Sec. 3. School-based mentoring program
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Part C of title I of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 ( 20 U.S.C. 2351 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: In this section: The term at-risk student means a student who— is failing academically or at risk of dropping out of school; is pregnant or a parent; is a gang member; is a child or youth in foster care or a youth who has been emancipated from foster care, but is still enrolled in high school; is or has recently been a homeless child or youth; is chronically absent; has changed schools 3 or more times in the past 6 months; has come in contact with the juvenile justice system in the past; has a history of multiple suspensions or disciplinary actions; is an English learner; has one or both parents incarcerated; has experienced one or more adverse childhood experiences, traumatic events, or toxic stressors, as assessed through an evidence-based screening; lives in a high-poverty area with a high rate of community violence; has a disability; or shows signs of alcohol or drug misuse or abuse or has a parent or guardian who is struggling with substance abuse.
The term disability has the meaning given the term for purposes of section 602(3) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1401(3) ). The term eligible entity — means a high-need local educational agency, high-need school, or local government entity; and may include a partnership between an entity described in subparagraph
(A)and a nonprofit, community-based, or faith-based organization, or institution of higher education. The term English learner has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 7801 ). The term foster care has the meaning given the term in section 1355.20(a) of title 45, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation). The term high-need local educational agency means a local educational agency that serves at least one high-need school. The term high-need school has the meaning given the term in section 2211(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6631(b) ). The term homeless children and youths has the meaning given the term in section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 11434a ). The term school-based mentoring means a structured, managed, evidenced-based program conducted in partnership with teachers, administrators, school psychologists, school social workers or counselors, and other school staff, in which at-risk students are appropriately matched with screened and trained professional or volunteer mentors who provide guidance, support, and encouragement, involving meetings, group-based sessions, and educational and workforce-related activities on a regular basis to prepare at-risk students for success in high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce. The Secretary shall award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to establish, expand, or support school-based mentoring programs that— are designed to assist at-risk students in high-need schools in developing cognitive skills and promoting social-emotional learning to prepare them for success in high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce by linking them with mentors who— have received mentor training, including on trauma-informed practices, youth engagement, cultural competency, and social-emotional learning; and have been screened using appropriate reference checks and criminal background checks, in accordance with the requirements of paragraph (3)(B)(v)(ii); provide coaching and technical assistance to mentors in each such mentoring program; seek to— improve the academic achievement of at-risk students; reduce dropout rates and absenteeism and improve school engagement of at-risk students and their families; reduce juvenile justice involvement of at-risk students; foster positive relationships between at-risk students and their peers, teachers, other adults, and family members; develop the workforce readiness skills of at-risk students by exploring paths to employment, including encouraging students with disabilities to explore transition services; and increase the participation of at-risk students in community service activities; and encourage at-risk students to set goals and plan for their futures, including making plans and identifying goals for postsecondary education and the workforce. The Secretary shall award grants under this section for a period not to exceed 5 years. To receive a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application that includes— a needs assessment that includes baseline data on the measures described in paragraph (6)(A)(ii); and a plan to meet the requirements of paragraph (1), including— the targeted outcomes, mentee age and eligibility, mentor type, and meeting frequency for the program; the number of mentor-student matches proposed to be established and maintained annually under the program; the capacity and expertise of the program to serve children and youth in a way that is responsive to children and youth of color, expectant and parenting youth, indigenous youth, youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or queer, and youth with disabilities; actions taken to ensure that the design of the program reflects input from youth; and an assurance that mentors supported under the program are appropriately screened and have demonstrated a willingness to comply with aspects of the mentoring program, including— a written screening plan that includes all of the policies and procedures used to screen and select mentors, including eligibility requirements and preferences for such applicants; a description of the methods to be used to conduct criminal background checks on all prospective mentors, and the methods in place to exclude mentors with convictions directly related to child safety that occur during the mentor's participation in the program or in the 10-year period preceding the mentor's participation; and a description of the methods to be used to ensure that the mentors are willing and able to serve as a mentor on a long-term, consistent basis as defined in the application. In selecting grant recipients, the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that— serve children and youth with the greatest need living in high-poverty, high-crime areas, or rural areas, or who attend schools with high rates of community violence; provide at-risk students with opportunities for postsecondary education preparation and career development, including— job training, professional development, work shadowing, internships, networking, résumé writing and review, interview preparation, transition services for students with disabilities, application assistance and visits to institutions of higher education, and leadership development through community service; and partnerships with the private sector and local businesses to provide internship and career exploration activities and resources; seek to provide match lengths between at-risk students and mentors for at least 1 academic year; and consult and engage youth in the development, design, and implementation of the program. An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section may use such funds to— develop and carry out regular training for mentors, including on— the impact of adverse childhood experiences; trauma-informed practices and interventions; supporting homeless children and youths; supporting children and youth in foster care or youth who have been emancipated from foster care, but are still enrolled in high school; cultural competency; meeting all appropriate privacy and confidentiality requirements for students, including students in foster care; working in coordination with a public school system; positive youth development and engagement practices; and disability inclusion practices to ensure access and participation by students with disabilities; recruit, screen, match, train, and compensate mentors; hire staff to perform or support the objectives of the school-based mentoring program; provide inclusive and accessible youth engagement activities, such as— enrichment field trips to cultural destinations; career awareness activities, including job site visits, informational interviews, résumé writing, interview preparation, and networking; and academic or postsecondary education preparation activities, including trade or vocational school visits, visits to institutions of higher education, and assistance in applying to institutions of higher education; and conduct program evaluation, including by acquiring and analyzing the data described under paragraph (6). Not later than 6 months after the end of each academic year during the grant period, an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary a report that includes— the number of students and mentors, and the demographics of the students and mentors, who participated in the school-based mentoring program that was funded in whole or in part with the grant funds; data on the academic achievement, dropout rates, truancy, absenteeism, outcomes of arrests for violent crime, summer employment, and postsecondary education enrollment of students in the program; the number of group sessions and number of one-to-one contacts between students in the program and their mentors; the average attendance of students enrolled in the program; the number of students with disabilities connected to transition services; data on social-emotional development of students as assessed with a validated social-emotional assessment tool; and any other information that the Secretary may require to evaluate the success of the school-based mentoring program. An eligible entity shall ensure that the report submitted under subparagraph
(A)is prepared in a manner that protects the privacy rights of each student in accordance with section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1232g ; commonly known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 ). The Secretary shall work with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to— refer grantees under this section to the National Mentoring Resource Center to obtain resources on best practices and research related to mentoring and to request no-cost training and technical assistance; and provide grantees under this section with information regarding transitional services for at-risk students returning from correctional facilities and transition services for students with disabilities. The Secretary shall, to the extent possible, coordinate with the Corporation for National and Community Service, including through entering into an interagency agreement or a memorandum of understanding, to support mentoring and community service-related activities for at-risk students. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2028. .
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Sec. 3
School-based mentoring program
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