DIPLOMA Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 3405 To strengthen student achievement and graduation rates and prepare children and youth for college, careers, and citizenship through innovative partner- ships that meet the comprehensive needs of children and youth. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 5, 2020 Mr. BOOKER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions A BILL To strengthen student achievement and graduation rates and prepare children and youth for college, careers, and citi- zenship through innovative partnerships that meet the comprehensive needs of children and youth. 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Developing Innovative Partnerships and Learning Op- 5 portunities that Motivate Achievement Act’’ or the ‘‘DI- 6 PLOMA Act’’. 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 3405 IS (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 1 this Act is as follows: 2 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings. Sec. 3. Purposes. Sec. 4. Definitions. Sec. 5. Demonstration program authorized; allotment to States. Sec. 6. Demonstration competitive program authorized. Sec. 7. State child and youth strategy. Sec. 8. Coordinating body; State applications. Sec. 9. State use of funds. Sec. 10. Local consortium application; local child and youth strategy. Sec. 11. Local use of funds. Sec. 12. Construction. Sec. 13. Accountability and transparency. Sec. 14. Authorization of appropriations. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 3 Congress finds the following: 4 (1) The future strength of the Nation’s democ- 5 racy, as well as the Nation’s economy, is dependent 6 upon the investments made in children and youth 7 today. 8 (2) Evidence demonstrates that effective part- 9 nerships among schools and communities increase 10 student achievement by addressing the academic 11 needs of students as well as the challenges the stu- 12 dents face outside the classroom. For example: 13 (A) Chicago Public Schools leads one of 14 the Nation’s largest community school initia- 15 tives and found that students in grades 9 to 12 16 who attend a community school have 61 percent 17 fewer school-day absences than their non-com- 18 munity school counterparts. When compared to 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 3405 IS non-community school counterparts, students in 1 grades 9 to 12 were found to have more positive 2 educational experiences; students in grades 4 to 3 8 had higher Emotional Health scores on the 4 survey; and students in grades K to 3 had 53 5 percent fewer suspensions and 55 percent fewer 6 misconducts. 7 (B) In a 7-year study of 200 Chicago pub- 8 lic schools, sociologist Anthony Bryk found that 9 in schools where grassroots organizations forge 10 strong connections with their schools, trust lev- 11 els and parent involvement are greater. 12 (C) United Way of Salt Lake’s Promise 13 Partnership, an initiative across multiple school 14 districts in the Salt Lake, Utah area, has 15 helped increase student achievement and grad- 16 uation rates. At one of United Way’s partner 17 schools, Granite Park Junior High, the percent- 18 age of students completing 9th grade and on 19 track to graduate has more than doubled in 2 20 years. Their efforts also have increased pre- 21 school opportunities in their poorest neighbor- 22 hoods so that 1,000 additional low-income stu- 23 dents attend high-quality preschool. Third 24 grade reading proficiency scores rose 15.5 per- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 3405 IS cent from 2013–2014, and chronic absence de- 1 creased from 21 percent to 14 percent from 2 2013–2014. A Promise Partnership Regional 3 Council, which was formed in 2014, includes 4 education, business, government, and nonprofit 5 leaders, guides the initiative and focuses on 6 keeping the work aligned. 7 (D) In Wisconsin, where formal partner- 8 ships with community agencies are required for 9 grant programs, non-traditional partners have 10 proven to be instrumental for smaller commu- 11 nities to enrich after school programs. Those 12 partners have included local trucking compa- 13 nies, statewide nonprofit organizations like the 14 Grange, Farm Bureau, small retailers, and re- 15 tirees. 16 (E) Union City Public Schools (New Jer- 17 sey) school district proves that by breaking 18 down institutional ‘‘silos’’ and creating deep 19 partnerships, through collaboration and munic- 20 ipal involvement, schools can be vibrant places 21 of hope despite poverty, unemployment, and 22 lack of affordable housing. 23 (F) Social Justice Humanitas Academy in 24 Los Angeles, California, enrolls approximately 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 3405 IS 500 students with 88 percent eligible for free or 1 reduced school lunch. Students are supported 2 by Individualized Pupil Education Plans 3 (IPEP) that determine how teachers and part- 4 ners involved in the Community School can best 5 help struggling students and reflect the close 6 relationships between students and teachers. At 7 the conclusion of the 2013–2014 school year, 8 the graduation rate rose from 83 percent to 9 93.9 percent, and 99 percent of those graduates 10 enrolled in college. The suspension rate was 11 0.02 percent, compared to 1.02 percent across 12 the Los Angeles Unified School District. 13 (G) By meeting the comprehensive needs 14 of students, Communities In Schools, a national 15 dropout prevention organization, found that 99 16 percent of participating students stayed in 17 school, 78 percent of participating students met 18 or made progress toward their attendance goals, 19 90 percent met or made progress toward their 20 behavior goals, and 88 percent met or made 21 progress toward their academic improvement 22 goals. 23 (3) In adopting the Every Student Succeeds 24 Act (Public Law 114–95), Congress recognized com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 3405 IS munity schools as a strategy to significantly improve 1 the coordination and integration, accessibility, and 2 effectiveness of services for children and families, 3 particularly for children attending high-poverty 4 schools, including high-poverty rural schools. 5 (4) Approximately 84 percent of 9th graders 6 graduate from high school within 4 years. Of stu- 7 dents who graduate from high school, 69 percent en- 8 roll in a 2- or 4-year college in the fall after com- 9 pleting high school. Only about half (58 percent) of 10 first-time, full-time college freshmen seeking a 4- 11 year degree receive a bachelor’s degree within 6 12 years or less. 13 (5) Over the past 4 decades, the United States 14 has slipped from being first in the world in high 15 school and college graduation rates to 21st and 16 14th, respectively, putting the Nation at a growing 17 competitive disadvantage with other countries. 18 (6) In a study conducted by Hanover Research, 19 data showed that quality partnerships between 20 schools and their communities can result in im- 21 proved attendance, motivation, conduct, and aca- 22 demic achievement. Community-level strategies like 23 focusing on parental involvement, community build- 24 ing, and cultural competence were shown to con- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 3405 IS tribute to decreases in the achievement gap between 1 lower- and upper-income students. 2 (7) Research from the Government Account- 3 ability Office found that students who change 4 schools less frequently are more likely to perform at 5 grade level and less likely to repeat a grade than 6 their less stable peers. 7 (8) In research studies in psychology, health, 8 and education by Teachers College, Columbia Uni- 9 versity, school ‘‘connectedness’’ is identified as im- 10 portant to student learning, achievement, and well- 11 being. When students feel a sense of connection with 12 the larger world and community institutions, they 13 are more engaged in instructional activities and ex- 14 press greater commitment to school. 15 (9) It has been learned from successful experi- 16 ences that hundreds of thousands of arts, cultural, 17 service, sports, colleges and other youth organiza- 18 tions, as well as civic and faith-based groups want 19 to partner with schools and educators to reinforce 20 learning, but far too often, neither the school nor 21 the community know how to effectively connect with 22 each other. 23 (10) In order for the United States to compete 24 in a global economy, the co-partnering efforts of gov- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 3405 IS ernment, social services, business, arts, home, com- 1 munity-based organizations, and philanthropy need 2 to concentrate their efforts where they are most 3 needed: in our schools. 4 (11) Research from Johns Hopkins University 5 has shown that access to summer learning opportu- 6 nities leads to significant student learning gains not 7 experienced by students who cannot access summer 8 learning opportunities. 9 (12) A 2011 study conducted by the RAND 10 Corporation found that students who attend summer 11 learning programs, particularly those featuring indi- 12 vidualized instruction, parental involvement, and 13 small class sizes, experience clear benefits in over- 14 coming the achievement gap between low- and 15 upper-income students. 16 (13) Research from the Community School 17 Partnership finds that community schools see a re- 18 turn of $7.11 for every dollar of investment in com- 19 munity schools coordinators. 20 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 21 The purposes of this Act are— 22 (1) to create engaging learning experiences 23 that— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 3405 IS (A) strengthen academic achievement, 1 build civic capacity, and provide a continuum of 2 supports and opportunities for children, youth, 3 and families; and 4 (B) prepare children and youth for college, 5 careers, and citizenship through results-focused 6 partnerships that mobilize and coordinate 7 school and community resources; 8 (2) to ensure the academic, physical, social, 9 emotional, health, mental health, and civic develop- 10 ment of disadvantaged children and youth and there- 11 by strengthen their families and communities; 12 (3) to engage and support parents, care givers, 13 and families in their role as first educators of their 14 children; 15 (4) to promote community and family engage- 16 ment in education; 17 (5) to leverage and integrate the human and fi- 18 nancial assets of local communities, schools, State 19 governments, the Federal Government, and the nat- 20 ural assets of communities— 21 (A) toward better results for children, 22 youth, and families; and 23 (B) for sustained civic capacity; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 3405 IS (6) to develop school improvement strategies 1 that incorporate approaches that meet the com- 2 prehensive needs of children and youth, such as full 3 service community schools, community-based and in- 4 tegrated student services, and related approaches; 5 and 6 (7) to ensure that schools and neighborhoods 7 are safe and provide a positive climate for learning. 8 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 9 In this Act: 10 (1) CHILD WITH A DISABILITY.—The term 11 ‘‘child with a disability’’ has the meaning given the 12 term in section 602 of the Individuals with Disabil- 13 ities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1401). 14 (2) CHRONICALLY ABSENT.—The term ‘‘chron- 15 ically absent’’, when used with respect to a student, 16 means a student who misses not less than 10 per- 17 cent or not less than 20 days of school days in an 18 academic year. 19 (3) COMMUNITY-BASED, INTEGRATED STUDENT 20 SERVICES.—The term ‘‘community-based, integrated 21 student services’’ means interventions, coordinated 22 through a single point of contact, that improve stu- 23 dent achievement by connecting community re- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 3405 IS sources with the academic and social service needs 1 of students. 2 (4) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN EDU- 3 CATION.— 4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘community 5 engagement in education’’ means systematic ef- 6 forts to involve, engage, and collaborate with 7 parents, community residents, members of 8 school communities, community partners, and 9 other stakeholders in exploring the needs of 10 their students and schools, developing plans to 11 address those needs, and working together to 12 address those needs. 13 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘community 14 engagement in education’’ includes effective 15 community engagement in an ongoing process 16 to develop a welcoming school and school sys- 17 tem, mobilize the community’s assets to support 18 student achievement and growth, engage those 19 individuals and stakeholders who traditionally 20 have not participated in the school or school 21 system, improve working relationships, and 22 deepen the commitment to student success. 23 (5) DIGITAL LEARNING.—The term ‘‘digital 24 learning’’ means instructional practices that effec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:11 Mar 10, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3405.IS S3405 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 3405 IS tively use technology to strengthen the student 1 learning experience and may include online and 2 formative assessments, instructional resources, on- 3 line content and courses, applications of technology 4 in the classroom and school building, adaptive soft- 5 ware for children with disabilities, learning plat- 6 forms, and online professional communities of prac- 7 tic [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]