Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 614 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a demonstration project to fund additional secondary school counselors in troubled title I schools to reduce the dropout rate. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 28, 2021 Ms. SA´NCHEZ (for herself and Mrs. HAYES) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to create a demonstration project to fund addi- tional secondary school counselors in troubled title I schools to reduce the dropout rate. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Put School Counselors 4 Where They’re Needed Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H614.IH H614 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 614 IH SEC. 2. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR ADDITIONAL SEC- 1 ONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS. 2 Part D of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 3 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6421 et seq.) is amend- 4 ed by adding at the end the following: 5 ‘‘Subpart 4—Demonstration Project for Additional 6 Secondary School Counselors 7 ‘‘SEC. 1441. FINDINGS. 8 ‘‘The Congress finds the following: 9 ‘‘(1) Nationally, only 85 percent of students 10 graduate from high school with a regular high school 11 diploma. 12 ‘‘(2) Every school year, 523,000 American high 13 school students drop out without earning a high 14 school diploma or an alternative credential. 15 ‘‘(3) Only about 67 percent of American stu- 16 dents with limited English proficiency graduated on 17 time from high school. 18 ‘‘(4) Only about 79 percent of Black students, 19 81 percent of Hispanic students, and 74 percent of 20 American Indian/Alaska Native students graduate 21 on time from high school with a regular diploma, 22 compared to 89 percent of White students and 92 23 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander students. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H614.IH H614 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 614 IH ‘‘(5) Only about 67 percent of American stu- 1 dents with disabilities graduated on time from high 2 school. 3 ‘‘(6) High school is the final transition into 4 adulthood and the world of work as students begin 5 defining their independence and forging their own 6 pathways. As our next generation of leaders, our 7 youth, are deciding their futures, they are faced with 8 many challenges, including peer pressure and bul- 9 lying, high-stakes testing, the challenges of college 10 admissions, the scholarship and financial aid appli- 11 cation process, and entrance into an ever more com- 12 petitive job market. Students need guidance and 13 skills to help them navigate these complex decisions, 14 which have serious and life changing consequences. 15 ‘‘(7) School counseling programs are essential 16 for students to achieve optimal personal growth, ac- 17 quire positive social skills and values, set appropriate 18 career goals, and realize full academic potential to 19 become productive, contributing members of the 20 world community. 21 ‘‘(8) Professional secondary school counselors 22 are highly qualified educators with a mental health 23 perspective who understand and respond to the chal- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H614.IH H614 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 614 IH lenges presented by today’s diverse student popu- 1 lation. 2 ‘‘(9) The professional secondary school coun- 3 selor holds a master’s degree or higher in school 4 counseling (or the substantial equivalent), and is 5 certified or licensed by the State in which the coun- 6 selor works. 7 ‘‘(10) Professional secondary school counselors 8 are integral to the total educational program. They 9 provide proactive leadership that engages all stake- 10 holders in the delivery of programs and services to 11 help the student achieve success in school. Profes- 12 sional secondary school counselors align and work 13 with the school’s mission to support the academic 14 achievement of all students as they prepare for the 15 ever-changing world of the 21st century. 16 ‘‘(11) Professional secondary school counselors’ 17 opportunities to assist students are often hindered 18 by extraordinarily high student-to-counselor ratios. 19 Currently, the average student-to-counselor ratio in 20 America’s public schools is 430 to 1. The American 21 School Counselor Association, the American Coun- 22 seling Association, and the National Association for 23 College Admissions Counseling all recommend a 24 ratio of one school counselor to 250 students and a 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H614.IH H614 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 614 IH lower ratio for counselors working primarily with 1 students at risk. 2 ‘‘SEC. 1442. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT. 3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available to 4 carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall carry out a 5 demonstration project under which the Secretary makes 6 grants on a competitive basis to secondary schools that 7 receive funds under this title and have a four-year ad- 8 justed cohort graduation rate of 60 percent or lower. 9 ‘‘(b) GRANTS.—A grant under this subpart shall be 10 for a period of 4 years and may be used— 11 ‘‘(1) to provide additional school counselors 12 during that period; and 13 ‘‘(2) to provide additional resources (such as 14 professional development expenses or travel expenses 15 for home visits, and any services and materials re- 16 ferred to in subsection (d)) and to pay overhead ex- 17 penses. 18 ‘‘(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 19 gress that a participating school should aim to provide, 20 under subsection (b)(1), one additional counselor per 250 21 students at risk. 22 ‘‘(d) SCOPE OF COUNSELING.—The additional school 23 counselors shall identify students who are at risk of not 24 graduating in 4 years and shall provide counseling pri- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H614.IH H614 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 614 IH marily to those students. The counselors may identify such 1 students at any time, but shall strive to identify them be- 2 fore they enter grade 9. Services shall be provided as long 3 as necessary, including to the extent allowable and appro- 4 priate, after the student’s cohort graduation date. The 5 counseling provided— 6 ‘‘(1) may include a full panoply of services, in- 7 cluding an individual graduation plan and other re- 8 sources, such as appropriate course placement and 9 supplemental services (to include not only supple- 10 mental educational services tutoring if available at 11 the school site, but also other tutoring as necessary, 12 along with supplemental books and materials); and 13 ‘‘(2) shall include meetings with each student so 14 identified and with the teachers, tutors, supple- 15 mental educational services providers, and parents of 16 the student, and may also include meetings with 17 other relevant individuals, such as a probation offi- 18 cer, mentor, coach, or employer of the student. 19 ‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds under 20 this subpart shall be used to supplement, not supplant, 21 funds from non-Federal sources. The additional school 22 counselors provided through funds under this subpart 23 must be in addition to any employees who work in the 24 secondary school guidance or counseling office, such as 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H614.IH H614 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 614 IH counselors, college admissions specialists, career develop- 1 ment specialists, guidance information specialists, or any 2 other professional or paraprofessional. 3 ‘‘(f) ADDITIONAL GRANT PERIODS.— 4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A school that receives a 5 grant under this subpart and demonstrates adequate 6 improvement over the period of the grant is eligible 7 to receive a second grant for a second period. If the 8 school again demonstrates adequate improvement 9 over that second period, the school is eligible to re- 10 ceive a third grant for a third period. The third 11 grant shall provide amounts that decrease for each 12 year of the third period and require the school to 13 provide corresponding increases in non-Federal 14 funds. 15 ‘‘(2) ADEQUATE IMPROVEMENT.—For purposes 16 of paragraph (1), a school demonstrates adequate 17 improvement over a grant period if the four-year ad- 18 justed cohort graduation rate increases (or is pro- 19 jected to increase) by 10 percent or more over that 20 period. 21 ‘‘(g) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall carry out the 22 demonstration project in at least 10 schools. The first five 23 schools selected to participate shall each be from a dif- 24 ferent State. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H614.IH H614 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 614 IH ‘‘SEC. 1443. DEFINITION. 1 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of this subpart. the 2 term ‘regular high school diploma’ means the standard 3 high school diploma awarded to the preponderance of stu- 4 dents in the State that is fully aligned with State stand- 5 ards, or a higher diploma, and does not include GEDs, 6 certificates of attendance, or any lesser diploma award. 7 ‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE.—For those students who have 8 significant cognitive disabilities and are assessed using an 9 alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement 10 standards, receipt of a regular high school diploma or 11 State-defined alternate diploma aligned with completion of 12 their entitlement under the Individuals with Disabilities 13 Education Act shall be counted as graduates with a reg- 14 ular high school diploma for the purposes of this Act. No 15 more than 1 percent of students can be counted as grad- 16 uates with a regular high school diploma under this sub- 17 paragraph. 18 ‘‘SEC. 1444. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 19 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 20 this subpart $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 21 through 2024.’’. 22 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENT; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 23 (a) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1002(d) of 24 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:28 Feb 20, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H614.IH H614 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 614 IH U.S.C. 6302(d)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(other than 1 subpart 4)’’ after ‘‘part D,’’. 2 (b) TOC.—The table of contents in section 2 of the 3 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is 4 amended by inserting after the item relating to section 5 1432 the following: 6 ‘‘SUBPART 4—DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR ADDITIONAL SECONDARY SCHOOL COUNSELORS ‘‘Sec. 1441. Findings. ‘‘Sec. 1442. Demonstration project. ‘‘Sec. 1443. Definition. ‘‘Sec. 1444. Authorization of appropriations.’’. 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