Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3827 To promote and support collaboration between Hispanic-serving institutions and Hispanic-serving school districts, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 18, 2019 Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself, Mr. CUELLAR, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. PA- NETTA, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. SOTO, Mr. LUJA´N, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. PORTER, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mr. SIRES, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Ms. MENG, Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. CISNEROS, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. VEASEY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. HURD of Texas, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Miss GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N of Puerto Rico, Ms. HILL of California, and Mr. CA´RDENAS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To promote and support collaboration between Hispanic-serv- ing institutions and Hispanic-serving school districts, and for other purposes. 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 ‘‘Hispanic Educational 4 Resources and Empowerment Act of 2019’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Aug 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3827 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) Hispanics are the largest, youngest, and 3 second-fastest growing minority population in the 4 United States. 5 (2) While Hispanics compose 18 percent of the 6 population of the United States, they compose 26 7 percent of the prekindergarten through grade 12 8 public school student enrollment in the United 9 States. 10 (3) Over 3,300 school districts have 25 percent 11 or more Hispanic enrollment and those school dis- 12 tricts enroll 78 percent of all prekindergarten 13 through grade 12 Hispanic students in the United 14 States. 15 (4) Hispanic students are overrepresented in 16 lower educational outcomes, including lower grades, 17 lower scores on standardized tests, and higher drop- 18 out rates. 19 (5) Hispanic students tend to face greater bar- 20 riers once in college than non-Hispanic peers. Sev- 21 enty percent of Hispanic college students are first- 22 generation college students and 48 percent of His- 23 panic college students have an expected family con- 24 tribution of $0, as calculated under title IV of the 25 Higher Education Act of 1965. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Aug 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3827 IH (6) Hispanics are at high risk of not enrolling 1 or graduating from institutions of higher education. 2 (7) More Hispanics are going to college than 3 ever before, but only a little more than half of the 4 Hispanic students who enroll earn a bachelor’s de- 5 gree. 6 (8) Hispanics lag behind non-Hispanic Whites, 7 Blacks, and Asian American and Native American 8 Pacific Islanders in attainment of high school diplo- 9 mas, associate’s degrees, and bachelor’s degrees. 10 (9) Gains in Hispanic educational attainment 11 will greatly benefit the United States economy be- 12 cause Hispanics will make up nearly 20 percent of 13 the United States labor force by 2024. 14 (10) Hispanics are an increasingly vital compo- 15 nent of the workforce of the United States. Between 16 2010 and 2020, 74 percent of the growth in the 17 workforce in the United States will be Hispanic 18 workers. 19 (11) Without eliminating the education gap for 20 Hispanics now, the growing Hispanic population will 21 not be prepared for the jobs of the future, hindering 22 the economy of the United States. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:25 Aug 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3827 IH SEC. 3. COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISPANIC-SERVING IN- 1 STITUTIONS AND HISPANIC-SERVING SCHOOL 2 DISTRICTS. 3 Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 4 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 5 the following new part: 6 ‘‘PART D—COLLABORATION BETWEEN HISPANIC- 7 SERVING INSTITUTIONS AND HISPANIC- 8 SERVING SCHOOL DISTRICTS 9 ‘‘SEC. 531. PURPOSES. 10 ‘‘The purposes of this part are— 11 ‘‘(1) to promote and support opportunities for 12 academic alliances and collaborative partnerships be- 13 tween Hispanic-serving institutions and Hispanic- 14 serving school districts for the purpose of improving 15 postsecondary educational attainment of Hispanic 16 students; and 17 ‘‘(2) to expand and enhance the course offer- 18 ings, program quality, and overall functionality of 19 the colleges, universities, and school districts that 20 educate the majority of Hispanic students. 21 ‘‘SEC. 532. PROGRAM AUTHORITY, APPLICATION, AND ELI- 22 GIBILITY. 23 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORITY.—Subject to the avail- 24 ability of funds appropriated to carry out this part, the 25 Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Aug 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3827 IH Hispanic-serving institutions serving as grant recipient 1 and fiscal agent for an eligible entity, for the eligible entity 2 to carry out activities described under section 533 to im- 3 prove and expand the capacity to develop model and inno- 4 vative collaboration agreements between local educational 5 agencies and institutions of higher education to better 6 serve Hispanic students. 7 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—An eligible entity that desires to 8 receive a grant under this part shall— 9 ‘‘(1) designate a Hispanic-serving institution 10 that is a member of the eligible entity to serve as 11 the grant applicant, grant recipient, and fiscal agent 12 for the eligible entity; and 13 ‘‘(2) through such designated Hispanic-serving 14 institution, submit an application to the Secretary at 15 such time, in such manner, and accompanied by 16 such information as the Secretary may require under 17 part C and this part. 18 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible entity’ 19 means a partnership that— 20 ‘‘(1) shall include— 21 ‘‘(A) one or more Hispanic-serving institu- 22 tions, one of which shall serve as the grant re- 23 cipient and fiscal agent for the eligible entity; 24 and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Aug 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3827 IH ‘‘(B) one or more Hispanic-serving school 1 districts; and 2 ‘‘(2) may include— 3 ‘‘(A) one or more emerging Hispanic-serv- 4 ing institutions; 5 ‘‘(B) one or more emerging Hispanic-serv- 6 ing school districts; and 7 ‘‘(C) one or more nonprofit or community- 8 based organizations, businesses, or public or 9 private entities with a demonstrated record of 10 success in implementing activities similar to the 11 activities authorized under section 533. 12 ‘‘SEC. 533. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. 13 ‘‘An eligible entity that receives a grant under this 14 part shall use the grant funds for 1 or more of the fol- 15 lowing activities to support eligible students: 16 ‘‘(1) Creating a college-bound culture among el- 17 igible students, which may include activities to pro- 18 mote the early exposure of such students and their 19 families to the opportunities and requirements of 20 postsecondary education, and other evidence-based 21 services, including services determined to have prov- 22 en positive outcomes by the What Works Clearing- 23 house maintained by the Institute of Education 24 Sciences. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Aug 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3827 IH ‘‘(2) Academic support to prepare eligible stu- 1 dents for postsecondary education, prevent the need 2 for postsecondary remediation, and provide high 3 quality postsecondary remediation when necessary, 4 which may include— 5 ‘‘(A) aligning high school coursework and 6 high school graduation requirements with the 7 requirements for entrance into credit-bearing 8 coursework at 4-year institutions of higher edu- 9 cation, including Hispanic-serving institutions; 10 ‘‘(B) early identification and support for 11 eligible students at risk of not graduating from 12 high school within 4 years, or at risk of requir- 13 ing remediation upon enrolling in postsecondary 14 education; 15 ‘‘(C) developing and implementing path- 16 ways to postsecondary education that— 17 ‘‘(i) provide eligible students with ad- 18 vanced coursework and result in a recog- 19 nized postsecondary credential, as defined 20 in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation 21 and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); or 22 ‘‘(ii) integrate rigorous and chal- 23 lenging career and technical education, 24 work-based learning, and advanced 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Aug 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3827 IH coursework or other academic instruction 1 aligned with the challenging State aca- 2 demic standards adopted by the State in 3 which the eligible entity is located under 4 section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and 5 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 6 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)); 7 ‘‘(D) co-requisite courses; 8 ‘‘(E) technology-enhanced diagnostics and 9 delivery of remedial education; 10 ‘‘(F) faculty development to ensure effec- 11 tive instruction; and 12 ‘‘(G) practices to teach self-regulated 13 learning and college success skills. 14 ‘‘(3) Support for eligible students with high 15 school completion and the transition to postsec- 16 ondary education, which may include— 17 ‘‘(A) activities to encourage high school re- 18 tention and completion; 19 ‘‘(B) assistance with the college application 20 process; 21 ‘‘(C) assistance with applying for financial 22 aid; and 23 ‘‘(D) assistance with selecting institutions 24 of higher education to which a student should 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Aug 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3827 IH apply based on the needs and attributes of the 1 student and the available degree programs and 2 outcomes of the institutions. 3 ‘‘(4) Addressing non-academic needs that serve 4 as barriers to college enrollment, persistence, and 5 completion for eligible students, which may in- 6 clude— 7 ‘‘(A) activities to address the comprehen- 8 sive needs of eligible students, including child 9 care, food insecurity, finances, health issues, 10 and transportation; and 11 ‘‘(B) activities to promote a positive cli- 12 mate on campuses of institutions of higher edu- 13 cation and to increase the sense of belonging 14 among eligible students, including through first 15 year support programs such as mentoring and 16 peer networks and advisories. 17 ‘‘SEC. 534. REPORTING. 18 ‘‘Each eligible entity receiving a grant under this part 19 shall, through the Hispanic-serving institution designated 20 under section 532(b), submit to the Secretary, at the end 21 of each grant period, a report that includes information 22 the Secretary may require. Such report shall include infor- 23 mation on the outcomes of the activities carried out by 24 the entity, before and after such activities were funded 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Aug 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3827 IH under this part, on the number and percentage of students 1 entering, persisting, and completing postsecondary edu- 2 cation. Such information shall be disaggregated to meas- 3 ure the specific impact on economically disadvantaged stu- 4 dents, students from each major racial and ethnic group, 5 students with disabilities, English learners, students of 6 different genders, and migrant students. 7 ‘‘SEC. 535. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EVALUATION. 8 ‘‘(a) RESERVATIONS.—From the total amount appro- 9 priated for this part under section 528(a) for a fiscal year, 10 the Secretary shall reserve not more than the lesser of 5 11 percent or $5,000,000 for— 12 ‘‘(1) providing technical assistance to eligible 13 entities, directly or through grants, contracts, or co- 14 operative agreements, by qualified experts on using 15 practices grounded in evidence to improve the out- 16 comes of programs funded under this part; and 17 ‘‘(2) conducting the evaluation described in sub- 18 section (b). 19 ‘‘(b) EVALUATION.—The Secretary, in partnership 20 with the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, 21 shall contract with a third party to conduct an inde- 22 pendent evaluation of the activities funded under this part. 23 Such evaluation shall include the impact of the policies 24 and services resulting from such activities on the number 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:25 Aug 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3827 IH and percentage of students entering, persisting, and com- 1 pleting postsecondary education. The data collected by 2 such evaluation shall be disaggregated to measure the spe- 3 cific impact on economically disadvantaged students, stu- 4 dents from each major racial and ethnic group, students 5 with disabilities, English learners, students of different 6 genders, and migrant students. 7 ‘‘SEC. 536. DEFINITIONS. 8 ‘‘In this part: 9 ‘‘(1) ADVANCED COURSEWORK.—The term ‘ad- 10 vanced coursework’ means coursework designed for 11 students to earn postsecondary credit upon success- 12 ful completion of the coursework while still in sec- 13 ondary school, such as Advanced Placement, Inter- 14 national Baccalaureate, dual or concurrent enroll- 15 ment programs, and early college high school pro- 16 grams. 17 ‘‘(2) CO-REQUISITE COURSES.—The term ‘co- 18 requisite courses’ means courses designed for stu- 19 dents at institutions of higher education in need of 20 remediation that combine credit-bearing postsec- 21 ondary-level coursework with supplemental instruc- 22 tion. 23 ‘‘(3) DUAL OR CONCURRENT ENROLLMENT 24 PROGRAM.—The term ‘dual or concurrent enrollment 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:03 Aug 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3827.IH H3827 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3827 IH program’ has the meaning given the term in section 1 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 2 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 3 ‘‘(4) EARLY COLLEGE HIGH [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]