(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
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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) of this section 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 groups 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 division, including providing evidence of the commitment of the institutions, agencies, or organizations to the applicants 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 division, or a consortium of such agencies established to carry out a program under this division, the local educational agency or consortium shall not be eligible to receive funds through a State program under this division.
(i) Period of service A program participant in a program under this division 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) of this section, but fail to complete their service obligation under subsection (i) of this section, 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 division carried out under the grant.