Grants to support high-quality charter schools

For purposes of this section, the term “State entity” means— From the amount available under section 7221a(b)(3) of this title, the Secretary shall award, on a competitive basis, grants to State entities having applications approved under subsection (f) to enable such entities to— award subgrants to eligible applicants to enable eligible applicants to— A State entity receiving a grant under this section shall— A State entity may use a grant received under this section to carry out the activities described in subsection (b)(2) directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the Secretary from awarding grants to State entities, or prohibit State entities from awarding subgrants to eligible applicants, that use a weighted lottery to give slightly better chances for admission to all, or a subset of, educationally disadvantaged students if— Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit schools from specializing in providing specific services for students with a demonstrated need for such services, such as students who need specialized instruction in reading, spelling, or writing. A grant awarded by the Secretary to a State entity under this section shall be for a period of not more than 5 years. A subgrant awarded by a State entity under this section shall be for a period of not more than 5 years, of which an eligible applicant may use not more than 18 months for planning and program design. The Secretary, and each State entity awarding subgrants under this section, shall use a peer-review process to review applications for assistance under this section. The Secretary— shall for each fiscal year for which funds are appropriated under section 7221j of this title— prior to the start of the third year of the grant period and each succeeding year of each grant awarded under this section to a State entity— shall review— may, as determined necessary based on that review, terminate or reduce the amount of the grant and reallocate the remaining grant funds to other State entities— For a fiscal year for which there are remaining grant funds under this paragraph, but the amount of such funds is insufficient to award a grant to a State entity under this section, the Secretary shall use such remaining grants funds— to supplement funding for grants under section 7221d(a)(2) of this title, but not to supplant— Each State entity awarding subgrants under this section shall award subgrants in a manner that, to the extent practicable and applicable, ensures that such subgrants— The Secretary may waive any statutory or regulatory requirement over which the Secretary exercises administrative authority, except any such requirement relating to the elements of a charter school described in section 7221i(2) of this title, if— No State entity may receive a grant under this section for use in a State in which a State entity is currently using a grant received under this section. An eligible applicant may not receive more than 1 subgrant under this section for each individual charter school for a 5-year period, unless the eligible applicant demonstrates to the State entity that such individual charter school has at least 3 years of improved educational results for students enrolled in such charter school with respect to the elements described in subparagraphs (A) and (D) of section 7221i(8) of this title. A State entity desiring to receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require. The application shall include the following: A description of the State entity’s objectives in running a quality charter school program under this section and how the objectives of the program will be carried out, including— a description of how the State entity will— work with eligible applicants to ensure that the eligible applicants access all Federal funds that such applicants are eligible to receive, and help the charter schools supported by the applicants and the students attending those charter schools— in the case of a State entity that is not a State educational agency— ensure that each eligible applicant that receives a subgrant under the State entity’s program— support— work with charter schools on— a description of the extent to which the State entity— a description of how the State entity will award subgrants, on a competitive basis, including— a description of the application each eligible applicant desiring to receive a subgrant will be required to submit, which application shall include— Assurances that— the State entity will promote quality authorizing, consistent with State law, such as through providing technical assistance to support each authorized public chartering agency in the State to improve such agency’s ability to monitor the charter schools authorized by the agency, including by— the State entity will ensure that each charter school receiving funds under the State entity’s program makes publicly available, consistent with the dissemination requirements of the annual State report card under section 6311(h) of this title, including on the website of the school, information to help parents make informed decisions about the education options available to their children, including— Information about waivers, including— The Secretary shall award grants to State entities under this section on the basis of the quality of the applications submitted under subsection (f), after taking into consideration— the State entity’s plan to— provide technical assistance and support for— In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to a State entity to the extent that the entity meets the following criteria: The State entity is located in a State that— The State entity is located in a State that provides charter schools one or more of the following: An eligible applicant receiving a subgrant under this section shall use such funds to support the activities described in subsection (b)(1), which shall include one or more of the following activities: Preparing teachers, school leaders, and specialized instructional support personnel, including through paying the costs associated with— hiring and compensating, during the eligible applicant’s planning period specified in the application for subgrant funds that is required under this section, one or more of the following: Each State entity receiving a grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary, at the end of the third year of the 5-year grant period (or at the end of the second year of the grant period if the grant is less than 5 years), and at the end of such grant period, a report that includes the following: A description of how the State entity met the objectives of the quality charter school program described in the State entity’s application under subsection (f), including— A description of—