"Improving Teacher Quality:
"The conference agreement includes $2,850,000,000
for state grants for improving teacher quality, instead of $3,175,000,000
as proposed by the House and $3,039,834,000 as proposed by the Senate.
Of this amount, $1,150,000,000 is provided as a fiscal year 2003 advance
as proposed by the Senate instead of $1,345,000,000 as proposed by
the House. Grants for Improving Teacher Quality consolidates and streamlines
the Eisenhower Professional Development program and the Class Size
Reduction program to allow greater flexibility for local school districts.
The purpose of this part is to provide grants to States, school districts,
State agencies for higher education, and eligible partnerships to:
(1) increase student academic achievement through such strategies
as improving teacher and principal quality and increasing the number
of highly qualified teachers in the classroom and highly qualified
principals and assistant principals in schools; (2) hold districts
and schools accountable for improvements in student academic achievement;
and (3) hold districts and schools accountable so that all teachers
teaching core academic subjects in public elementary schools and secondary
schools are highly qualified.
"The conferees understand that the Eisenhower Professional
Development program, which has been consolidated into a larger State
Teacher Quality Improvement Grant program under the reauthorization
of the Elementary and Secondary School Act, was funded at $485,000,000
in fiscal year 2001. The Eisenhower program required that a minimum
of $250,000,000 be dedicated to math and science professional development
activities; however, the conferees understand that as much as $375,000,000
was actually expended on math and science in fiscal year 2001. The
conferees believe that providing high-quality math and science instruction
is of critical importance to our Nation's future competitiveness,
and agree that math and science professional development opportunities
should be expanded. The conferees therefore strongly urge the Secretary
and the States to continue to fund math and science activities within
the Teacher Quality Grant program at a comparable level in fiscal
year 2002.
"The conference agreement also includes $12,500,000
for math and science partnerships, instead of $25,000,000 as proposed
by the Senate. Math and science partnerships are intended to improve
the performance of students in the areas of mathematics and science
by encouraging States, institutions of higher education, districts,
elementary schools, and secondary schools to participate in programs
that: (1) improve and upgrade the status and stature of mathematics
and science teaching by encouraging institutions of higher education
to assume greater responsibility for improving mathematics and science
teacher education; (2) focus on education of mathematics and science
teachers as a career-long process; (3) bring mathematics and science
teachers together with scientists, mathematicians, and engineers to
improve their teaching skills; and (4) develop more rigorous mathematics
and science curricula that are aligned with State and local academic
achievement standards expected for postsecondary study in engineering,
mathematics, and science.
"The conferees note that, although this is a separate
program designed specifically for the development of high quality
math and science professional development opportunities, in no way
do the conferees intend to discourage the Secretary and States from
using other federal funding for math and science instructional improvement
programs. The conferees strongly urge the Secretary and States to
utilize funding provided by the Teacher Quality Grant program, as
well as other programs funded by the federal government, to strengthen
math and science education programs across the Nation."
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