text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS; AND PURPOSES.
  
      (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Mentor Schools 
  Act''.
      (b) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
              (1) while low-income students have made significant gains 
          with respect to educational achievement and attainment, 
          considerable gaps still persist for these students in 
          comparison to those from more affluent socio-economic 
          backgrounds;
              (2) our Nation has a compelling interest in assuring that 
          all children receive a high quality education;
              (3) new methods and experiments to revitalize the 
          educational achievement of, and opportunities for, low-income 
          individuals must be a part of any comprehensive solution to the 
          problems in our Nation's educational system;
              (4) successful educational alternatives should be widely 
          implemented to better the education of low-income individuals;
              (5) preliminary research shows that same gender schools 
          produce promising academic and behavioral improvements in both 
          sexes for low-income, educationally disadvantaged students;
              (6) extensive data on same gender schools are needed to 
          determine whether same gender schools are closely tailored to 
          achieving the compelling government interest in assuring that 
          all children are educated to the best of their ability;
              (7) in recent years efforts to experiment with same gender 
          schools have been inhibited by lawsuits and threats of lawsuits 
          by private groups as well as governmental entities; and
              (8) same gender schools are a legal educational alternative 
          to coeducational schools and are not prohibited under the 
          regulations under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 
          (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), as such regulations were in effect on 
          the day preceding the date of enactment of this Act, so long 
          as--
                      (A) comparable courses, services and facilities are 
                  available to students of each sex; and
                      (B) the same policies and criteria for admission to 
                  such schools are used for both sexes.
      (c) Purposes.--It is the purpose of this Act--
              (1) to award grants to local educational agencies for the 
          establishment of same gender schools for low-income students;
              (2) to determine whether same gender schools make a 
          difference in the educational achievement and opportunities of 
          low-income, educationally disadvantaged individuals;
              (3) to improve academic achievement and persistence in 
          school; and
              (4) to involve parents in the educational options and 
          choices of their children.
  
  SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
  
      As used in this Act--
              (1) the term ``evaluating agency'' means any academic 
          institution, consortium of professionals, or private or 
          nonprofit organization, with demonstrated experience in 
          conducting evaluations, that is not an agency or 
          instrumentality of the Federal Government;
              (2) the term ``mentor school'' means a public elementary 
          school or secondary school, or consortium of such schools, 
          that--
                      (A)(i) in the case of a public elementary school or 
                  secondary school, receives funds under this Act; or
                      (ii) in the case of a consortium of such schools, 
                  all of which receive funds under this Act;
                      (B) develops a plan for, and provides access to--
                              (i) a school for boys;
                              (ii) a school for girls; and
                              (iii) a coeducational school;
                      (C) gives parents the option of choosing to send 
                  their child to each school described in subparagraph 
                  (B);
                      (D) admits students on the basis of a lottery, if 
                  more students apply for admission to a school described 
                  in clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (B) that can be 
                  accommodated;
                      (E) operates, as part of the educational program of 
                  a school described in clause (i) or (ii) of 
                  subparagraph (B), a one-to-one mentoring program that--
                              (i) involves members from the community 
                          served by such school as volunteer mentors;
                              (ii) pairs an adult member of such 
                          community with a student of the same gender as 
                          such member; and
                              (iii) involves the collaboration of one or 
                          more community groups with experience in 
                          mentoring or other relationship development 
                          activities; and
                      (F) operates in pursuit of improving achievement 
                  among all children based on a specific set of 
                  educational objectives determined by the local 
                  educational agency applying for a grant under this 
                  part, in conjunction with the mentor school advisory 
                  board established under section 3(d), and agreed to by 
                  the Secretary;
              (3) the term ``mentor school advisory board'' means an 
          advisory board established in accordance with section 3(d); and
              (4) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
          Education.
  
  SEC. 3. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.
  
      (a) Authority.--
              (1) In general.--From amounts made available under section 
          7, the Secretary is authorized to award grants to not more than 
          100 local educational agencies for the planning and operation 
          of one or more mentor schools.
              (2) Eligible local educational agencies.--The Secretary 
          shall only award a grant under paragraph (1) to a local 
          educational agency that--
                      (A) receives funds under section 1124A of the 
                  Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                  U.S.C. 6334); and
                      (B) is among the 20 percent of local educational 
                  agencies receiving funds under section 1124A (20 U.S.C. 
                  6334) of such Act in the State that have the highest 
                  number of children described in section 1124(c) (20 
                  U.S.C. 6333(c)) of such Act.
      (b) Grant Periods.--Each grant under subsection (a) may be awarded 
  for a period of not more than 5 years, of which a local educational 
  agency may use not more than 1 year for planning and program 
  development for a mentor school.
      (c) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not award more than 1 grant 
  under this Act to support a particular mentor school.
      (d) Mentor School Advisory Board.--Each local educational agency 
  receiving a grant under this Act shall establish a mentor school 
  advisory board. Such advisory board shall be composed of school 
  administrators, parents, teachers, local government officials and 
  volunteers involved with a mentor school. Such advisory board shall 
  assist the local educational agency in developing the application for 
  assistance under section 4 and serve as an advisory board in the 
  functioning of the mentor school.
      (e) Alternative Teaching Certificates.--Each local educational 
  agency operating a mentor school under this Act is encouraged to employ 
  teachers with alternative teaching certificates, including participants 
  in the program assisted under section 1151 of title 10, United States 
  Code (Troops to Teachers Program).
  
  SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS.
  
      (a) Applications Required.--Each local educational agency desiring 
  a grant under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary at 
  such time, in such manner and accompanied by such information as the 
  Secretary may reasonably require.
      (b) Application Contents.--Each application described in subsection 
  (a) shall include--
              (1) a description of the educational program to be 
          implemented by the proposed mentor school, including--
                      (A) the grade levels or ages of children to be 
                  served; and
                      (B) the curriculum and instructional practices to 
                  be used;
              (2) a description of the objectives of the local 
          educational agency for the mentor school and a description of 
          how such agency intends to monitor and study the progress of 
          children participating in the mentor school;
              (3) a description of how the local educational agency 
          intends to include in the mentor school administrators, 
          teaching personnel, and role models from the private sector;
              (4) a description of how school administrators, parents, 
          teachers, local government and volunteers will be involved in 
          the design and implementation of the mentor school;
              (5) a description of the one-to-one mentoring program 
          required by section 2(2)(E);
              (6) a description of how the local educational agency or 
          the State, as appropriate, will provide for continued operation 
          of the mentor school once the Federal grant has expired, if 
          such agency determines that such school is successful;
              (7) a description of how the grant funds will be used;
              (8) a description of how students in attendance at the 
          mentor school, or in the community served by such school, will 
          be--
                      (A) informed about such school; and
                      (B) informed about the fact that admission to a 
                  school described in section 2(2)(B) is completely 
                  voluntary;
              (9) a description of how grant funds provided under this 
          Act will be used in conjunction with funds provided to the 
          local educational agency under any other program administered 
          by the Secretary;
              (10) an assurance that the local educational agency will 
          annually provide the Secretary such information as the 
          Secretary may require to determine
           if the mentor school is making satisfactory progress toward 
  achieving the objectives described in paragraph (2);
              (11) an assurance that the local educational agency will 
          cooperate with the Secretary in evaluating the program 
          authorized by this Act;
              (12) an assurance that resources provided under this Act 
          shall be used equally for schools for boys and for schools for 
          girls;
              (13) an assurance that the activities assisted under this 
          Act will not have an adverse affect, on either sex, that is 
          caused by--
                      (A) the quality of facilities for boys and for 
                  girls;
                      (B) the nature of the curriculum for boys and for 
                  girls;
                      (C) program activities for boys and for girls; and
                      (D) instruction for boys and for girls; and
              (14) such other information and assurances as the Secretary 
          may require.
  
  SEC. 5. SELECTION OF GRANTEES.
  
      The Secretary shall award grants under this Act on the basis of the 
  quality of the applications submitted under section 4, taking into 
  consideration such factors as--
              (1) the quality of the proposed curriculum and 
          instructional practices for the mentor school;
              (2) the organizational structure and management of the 
          mentor school;
              (3) the quality of the plan for assessing the progress made 
          by students served by a mentor school over the period of the 
          grant;
              (4) the extent of community support for the application;
              (5) the likelihood that the mentor school will meet the 
          objectives of such school and improve educational results for 
          students; and
              (6) the assurances submitted pursuant to section 4(b)(13).
  
  SEC. 6. EVALUATION.
  
      (a) In General.--From the amount appropriated under section 7 for 
  each fiscal year, the Secretary shall make available to the Comptroller 
  General 1 percent of such amount to enable the Comptroller General to 
  enter into a contract with an evaluating agency for the evaluation of 
  the mentor schools program under this Act. Such evaluation shall 
  measure the academic competence and social development of students 
  attending mentor schools, including school attendance levels, student 
  achievement levels, drop out rates, college admissions, incidences of 
  teenage pregnancy, and incidences of incarceration.
      (b) Report.--The evaluating agency entering into the contract 
  described in subsection (a) shall submit a report to the Congress not 
  later than September 30, 2002, regarding the results of the evaluation 
  conducted in accordance with such subsection.
  
  SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
  
      (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
  $300,000,000 for fiscal year 1996 and such sums as may be necessary for 
  each of the fiscal years 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 to carry out this 
  Act.
      (b) Availability.--Funds appropriated under subsection (a) shall 
  remain available until expended.
target: Mentor Schools Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to not more than 100 eligible local educational agencies for the planning and operation of one or more mentor schools. Prohibits the Secretary from awarding more than one such grant to support a particular mentor school.  Requires each local educational agency receiving such a grant to establish a mentor school advisory board.  Encourages each local educational agency operating such a mentor school to employ teachers with alternative teaching certificates, including participants in the Troops to Teachers Program. 
  Sets forth requirements for:  (1) applications; (2) selection of grantees; and (3) non-Federal evaluating agencies' evaluations and reports (in contract with the Comptroller General). 
  Authorizes appropriations.
feat_title: Mentor Schools Act