H.R. 3567 — Put School Counselors Where They’re Needed Act

This section establishes a demonstration project under which the Secretary of Education awards competitive four-year grants, from amounts available under part D of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, to secondary schools receiving title I funds that have a four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate of 60 percent or lower. Grant funds may be used (1) to hire additional professional school counselors, who must supplement (not supplant) existing guidance staff and aim—per the sense of Congress—to serve one counselor per 250 at-risk students; and (2) to provide related resources such as professional development, travel for home visits, individual graduation plans, course placement, supplemental tutoring and materials, and meetings with students, teachers, parents, and other relevant individuals (e.g., mentors or employers). Counseling targets students at risk of not graduating in four years, identified ideally before grade 9, with services provided as long as necessary (including potentially after the cohort's graduation date). Schools demonstrating adequate improvement are eligible for a second grant period (and potentially further periods if improvement continues).

This section excludes subpart 4 (Demonstration Project for Additional Secondary School Counselors) from the $47,614,000 authorized to be appropriated annually for FY2017 through 2020 for part D of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (i.e., prevention and intervention programs for children and youth who are neglected, delinquent, or at-risk). (Thus, subpart 4 requires separate authorization of appropriations.)