July 19, 1999 (3:00 p.m.)

SUMMARY OF AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED TO THE RULES COMMITTEE ON H.R. 1995 – TEACHER EMPOWERMENT ACT

(in alphabetical order)

Andrews #13 Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to local education agencies to carry out Holocaust Education programs.

Andrews #20 Urges local education agencies to take into consideration that properly trained principals are a vital part of a quality education when submitting their requests for teacher training grants. LATE

Castle/Fletcher #9 Allows states to use funds to provide assistance to local educational agencies and eligible partnerships for the development and implementation of innovative professional development programs that train teachers to use technology to improve teaching and learning.

Crowley #4 Provides grants to eligible urban local education agencies to enable them to recruit and retain qualified teachers.

Crowley #5 Expresses the Sense of the Congress that high quality teachers are an important part in the development of our children and that it is essential that Congress works to ensure the quality of teachers is the highest possible as they instruct our children.

Fattah #14 Requires states to certify to the Secretary of Education that: (1) per pupil expenditures are equal or, (2) that student performance is equal, in order to receive funds from this title. The Secretary of Education in consultation with the National Academy of Sciences would develop guidelines for "substantially equal" and "per pupil expenditures".

Fattah #15 Requires states to certify to the Secretary of Education that: (1) per pupil expenditures are equal or, (2) that student performance is equal, in order to receive funds from this title. "Substantially equal" would be arrived at by using the definition for equity found in Section 8009(b)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Fletcher #8 Allows schools to use professional development funds for programs that provide instruction in how to teach character education.

Goodling #17 Manager's amendment. Modifies the "Troops-to-Teachers" program; strikes language allowing the state to establish a new within state funding formula; strikes language requiring states to target competitive grants to high need local education agencies; changes language relating to public accountability concerning student achievement; changes language relating to accountability in the State application; and extends the National Writing Project through FY 2004.

Hilleary #3 Allows the Secretary of Education to include competitive grants to needy rural school districts as an optional use of funds available to him

Holt #6 Assures sufficient resources for professional development for teachers in the recognized critical fields of math and science and provides $300 million for professional development in math and science.

Kildee #12 Allows States to continue funding the development of State content and performance standards and assessments.

Kucinich/Andrews #18 Seeks to establish a National Clearinghouse for Teaching Entrepreneurship, to encourage teacher interest and involvement in entrepreneurship education.

Lazio/Wilson/Duncan #19 Recommends mentoring programs and outlines the essential components for carrying out these programs which are designed to improve the initial teacher experience; strengthens the alternative certification program; ensures that teachers seeking alternative certification are qualified to teach and know the subject matter that they are hired to teach in the classroom. LATE

McIntosh #7 Provides for the active participation of parents under the Teacher Empowerment Act which specifically ensures that parents have the opportunity to review the local application for funds so that they are participants in deciding how these funds will be spent.

Martinez #21 Amendment in the nature of a substitute. Provides $1.5 billion in FY 2000 for teacher training and professional development activities; authorizes $1.5 billion in FY 2000 for class size reduction activities and provides flexibility for states that are not in a position to reduce class sizes as rapidly as other states; reauthorizes and expands the Reading Excellence Act, the National Writing Project, the Troops to Teachers Program, the Eisenhower Clearinghouse for Math and Science, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; and provides $500 million for professional development specifically for special education teachers. LATE

Miller (CA) #16 Extends the National Writing Project thru 2004.

Mink #1 Creates a program to provide grants for public school teachers who take sabbatical leave to pursue a course of study for professional development.

Mink #2 Restores the equity provisions currently in Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as well as create new provisions to ensure teachers are trained on the different educational needs of girls, minorities, students with disabilities, Limited English Proficient students, and economically disadvantaged students.

Roemer/Davis (FL) #10 Creates a competitive program, based on the model of the Troops-to-Teachers program, to recruit and train middle career professionals so they could enter the teaching profession in high-need local educational agencies.

Ryan (WI) #11 Allows Local Education Agencies (LEA) to use class size reduction funds for any program under the Individuals with Disabilities Act.

* Summaries derived from information submitted by the amendment sponsors.