119-s375

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 375 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 375

 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to award 
 grants to eligible entities to establish, expand, or support school-
based mentoring programs to assist at-risk middle school students with 
 the transition from middle school to high school.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 3, 2025

 Mr. Booker introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to award 
 grants to eligible entities to establish, expand, or support school-
based mentoring programs to assist at-risk middle school students with 
 the transition from middle school to high school.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Transition-to-Success Mentoring 
Act''.

SEC. 2. TRANSITION-TO-SUCCESS MENTORING PROGRAM.

    (a) Transition-to-Success Mentoring Program.--Part D of title I of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6421 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

 ``Subpart 4--Transition-to-Success Mentoring Program

``

SEC. 1441. TRANSITION-TO-SUCCESS MENTORING PROGRAM.

 ``

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants to eligible 
entities to establish, expand, or support school-based mentoring 
programs to assist eligible students with the transition from middle 
school to high school.
 ``

    (b) Application.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--To receive a grant under this section, 
 an eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary 
 at such time, in such manner, and containing such information 
 as the Secretary may require.
 ``

    (2) Priority.--In selecting grant recipients, the 
 Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--
 ``
        (A) 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;
 ``
        (B) provide eligible students with opportunities 
 for postsecondary education preparation and career 
 development, including--
 ``
            (i) job training, professional 
 development, work shadowing, internships, 
 networking, resume 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
 ``
            (ii) partnerships with the private sector 
 and local businesses to provide internship and 
 career exploration activities and resources;
 ``
            (C) seek to provide match lengths between 
 eligible students and success coaches for at least 1 
 academic year; and
 ``
            (D) indicate how, and the degree to which, 
 children were consulted and engaged in the development, 
 design, and implementation of the school-based 
 mentoring program.
 ``
            (c) Uses of Funds.--
 ``

    (1) Required uses of funds.--An eligible entity that 
 receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds 
 to establish a school-based mentoring program, or to expand or 
 provide technical support to an existing school-based mentoring 
 program, in all middle schools served by the entity, under 
 which each eligible student is assigned to a success coach 
 who--
 ``
        (A) creates a plan for success for the student 
 that--
 ``
            (i) is created with the student, mentor, 
 relevant school staff (such as a teacher or 
 school counselor), and parents of the student;
 ``
            (ii) includes, for each academic year, 
 the student's academic, personal, college, and 
 career exploration goals, and a strategy on how 
 to accomplish such goals;
 ``
            (iii) identifies the student's strengths, 
 areas for improvement, and academic progress; 
 and
 ``
            (iv) includes a plan to educate and 
 support the student's college or career 
 exploration goals;
 ``
        (B) enters into a signed, written agreement with 
 the parents of the student that describes how the 
 parents should assist the student in carrying out the 
 plan for success;
 ``
            (C) meets with the student at least once per 
 month to--
 ``
            (i) assist the student in achieving the 
 goals under the plan for success;
 ``
            (ii) identify the student's academic 
 areas for improvement;
 ``
            (iii) connect the student with the tools 
 and resources necessary to help improve the 
 student's potential for academic success;
 ``
            (iv) ensure the student's successful 
 transition from middle school to high school by 
 identifying opportunities to help the student 
 develop a positive attitude toward school, 
 improve classroom behavior, complete 
 coursework, and socialize with peers; and
 ``
            (v) in the case of a student with 
 behavioral issues, assist the student in 
 behavior management techniques;
 ``
            (D) at least quarterly, meets with the student 
 and the parents, teachers, or counselors of the student 
 to--
 ``
            (i) evaluate the student's progress in 
 achieving the goals under the plan for the 
 current academic year; and
 ``
            (ii) revise or establish new goals for 
 the next academic year; and
 ``
        (E) assists the student in exploring higher 
 education and career exposure opportunities.
 ``

    (2) Authorized uses of funds.--An eligible entity that 
 receives a grant under this section may use such funds to--
 ``
        (A) develop and carry out regular training for 
 success coaches, including on--
 ``
            (i) the impact of adverse childhood 
 experiences;
 ``
            (ii) trauma-informed practices and 
 interventions;
 ``
            (iii) supporting homeless children and 
 youths;
 ``
            (iv) supporting children and youth in 
 foster care;
 ``
            (v) cultural competency;
 ``
            (vi) meeting all appropriate privacy and 
 confidentiality requirements for students, 
 including students in foster care;
 ``
            (vii) working in coordination with a 
 public school system;
 ``
            (viii) positive youth development and 
 engagement practices; and
 ``
            (ix) disability inclusion practices to 
 ensure access and participation by students 
 with disabilities;
 ``
        (B) recruit, screen, match, compensate, and train 
 success coaches, and pay for costs related to success 
 coach and mentee participation in the program;
 ``
            (C) hire staff to perform or support the 
 objectives of the school-based mentoring program;
 ``
            (D) provide inclusive and accessible youth 
 engagement activities, such as--
 ``
            (i) enrichment field trips to cultural 
 destinations;
 ``
            (ii) career awareness activities, 
 including job site visits, informational 
 interviews, resume writing, interview 
 preparation, and networking; and
 ``
            (iii) 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;
 ``
        (E) provide activities or programming with the 
 purpose of engaging and connecting the student to the 
 school community; and
 ``
        (F) conduct program evaluation, including by 
 acquiring and analyzing the data described under 
 subsection

    (e) .
 ``
            (d) Grant Duration.--A grant under this section shall be awarded 
for a period of not more than 5 years.
 ``

    (e) Reporting Requirements.--
 ``

    (1) Eligible entities.--An eligible entity receiving a 
 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary, at the 
 end of each academic year during the grant period, a report 
 that includes--
 ``
        (A) the number of students who participated in 
 the school-based mentoring program that was funded in 
 whole or in part with the grant funds under this 
 section;
 ``
        (B) demographic data on such students;
 ``
            (C) data on the academic achievement, dropout 
 rates, truancy, absenteeism, outcomes of arrests for 
 violent crime, summer employment, and postsecondary 
 education enrollment of such students;
 ``
            (D) the number of contact hours between such 
 students and their success coaches;
 ``
        (E) the number of students with disabilities 
 connected to transition services;
 ``
        (F) data on social-emotional development of 
 students as assessed with a validated social-emotional 
 assessment tool; and
 ``
        (G) any other information that the Secretary may 
 require to evaluate the success of the school-based 
 mentoring program.
 ``

    (2) Secretary.--
 ``
        (A) Interim report.--At the end of the third 
 fiscal year for which funds are made available to carry 
 out this section, the Secretary shall submit to 
 Congress an interim report on the success of the 
 school-based mentoring programs funded under this 
 section that includes the information received under 
 paragraph

    (1) .
 ``
        (B) Final report.--At the end of the fifth fiscal 
 year for which funds are made available to carry out 
 this section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 
 final report on the success of the school-based 
 mentoring programs funded under this section that 
 includes the information received under paragraph

    (1) .
 ``

    (f) Mentoring Resources and Community Service Coordination.--The 
Secretary shall work with the Office of Juvenile Justice and 
Delinquency Prevention to--
 ``

    (1) 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
 ``

    (2) provide grantees under this section with information 
 regarding transitional services for eligible students returning 
 from correctional facilities and transition services for 
 students with disabilities.
 ``

    (g) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:
 ``

    (1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
 ``
        (A) a local educational agency that--
 ``
            (i) receives, or is eligible to receive, 
 funds under part A of this title; or
 ``
            (ii) is a high-need local educational 
 agency; or
 ``
        (B) a partnership between a local educational 
 agency described in subparagraph
        (A) and a nonprofit, 
 community-based organization.
 ``

    (2) Eligible student.--The term `eligible student' means 
 a student who--
 ``
        (A) is enrolled in a middle school served by an 
 eligible entity; and
 ``
        (B) is an at-risk student.
 ``

    (3) High-need local educational agency.--The term `high-
 need local educational agency' means a local educational agency 
 that serves at least one high-need school.
 ``

    (4) High-need school.--The term `high-need school' has 
 the meaning given the term in 

section 2211

    (b)

    (2) .
 ``

    (5) Middle school.--The term `middle school' means a 
 nonprofit institutional day or residential school, including a 
 public charter school, that provides middle school education, 
 as determined under State law, except that the term does not 
 include any education below grade 6 or beyond grade 9.
 ``

    (6) School-based mentoring.--The term `school-based 
 mentoring' means mentoring activities that--
 ``
        (A) are closely coordinated with a school by 
 involving teachers, counselors, and other school staff 
 who may identify and refer students for mentoring 
 services; and
 ``
        (B) assist at-risk students in improving academic 
 achievement and attitudes toward school and reducing 
 disciplinary referrals.
 ``

    (7) Success coach.--The term `success coach' means an 
 individual who--
 ``
        (A) is--
 ``
            (i) an employee or volunteer of a local 
 educational agency in which a mentoring program 
 receiving support under this section is being 
 carried out; or
 ``
            (ii) a volunteer or employee from a 
 nonprofit, community-based organization that 
 provides volunteers for mentoring programs in 
 secondary schools; and
 ``
        (B) prior to becoming a success coach--
 ``
            (i) received training from an eligible 
 entity, which, at a minimum, was 2 hours in 
 length and covered the roles and 
 responsibilities of a success coach; and
 ``
            (ii) underwent a screening by an eligible 
 entity that included--
 ``
            (I) appropriate job reference 
 checks;
 ``
            (II) child and domestic abuse 
 record checks; and
 ``
            (III) criminal background 
 checks.''.

    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in 

section 2 of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) 
is amended by inserting after the item relating to 

section 1432 the 
following:

 ``subpart 4--transition-to-success mentoring program

``

Sec. 1441. Transition-to-success mentoring program.''.
 <all>