Sec. 711. First in the world competitive grant program
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Title VII ( 20 U.S.C. 1133 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: The purpose of this part is— to help institutions of higher education implement innovative strategies and practices shown to be effective in improving educational outcomes and making postsecondary education more affordable for students and families; to raise the percentage of individuals in the United States who have a degree from an institution of higher education or another postsecondary credential by 2020; and to develop an evidence base of effective practices for ensuring that more students can access, persist in, and complete postsecondary education.
In this part eligible entity means— a nonprofit institution of higher education; a consortium of nonprofit institutions of higher education; or a nonprofit institution described in paragraph (1), or a consortium described in paragraph (2), in partnership with 1 or more public or private organizations. From amounts appropriated under section 791, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis and in accordance with subsection (d), to eligible entities to enable such eligible entities to support the activities described in section 786.
Grants awarded under this part shall be for a period of not more than 5 years. An eligible entity shall not be awarded more than 1 grant for each grant competition. Each eligible entity that desires to receive a grant under this part shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require, including, at a minimum— a description of— the project for which the eligible entity is seeking a grant and how the evidence supporting that project meets the standards of evidence established by the Secretary under subsection (b); the student population to be served and how the proposed project will meet the needs of those students; the resources and capacity of the eligible entity to carry out the proposed project; the replicable and scalable reform strategies the eligible entity will implement; the eligible entity’s plan for continuing the proposed project after the eligible entity no longer receives funding under this part; the eligible entity’s plans for independently evaluating the effectiveness of activities carried out under the grant, including evaluating whether the strategies that the eligible entity implements are showing evidence of effectiveness; and the eligible entity’s data collection plan; an estimate of the number of students that the eligible entity plans to serve under the proposed project, including the percentage of those students who are from low-income families; an assurance that the eligible entity will— cooperate with evaluations, as requested by the Secretary; and make data available to third parties for validation and further study; and if applicable, a description of the partnership the eligible entity has established with 1 or more public or private organizations for the purpose of carrying out activities under the grant.
The Secretary shall establish standards for the quality of evidence that an applicant shall provide in accordance with subsection (a)(1)(A) in order to demonstrate that the project the applicant proposes to carry out with the funds under this part is likely to succeed in improving student outcomes according to the performance measures described in section 787. These standards shall include the following: Strong evidence that the activities proposed by the applicant will have a statistically significant effect on student outcomes, including postsecondary enrollment rates, postsecondary persistence rates, and postsecondary completion rates.
Moderate evidence that the activities proposed by the applicant will improve such student outcomes. A rationale based on research findings or a reasonable hypothesis that the activities proposed by the applicant will improve such student outcomes. Subject to paragraph (3), the Secretary shall ensure that not less than one-half of the funds awarded under this part are awarded for projects that— meet a standard of evidence described in subparagraph
(B)or
(C)of paragraph (1); and do not meet the evidence standard described in subparagraph
(A)of such paragraph. The Secretary shall not be required to meet the requirement described in paragraph
(2)unless a sufficient number of otherwise high quality applications are received. In awarding grants under this part, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that plan to— implement interventions that result in measurable increases in the number of low-income students who— enroll and persist in postsecondary education; and complete a postsecondary degree or certificate; implement a systemwide design that would have positive effects on low-income students; increase successful transfers of low-income students into higher level programs, such as from a certificate program to an associate's degree program or from an associate's degree program to a bachelor’s degree program; increase enrollment and completion rates for degrees or certificates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for students from groups that are historically underrepresented in those fields, including minorities and women, by implementing new and substantially different strategies; design and implement new and innovative approaches to reduce the time it takes for students to complete a program of study and earn a postsecondary degree or certificate; design and implement new and innovative strategies to contain the cost of education for students and families pursuing higher education; and develop cross-system partnerships among workforce, adult education, career and technical education, postsecondary education, human service agencies, and others. Each eligible entity that receives funds under this part shall use such funds to carry out 1 or more of the following activities: Designing innovative approaches to teaching and learning that are designed to produce better outcomes for postsecondary students. Implementing promising practices that accelerate the pace and success rate at which students who need remedial coursework move into credit-bearing coursework and toward a degree or certificate. Establishing open postsecondary degree pathways that— are offered to students at low cost or no cost; are offered in fields that focus on the education and skills employers are seeking; and have the potential to deliver high quality learning experiences and outcomes. Redesigning courses and programs of study that improve student learning at lower costs than traditional courses. Developing innovative student services approaches that address financial barriers to college completion, such as access to comprehensive financial supports (including tax credits and Federal, State, and local benefits programs), financial literacy, workforce development, and legal services. Any other innovative program or strategy approved by the Secretary. The Secretary shall establish performance measures for the programs and activities carried out under this part. These measures, at a minimum, shall track the grantee’s progress in improving postsecondary education access, affordability, and completion— for all students served by the grantee; and for students served by the grantee, disaggregated on the basis of race and ethnicity, gender, and status as a recipient of a Federal Pell Grant. The performance measures described in subsection
(a)shall include the following: Postsecondary enrollment rates. Persistence from semester to semester and year to year. On-time graduation rates. Any other indicator determined by the Secretary or grantee. Each eligible entity that receives a grant under this part shall submit to the Secretary, at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require, an annual report that includes— information about the eligible entity's progress as measured by the performance measures established under section 787; data relating to such performance measures; the evaluation required in accordance with section 785(a)(1)(F); and any additional information that the Secretary may require. The Secretary shall— acting through the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences, evaluate the implementation and impact of activities supported under this part; and disseminate research on best practices relating to those activities. Funds made available under this part shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, and local funds that would otherwise be expended to carry out activities under this section. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2015 and each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years. .
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Sec. 711
First in the world competitive grant program
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