text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Smaller Schools, Stronger 
  Communities Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds the following:
              (1) Since World War II, the conventional wisdom among 
          educators has been that larger schools are better than smaller 
          schools, and as a result the number of secondary schools in the 
          United States has declined by 70 percent and the average school 
          size has grown to 5 times the previous average size. According 
          to the Department of Education, 70 percent of high school 
          students in 2000 attended schools with more than 1,000 
          students.
              (2) Over the past few years, educators have begun to 
          question the belief that larger schools are always better. The 
          National Association of Secondary School Principals recently 
          recommended that the high school of the 21st century be much 
          more student-centered and, above all, much more personalized in 
          programs, support services, and intellectual rigor. Underlying 
          this recommendation are the Association's beliefs that students 
          take more interest in school when they have a sense of 
          belonging and that students benefit from a more intimate 
          setting in which their presence is more readily and repeatedly 
          acknowledged.
              (3) The National Association of Secondary School Principals 
          warns that the ``bigness'' of high schools shrouds many young 
          people in what the Association calls ``a cloak of anonymity''. 
          To counteract this effect, the Association recommends that high 
          schools--
                      (A) restructure their layouts and schedules so that 
                  students are no longer invisible and able to ``melt 
                  into their surroundings'';
                      (B) limit their enrollments to units of not more 
                  than 600 students, either by constructing new buildings 
                  or by creating schools-within-a-school; and
                      (C) change the relationship between teachers and 
                  students by reducing the number of class changes 
                  students are required to make each day and by allowing 
                  teachers to spend more time with smaller numbers of 
                  students.
              (4) Research shows that larger schools tend to stratify 
          students into different tracks, which are often based on 
          children's educational and social backgrounds. The result is 
          inequitable educational outcomes, because at larger schools the 
          gap between the educational achievement of high-achieving and 
          low-achieving students is greater than at smaller schools.
              (5) Research shows that--
                      (A) in smaller, more personalized, and less 
                  bureaucratic schools, the gap between high-achieving 
                  and low-achieving students is smaller;
                      (B) students in smaller schools perform better in 
                  the core subjects of reading, mathematics, history, and 
                  science;
                      (C) students in smaller schools are more engaged in 
                  their courses;
                      (D) smaller schools have higher attendance rates 
                  and higher rates of participation in school activities; 
                  and
                      (E) because achievement levels in smaller schools 
                  are more equitably distributed, students who come from 
                  more disadvantaged economic and educational backgrounds 
                  show the greatest achievement gains in smaller schools.
              (6) In 2000, the Bank Street College of Education conducted 
          a study, entitled ``Small Schools: Great Strides'', of more 
          than 150 small schools in Chicago, Illinois. In the study, 
          researchers found the following:
                      (A) Small schools generated measurable benefits 
                  (including higher attendance rates, grade point 
                  averages, and graduation rates) even among the most 
                  academically disadvantaged students.
                      (B) Teachers and parents reported greater 
                  satisfaction with small schools.
                      (C) Teachers found that small schools offer a 
                  stronger, more collaborative professional learning 
                  community and provide opportunities to know students 
                  better and to take greater responsibility for their 
                  achievement.
                      (D) Parents found that small schools are more 
                  accessible, more responsive, and safer.
              (7) According to a recent study of 13,600 schools in 
          Georgia, Montana, Ohio, and Texas--
                      (A) in smaller schools the harmful effects of 
                  poverty on student achievement were greatly reduced; 
                  and
                      (B) in poorer Texas communities, larger schools had 
                  significantly lower test scores than smaller schools.
              (8) Research shows that smaller schools are safer and that 
          students in smaller schools are less likely to join gangs. 
          According to the 1999 report entitled ``Indicators of School 
          Crime and Safety'' issued by the National Center for Education 
          Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics--
                      (A) the number of criminal acts committed at school 
                  and number of incidents of school violence were much 
                  lower in schools enrolling between 300 to 1,000 
                  students than in larger schools regardless of location 
                  in urban, suburban, or rural areas; and
                      (B) on the urban fringe, at schools within 
                  metropolitan areas but not in the areas' central 
                  cities, larger schools experienced as many as 4 times 
                  as many incidents of serious violence per 1,000 
                  students than smaller schools.
              (9) Many States and local educational agencies are 
          implementing strategies to reduce the size of their schools, 
          including Florida, where in 2000 Governor Jeb Bush signed a 
          school safety bill that required new schools to serve smaller 
          student populations. The legislation limited new high schools 
          to 900 students.
  
  SEC. 3. SMALLER LEARNING COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAM.
  
      Section 10105 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
  (20 U.S.C. 8005) is amended to read as follows:
  
  ``SEC. 10105. SMALLER LEARNING COMMUNITIES.
  
      ``(a) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions 
  apply:
              ``(1) School.--The term `school' means an elementary school 
          or a secondary school.
              ``(2) School-within-a-school.--The term `school-within-a-
          school' means a unit within a school that creates a close and 
          consistent academic and administrative relationship between a 
          group of students and a group of teachers such that the unit 
          functions as an individualized smaller school, regardless of 
          how many such schools-within-a-school exist within the larger 
          school.
              ``(3) Smaller learning community.--The term `smaller 
          learning community' means--
                      ``(A) an independent, small school within a single 
                  building;
                      ``(B) a school-within-a-school; or
                      ``(C) any other grouping of students, teachers, or 
                  administrators that uses effective or innovative 
                  strategies to create a more personalized school 
                  experience for students to improve student achievement 
                  or performance, including but not limited to strategies 
                  that make use of--
                              ``(i) career academies or clusters;
                              ``(ii) magnet schools;
                              ``(iii) restructured daily or school-year 
                          schedules; or
                              ``(iv) mentoring systems, such as personal 
                          adult advocates or teacher advisory systems.
      ``(b) Authority To Make Grants.--In accordance with this section, 
  the Secretary may--
              ``(1) make grants to local educational agencies to enable 
          such agencies to develop plans to create smaller learning 
          communities; and
              ``(2) make grants to local educational agencies to enable 
          such agencies to implement plans to establish such communities.
      ``(c) Application.--
              ``(1) In general.--In accordance with this subsection, the 
          Secretary shall require that each local educational agency 
          seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application 
          to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied 
          by such information as the Secretary may require.
              ``(2) Simple, brief application.--In developing 
          applications for the grants described in subsection (b), the 
          Secretary shall develop an application that is simple and brief 
          in form.
              ``(3) Planning grants.--Each application from a local 
          educational agency for a grant under subsection (b)(1) shall 
          include information relating to each of the following:
                      ``(A) The need in the area administered by the 
                  local educational agency for 1 or more smaller learning 
                  communities.
                      ``(B) The process the local educational agency 
                  intends to follow in establishing 1 or more smaller 
                  learning communities.
                      ``(C) The steps the local educational agency 
                  intends to follow in order to ensure the viability of 
                  each smaller learning community to be assisted with the 
                  grant.
                      ``(D) For each smaller learning community to be 
                  assisted with the grant, the non-Federal resources that 
                  will be available to the local educational agency from 
                  each of the following:
                              ``(i) Any existing school at which the 
                          smaller learning community will be located.
                              ``(ii) The school district, or area 
                          administered by the local educational agency, 
                          in which the smaller learning community will be 
                          located.
              ``(4) Implementation grants.--Each application from a local 
          educational agency for a grant under subsection (b)(2) shall 
          include information relating to each of the following:
                      ``(A) The strategies and methods the local 
                  educational agency intends to use to create each 
                  smaller learning community.
                      ``(B) The curriculum and instructional practices, 
                  including any particular themes or emphases, to be used 
                  in the learning environment.
                      ``(C) The degree of involvement of teachers, and 
                  other school personnel, in investigating, designing, 
                  implementing, and sustaining each smaller learning 
                  community.
                      ``(D) The process to be used for involving 
                  students, parents, and other stakeholders in the 
                  development and implementation of each smaller learning 
                  community.
                      ``(E) Any cooperation or collaboration among 
                  community agencies, organizations, businesses, and 
                  others to develop or implement a plan to create each 
                  smaller learning community.
                      ``(F) The training and professional development 
                  activities that will be offered to teachers and others 
  involved in the activities for which the grant is sought.
                      ``(G) The goals and objectives of the activities 
                  for which the grant is sought, including a description 
                  of how such activities will better enable all students 
                  to reach challenging State content standards and State 
                  student performance standards.
                      ``(H) The methods by which the local educational 
                  agency will assess progress in meeting the goals and 
                  objectives described in subparagraph (G).
                      ``(I) With respect to any smaller learning 
                  community that will be a school-within-a-school, the 
                  relationship, including governance and administration, 
                  between the smaller learning community and the rest of 
                  the school.
                      ``(J) The administrative and managerial 
                  relationship between the local educational agency and 
                  each smaller learning community, including how such 
                  agency intends to ensure the continuity of the smaller 
                  learning community and the continuity of student and 
                  teacher assignment to such community.
                      ``(K) How the local educational agency intends to 
                  coordinate the use of the proceeds of the grant with 
                  the use of other funds provided under this Act or under 
                  other Federal laws.
                      ``(L) The grade levels or ages of students who will 
                  participate in each smaller learning community.
                      ``(M) The method of placing students in each 
                  smaller learning community.
      ``(d) Use of Grant Funds.--
              ``(1) Planning grants.--The proceeds of a grant made under 
          subsection (b)(1) may be used for any of the following:
                      ``(A) Study of the feasibility of creating a 
                  smaller learning community.
                      ``(B) Study of effective and innovative 
                  organizational and instructional strategies for use in 
                  1 or more smaller learning communities.
                      ``(C) Research on and development of strategies for 
                  creating 1 or more smaller learning communities.
                      ``(D) Research on and development of, for 1 or more 
                  smaller learning communities, effective and innovative 
                  curriculums and methods of instruction designed to meet 
                  high State content standards and State student 
                  performance standards.
                      ``(E) Provision of professional development in 
                  innovative teaching methods that challenge and engage 
                  students to the staff of 1 or more smaller learning 
                  communities.
                      ``(F) Development of strategies for the 
                  participation in 1 or more smaller learning communities 
                  of parents, business representatives, local 
                  institutions of higher education, community-based 
                  organizations, and other community members, as 
                  facilitators of activities that provide professional 
                  development for teachers or that provide links between 
                  students and their local community.
                      ``(G) Any other reasonable expense, including 
                  architectural fees to design or remodel school 
                  facilities, but not including the costs directly 
                  associated with the renovation of existing facilities 
                  or the purchase or construction of new facilities.
              ``(2) Implementation grants.--The proceeds of a grant made 
          under subsection (b)(2) may be used for any of the following:
                      ``(A) Implementing strategies for creating 1 or 
                  more smaller learning communities.
                      ``(B) Implementing within 1 or more smaller 
                  learning communities effective and innovative 
                  curriculums and methods of instruction designed to meet 
                  high State content standards and State student 
                  performance standards.
                      ``(C) Implementing strategies for the participation 
                  in 1 or more smaller learning communities of parents, 
                  business representatives, local institutions of higher 
                  education, community-based organizations, and other 
                  community members, as facilitators of activities that 
                  provide professional development for teachers or that 
                  provide links between students and their local 
                  community.
                      ``(D) Any other reasonable expense, including 
                  architectural fees to design or remodel school 
                  facilities, but not including the costs directly 
                  associated with the renovation of existing facilities 
                  or the purchase or construction of new facilities.
      ``(e) Equitable Distribution.--In making grants under this section, 
  the Secretary shall ensure that the recipients of grants under 
  subsection (b)(1) and the recipients of grants under subsection (b)(2) 
  are equitably distributed among urban, suburban, and rural areas of the 
  United States.
      ``(f) Report to the Secretary.--The Secretary shall require as a 
  condition of receipt of each grant under this section that the grant 
  recipient transmit to the Secretary a report on how the proceeds of the 
  grant were used.
      ``(g) Additional Authority.--To further assist local educational 
  agencies with respect to planning for or implementation of smaller 
  learning communities, the Secretary may--
              ``(1) provide technical assistance to such local 
          educational agencies ; and
              ``(2) participate in networking activities.
      ``(h) Secretary's Use of Funds.--In each fiscal year, the Secretary 
  may use not more than a total of 5 percent of the amount authorized 
  under subsection (j) for--
              ``(1) evaluation of the program authorized by this section;
              ``(2) the provision of technical assistance under 
          subsection (g)(1); and
              ``(3) networking activities under subsection (g)(2).
      ``(i) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a study to--
              ``(1) build on existing research in the smaller learning 
          communities field;
              ``(2) evaluate and compare outcomes at various types of 
          smaller learning communities, including smaller learning 
          communities in urban, suburban, and rural school districts; and
              ``(3) track the effectiveness of smaller learning 
          communities.
      ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this section $200,000,000 for fiscal year 
  2002 and such sums as may be necessary for the 4 succeeding fiscal 
  years.''.
target: Smaller Schools, Stronger Communities Act - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to local educational agencies to develop and implement plans to create smaller learning communities.
feat_title: To amend section 10105 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide for a smaller learning communities grant program.