text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Elementary and Secondary School 
  Counseling Improvement Act of 2001''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
  
      (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
              (1) elementary and secondary school children are being 
          subjected to unprecedented social stresses, including 
          fragmentation of the family, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, 
          child abuse, and poverty;
              (2) an increasing number of elementary and secondary school 
          children are exhibiting symptoms of distress, such as substance 
          abuse, emotional disorders, violent outbursts, disruptive 
          behavior, juvenile delinquency, and suicide;
              (3) between 1984 and 1994, the homicide rate for 
          adolescents doubled, while the rate of nonfatal violent crimes 
          committed by adolescents increased by almost 20 percent;
              (4) according to the National Institute of Mental Health, 
          up to one in five children and youth have psychological 
          problems severe enough to require some form of professional 
          help, yet only 20 percent of youth with mental disorders or 
          their families receive help;
              (5) the Institute of Medicine has identified psychological 
          counseling as the most serious school health need for the 
          normal development of our Nation's children and youth;
              (6) school counselors, school psychologists, and school 
          social workers can contribute to the personal growth, 
          educational development, and emotional well-being of elementary 
          and secondary school children by providing professional 
          counseling, intervention, and referral services;
              (7) the implementation of well designed school counseling 
          programs has been shown to increase students' academic success;
              (8) the national average student-to-counselor ratio in 
          elementary and secondary schools is 531 to 1, and the average 
          student-to-psychologist ratio is 2300 to 1;
              (9) it is recommended that to effectively address students' 
          mental health and development needs, schools have 1 full-time 
          counselor for every 250 students, 1 psychologist for every 
          1,000 students, and 1 school social worker for every 800 
          students;
              (10) the population of elementary and secondary school 
          students in the United States is expected to increase 
          dramatically during the 5 to 10 years beginning with 1999;
              (11) the Federal Government can help reduce the risk of 
          academic, social, and emotional problems among elementary and 
          secondary school children by stimulating the development of 
          model school counseling programs; and
              (12) the Federal Government can help reduce the risk of 
          future unemployment and assist the school-to-work transition by 
          stimulating the development of model school counseling programs 
          that include comprehensive career development.
      (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to enhance the 
  availability and quality of counseling services for elementary and 
  secondary school children by providing grants to local educational 
  agencies to enable such agencies to establish or expand effective and 
  innovative counseling programs that can serve as national models.
  
  SEC. 3. SCHOOL COUNSELING.
  
      Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
  U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended--
              (1) in section 4004 (20 U.S.C. 7104)--
                      (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the 
                  end;
                      (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and 
                  inserting ``; and''; and
                      (C) by adding at the end the following:
              ``(3) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and such sums as 
          may be necessary for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years, for 
          grants under section 4124.''; and
              (2) by adding at the end of subpart 2 of part A, the 
          following:
  
  ``SEC. 4124. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELING 
                DEMONSTRATION.
  
      ``(a) Counseling Demonstration.--
              ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may award grants under 
          this section to local educational agencies to enable the local 
          educational agencies to establish or expand elementary school 
          and secondary school counseling programs.
              ``(2) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
          Secretary shall give special consideration to applications 
          describing programs that--
                      ``(A) demonstrate the greatest need for new or 
                  additional counseling services among the children in 
                  the schools served by the applicant;
                      ``(B) propose the most promising and innovative 
                  approaches for initiating or expanding school 
                  counseling; and
                      ``(C) show the greatest potential for replication 
                  and dissemination.
              ``(3) Equitable distribution.--In awarding grants under 
          this section, the Secretary shall ensure an equitable 
          geographic distribution among the regions of the United States 
          and among urban, suburban, and rural areas.
              ``(4) Duration.--A grant under this section shall be 
          awarded for a period not to exceed three years.
              ``(5) Maximum grant.--A grant under this section shall not 
          exceed $400,000 for any fiscal year.
      ``(b) Applications.--
              ``(1) In general.--Each local educational agency desiring 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 reasonably require.
              ``(2) Contents.--Each application for a grant under this 
          section shall--
                      ``(A) describe the school population to be targeted 
                  by the program, the particular personal, social, 
                  emotional, educational, and career development needs of 
                  such population, and the current school counseling 
                  resources available for meeting such needs;
                      ``(B) describe the activities, services, and 
                  training to be provided by the program and the specific 
                  approaches to be used to meet the needs described in 
                  subparagraph (A);
                      ``(C) describe the methods to be used to evaluate 
                  the outcomes and effectiveness of the program;
                      ``(D) describe the collaborative efforts to be 
                  undertaken with institutions of higher education, 
                  businesses, labor organizations, community groups, 
                  social service agencies, and other public or private 
                  entities to enhance the program and promote school-
                  linked services integration;
                      ``(E) describe collaborative efforts with 
                  institutions of higher education which specifically 
                  seek to enhance or improve graduate programs 
                  specializing in the preparation of school counselors, 
                  school psychologists, and school social workers;
                      ``(F) document that the applicant has the personnel 
                  qualified to develop, implement, and administer the 
                  program;
                      ``(G) describe how any diverse cultural 
                  populations, if applicable, would be served through the 
                  program;
                      ``(H) assure that the funds made available under 
                  this part for any fiscal year will be used to 
                  supplement and, to the extent practicable, increase the 
                  level of funds that would otherwise be available from 
                  non-Federal sources for the program described in the 
                  application, and in no case supplant such funds from 
                  non-Federal sources; and
                      ``(I) assure that the applicant will appoint an 
                  advisory board composed of parents, school counselors, 
                  school psychologists, school social workers, other 
                  pupil services personnel, teachers, school 
                  administrators, and community leaders to advise the 
                  local educational agency on the design and 
                  implementation of the program.
      ``(c) Use of Funds.--
              ``(1) In general.--From amounts made available under 
          section 4004(3) to carry out this section, the Secretary shall 
          award grants to local education agencies to be used to initiate 
          or expand elementary or secondary school counseling programs 
          that comply with the requirements of paragraph (2).
              ``(2) Program requirements.--Each program assisted under 
          this section shall--
                      ``(A) be comprehensive in addressing the personal, 
                  social, emotional, and educational needs of all 
                  students;
                      ``(B) use a developmental, preventive approach to 
                  counseling;
                      ``(C) increase the range, availability, quantity, 
                  and quality of counseling services in the schools of 
                  the local educational agency;
                      ``(D) expand counseling services only through 
                  qualified school counselors, school psychologists, and 
                  school social workers;
                      ``(E) use innovative approaches to increase 
                  children's understanding of peer and family 
                  relationships, work and self, decisionmaking, or 
                  academic and career planning, or to improve social 
                  functioning;
                      ``(F) provide counseling services that are well-
                  balanced among classroom group and small group 
                  counseling, individual counseling, and consultation 
                  with parents, teachers, administrators, and other pupil 
                  services personnel;
                      ``(G) include inservice training for school 
                  counselors, school social workers, school 
                  psychologists, other pupil services personnel, 
                  teachers, and instructional staff;
                      ``(H) involve parents of participating students in 
                  the design, implementation, and evaluation of a 
                  counseling program;
                      ``(I) involve collaborative efforts with 
                  institutions of higher education, businesses, labor 
                  organizations, community groups, social service 
                  agencies, or other public or private entities to 
                  enhance the program and promote school-linked services 
                  integration; and
                      ``(J) evaluate annually the effectiveness and 
                  outcomes of the counseling services and activities 
                  assisted under this section.
              ``(3) Report.--The Secretary shall issue a report 
          evaluating the programs assisted pursuant to each grant under 
          this subsection at the end of each grant period in accordance 
          with section 14701.
              ``(4) Dissemination.--The Secretary shall make the programs 
          assisted under this section available for dissemination, either 
          through the National Diffusion Network or other appropriate 
          means.
              ``(5) Limit on administration.--Not more than 5 percent of 
          the amounts made available under this section in any fiscal 
          year shall be used for administrative costs to carry out this 
          section.
      ``(d) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
              ``(1) School counselor.--The term `school counselor' means 
          an individual who has documented competence in counseling 
          children and adolescents in a school setting and who--
                      ``(A) possesses State licensure or certification 
                  granted by an independent professional regulatory 
                  authority;
                      ``(B) in the absence of such State licensure or 
                  certification, possesses national certification in 
                  school counseling or a specialty of counseling granted 
                  by an independent professional organization; or
                      ``(C) holds a minimum of a master's degree in 
                  school counseling from a program accredited by the 
                  Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related 
                  Educational Programs or the equivalent.
              ``(2) School psychologist.--The term `school psychologist' 
          means an individual who--
                      ``(A) possesses a minimum of 60 graduate semester 
                  hours in school psychology from an institution of 
                  higher education and has completed 1,200 clock hours in 
                  a supervised school psychology internship, of which 600 
                  hours shall be in the school setting;
                      ``(B) possesses State licensure or certification in 
                  the State in which the individual works; or
                      ``(C) in the absence of such State licensure or 
                  certification, possesses national certification by the 
                  National School Psychology Certification Board.
              ``(3) School social worker.--The term `school social 
          worker' means an individual who--
                      ``(A)(i) holds a master's degree in social work 
                  from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work 
                  Education; and
                      ``(ii) is licensed or certified by the State in 
                  which services are provided; or
                      ``(B) in the absence of such licensure or 
                  certification, possess a national certification or 
                  credential as a school social work specialist that has 
                  been awarded by an independent professional 
                  organization.
              ``(4) Supervisor.--The term `supervisor' means an 
          individual who has the equivalent number of years of 
          professional experience in such individual's respective 
          discipline as is required of teaching experience for the 
          supervisor or administrative credential in the State of such 
          individual.''.
target: Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Improvement Act of 2001 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to award grants to local educational agencies to establish or expand elementary and secondary school counseling programs.
feat_title: A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 regarding elementary school and secondary school counseling.