would require that such programs: (1) first serve children whose family income is no higher than 200 percent of the poverty level or who are limited English proficient; (2) ensure that, within two years of grant receipt, each classroom is taught by a teacher who has at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or such a degree and specialized training in early childhood development; (3) use curricula that are aligned with state early learning standards; and (4) have teacher-child ratios of no more than 1 to 10 and group sizes of no more than 20. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.322.
S. 326 (112th S. 1370), the After School for America's Children Act by Senator Boxer (D-CA) would amend and authorize the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program under Title IV of the ESEA to provide: (1) students with activities that are targeted to their academic needs and aligned with the instruction they receive during the school day; and (2) students' families with opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children's education. The bill would require states to favor applicants serving poor and academically struggling students, and would prohibit the Secretary or states from giving funding priority to applicants that propose to use the funds to extend the regular school day. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.326.
S. 358 (112th S. 758), the STEM Master Teacher Corps Act of 2013 by Senator Franken (D-MN) would amend ESEA to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to consortia of local educational agencies (LEAs) or states, acting in partnership with institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations to establish a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Master Teacher Corps program. The bill would require grantees to: (1) select exemplary elementary and secondary school STEM teachers for membership in the STEM Master Teacher Corps; (2) provide those teachers with compensation that supplements their base salaries for taking on additional duties and leadership roles, with higher compensation going to those teaching at high-need public schools; (3) provide and track the effectiveness of research-based training for Corps members; (4) provide discretionary resources for use by Corps members at high-need schools; (5) help coordinate instructional leadership and mentoring roles for Corps members; and (6) facilitate efforts by Corps members to inform STEM education policy at the national, state, and local levels. The bill would also require grantees to ensure that at least 75 percent of their STEM Master Teacher Corps are teachers at high-need schools. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.358.
S. 370 (see 112th S. 434), the Teaching Geography Is Fundamental Act by Senator Cochran (R-MS) would improve and expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students in the United States by improving professional development programs for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers offered through institutions of higher education and through other actions. [A related bill is H.R. 822 by Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD).] See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.370.
S. 372 (112th S. 1782), the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2013 by Senator Lautenberg (D-NJ) would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities, including state and local education agencies, to enable such entities to carry out programs that provide evidence- based sex education. [The companion measure is H.R. 725 by Rep. Lee (D-CA).] See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.372.
S. 392 (112th S. 392), the Promoting Health as Youth Skills In Classrooms And Life Act by Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) would amend ESEA to include health education and physical education in the definition of “core academic subjects.” See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.392.
S. 403, the Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2013 by Senator Casey (D-PA) would amend ESEA to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects their education. The bill would require LEAs to provide: (1) annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their discipline policies; (2) grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The bill would also require a biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment and collection of state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA discipline policies. [A related measure is H.R. 1199 by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA).] See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.403.
S. 438 (112th S. 2180), the Tax Credit for Early Educators Act of 2013 by Senator Begich (D-AK) would amend the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide a tax credit for professional school personnel in early childhood education; (2) extend until 2018 the tax deduction for certain expenses of eligible educators and expand the definition of “eligible educators” to include teachers, instructors, counselors, or aides in a preschool or early childhood program; and (3) eliminate the income-based reduction in the tax credit for employer-provided dependent care services. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.438.
S. 439, the Career and Technical Education Facilities Modernization Act by Senator Begich (D-AK) would direct the Secretary of Education to support local educational agencies (LEAs), community colleges, and other appropriate entities in modernizing, renovating, or repairing facilities used to provide science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or career and technical education to public elementary, secondary school, or community college students. The Secretary would support eligible entities with grants or loan guarantees or by making payments of interest on the financial instruments they use to fund the modernization, renovation, or repair of those facilities. The bill would direct at least 25 percent of funds to specified LEAs and community colleges serving rural students. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.439.
S. 440, the PRE ED Act of 2013 by Senator Begich (D-AK) would amend the ESEA to include early childhood educators in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) forgiveness programs for teachers. The bill sets forth eligibility requirements and would cap at $25,000 the amount of an early childhood educator's FFEL or DL that may be forgiven. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.440.
S. 441, the Professional Development for Educators Act of 2013 by Senator Begich (D-AK) would direct the Secretary of Education to allot grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide professional development to educators. The bill would make each state's allotment equivalent to its share of school improvement funds under part A of Title I of the ESEA. The bill would require states to use a portion of their funds to establish criteria for quality professional development, develop methods for evaluating and improving professional development activities, create a registry of quality professional development activities; hire regional professional development coordinators to work as liaisons between the state and LEAs regarding those activities; and submit annual reports to the Secretary regarding the progress they make under the grant program. LEAs would be required to dedicate at least 25 percent of each subgrant to professional development activities involving science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and career and technical education. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.441.
S. 456 (112th S. 547), the Annual National Classified School Employee of the Year Award Act by Senator Murray (D-WA) would direct the Secretary of Education to award National Classified School Employees of the Year Awards to public school employees within certain occupational specialties who provide exemplary service to students in pre-kindergarten through higher education. The Act would require the Secretary to choose an awardee each year, out of nominations received from each state, from each of the following occupational specialties: (1) paraprofessionals; (2) clerical and administrative services; (3) transportation services; (4) food and nutrition services; (5) custodial and maintenance services; (6) security services; (7) health and student services; (8) technical services; and (9) skilled trades. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.456.
S. 502 (112th S. 1156), the Prepare All Kids Act of 2013 by Senator Casey (D-PA) would amend Title I of ESEA to establish a Prekindergarten Incentive Fund for qualified pre-kindergarten providers to establish, expand, or enhance voluntary, high-quality, full-day prekindergarten programs serving children ages three through five. The Act would also provide for early childhood development programs for children from birth through age three and foster early childhood extended day and year programs. [The companion bill is H.R. 1368 by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY).] See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.502.
S. 512 (112th S. 857), the TALENT Act by Senator Grassley (D-IA) would amend the ESEA to require state assessments of student proficiency to measure individual academic achievement, including above grade-level achievement. The bill would requires states to: (1) recognize local educational agencies (LEAs) that significantly increase the proportion of their students, overall and in specified student subgroups, that score at or above the advanced level of achievement on such assessments; (2) assist their LEAs and schools in providing additional educational assistance to advanced, gifted, and talented students; and (3) report annually a comparison of the performance of students between different LEAs at each level of achievement, disaggregated by specified student subgroups. The bill would require LEAs receiving school improvement funds to identify gifted and talented students and support their learning needs and require LEAs and partnerships that receive funding under the Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting Fund program to train educators to identify and support gifted and talented students. The bill would authorize LEAs to use funding under: (1) the small rural school achievement program to support gifted and talented students, and (2) the rural and low-income school program to train teachers to meet the unique learning needs of gifted and talented students. The bill would also foster research and would amend other legislation to support gifted and talented students. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.512.
S. 519, the PRE-K Act or Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2013 by Senator Hirono (D-HI) would amend ESEA to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to states to enhance or improve state-funded preschool programs. The bill would set forth a grant formula favoring states that: (1) have curricula aligned with state early-learning standards; (2) use nationally established best practices for class size and teacher-to-student ratios; (3) require each teacher to have at least an associate degree in early childhood education or a related field; (4) require such programs to operate for at least a full academic year; and (5) have a plan for meeting the requirement, within five years of receiving such grant, that teachers have at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or have such degree in a related field, but have also completed specialized training in early childhood education. [The companion measure is H.R. 1041 by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY).] See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.519.
S. 648, the Helping Educators Support All Students Act by Senator Klobuchar (D-MN) would amend the ESEA to support teacher and school professional training on awareness of student mental health conditions. The bill would authorize the Secretary to award grants to eligible state educational agencies to enable such agencies to award subgrants to eligible local educational agencies to support an existing, or develop a new, program that will educate teachers, school personnel, and specialized instructional support personnel on mental health conditions in children, including the causes, symptoms, and impact on learning. The bill would require the Secretary to develop measures of program outcomes for LEAs, gather data on the outcomes and report to Congress after an in-depth program evaluation. See if your Senator is a cosponsor of S.648.
House
H.R. 112 (112th H.R. 6703), the Measuring and Evaluating Trends for Reliability, Integrity, and Continued Success (METRICS) Act by Rep. Holt (D-NJ) would authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to states, local educational agencies (LEAs) or consortia of LEAs to improve access to and sharing and use of education data to improve student outcomes. The bill would require states to (1) implement aligned statewide education longitudinal data systems that link students P-20 and workforce data; (2) define policies and procedures for the collection of, access to, and use of education data; (3) protect the privacy, security, and confidentiality of student and educator data; (4) link education data with workforce data; (5) match teachers with teacher preparation and certification information; (6) standardize education data through the use of openly developed common education data standards; and (7) meet federal reporting requirements. The bill would offer competitive grants to high-need LEAs to develop and implement a comprehensive plan to: (1) provide interested parties and the public with access to student education data in a manner that ensures its integrity and respects student and educator privacy; (2) improve the ability of school leaders to use student data to improve schools and classroom instruction; and (3) improve the ability of teachers effectively to use student data through on-going, sustainable, and high-quality training. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 112.
H.R. 115, the School Building Enhancement Act by Rep. Holt (D-NJ) would provide for grants from the Secretary of Education to state and local educational agencies for EnergySmart schools and Energy Star programs. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 115.
H.R. 118, the National STEM Education Tax Incentive for Teachers Act of 2013 by Rep. Holt (D-NJ) would amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow certain full-time elementary and secondary school teachers of math, science, engineering, or technology courses a refundable tax credit for 10% of their undergraduate tuition up to $1,000 in any taxable year. The bill would increase such credit amount to $1,500 for teachers in schools serving disadvantaged children. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 118.
H.R. 209 (112th H.R. 646), a bill to authorize the appropriation of funds to be used to recruit, hire, and train 100,000 new classroom paraprofessionals in order to improve educational achievement for children by Rep. Serrano (D-NY) would authorize $1 billion for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 to recruit, hire, and train 100,000 new classroom paraprofessionals in order to improve educational achievement for children. Up to 25 percent of the funds would be used to provide professional development to paraprofessionals. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 209.
H.R. 320 (112th H.R. 3169), the Student Support Act by Rep. Lee (D-CA) would amend the ESEA to require the Secretary of Education to make matching grants of at least $1 million to states for allocation to local educational agencies (LEAs) so that additional school-based mental health and student service providers may be hired. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 320.
H.R. 347 (112th H.R. 2536), the 21st Century Readiness Act by Rep. Petri (R-WI) would amend the ESEA to support 21st century readiness initiatives that fuse core academic subject knowledge and higher-order thinking skills (such as critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation) to ensure that students are prepared for postsecondary education and careers upon graduation from secondary school. The bill would amend Title I to require the Secretary to examine the extent to which programs and initiatives improve student readiness for postsecondary education and careers. The bill would amend Title II to require high-quality professional development programs to incorporate an aligned system of teaching and learning that includes 21st century skills, standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessments. The bill would amend Title IV (21st Century Schools) to include 21st century readiness initiatives in 21st Century Community Learning Center activities. The bill would amend Title VI to allow assessment grants to be used by states to develop or improve assessments that use technology to measure core academic subject knowledge and higher-order thinking skills. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 347.
H.R. 378 (112th HR 1295), the Student Bill of Rights Act by Rep. Fattah (D-PA) would direct the Secretary of Education to determine annually whether each state's public school system provides all its students with educational resources to succeed academically and in life. The bill aims to enable students to: (1) acquire knowledge and skills necessary for responsible citizenship; (2) meet challenging academic achievement standards; and (3) compete and succeed in a global economy. The Act would require each system to do so by satisfying certain opportunity to learn indicators for all its schools, including highly effective teachers and equitable instructional resources; providing educational services in local educational agencies (LEAs) that receive funds for disadvantaged students that are, taken as a whole, at least comparable to educational services provided in LEAs not receiving such funds; and complying with any final federal or state court order in any matter concerning the adequacy or equitability of the system. The Act would authorize sanctions if a system fails to meet the above requirements. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 378
H.R. 379 (112th H.R. 1294), the Fiscal Fairness Act by Rep. Fattah (D-PA would amend Title I, Part A of ESEA to condition local educational agency (LEA) receipt of school improvement funds on: (1) an average state and local spending per pupil in each school receiving school improvement funds of at least 97 percent of such spending per pupil across all schools that are not receiving such funds; and (2) an average state and local spending per pupil in each higher poverty school of at least 97 percent of such spending per pupil across all lower poverty schools, if the LEA is serving all of its schools under Title I, Part A. The bill would allow LEAs to meet such requirement across all schools or among schools serving a particular grade span if they compare schools within no more than three grade spans. The bill would direct the Inspector General of the Department of Education, in the fourth and fifth years after this Act’s enactment, to audit 5 states and 10 LEAs to determine their progress in meeting these requirements. The bill would require annual LEA report cards to include certain information on state and local spending per pupil in schools. The bill would require states to provide the public with annual up-to-date school-by-school listings of per-pupil state and local spending. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 379.
H.R. 392, the Student Privacy Protection Act of 2009, by Rep. Honda (D-CA) would amend NCLB so that a parent must provide written consent for the release of student directory information to military recruiters instead of the current requirement that school districts provide student directory information to military recruiters unless the parent or the student affirmatively opts out of the release of such information. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 392.
H.R. 403 (112th H.R. 2430), a bill to amend the percentage of funds appropriated under title I of ESEA required to be reserved for outlying areas and the Secretary of the Interior by Rep. Sablan (D-MP) would amend Title I of ESEA to alter the percentage of school improvement funds that are reserved for outlying areas and Indian education. The bill would reserve 0.5% of those funds for outlying areas and 0.75% for Indian education. (Currently, 1% of those funds are reserved for outlying areas and Indian education.) See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 403.
H.R. 455 (112th S. 1269), the High School Data Transparency Act of 2013 by Rep. Slaughter (D-NY) would amend the ESEA to require coeducational elementary and secondary schools that participate in any ESEA program to: (1) report information on equality in their school athletic programs annually to the Commissioner for Educational Statistics, including certain average coaching salaries; and (2) make such information available to their students, potential students, and the public upon request. The bill would also direct the Commissioner to ensure that such data are posted on the Department of Education's Web site within a reasonable time. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 455
Note: NEA believes that average salaries should not be made public where an individual salary would be revealed due to cohort size.
H.R. 521, the Transforming Education Through Technology Act by Rep. George Miller (D-CA) would direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to strengthen state and local technological infrastructure and professional development that support digital learning. The bill would also create a Technology for Tomorrow Fund for renewable, competitive grants for eligible partnerships to improve college and career readiness through the use of technology and digital learning. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 521
H.R. 536 (112th H.R. 1482), the Diverse Teachers Recruitment Act of 2013 by Rep. Susan Davis (D-CA) would amend ESEA to direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) or nonprofits, educational service agencies, institutions of higher education, or states that enter into partnerships with such LEAs, for recruiting, training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups as public elementary and secondary school teachers. The bill would give priority to LEAs that serve the most high-need schools and those that serve schools with the highest percentages of minorities in their student bodies. The bill also would require the Secretary to evaluate the success of the grantees and compile a database of best practices for recruiting, training, and retaining individuals from underrepresented groups as public elementary and secondary school teachers. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 536
H.R. 551 (112th H.R. 925), the Fast Track to College Act of 2013 by Rep. Hinojosa (D-TX) would authorize the Secretary of Education to award matching six-year grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that partner with institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish or support dual enrollment programs, such as early college high schools, that allow high school students to earn credit simultaneously toward a high school diploma and a postsecondary degree or certificate. The Act would also authorize the Secretary to award matching five-year grants for states to: (1) plan and implement statewide strategies to make dual enrollment programs more accessible to students who are underrepresented in postsecondary education; (2) provide technical assistance to dual enrollment programs; and (3) engage in outreach, assessment, and teacher training activities designed to strengthen such programs. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 551
H.R. 563 (112th H.R. 1138), the School Social Workers Improving Student Success Act by Rep. Moore (D-WI) would amend the ESEA to establish a grant program to fund additional school social workers and retain school social workers already employed in high-need local educational agencies. The bill would prohibit the grant funds from being used to supplant other federal, state, or local funds used for hiring and retaining school social workers. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 563
H.R. 565, the Cardiomyopathy Health Education, Awareness, Risk Assessment, and Training in the Schools (HEARTS) Act of 2013 by Rep. Pallone (D-NJ) would amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to develop and disseminate public education and awareness materials and resources that include: (1) background information to increase education and awareness of cardiomyopathy and other related causes of sudden cardiac death among school administrators, educators, and families; (2) a cardiomyopathy risk assessment worksheet; (3) guidelines regarding the placement of automated external defibrillators in schools and child care centers; (4) training information on defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and (5) recommendations for how schools and child care centers can develop and implement a cardiac emergency response plan. [The companion bill is S. 254 by Sen. Menendez (D-NJ).] See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 565
H.R. 628, the Mental Health in Schools Act of 2013 by Rep. Napolitano (D-CA) would amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend projects relating to children and violence to provide access to school-based comprehensive mental health programs. The bill would require a comprehensive school mental health program funded under this Act, and would revise the eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement to include that: (1) the local education agency will enter into a memorandum of understanding with at least one relevant community-based entity that clearly states the responsibilities of each partner; (2) the program will include training of all school personnel, family members of children with mental health disorders, and concerned members of the community; and (3) the program will demonstrate the measures to be taken to sustain the program after funding terminates. [The companion measure is S. 195 by Sen. Franken (D-MN).] See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 628
H.R. 700, the ARPA-ED Act by Rep. George Miller (D-CA) would authorize the Secretary of Education to reserve up to 30 percent of amounts appropriated for the Investing in Innovation Fund under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to establish and carry out the objectives of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Education (ARPA-ED). The bill would require the Secretary to appoint to the ARPA-ED individuals with expertise in carrying out the Agency's objectives. The bill would require the ARPA-ED to: (1) identify and promote advances in learning, fundamental and applied sciences, and engineering that may be translated into new learning technologies; (2) develop, test, and evaluate new learning technologies and related processes; and (3) accelerate transformational technological advances in education. The bill would direct the Secretary to award grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, or cash prizes to public or private entities in pursuit of these objectives. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 700
H.R. 725 (112th H.R. 3324), the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2011 by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities, including State and local education agencies, to enable such entities to carry out programs that provide evidence-based sex education. [The companion measure is S. 372 by Sen. Lautenberg (D-NJ).] See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 725
H.R. 791 (112th H.R. 2794), the Continuum of Learning Act of 2013 by Rep. Polis (D-CO) would amend Titles I and II of ESEA to foster a continuum of developmentally appropriate and effective learning to connect the early years of childhood education to K-12 education. The bill would require state plans to include early learning guidelines and standards and ready school needs reviews by local educational agencies as part of Title I. The bill would require more rigorous early learning requirements in licensing, certification, and professional development as part of Title II. The bill contains a section prohibiting the use of assessments of young children for high-stakes purposes. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 791
H.R. 822 (112th H.R. 885), the Teaching Geography is Fundamental Act by Rep. Van Hollen (D-MD) would improve and expand geographic literacy among kindergarten through grade 12 students in the United States by improving professional development programs for kindergarten through grade 12 teachers offered through institutions of higher education and through other actions. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 822
H.R. 866, Universal Prekindergarten and Early Childhood Education Act of 2013 by Rep. Norton (D-DC) would authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants for states to establish full-day prekindergarten programs at public schools. These programs would be required to run on the same yearly calendar as the rest of the applicable school and be taught by comparably qualified teachers. The bill would also require programs to permit parents, regardless of income, to enroll their four-year-old children at schools in which their children may be enrolled for kindergarten. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 866
H.R. 1007 (112th H.R. 1692), the Asthma Management Plans in School Act by Rep. Grimm (R-NY) would amend ESEA to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to schools that receive school improvement funds under Title I, Part A of the Act and are located in areas that have a high prevalence of asthma so they can: (1) develop and implement an asthma management plan; and (2) purchase the asthma inhalers, spacers, and other supplies necessary for the relief and treatment of affected students. The bill would require grantees to: (1) find innovative ways to encourage rapid bidirectional communication between schools and students' physicians and students' adherence to asthma treatment; and (2) ensure that they have on staff a nurse or individual who is trained to administer emergency asthma care. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1007
H.R. 1041, the PRE-K Act or Providing Resources Early for Kids Act of 2013 by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) would amend ESEA to direct the Secretary of Education to award matching grants for states to enhance or improve state-funded preschool programs. The bill would set forth a grant formula favoring states that: (1) have curricula aligned with state early learning standards; (2) use nationally established best practices for class size and teacher-to-student ratios; (3) require each teacher to have at least an associate degree in early childhood education or a related field; (4) require such programs to operate for at least a full academic year; and (5) have a plan for meeting the requirement, within five years of receiving such grant, that teachers have at least a baccalaureate degree in early childhood education or have such degree in a related field, but have also completed specialized training in early childhood education. [The companion measure is S. 519 by Sen. Hirono (D-HI).] See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1041
H.R. 1089 (112th H.R. 3373), the STEM Education Innovation Act by Rep. Honda (D-CA) would establish the Office of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education within the Department of Education to administer STEM education, direct the Office of STEM Education to conduct an independent evaluation of the Department's STEM Education programs at least once every five years, and establish an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Education (ARPA-ED) within the Department to pursue breakthrough research and development in educational technology. The bill also directs the Secretary of Education to award matching grants to state-based STEM networks or similar organizations of STEM stakeholders to increase elementary and secondary school students' achievement in the STEM disciplines. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1089
H.R. 1090, the Elementary Educator STEM Content Coach Act by Rep. Honda (D-CA) would direct the Secretary of Education to award grants for states to provide subgrants to partnerships between local educational agencies and public or nonprofit organizations to carry out professional development training programs for elementary school teachers with experience and content knowledge in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The bill also directs the Secretary to plan a national evaluation of the professional development training program for these teachers, described as STEM Coaches. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1090
H.R. 1199 (112th H.R. 1648), the Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2013 by Linda Sanchez (D-CA) would amend ESEA to require states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit conduct, including bullying and harassment, that is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive to: (1) limit students' ability to participate in, or benefit from school programs; or (2) create a hostile or abusive educational environment that adversely affects their education. The bill would require LEAs to provide: (1) annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their discipline policies; (2) grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The bill would also require a biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment and collection of state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA discipline policies. [A related measure is S. 403 by Sen. Casey (D-CA).] See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1199
H.R. 1243 (112th H.R. 2247), the Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program Act by Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) would authorize the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to: (1) promote science, technology, engineering (including robotics), and mathematics (STEM) in secondary schools; (2) support the participation of secondary school students in nontraditional STEM teaching methods; and (3) broaden secondary school students' access to STEM careers. The bill gives priority to grant applications that target: (1) a rural or urban school, (2) a low-performing school or LEA, or (3) an LEA or school that serves students who are eligible for free or reduce price lunches under the school lunch program. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1243
H.R. 1258 (112th H.R. 1617), the Strengthen and Unite Communities with Civics Education and English Development Act of 2013 by Rep. Honda (D-CA) would amend the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act to allow that state leadership activities grants be used to provide technical assistance to faith and community-based organizations desiring grants under the Act. The bill would direct the National Institute for Literacy to: (1) disseminate information regarding integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs; and (2) study the effectiveness of distance learning or self-study programs for English language learners. The bill would make integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs eligible for assistance under the Secretary of Education's national leadership activities program and require the Secretary to award grants to states for integrated English literacy, U.S. history, and civics education programs. The bill would amend several other laws to promote adult education, literacy, civics education and immigrant integration. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1258
H.R. 1334 (112th H.R. 2902), the Equal Access to Quality Education Act of 2013 by Rep. Chu (D-CA) would direct the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to partnerships between high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to establish or support: (1) teacher preparation programs, and (2) teacher induction and retention programs. The bill would require the teacher preparation programs to: (1) require participants to complete at least one year of residency followed by at least three years of teaching at the LEA's high-need schools; and (2) award participants a teaching credential or degree that meets state requirements for a teaching license or certification upon completion of the program. The bill would also require the teacher induction and retention programs to use high-quality mentoring, teacher collaboration, and research-based instructional practices to: (1) support and advance the retention of beginning teachers and principals; and (2) promote effective teaching and leadership skills. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1334
H.R. 1343 (112th H.R. 4366), the Project Ready STEM Act by Rep. Fudge (D-OH) would authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to national and regional intermediaries and, through them, subgrants to community-based affiliates to operate after school, summer, and weekend programs focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. The bill would define a “national intermediary” as a national private nonprofit organization that has: (1) a network comprising community-based affiliates in at least 50 urban communities; (2) expertise in overseeing programs to help middle and secondary school students succeed; and (3) operated in at least 25 states continuously for at least 20 years. A “regional intermediary” would be defined as a private nonprofit community-based organization that has: (1) a network comprising community-based affiliates in a prescribed region, and (2) expertise in extending educational services to middle and secondary school students. The bill would also direct each subgrantee to collaborate with an institution of higher education in providing such services. See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1368
H.R. 1368 (112th H.R. 2331), the Prepare All Kids Act by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) would amend Title I of ESEA to establish a Prekindergarten Incentive Fund for qualified prekindergarten providers to establish, expand, or enhance voluntary high- quality, full-day prekindergarten programs serving children ages three through five. The Act would also provide for early childhood development programs for children ages zero through three and foster early childhood extended-day and -year programs. [The companion bill is S. 502 by Sen. Casey (D-PA).] See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1368
H.R. 1470, the School Safety Enhancement Act by Rep. Capps (D-CA) would amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the use of school security grants to install surveillance equipment and to establish hotlines or tiplines for reporting potentially dangerous students and situations. [A related bill is S. 146 by Sen. Boxer (D-CA).] See if your Representative is a cosponsor of H.R. 1470
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