text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Equal Access to Quality Education 
  Act of 2011''.
  
  SEC. 2. EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION GRANT PROGRAM.
  
      (a) In General.--The Secretary of Education shall make grants on a 
  competitive basis to eligible partnerships in high-need areas to 
  develop and strengthen high-quality pathways for the teaching and 
  education leadership professions, to create professional induction 
  programs for the teaching profession, and to provide a stable and 
  collaborative learning environment for educators and students.
      (b) Purposes.--The purposes of the grant program established under 
  this section shall be to--
              (1) increase the percentage of highly qualified teachers in 
          a State, including teachers from under-represented minority 
          groups;
              (2) close the achievement gap for students within subgroups 
          that are not showing expected performance;
              (3) decrease shortages of highly qualified teachers in poor 
          urban and rural areas;
              (4) decrease high turnover rates for educators in high-need 
          schools;
              (5) increase the number of highly qualified teachers in 
          shortage areas, including special education, bilingual 
          education, and education for English language learners, and in 
          science, mathematics, engineering, and technology;
              (6) increase opportunities for enhanced and ongoing 
          professional development that--
                      (A) improves the academic content knowledge of 
                  teachers in the subject areas in which teachers are 
                  certified or licensed to teach or in which the teachers 
                  are working toward certification or licensure to teach;
                      (B) promotes strong teaching skills, including 
                  instructional strategies that address diverse needs, 
                  the use of data to inform instruction, and strategies 
                  to improve student achievement; and
                      (C) provides time for teachers to share their 
                  knowledge and innovation; and
              (7) provide all educators with the knowledge base and 
          professional skills to meet the needs of diverse learners, 
          including English language learners and students with 
          disabilities.
      (c) Use of Funds.--
              (1) Required uses.--A partnership that receives a grant 
          under this section shall use the funds to--
                      (A) establish or support a teacher preparation 
                  program that--
                              (i) requires participants in the program to 
                          complete at least one year of residency at a 
                          high-need school in the local educational 
                          agency participating in the eligible 
                          partnership;
                              (ii) requires participants in the program 
                          to teach in a high-need school in such local 
                          educational agency for at least 3 years after 
                          completing residency; and
                              (iii) awards a teaching credential, an 
                          undergraduate degree, or a Masters degree that 
                          meets State requirements for a teaching license 
                          or certification upon completion of the 
                          program;
                      (B) establish or support a teacher induction and 
                  retention program that--
                              (i) provides high-quality professional 
                          development to teachers to assist them in 
                          improving their knowledge, skills, and teaching 
                          practices in order to help students to improve 
                          their achievement and meet State academic 
                          standards;
                              (ii) provides teachers with updated 
                          information on developments in curricula, 
                          assessments, and educational research, 
                          including the manner in which the research and 
                          data can be used to improve teaching skills and 
                          practice;
                              (iii) provides a mentor teacher and other 
                          support for new teachers; and
                              (iv) provides leadership opportunities for 
                          teachers, including access to career ladders 
                          and roles as curriculum and instructional 
                          leaders, mentors, and coaches; and
                      (C) otherwise fulfill the purposes described in 
                  subsection (b).
              (2) Authorized uses.--In addition to the activities 
          described in paragraph (1), a partnership that receives a grant 
          under this section may use the funds for any of the following:
                      (A) Providing support to each mentor teacher 
                  working with new teachers.
                      (B) Providing preparation in effective, evidence-
                  based instructional assessment practices and classroom 
                  management strategies for general education teachers 
                  serving students with disabilities and students with 
                  limited English proficiency.
                      (C) Enabling teachers to engage in study groups, 
                  professional learning communities, and other 
                  collaborative activities and collegial interactions 
                  regarding instruction assessment.
                      (D) Paying for release time and substitute teachers 
                  in order to enable teachers to participate in 
                  professional development and mentoring activities.
                      (E) Creating libraries of professional material, 
                  catalogues of expert instruction, and education 
                  technology.
                      (F) Providing high-quality professional development 
                  for other instructional staff, such as 
                  paraprofessionals, librarians, and counselors.
                      (G) Developing partnerships with businesses and 
                  community-based organizations.
                      (H) Providing tuition assistance, scholarships, or 
                  student loan repayment to teachers.
                      (I) Providing stipends to participants in the 
                  teacher preparation program under paragraph (1)(A).
                      (J) Providing support for home visitation, 
                  parenting education, and family engagement, especially 
                  for parents who have limited English proficiency.
      (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary 
  shall give priority to eligible partnerships that--
              (1) demonstrate a plan to recruit teachers from among 
          minority and local candidates and from individuals with 
          disabilities;
              (2) demonstrate the use of a valid and reliable teacher 
          performance assessment; or
              (3) include--
                      (A) an institution of higher education that is an 
                  ``eligible institution'' for purposes of the TEACH 
                  Grant program under subpart 9 of part A of title IV of 
                  the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g et 
                  seq.);
                      (B) a Tribal College or University, as defined in 
                  section 316(b)(3) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3));
                      (C) an Asian American and Native American Pacific 
                  Islander-serving institution, as defined in section 
                  320(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059g(a));
                      (D) a Hispanic-serving institution, as defined in 
                  section 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)); 
                  or
                      (E) a historically Black college and university, as 
                  defined in section 631(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
                  1132(a)).
      (e) Matching Requirements.--
              (1) Federal share.--The Federal share of the cost of any 
          activities funded by a grant received under this section shall 
          not exceed 75 percent.
              (2) Payment of non-federal share.--The non-Federal share 
          may be paid in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including 
          services.
      (f) Definitions.--In this section:
              (1) Eligible partnership.--The term ``eligible 
          partnership'' means a partnership--
                      (A) between a high-need local educational agency 
                  and an institution of higher education; and
                      (B) that may include a teacher organization or a 
                  nonprofit educational organization.
              (2) Family engagement.--The term ``family engagement'' 
          means a shared responsibility of families and schools for 
          student success, in which schools and community-based 
          organizations are committed to reaching out to engage families, 
          especially parents of non-Native English speakers, in 
          meaningful ways that encourage the families to actively support 
          their children's learning and development, as well as the 
          learning and development of other children. The shared 
          responsibility is continuous from birth through young adulthood 
          and reinforces learning that takes place in the home, school, 
          and community.
              (3) High-need local educational agency.--The term ``high-
          need local educational agency'' means a local educational 
          agency--
                      (A)(i) that serves not fewer than 10,000 low-income 
                  children;
                      (ii) for which not less than 20 percent of the 
                  children served by the agency are low-income children; 
                  or
                      (iii) that has a percentage of low-income children 
                  that is above the highest quartile among such agencies 
                  in the State; and
                      (B)(i) for which one or more schools served by the 
                  agency has a high percentage of teachers who are not 
                  highly qualified; or
                      (ii) for which one or more schools served by the 
                  agency has a high teacher turnover rate.
              (4) Highly qualified.--The term ``highly qualified'' has 
          the meaning given the term in section 9101(23) of the 
          Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. 7801(23)). 
          The definition given the term ``highly qualified teacher'' in 
          section 163 of Public Law 111-242 shall not apply with respect 
          to this section.
              (5) Institution of higher education.--The term 
          ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
          term in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.
              (6) Low-income children.--The term ``low-income children'' 
          means--
                      (A) children from families with incomes below the 
                  poverty line (as defined by the Office of Management 
                  and Budget and revised annually in accordance with 
                  section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act 
                  of 1981) applicable to a family of the size involved; 
                  or
                      (B) children who are eligible for free or reduced 
                  price lunches under the Richard B. Russell National 
                  School Lunch Act.
              (7) Mentor teacher.--The term ``mentor teacher'' means a 
          teacher who--
                      (A) is highly qualified;
                      (B) has a minimum of 3 years of teaching 
                  experience; and
                      (C) is recommended by the principal and other 
                  current master and mentor teachers on the basis of--
                              (i) instructional excellence through 
                          observations and other evidence of classroom 
                          practice, including standards-based 
                          evaluations, such as certification by the 
                          National Board for Professional Teaching 
                          Standards;
                              (ii) an ability, as demonstrated by 
                          evidence of student learning in high-need 
                          schools, to increase student learning; and
                              (iii) excellent instruction and 
                          communication with an understanding of how to 
                          facilitate growth in other teachers, including 
                          new teachers.
              (8) Teacher performance assessment.--The term ``teacher 
          performance assessment'' means a program, based on State or 
          national professional teaching standards, that will measure 
          teachers' curriculum planning, instruction, and assessment of 
          students, including appropriate plans and adaptations for 
          English language learners and students with disabilities, and 
          multiple sources of evidence about student learning. Such 
          assessment will be validated against professional assessment 
          standards and reliably scored by trained external evaluators 
          with appropriate auditing of scoring to ensure consistency.
              (9) Teaching credential.--The term ``teaching credential'' 
          means a program of instruction for individuals who have 
          completed a baccalaureate degree, that does not lead to a 
          graduate degree, and that consists of courses required by a 
          State for a teacher candidate to receive a professional 
          certification or license that is required for employment as a 
          teacher in an elementary school or secondary school in that 
          State.
target: Equal Access to Quality Education Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to partnerships between high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to: (1) establish or support teacher preparation programs, and (2) establish or support teacher induction and retention programs.
  
  Requires the teacher preparation programs to: (1) require participants to complete at least one year of residency followed by at least three years of teaching at the LEA's high-need schools, and (2) award participants a teaching credential or degree that meets state requirements for a teaching license or certification upon their completion of the program.
  
  Requires the teacher induction and retention programs to provide teachers with: (1) high-quality professional development; (2) updated information on developments in curricula, assessments, and educational research; (3) a mentor teacher and other support if they are new teachers; and (4) leadership opportunities.
  
  Allows the grants to be used for certain other activities designed to improve the quality of education in high-need areas.
  
  Gives grant priority to partnerships that: (1) have a plan to recruit teachers from among minority and local candidates and the disabled; (2) use a valid and reliable teacher performance assessment; or (3) include an IHE eligible to participate in the TEACH Grant program, a Tribal College or University, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, an Hispanic-serving institution, or an historically Black college and university.
feat_title: To establish a grant program to ensure that students in high-need schools have equal access to a quality education delivered by an effective, diverse workforce.