Expanded Learning Time Demonstration Act - Amends title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a new part J (Expanded Learning Time Schools and Programs) authorizing the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants directly to local educational agencies (LEAs) or to states for competitive subgrants to LEAs for planning and implementing expanded learning time and school redesign efforts in a subset of their schools.
Gives grant and subgrant priority to LEAs more than 25% of whose students are eligible for federal free or reduced-price meals and which, in turn, target high-need schools: (1) at least 50% of whose students are eligible for such meals; (2) identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under title I; or (3) eligible for school improvement funds under part A of title I.
Requires expanded learning time and school redesign efforts to add at least 360 hours to the schedule of each participating school each year in the form of longer or additional school days.
Directs the Secretary to contract with independent organizations for: (1) a rigorous five-year evaluation of the impact and implementation of this Act's grant programs, particularly on student performance; and (2) the provision of technical assistance to states and LEAs that includes the dissemination of best practices for expanding learning time.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3642 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3642
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide
grants for expanded learning time schools and programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 24, 2007
Mr. Payne introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide
grants for expanded learning time schools and programs.
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 ``Expanded Learning Time Demonstration
Act''.
SEC. 2. EXPANDED LEARNING TIME SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS.
Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is
amended by adding at the end the following new part:
``PART J--EXPANDED LEARNING TIME SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS
``SEC. 1941. PURPOSES.
``The purposes of this part are to provide support through
competitive grants to local education agencies and State education
agencies to develop expanded learning time schools and--
``(1) to expand learning time in the form of longer school
days, additional school days or a combination of longer school
days and additional school days;
``(2) to spur innovation within participating schools and
local education agencies that are adding time to the school
schedule for all students, redesigning their educational
program, and offering challenging and well-integrated learning
experiences focused on raising student achievement and
engagement;
``(3) to allow schools and local education agencies to
provide more in-depth learning opportunities in mathematics,
literacy, science and other core subjects to support academic
excellence;
``(4) to provide schools and local education agencies with
the opportunity to add or expand programs that contribute to a
well rounded education, such as arts, music, drama, and other
learning opportunities, for which they do not have time in the
current school calendar;
``(5) to encourage schools and local education agencies to
address the physical health and increasing rate of obesity
among children by enabling schools to expand physical
education, athletics, and health programs;
``(6) to offer students engaging learning opportunities
that increase graduation rates and develop 21st century skills
related to the use of technology, oral presentation and team
building skills, project-based learning and exposure to
community resources through activities including
apprenticeships;
``(7) to encourage the participation of teachers and
teacher union representatives in school redesign efforts
associated with expanded learning time in order to create the
most effective redesign efforts;
``(8) to provide educators in participating schools with
increased opportunities to work collaboratively and to
participate in professional planning to improve instruction and
student achievement;
``(9) to encourage schools and local education agencies to
form partnerships with community-based organizations,
institutions of higher learning, cultural organizations, and
health and mental health organizations to provide additional
learning and development opportunities to children;
``(10) to provide for accountability to ensure the
efficient and effective implementation of expanded learning
time initiatives in participating local education agencies; and
``(11) to determine through a rigorous evaluation whether
expanding the school day and/or year is a feasible and
effective way to help students meet challenging State academic
standards and close the achievement gap.
``SEC. 1942. EXPANDED LEARNING TIME AND SCHOOL REDESIGN GRANTS.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall award expanded learning time
and school redesign grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible
entities and State education agencies to enable schools and local
education agencies served by the participating eligible entities and
State education agencies to expand learning time and improve student
achievement and engagement. The Secretary, from amounts appropriated
under section 1002(b)(1) shall award, on a competitive basis--
``(1) expanded learning time and school redesign planning
grants to eligible entities as specified in section 1943;
``(2) State expanded learning time initiative grants to
eligible State education agencies, as specified in section
1944; and
``(3) expanded learning time and school redesign
implementation grants to eligible entities and State education
agencies as specified in section 1945.
``(b) Determination of Amount of Allotments.--
``(1) Reservations from appropriations.--From the total
amount made available to carry out this part for a fiscal year,
the Secretary--
``(A) shall reserve not less than $4,500,000 to
carry out section 1946 relating to national activities
including evaluation, information dissemination and
technical assistance; and
``(B) shall reserve not more than $1,000,000 to
carry out the activities described in paragraph (2).
``(2) Planning and administration.--The Secretary may
expend funds made available under paragraph (1)(B) for planning
and administration relating to the uses of funds authorized
under this part, including--
``(A) administering the review, selection, and
distribution of competitive subgrants to eligible
entities and State education agencies under section
1943, 1944, and 1945; and
``(B) assessing and evaluating, on a regular basis,
activities of eligible entities and State education
agencies allowed under this part, with respect to
whether they have been effective in implementing
expanded learning time and school redesign initiatives.
``(3) Grant allotments.--In accordance with paragraph (5),
the Secretary shall allot among participating eligible entities
and State education agencies the total amount made available to
carry out this part for any fiscal year and not reserved under
paragraph (1).
``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this part $140,000,000 for
fiscal year 2008, $280,000,000 for fiscal year 2009,
$290,000,000 in fiscal year 2010, $300,000,000 for fiscal year
2011, and $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.
``(5) Determination of grant allotment amounts.--Subject to
paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary shall allot the amount made
available under paragraph (3) for each fiscal year among the
qualifying eligible entities and State education agencies with
no entity being eligible to receive monies for an expanded
learning time and school redesign initiative that serves more
than 10 schools and no State education agency eligible to
receive monies for an expanded learning time and school
redesign initiative that serves more than 30 schools.
``SEC. 1943. EXPANDED LEARNING TIME AND SCHOOL REDESIGN PLANNING
GRANTS.
``(a) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary shall award expanded
learning time and school redesign planning grants, on a competitive
basis, to eligible entities to develop expanded learning time and
school redesign implementation plans as specified in this section.
``(b) Application for Planning Grants.--An eligible entity that
desires to receive an expanded learning time and school redesign
planning grant pursuant to this subsection shall submit an application
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner as the Secretary may
require. The application shall contain, but need not be limited to the
information described in subsection (d).
``(c) Review of Expanded Learning Time and School Redesign Planning
Grant Applications.--Upon receiving qualifying applications for the
expanded learning time and school redesign planning grant program, the
Secretary shall review all applications and award expanded learning
time and school redesign planning grants to the most qualified
applications pursuant to subparagraph (d).
``(d) Application Contents.--An application for an expanded
learning time and school redesign planning grant or planning subgrant
under this section shall contain the following:
``(1) The process and selection criteria the eligible
entity will use to select schools to participate in creating
expanded learning time and school redesign implementation
plans.
``(2) How the eligible entity will encourage participating
schools or local education agencies to expand learning time to
spur innovation, redesign and improve their educational
program, improve instruction and teacher collaboration, and
improve the academic achievement of all students in
participating schools.
``(3) How the eligible entity will assess the leadership
capacity of participating schools to--
``(A) implement successfully a complex school
improvement initiative; and
``(B) use data effectively to align curriculum,
instruction, and assessment.
``(4) A statement of intent to add not less than 360 hours
to the schedule of any participating school and that the
additional time be in the form of longer school days,
additional school days or a combination of longer days and more
days.
``(5) The requirement that participating schools expand
learning time for all students attending any participating
school.
``(6) The requirement that each participating school will
develop an expanded learning time and school redesign
implementation plan as specified in section 1945.
``(7) The process by which the eligible entity will ensure
the meaningful involvement of teachers, union representatives,
parents, and school partners in the planning of the expanded
learning time and school redesign initiative.
``(8) A description of the eligible entity's rationale for
redesigning schools with expanded learning time including, but
not limited to, an analysis of relevant school performance data
and how expanded learning time will help meet student learning
and developmental needs and achieve academic excellence.
``(9) A description of how the expanded learning time
initiative integrates into the eligible entity's plan for
improving academic achievement and for improving schools
identified as being in need of improvement, corrective action,
or restructuring.
``(10) A description of how the eligible entity will
collect, maintain, and report data required by the Secretary
including, but not limited to, formative student achievement
data that is collected at regular intervals during a school
year.
``(11) A description of how the eligible entity will review
annually the implementation and impact of its expanded learning
time initiative.
``(12) A description of the process the eligible entity
will use to disseminate materials, information and lessons
learned about how participating schools effectively expand
learning time to other schools served by the eligible entity.
``(13) A memorandum of understanding between the eligible
entity and a qualified external organization, or organizations,
that has a successful track record of helping schools
comprehensively redesign their educational program to better
meet student needs and improve student achievement that
includes--
``(A) a description of how they will work together
to effectively provide support and technical assistance
to participating schools including providing materials,
planning support, and on-site assistance during the
planning and implementation phases; and
``(B) a budget detailing the costs associated with
the technical assistance specified in subparagraph (A).
``(14) An agreement to participate in the Federal
evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of expanded learning
time as it relates to this grant program including, but not
limited to, the reporting of data as requested by the
Secretary.
``(e) Priority.--In awarding subgrants under this subsection, the
Secretary shall give priority to applications--
``(1) submitted by eligible entities that have more than 25
percent of students eligible for the Federal free or reduced-
price meals program;
``(2) proposing to target high-need schools--
``(A) with 50 percent or more students eligible for
the Federal free or reduced-price meals program;
``(B) that are identified as being in need of
improvement, corrective action, or restructuring as
defined in section 1116; or
``(C) that are eligible to receive assistance under
part A;
``(3) submitted by eligible entities that, at the time of
application, are using, or have plans to use during the
implementation of expanded learning time, formative assessments
to assess growth in student learning during a school year and
from year to year;
``(4) that have the greatest potential for district-wide
impact; and
``(5) that have plans to incorporate community-based
organizations and partners including after-school program
providers into the planning and implementation of the expanded
learning time redesign.
``(f) Timeframe.--Each eligible entity that applies for an expanded
learning time and school redesign planning grant may submit a plan that
consists of no more than two cohorts of schools to complete expanded
learning time and school redesign implementation plans pursuant to
section 1945(B).
``(g) Broad Geographic Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure
that grants awarded under this part are distributed among diverse
geographical regions, including rural, suburban, and urban areas.
``(h) Duration of Grants.--Each expanded learning time and school
redesign planning grant awarded under this part shall be for a period
of not more than 2 years.
``(i) Grant Amount.--Grants awarded pursuant to this section may be
for not less than $20,000 and for not more than $70,000 per fiscal year
to each participating eligible entity.
``(j) Local Administration.--An eligible entity that receives a
subgrant under this subsection may use not more than 5 percent of the
funds provided under the subgrant for administration.
``SEC. 1944. STATE EXPANDED LEARNING TIME AND SCHOOL REDESIGN
INITIATIVE GRANTS.
``(a) Grants Authorized.--From amounts appropriated under this Act,
the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to State
education agencies for the purpose of creating State expanded learning
time and school redesign initiatives that will enable local education
agencies within a participating State to expand learning time to
improve student achievement and engagement in a subset of schools
served by such local education agency.
``(b) Subgrants Authorized.--A State education agency that receives
a grant under section 1944 shall award subgrants, on a competitive
basis, to local education agencies for the purpose of planning and
implementing expanded learning time and school redesign efforts.
``(c) Applications.--A State education agency that desires to
receive a grant under section 1944 shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time and in such form as the Secretary may require.
The application shall contain the information described in subsection
(d).
``(d) Contents.--An application under this section shall contain
the following:
``(1) A provision for awarding expanded learning time and
school redesign planning subgrants and expanded learning time
and school redesign implementation subgrants, subject to the
following:
``(A) Expanded learning time and school redesign
planning grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis
to local education agencies to develop expanded
learning time implementation plans pursuant to
guidelines set forth by the State education agency and
in accordance with the requirements of subsection
1943(d).
``(B) Expanded Learning Time and School Redesign
Implementation grants shall be awarded as specified in
section 1945, on a competitive basis, to those local
education agencies that have completed qualifying
implementation plans as specified by the State
education agency and by section 1945, in order to
implement such plans fully.
``(2) The process and selection criteria the State
education agency will use to select local education agencies
for planning subgrants including, but not limited to, how the
State education agency will assess the local education agency's
and school's leadership capacity and its ability to
successfully implement a complex school improvement initiative,
and the use of data to effectively align curriculum,
instruction, and assessment.
``(3) A description of how the State education agency will
encourage participating schools and local education agencies to
expand learning time to spur innovation, redesign and improve
their educational program, improve instruction and teacher
collaboration, and improve the academic achievement of all
students in participating schools.
``(4) The requirement for each participating school within
a participating local education agency to add no less than the
equivalent of two hours per day (360 hours total) to the school
schedule that is standard for the participating local education
agency and that the additional time may be added in the form of
additional days or longer days or a combination of longer days
and additional days.
``(5) The requirement that participating schools expand
learning time for all students attending any participating
school and be in the form of longer school days, additional
school days or a combination thereof.
``(6) A description of how expanded learning time will
support the State intervention strategy for schools identified
as being in need of improvement, corrective action, or
restructuring.
``(7) A description of the process for disseminating
materials, information and lessons learned about how to
effectively expand learning time to other schools and local
education agencies within the State.
``(8) A description of how the State education agency shall
support the planning and implementation phases of any
participating schools and local education agencies by providing
technical assistance during the planning and implementation
phases including, but not limited to, the creation of a
partnership between the eligible entity and one or more
external organizations that have a successful track record of
helping schools comprehensively redesign their educational
program to better meet student needs, and have the capacity to
deliver high quality materials, professional planning, and on-
site assistance during the planning and implementation phases.
``(9) An assurance that the State education agency, and any
local education agencies receiving a subgrant from that State
education agency under section 1944, will, if requested,
participate in the national activities as specified in section
1946.
``(10) Any other information that the Secretary may
reasonably require.
``(e) Priority.--In awarding grants under this subsection, the
Secretary shall give priority to applications--
``(1) submitted by States that target local education
agencies that have more than 25 percent of students eligible
for the Federal free or reduced-price meals program;
``(2) proposing to target high-need schools--
``(A) with 50 percent or more students eligible for
the Federal free or reduced-price meals program;
``(B) that are identified as being in need of
improvement, corrective action, or restructuring as
defined in section 1116 of title I; or
``(C) that are eligible to receive assistance under
part A of title I;
``(3) submitted by State education agencies that, at the
time of application, are using, or have plans to use during the
implementation of expanded learning time, formative assessments
to assess growth in student learning during a school year and
from year to year;
``(4) submitted by State education agencies that
demonstrate a higher correlation between student results on
NAEP and the student results on that State administered
achievement test;
``(5) that support school partnerships with community-based
organizations, school partners, institutions of higher
education, and after-school providers as part of the expanded
learning time initiative; and
``(6) that have the greatest potential for Statewide
impact.
``(f) Timeframe.--Each State education agency that applies for an
expanded learning time and school redesign grant must submit a plan for
not more than two cohorts of local education agencies that complete
expanded learning time and school redesign implementation plans
pursuant to section 1945.
``(g) Broad Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure that grants
awarded under this part are distributed among diverse geographical
regions and to a diverse range of States of different sizes and
populations.
``(h) Duration of Grants.--Each State expanded learning time and
school redesign initiative grant awarded under this part shall be for a
period of five years and be eligible for renewal for a period of not
more than five years;
``(i) State Uses of Funds.--
``(1) In general.--A State education agency that receives a
grant under this section may expend not more than a total of 10
percent of the grant funds to carry out the activities
described in paragraphs (2) and (3).
``(2) Technical assistance for local education agencies and
schools.--A State education agency may expend not more than 70
percent of the amount of the funds made available under
paragraph (1) for one or more of the following for assisting
local education agencies in accomplishing the tasks required to
design and implement a program under this part, which shall
include, but not be limited to--
``(A) the facilitation of planning and development
processes;
``(B) the identification and utilization of
eligible external organizations to help provide
technical assistance to participating local education
agencies and schools;
``(C) disseminating research, information, and
guidance on best practices including, but not limited
to, instruction, budgeting, labor agreements, staffing,
and communications; and
``(D) providing coaching, professional development,
technical assistance, and training related to the
development and implementation of an expanded learning
time plan.
``(3) Planning, administration, and reporting.--A State
education agency may expend not more than 30 percent of the
amount of the funds made available under paragraph (1) for one
or more of the following:
``(A) Planning and administration.--A State
education agency that receives a grant under this
section may expend funds made available under
subparagraph (A) for planning and administration
relating to the State uses of funds authorized under
this part, including the following:
``(i) Administering the review, approval
and distribution of competitive subgrants to
eligible local education agencies under
subsection (c).
``(ii) Assessing and evaluating, on a
regular basis, eligible local education agency
activities assisted under this part.
``(B) Annual reporting.--
``(i) In general.--A State education agency
that receives a grant under this section shall
expend funds made available under subparagraph
(A) to provide the Secretary annually with a
report on the implementation of this part.
``(ii) Information included.--Each report
under this subparagraph shall include
information on the following:
``(I) A review of the progress
being made on implementation by each
local education agency with an approved
implementation plan.
``(II) Attendance data for each
participating school.
``(III) Retention, mobility and
transfer rates into and out of each
participating school.
``(IV) Formative achievement data
collected at regular intervals during
each school year for each participating
school.
``(V) Summative achievement data
including standardized test scores for
each participating school.
``(iii) Privacy protection.--Data in the
report shall be reported in a manner that
protects the privacy of individuals.
``(j) Review.--
``(1) Progress report.--
``(A) Submission.--Not later than 60 days after the
termination of the second year of the grant period and
for each successive year after that until the
termination of this grant, each State education agency
receiving a grant under this section shall submit a
progress report to the Secretary in such manner as the
Secretary may require.
``(B) Information included.--The progress report
shall include information on the progress the State
education agency and local education agencies within
the State are making in implementing expanded learning
time initiatives and the impact such initiatives have
had on improving academic achievement, and any
additional information and data as the Secretary may
require.
``(2) Consequences of insufficient progress.--After
submission of the progress report described in paragraph (1),
if the Secretary determines that the State education agency is
not making significant progress in meeting the purposes of this
part, the Secretary may withhold from the State education
agency, in whole or in part, further payments under this
section in accordance with section 455 of the General Education
Provisions Act or take such other action authorized by law as
the Secretary determines necessary, including providing
technical assistance upon request of the State education
agency.
``(k) Funds Not Used for State Level Activities.--Any portion of
funds that a State education agency does not expend in accordance with
subsection (i) of this section shall be expended for the purpose of
making subgrants in accordance with subsection (d) of this section.
``SEC. 1945. EXPANDED LEARNING TIME AND SCHOOL REDESIGN IMPLEMENTATION
GRANTS.
``(a) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary or a participating State
education agency shall award expanded learning time implementation
grants on a competitive basis to qualifying eligible entities that have
submitted a qualifying implementation plan pursuant to paragraph (b) of
this section. To be eligible for an implementation grant, an eligible
entity must submit a qualifying implementation plan for review in such
time and containing such information as the Secretary or State
education agency may require and shall include, but not be limited to,
the information specified in subparagraph (b) of this subsection.
``(b) Content.--
``(1) A qualifying expanded learning time and school
redesign implementation plan shall contain such information as
the Secretary may require including--
``(A) the addition of not less than 360 hours to
the schedule of any participating school and that the
additional time be in the form of longer school days,
additional school days or a combination of longer days
and more days;
``(B) the requirement for participating schools to
expand time for all students attending the
participating school;
``(C) an increase in instructional time on core
academics and enrichment, and more time for teacher
planning and professional planning;
``(D) a comprehensive restructuring of the entire
school day and/or year to maximize the use of the
additional learning time and improve student
achievement;
``(E) documentation of leadership capacity to
implement the complex process required to expand
learning time and redesign the school program as well
as a track record of instituting complex school
improvement processes;
``(F) an assurance that core academic subjects
shall be taught by qualified, certified teachers while
other enrichment programs may be taught by certified
teachers or other qualified personnel;
``(G) evidence of an agreement between the
governing body of a participating local education
agency and employees, including teachers, or their
legal representatives, at participating schools to work
the expanded schedule;
``(H) an audit of how time is currently used in the
participating school's existing schedule prior to
implementation of expanded learning time;
``(I) an agreement with an external organization
that will provide high quality technical support and
assistance during the implementation phases, provided
that said external organization has a demonstrated
capacity to deliver high quality materials,
professional planning, and on-site assistance to
schools and local education agencies;
``(J) a description of how the local education
agency or participating schools will utilize
partnerships with external organizations that have a
demonstrated capacity for implementing high quality
programs for public school students in the planning and
implementation of the expanded learning time programs
including organizations such as institutions of higher
education, community-based organizations, health and
mental health agencies, cultural organizations, and
after-school program providers; and
``(K) include a comprehensive budget sufficient to
fund the approved plan that includes funding allocated
from this grant that is not more than the amount equal
to the number of students attending the participating
schools multiplied by the defined per pupil amount.
Said budget shall include not less than 5 percent of
total cost of implementing expanded learning time from
sources other than those allocated as part of this Act.
The match may include, but need not be limited to,
funds from other Federal, State, local, or private
sources, to assist with implementation of the expanded
learning time program.
``(c) Review of Expanded Learning Time and School Redesign Planning
Grant Applications.--Upon receiving qualifying expanded learning time
and school redesign implementation plans, the Secretary or State
education agency shall review all implementation plans and award
expanded learning time and school redesign implementation grants to the
most qualified applications pursuant to subsection (d) of this section.
``(d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this subsection, the
Secretary or State education agency shall give priority to
applications--
``(1) submitted by eligible entities that have more than 25
percent of students eligible for the Federal free or reduced-
price meals program;
``(2) proposing to target high-need schools--
``(A) with 50 percent or more students eligible for
the Federal free or reduced-price meals program;
``(B) that are identified as being in need of
improvement, corrective action, or restructuring as
defined in section 1116 of title I; or
``(C) that are eligible to receive assistance under
part A of title I;
``(3) submitted by eligible entities that, at the time of
application, are using, or have plans to use during the
implementation of expanded learning time, formative assessments
to assess growth in student learning during a school year and
from year to year;
``(4) that have the greatest potential for district-wide
impact; and
``(5) that support school partnerships with community-based
organizations, school partners, institutions of higher
education, and after-school providers into as part of the
expanded learning time initiative.
``(e) Duration of Grants.--Each expanded learning time and school
redesign implementation grant awarded under this part shall be for a
period of not less than 5 years and shall be renewable for a period of
up to 5 years.
``(f) Grant Amount.--Implementation grants awarded to eligible
entities pursuant to this section shall be for the amount calculated by
multiplying the defined per pupil allotment by the number of students
participating as specified in the approved implementation plan as
submitted by the qualifying eligible entity.
``(g) Local Administration.--An eligible local education agency
that receives a subgrant under this subsection may use not more than
7.5 percent of the funds provided under the subgrant for
administration, review, assessment, and reporting as described in the
approved planning grant application and as required by the Secretary.
``SEC. 1946. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES.
``From funds reserved under section 1942(b)(1)(C), the Secretary
shall authorize not less than $4,500,000 in each fiscal year beginning
with fiscal year 2008 and ending in fiscal year 2012 for external
evaluation pursuant to section 1947 and the national technical
assistance activities and information dissemination pursuant to section
1948--
``(1) the Secretary shall carry out the external evaluation
as described in section 1947 and expend not less than 50
percent of the funds authorized in this section to carry out
the evaluation activities pursuant to section 1947; and
``(2) the Secretary shall expend not more than 50 percent
of the funds authorized in this section for national technical
assistance activities and information dissemination pursuant to
section 1948.
``SEC. 1947. EXTERNAL EVALUATION.
``(a) In General.--From funds reserved under section 1942(b)(1)(C),
the Secretary shall contract with an independent organization outside
of the Department for a 5-year, rigorous, scientifically valid
evaluation of impact and implementation of the planning and
implementation grants.
``(b) Process.--The evaluation under subsection (a) shall be
conducted by an organization that is capable of designing and carrying
out an independent evaluation that identifies the effects of specific
activities carried out by eligible entities and local education
agencies under this part on student achievement and engagement. Such
evaluation shall also be designed to analyze the relationship between
the implementation process and changes observed in student performance
and other outcomes and take into account factors influencing student
performance that are not controlled by teachers or education
administrators.
``(c) Analysis.--The evaluation authorized under subsection (a)
shall include--
``(1) a summative analysis to assess outcomes, particularly
in student performance, over the short and long term for an
analysis of expanded learning time schools and their impact on
various stakeholders over a five year period and shall
include--
``(A) a quantitative analysis of all expanded
learning time schools;
``(B) an in-depth analysis of a sub-sample of
expanded learning time schools, that includes, but is
not limited to, trends in test scores, changes in
educational practices, satisfaction of different
constituencies, teacher retention, school choice,
impact on key indicators of student success including,
but not limited to engagement in learning, social
competencies, collaboration skills and other 21st
century skills, retention, and disciplinary action; and
``(C) an analysis of how variation in certain
factors including, but not limited to, school design,
instructional practices, and existing conditions
influence outcomes;
``(2) a formative analysis to gain understanding about the
conditions and activities that impacted the planning and
implementation of expanded learning time initiatives, including
but not limited to--
``(A) teaching and leadership practices;
``(B) student and teacher schedules;
``(C) the added costs of operating an ELT school
and where these added costs reside in the budget, and
whether the schools needed to seek revenues beyond
those provided by the State and/or local district;
``(D) changes to teacher, custodial and other
contracts to accommodate the longer hours;
``(E) the meaningful similarities and differences
in the ways in which individual schools implemented a
longer day and/or year;
``(F) how the additional time is used for enhancing
teaching and learning, as stated by administrators,
teachers, parents and students; and
``(G) how partners are integrated into the school
day.
``(3) any other analysis or measurement pertinent to this
part that is determined to be appropriate by the Secretary.
``(d) Program Improvement.--The findings of the evaluation
conducted under this section shall be provided to eligible entities and
local education agencies on a periodic basis for use in program
improvement.
``SEC. 1948. INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
``(a) In General.--From funds reserved under section 1942(b)(1)(C),
the Secretary shall contract with an independent organization outside
of the Department to provide technical assistance to State education
agencies and local education agencies. Such an organization shall, in
partnership with the Secretary--
``(1) assist State education agencies with the planning of
expanded learning time initiatives including, but not limited
to, the dissemination of information and research on existing
State and local expanded learning time efforts;
``(2) convene participating State and local education
agencies and relevant State technical assistance partners
through the use of regional and national networks to train and
educate them on best practices for expanding learning time in
the areas of finance, educational programming, human resources
and staffing, labor agreements, and school partnerships;
``(3) identify and disseminate information about schools,
local education agencies, and eligible entities that have
effectively developed and implemented expanded learning time
initiatives, including those eligible entities, local education
agencies, and schools that have been identified as effective
through the evaluation provisions of this part; and
``(4) support the continued identification and
dissemination of information expanded learning time programs
that can lead to improved learning outcomes for children,
youth, and adults.
``(b) Selection.--In naming an organization to be the national
technical assistance provider for the expanded learning time
initiative, the Secretary shall select from organizations that have a
proven track record of providing technical assistance related to
developing and implementing expanded learning time initiatives to State
education agencies and local education agencies for a minimum of two
years prior to the enactment of this section. In addition, the
Secretary shall consider an organization's financial capacity,
leadership capacity, and ability to attract a broad range of financial
support.
``SEC. 1949. DEFINITIONS.
``In this part:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) a local education agency; or
``(B) a consortium that consists of two or more
local education agencies.
``(2) Expanded learning time and school redesign planning
grant or planning grant.--The terms `expanded learning time and
school redesign planning grant' or `planning grant' mean a
subgrant awarded by the Secretary to an eligible entity or a
State education agency to a local education agency for the
purpose of developing an implementation plan for expanding the
school day and/or year.
``(3) Expanded learning time and school redesign
implementation subgrant or implementation grant.--The terms
`expanded learning time and school redesign implementation
grant' or `implementation grant' mean a grant awarded by the
Secretary to a qualifying eligible entity or subgrant awarded
by a State education agency to a local education agency to
enact its expanded learning time and school redesign
implementation plan to expand learning time by lengthening
school days or the school year, or a combination of both, at
selected schools.
``(4) Expanded learning time and school redesign
implementation plan or implementation plan.--The terms
`expanded learning time and school redesign implementation
plan' or `implementation plan' mean the plan developed by a
local education agency to expand the school day and/or year at
selected schools that is submitted to the Secretary or a State
education agency for review.
``(5) Defined per pupil allotment.--The term `defined per
pupil allotment' means the amount determined by the Secretary
to be the cost of expanding learning time pursuant to this Act.
The `defined per pupil amount' shall be equal to $1,500 and
adjusted higher or lower depending on regional differences in
per pupil cost as determined by the Secretary.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
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