SEC. 2311. PURPOSES.

The purposes of this chapter are —

(1) to establish a program to recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career professionals (including highly qualified paraprofessionals), and recent graduates of an institution of higher education, as teachers in high-need schools, including recruiting teachers through alternative routes to certification; and

(2) to encourage the development and expansion of alternative routes to certification under State-approved programs that enable individuals to be eligible for teacher certification within a reduced period of time, relying on the experience, expertise, and academic qualifications of an individual, or other factors in lieu of traditional course work in the field of education.

SEC. 2312. DEFINITIONS.

In this chapter:

(1) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANT- The term eligible participant' means —

(A) an individual with substantial, demonstrable career experience, including a highly qualified paraprofessional; or

(B) an individual who is a graduate of an institution of higher education who —

(i) has graduated not more than 3 years before applying to an eligible entity to teach under this chapter; and

(ii) in the case of an individual wishing to teach in a secondary school, has completed an academic major (or courses totaling an equivalent number of credit hours) in the academic subject that the individual will teach.

(2) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY- The term high-need local educational agency' has the meaning given the term in section 2102.

(3) HIGH-NEED SCHOOL- The term high-need school' means a school that —

(A) is located in an area in which the percentage of students from families with incomes below the poverty line is 30 percent or more; or

(B)(i) is located in an area with a high percentage of out-of-field teachers, as defined in section 2102;

(ii) is within the top quartile of elementary schools and secondary schools statewide, as ranked by the number of unfilled, available teacher positions at the schools;

(iii) is located in an area in which there is a high teacher turnover rate; or

(iv) is located in an area in which there is a high percentage of teachers who are not certified or licensed.

SEC. 2313. GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may establish a program to make grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to develop State and local teacher corps or other programs to establish, expand, or enhance teacher recruitment and retention efforts.

(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall be —

(1) a State educational agency;

(2) a high-need local educational agency;

(3) a for-profit or nonprofit organization that has a proven record of effectively recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers, in a partnership with a high-need local educational agency or with a State educational agency;

(4) an institution of higher education, in a partnership with a high-need local educational agency or with a State educational agency;

(5) a regional consortium of State educational agencies; or

(6) a consortium of high-need local educational agencies.

(c) PRIORITY- In making such a grant, the Secretary shall give priority to a partnership or consortium that includes a high-need State educational agency or local educational agency.

(d) APPLICATION-

(1) IN GENERAL- To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity described in subsection (b) shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(2) CONTENTS- The application shall describe —

(A) one or more target recruitment groups on which the applicant will focus its recruitment efforts;

(B) the characteristics of each such target group that —

(i) show the knowledge and experience of the group's members; and

(ii) demonstrate that the members are eligible to achieve the objectives of this section;

(C) describe how the applicant will use funds received under this section to develop a teacher corps or other program to recruit and retain highly qualified midcareer professionals (which may include highly qualified paraprofessionals), recent college graduates, and recent graduate school graduates, as highly qualified teachers in high-need schools operated by high-need local educational agencies;

(D) explain how the program carried out under the grant will meet the relevant State laws (including regulations) related to teacher certification or licensing and facilitate the certification or licensing of such teachers;

(E) describe how the grant will increase the number of highly qualified teachers, in high-need schools operated by high-need local educational agencies (in urban or rural school districts), and in high-need academic subjects, in the jurisdiction served by the applicant; and

(F) describe how the applicant will collaborate, as needed, with other institutions, agencies, or organizations to recruit (particularly through activities that have proven effective in retaining highly qualified teachers), train, place, support, and provide teacher induction programs to program participants under this chapter, including providing evidence of the commitment of the institutions, agencies, or organizations to the applicant's programs.

(e) DURATION OF GRANTS- The Secretary may make grants under this section for periods of 5 years. At the end of the 5-year period for such a grant, the grant recipient may apply for an additional grant under this section.

(f) EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION- To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure an equitable geographic distribution of grants under this section among the regions of the United States.

(g) USES OF FUNDS-

(1) IN GENERAL- An entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the funds made available through the grant to develop a teacher corps or other program in order to establish, expand, or enhance a teacher recruitment and retention program for highly qualified mid-career professionals (including highly qualified paraprofessionals), and recent graduates of an institution of higher education, who are eligible participants, including activities that provide alternative routes to teacher certification.

(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES- The entity shall use the funds to carry out a program that includes two or more of the following activities:

(A) Providing scholarships, stipends, bonuses, and other financial incentives, that are linked to participation in activities that have proven effective in retaining teachers in high-need schools operated by high-need local educational agencies, to all eligible participants, in an amount not to exceed $5,000 per participant.

(B) Carrying out pre- and post-placement induction or support activities that have proven effective in recruiting and retaining teachers, such as —

(i) teacher mentoring;

(ii) providing internships;

(iii) providing high-quality, preservice coursework; and

(iv) providing high-quality, sustained inservice professional development.

(C) Carrying out placement and ongoing activities to ensure that teachers are placed in fields in which the teachers are highly qualified to teach and are placed in high-need schools.

(D) Making payments to pay for costs associated with accepting teachers recruited under this section from among eligible participants or provide financial incentives to prospective teachers who are eligible participants.

(E) Collaborating with institutions of higher education in developing and implementing programs to facilitate teacher recruitment (including teacher credentialing) and teacher retention programs.

(F) Carrying out other programs, projects, and activities that are designed and have proven to be effective in recruiting and retaining teachers, and that the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

(G) Developing long-term recruitment and retention strategies including developing —

(i) a statewide or regionwide clearinghouse for the recruitment and placement of teachers;

(ii) administrative structures to develop and implement programs to provide alternative routes to certification;

(iii) reciprocity agreements between or among States for the certification or licensing of teachers; or

(iv) other long-term teacher recruitment and retention strategies.

(3) EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS- The entity shall use the funds only for programs that have proven to be effective in both recruiting and retaining teachers.

(h) REQUIREMENTS-

(1) TARGETING- An entity that receives a grant under this section to carry out a program shall ensure that participants in the program recruited with funds made available under this section are placed in high-need schools operated by high-need local educational agencies. In placing the participants in the schools, the entity shall give priority to the schools that are located in areas with the highest percentages of students from families with incomes below the poverty line.

(2) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT- Funds made available under this section shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, State and local public funds expended for teacher recruitment and retention programs, including programs to recruit the teachers through alternative routes to certification.

(3) PARTNERSHIPS AND CONSORTIA OF LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES- In the case of a partnership established by a local educational agency to carry out a program under this chapter, or a consortium of such agencies established to carry out a program under this chapter, the local educational agency or consortium shall not be eligible to receive funds through a State program under this chapter.

(i) PERIOD OF SERVICE- A program participant in a program under this chapter who receives training through the program shall serve a high-need school operated by a high-need local educational agency for at least 3 years.

(j) REPAYMENT- The Secretary shall establish such requirements as the Secretary determines to be appropriate to ensure that program participants who receive a stipend or other financial incentive under subsection (g)(2)(A), but fail to complete their service obligation under subsection (i), repay all or a portion of such stipend or other incentive.

(k) ADMINISTRATIVE FUNDS- No entity that receives a grant under this section shall use more than 5 percent of the funds made available through the grant for the administration of a program under this chapter carried out under the grant.

SEC. 2314. EVALUATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR RECRUITING AND RETAINING TEACHERS.

(a) EVALUATION- Each entity that receives a grant under this chapter shall conduct —

(1) an interim evaluation of the program funded under the grant at the end of the third year of the grant period; and

(2) a final evaluation of the program at the end of the fifth year of the grant period.

(b) CONTENTS- In conducting the evaluation, the entity shall describe the extent to which local educational agencies that received funds through the grant have met the goals relating to teacher recruitment and retention described in the application.

(c) REPORTS- The entity shall prepare and submit to the Secretary and to Congress interim and final reports containing the results of the interim and final evaluations, respectively.

(d) REVOCATION- If the Secretary determines that the recipient of a grant under this chapter has not made substantial progress in meeting such goals and the objectives of the grant by the end of the third year of the grant period, the Secretary —

(1) shall revoke the payment made for the fourth year of the grant period; and

(2) shall not make a payment for the fifth year of the grant period.

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