article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND PURPOSES. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Character Development Act''. (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are-- (1) to reduce the school dropout rate for at-risk youth; (2) to improve the academic performance of at-risk youth; and (3) to reduce juvenile delinquency and gang participation. SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. For the purposes of this Act-- (1) the term ``at-risk youth'' means a youth at risk of-- (A) educational failure; (B) dropping out of school; or (C) involvement in delinquent activities; (2) the term ``eligible local educational agency'' means a local educational agency that has entered into a partnership, with a community-based organization that provides one-to-one mentoring services, to carry out the authorized activities described in section 5 in accordance with this Act; (3) the terms ``elementary school'', ``local educational agency'', and ``secondary school'', have the meanings given such terms in section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801); (4) the term ``mentor'' means a person who works with an at-risk youth on a one-to-one basis, to establish a supportive relationship with the youth and to provide the youth with academic assistance and exposure to new experiences that enhance the youth's ability to become a better student and a responsible citizen; and (5) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Education. SEC. 3. MENTORING PROGRAMS. (a) Grant Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants to eligible local educational agencies to enable such agencies to establish mentoring programs that-- (1) are designed to link-- (A) individual at-risk youth; with (B) responsible, individual adults who serve as mentors; and (2) are intended to-- (A) increase at-risk youth participation in, and enhance the ability of such youth to benefit from, elementary and secondary education; (B) discourage at-risk youth from-- (i) using illegal drugs; (ii) violence; (iii) using dangerous weapons; (iv) criminal activity not described in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii); and (v) involvement in gangs; (C) promote personal and social responsibility among at-risk youth; (D) encourage at-risk youth participation in community service and community activities; or (E) provide general guidance to at-risk youth. (b) Amount and Duration.--Each grant under this section shall be awarded in an amount not to exceed a total of $200,000 over a period of not more than three years. (c) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority to awarding a grant under this section to an application submitted under section 7 that-- (1) describes a mentoring program in which 60 percent or more of the at-risk youth to be served are eligible for assistance under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.); (2) describes a mentoring program that serves at-risk youth who are-- (A) at risk of dropping out of school; or (B) involved in delinquent activities; and (3) demonstrates the ability of the eligible local educational agency to continue the mentoring program after the termination of the Federal funds provided under this section. (d) Other Considerations.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give consideration to-- (1) providing an equitable geographic distribution of such grants, including awarding such grants for mentoring programs in both rural and urban areas; (2) the quality of the mentoring program described in the application submitted under section 7, including-- (A) the resources, if any, that will be dedicated to providing participating at-risk youth with opportunities for job training or postsecondary education; and (B) the degree to which parents, teachers, community-based organizations, and the local community participate in the design and implementation of the mentoring program; and (3) the capability of the eligible local educational agency to effectively implement the mentoring program. SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION GRANTS. The Secretary is authorized to award grants to national organizations or agencies serving youth to enable such organizations or agencies-- (1) to conduct a multisite demonstration project, involving 5 to 10 project sites, that-- (A) provides an opportunity to compare various one- to-one mentoring models for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of such models; (B) allows for innovative programs designed under the oversight of a national organization or agency serving youth, which programs may include-- (i) technical assistance; (ii) training; and (iii) research and evaluation; and (C) disseminates the results of such demonstration project to allow for the determination of the best practices for various mentoring programs; (2) to develop and evaluate screening standards for school- linked mentoring programs; and (3) to develop and evaluate volunteer recruitment activities for school-linked mentoring programs. SEC. 5. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. (a) Permitted Uses.--Grant funds awarded under this Act (other than grant funds awarded under section 4) shall be used for-- (1) hiring of mentoring coordinators and support staff; (2) recruitment, screening and training of adult mentors; (3) reimbursement of mentors for reasonable incidental expenditures, such as transportation, that are directly associated with mentoring, except that such expenditures shall not exceed $500 per mentor per calendar year; or (4) such other purposes as the Secretary determines may be reasonable. (b) Prohibited Uses.--Grant funds awarded under this Act shall not be used-- (1) to directly compensate a mentor, except as provided under subsection (a)(3); (2) to obtain educational or other materials or equipment that would otherwise be used in the ordinary course of the grant recipient's operations; (3) to support litigation; or (4) for any other purposes that the Secretary determines are prohibited. SEC. 6. REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES. (a) Regulations.--The Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Labor, shall provide for the promulgation of regulations to implement this Act. (b) Guidelines.--The Secretary shall develop and distribute to eligible local educational agencies receiving a grant under section 3 specific model guidelines for the screening of mentors. SEC. 7. APPLICATIONS. (a) In General.--Each entity desiring a grant under this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably require. (b) Mentoring Programs.--Each application submitted under subsection (a) for a grant under section 3 shall contain-- (1) information on the at-risk youth expected to be served; (2) a provision describing the mechanism for matching at- risk youth with mentors based on the needs of the at-risk youth; (3) an assurance that no mentor will be assigned to more than one at-risk youth, so as to ensure a one-to-one mentoring relationship; (4) an assurance that a mentoring program operated in a secondary school will provide at-risk youth with a variety of experiences and support, including-- (A) an opportunity to spend time in a work environment and, when possible, participate in the work environment; (B) an opportunity to witness the job skills that will be required for the at-risk youth to obtain employment upon graduation; (C) assistance with homework assignments; and (D) exposure to experiences that the at-risk youth might not otherwise encounter; (5) an assurance that the mentoring program operated in elementary schools will provide at-risk youth with-- (A) academic assistance; (B) exposure to new experiences and activities that at-risk youth might not encounter on their own; and (C) emotional support; (6) an assurance that the mentoring program will be monitored to ensure that each at-risk youth participating in the mentoring program benefits from a mentor relationship, including providing a new mentor assignment if the original mentoring relationship is not beneficial to the at-risk youth; (7) the methods by which mentors and at-risk youth will be recruited to the mentoring program; (8) the method by which prospective mentors will be screened; and (9) the training that will be provided to mentors. SEC. 8. EVALUATION. (a) Evaluation.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall enter into a contract, with an evaluating organization that has demonstrated experience in conducting evaluations, for the conduct of an ongoing rigorous evaluation of the programs and activities assisted under this Act. (b) Evaluation Criteria.--The Comptroller General of the United States, in consultation with the Secretary, shall establish minimum criteria for evaluating the programs and activities assisted under this Act. Such criteria shall provide for a description of the implementation of each program or activity assisted under this Act and such program or activity's effect on all participants, schools, communities, and youth served by such program or activity. SEC. 9. REPORTS. (a) Report by Grant Recipients.--Each entity receiving a grant under this Act shall submit to the evaluating organization entering into the contract under section 8(a)(1) an annual report regarding any program or activity assisted under this Act. Each such report shall be submitted at such a time, in such a manner, and accompanied by such information, as such evaluating organization may require. (b) Reports by Comptroller General.--The Comptroller General shall submit to Congress not later than September 30, 1999, a report regarding the success and effectiveness of grants awarded under this Act in reducing the school dropout rate, improving academic performance of at-risk youth, and reducing juvenile delinquency and gang participation. SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. (a) Mentoring Programs.--There is authorized to be appropriated $35,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 to carry out section 3. (b) Implementation and Evaluation Grants.--There is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 to carry out section 4.
summary: Character Development Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award: (1) mentor program grants to eligible local educational agencies to establish mentoring programs designed to link individual at-risk youth with responsible, individual adults who serve as mentors; and (2) implementation and evaluation grants to national organizations or agencies serving youth to conduct a multisite demonstration project, involving five to ten project sites, develop and evaluate screening standards for school-linked mentoring programs, and develop and evaluate volunteer recruitment activities for school-linked mentoring programs. Sets forth permitted and prohibited uses of grant funds awarded under this Act. Directs the Secretary to develop and distribute to eligible local educational agencies receiving a mentor program grant specific model guidelines for the screening of mentors. Sets forth requirements for grant applications, program evaluations and reports by the Comptroller General, and reports by grant recipients. Authorizes appropriations for Mentoring Program Grants and Implementation and Evaluation Grants.