§ 6317. School support and recognition

(a) System for support

(1) In general

Each State shall establish a statewide system of intensive and sustained support and improvement for local educational agencies and schools receiving funds under this part, in order to increase the opportunity for all students served by those agencies and schools to meet the State’s academic content standards and student academic achievement standards.

(2) Priorities

In carrying out this subsection, a State shall—

(A) first, provide support and assistance to local educational agencies with schools subject to corrective action under section 6316 of this title and assist those schools, in accordance with section 6316 (b)(11) of this title, for which a local educational agency has failed to carry out its responsibilities under paragraphs (7) and (8) of section 6316 (b) of this title;

(B) second, provide support and assistance to other local educational agencies with schools identified as in need of improvement under section 6316 (b) of this title; and

(C) third, provide support and assistance to other local educational agencies and schools participating under this part that need that support and assistance in order to achieve the purpose of this part.

(3) Regional centers

Such a statewide system shall, to the extent practicable, work with and receive support and assistance from regional educational laboratories established under part D of the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 [20 U.S.C. 9561 et seq.] and comprehensive centers established under the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 [20 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.] and the comprehensive regional technical assistance centers and the regional educational laboratories under section 6041 (h) of this title (as such section existed on the day before November 5, 2002), or other providers of technical assistance.

(4) Statewide system

(A) In order to achieve the purpose described in paragraph (1), the statewide system shall include, at a minimum, the following approaches:

(i) Establishing school support teams in accordance with subparagraph (C) for assignment to, and working in, schools in the State that are described in paragraph (2).

(ii) Providing such support as the State educational agency determines necessary and available in order to ensure the effectiveness of such teams.

(iii) Designating and using distinguished teachers and principals who are chosen from schools served under this part that have been especially successful in improving academic achievement.

(iv) Devising additional approaches to providing the assistance described in paragraph (1), such as providing assistance through institutions of higher education and educational service agencies or other local consortia, and private providers of scientifically based technical assistance.

(B) Priority.— The State educational agency shall give priority to the approach described in clause (i) of subparagraph (A).

(5) School support teams

(A) Composition

Each school support team established under this section shall be composed of persons knowledgeable about scientifically based research and practice on teaching and learning and about successful schoolwide projects, school reform, and improving educational opportunities for low-achieving students, including—

(i) highly qualified or distinguished teachers and principals;

(ii) pupil services personnel;

(iii) parents;

(iv) representatives of institutions of higher education;

(v) representatives of regional educational laboratories or comprehensive regional technical assistance centers;

(vi) representatives of outside consultant groups; or

(vii) other individuals as the State educational agency, in consultation with the local educational agency, may determine appropriate.

(B) Functions

Each school support team assigned to a school under this section shall—

(i) review and analyze all facets of the school’s operation, including the design and operation of the instructional program, and assist the school in developing recommendations for improving student performance in that school;

(ii) collaborate with parents and school staff and the local educational agency serving the school in the design, implementation, and monitoring of a plan that, if fully implemented, can reasonably be expected to improve student performance and help the school meet its goals for improvement, including adequate yearly progress under section 6311 (b)(2)(B) of this title;

(iii) evaluate, at least semiannually, the effectiveness of school personnel assigned to the school, including identifying outstanding teachers and principals, and make findings and recommendations to the school, the local educational agency, and, where appropriate, the State educational agency; and

(iv) make additional recommendations as the school implements the plan described in clause (ii) to the local educational agency and the State educational agency concerning additional assistance that is needed by the school or the school support team.

After one school year, from the beginning of the activities, such school support team, in consultation with the local educational agency, may recommend that the school support team continue to provide assistance to the school, or that the local educational agency or the State educational agency, as appropriate, take alternative actions with regard to the school.

(b) State recognition

(1) Academic achievement awards program

(A) In general

Each State receiving a grant under this part—

(i) shall establish a program for making academic achievement awards to recognize schools that meet the criteria described in subparagraph (B); and

(ii) as appropriate and as funds are available under subsection (c)(2)(A) of this section, may financially reward schools served under this part that meet the criteria described in clause (ii).

(B) Criteria

The criteria referred to in subparagraph (A) are that a school—

(i) significantly closed the achievement gap between the groups of students described in section 6311 (b)(2) of this title; or

(ii) exceeded their adequate yearly progress, consistent with section 6311 (b)(2) of this title, for 2 or more consecutive years.

(2) Distinguished schools

Of those schools meeting the criteria described in paragraph (2), each State shall designate as distinguished schools those schools that have made the greatest gains in closing the achievement gap as described in subparagraph (B)(i) or exceeding adequate yearly progress as described in subparagraph (B)(ii). Such distinguished schools may serve as models for and provide support to other schools, especially schools identified for improvement under section 6316 of this title, to assist such schools in meeting the State’s academic content standards and student academic achievement standards.

(3) Awards to teachers

A State program under paragraph (1) may also recognize and provide financial awards to teachers teaching in a school described in such paragraph that consistently makes significant gains in academic achievement in the areas in which the teacher provides instruction, or to teachers or principals designated as distinguished under subsection (a)(4)(A)(iii) of this section.

(1) In general

Each State—

(A) shall use funds reserved under section 6303 (a) of this title and may use funds made available under section 6303 (g) of this title for the approaches described under subsection (a)(4)(A) of this section; and

(B) shall use State administrative funds authorized under section 6304 (a) of this title to establish the statewide system of support described under subsection (a) of this section.

(2) Reservations of funds by State

(A) Awards program

For the purpose of carrying out subsection (b)(1) of this section, each State receiving a grant under this part may reserve, from the amount (if any) by which the funds received by the State under subpart 2 of this part for a fiscal year exceed the amount received by the State under that subpart for the preceding fiscal year, not more than 5 percent of such excess amount.

(B) Teacher awards

For the purpose of carrying out subsection (b)(3) of this section, a State educational agency may reserve such funds as necessary from funds made available under section 6613 of this title.

(3) Use within 3 years

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the amount reserved under subparagraph (A) by a State for each fiscal year shall remain available to the State until expended for a period not exceeding 3 years receipt of funds.

(4) Special allocation rule for schools in high-poverty areas

(A) In general

Each State shall distribute not less than 75 percent of any amount reserved under paragraph (2)(A) for each fiscal year to schools described in subparagraph (B), or to teachers in those schools consistent with subsection (b)(3) of this section.

(B) School described

A school described in subparagraph (A) is a school whose student population is in the highest quartile of schools statewide in terms of the percentage of children from low income families.

U.S. Code

§ 6317. School support and recognition