Teacher Diversity and Retention Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1197 To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the Honorable Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 22, 2021 Mr. GALLEGO (for himself, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mrs. HAYES, and Ms. ADAMS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the Honorable Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excel- lence, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Teacher Diversity and 4 Retention Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1197 IH SEC. 2. HONORABLE AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS CENTERS OF 1 EXCELLENCE. 2 Part B of title II of the Higher Education Act of 3 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.) is amended to read as fol- 4 lows: 5 ‘‘PART B—ENHANCING TEACHER EDUCATION 6 ‘‘SEC. 230. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 7 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 8 this part $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2022 and each of 9 the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 10 ‘‘Subpart 1—Honorable Augustus F. Hawkins Centers 11 of Excellence 12 ‘‘SEC. 231. FINDINGS. 13 ‘‘Congress finds the following: 14 ‘‘(1) Our Nation’s schools are experiencing a 15 severe diversity gap that negatively impacts student 16 achievement and school culture—50 percent of cur- 17 rent students are from minority groups while only 18 18 percent of teachers are from such groups, accord- 19 ing to a 2016 study by the Brookings Institution. 20 ‘‘(2) A 2016 report conducted by the Depart- 21 ment of Education shows that teachers of color tend 22 to provide more culturally relevant teaching and bet- 23 ter understand the situations that students of color 24 may face. These factors help develop trusting teach- 25 er-student relationships. Researchers from Vander- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1197 IH bilt University also found that greater racial and 1 ethnic diversity in the principal corps benefits stu- 2 dents, especially students of color. 3 ‘‘(3) Minority teachers and school leaders can 4 also serve as cultural ambassadors who help stu- 5 dents feel more welcome at school or as role models. 6 ‘‘(4) Research shows that increasing diversity in 7 the teaching profession can have positive impacts on 8 student educational experiences and outcomes. Stu- 9 dents of color demonstrate greater academic achieve- 10 ment and social-emotional development in classes 11 with teachers of color. Studies also suggest that all 12 students, including White students, benefit from 13 having teachers of color because they bring distinc- 14 tive knowledge, experiences, and role modeling to the 15 student body as a whole. 16 ‘‘SEC. 232. PURPOSE. 17 ‘‘The purpose of this subpart is to strengthen and 18 expand the recruitment, training, and retention of diverse 19 candidates into the teaching profession. 20 ‘‘SEC. 233. ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION DEFINED. 21 ‘‘In this subpart, the term ‘eligible institution’ means 22 an institution of higher education that has a teacher or 23 school leader preparation program that is a accredited by 24 the State and that is— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1197 IH ‘‘(1) a part B institution (as defined in section 1 322); 2 ‘‘(2) a Hispanic-serving institution (as defined 3 in section 502); 4 ‘‘(3) a Tribal college or university (as defined in 5 section 316); 6 ‘‘(4) an Alaska Native-serving institution (as 7 defined in section 317(b)); 8 ‘‘(5) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as 9 defined in section 317(b)); 10 ‘‘(6) a predominantly Black institution (as de- 11 fined in section 318); 12 ‘‘(7) an Asian-American and Native American 13 Pacific Islander-serving institution (as defined in 14 section 320(b)); 15 ‘‘(8) a Native American-serving, nontribal insti- 16 tution (as defined in section 319); 17 ‘‘(9) a consortium of any of the institutions de- 18 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (8); or 19 ‘‘(10) any institution described in paragraphs 20 (1) through (8) in which a center of excellence es- 21 tablished under section 234 is located, in partner- 22 ship with any other institution of higher education. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1197 IH ‘‘SEC. 234. AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS CENTERS OF EXCEL- 1 LENCE. 2 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts 3 provided to carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall 4 award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible institu- 5 tions to establish centers of excellence. 6 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible institution shall 7 use a grant received under this subpart to ensure that pro- 8 grams offered at a center of excellence established by such 9 institution prepare current and future teachers or school 10 leaders to be profession-ready, and meet the applicable 11 State certification and licensure requirements, including 12 any requirements for certification obtained through alter- 13 native routes to certification, or, with regard to special 14 education teachers, the qualifications described in section 15 612(a)(14) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 16 Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(14)(C)), by carrying out one or 17 more of the following activities: 18 ‘‘(1) Implementing reforms within teacher or 19 school leader preparation programs to ensure that 20 such programs are preparing teachers or school lead- 21 ers who meet such applicable State certification and 22 licensure requirements or qualifications, are using 23 evidence-based instructional practices to improve 24 student academic achievement, by— 25 ‘‘(A) retraining or recruiting faculty; and 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1197 IH ‘‘(B) designing (or redesigning) teacher or 1 school leader preparation programs that— 2 ‘‘(i) prepare teachers or school leaders 3 to serve in low-performing schools and 4 close student achievement gaps, and that 5 are based on rigorous academic content, 6 evidence-based research, and challenging 7 State academic standards as described in 8 section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and 9 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 10 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)); and 11 ‘‘(ii) promote effective teaching skills. 12 ‘‘(2) Providing sustained and high-quality 13 preservice clinical experience, including the men- 14 toring of prospective teachers by teacher leaders, 15 substantially increasing interaction between faculty 16 at institutions of higher education and new and ex- 17 perienced teachers, principals, school leaders, and 18 other administrators at elementary schools or sec- 19 ondary schools, and providing support, including 20 preparation time, for such interaction. 21 ‘‘(3) Developing and implementing initiatives to 22 promote retention of teachers who meet such appli- 23 cable State certification and licensure requirements 24 or qualifications, and principals and other school 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1197 IH leaders, including minority teachers, principals and 1 other school leaders, including programs that pro- 2 vide— 3 ‘‘(A) teacher or principal and other school 4 leader mentoring; and 5 ‘‘(B) induction and support for teachers 6 and principals and other school leaders during 7 their first three years of employment as teach- 8 ers, principals, or other school leaders, respec- 9 tively. 10 ‘‘(4) Awarding scholarships based on financial 11 need to help students pay the costs of tuition, room, 12 board, and other expenses of completing a teacher or 13 other school leader preparation program, not to ex- 14 ceed the cost of attendance as defined in section 15 472. 16 ‘‘(5) Disseminating information on effective 17 practices for teacher or other school leader prepara- 18 tion and successful teacher or other school leader 19 certification and licensure assessment preparation 20 strategies. 21 ‘‘(6) Activities authorized under section 202. 22 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Any eligible institution desiring 23 a grant under this subpart shall submit an application to 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1197 IH the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accom- 1 panied by such information as the Secretary may require. 2 ‘‘(d) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 3 An eligible institution that receives a grant under this sub- 4 part may use not more than 2 percent of the funds pro- 5 vided to administer the grant. 6 ‘‘(e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 7 such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this 8 subpart. 9 ‘‘Subpart 2—Preparing Well-Rounded Teachers 10 ‘‘SEC. 241. WELL-ROUNDED TEACHING GRANTS. 11 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 12 ‘‘(1) students have diverse learning needs and 13 teachers must be prepared to provide a high-quality, 14 equitable education to every child; 15 ‘‘(2) improving the pedagogical competencies, 16 behavior management skills, and cultural com- 17 petencies of teacher candidates prepares them to ef- 18 fectively teach students from diverse backgrounds 19 and increases the likelihood they will remain in the 20 profession; and 21 ‘‘(3) teachers who hold dual certification and 22 receive training in social and emotional learning 23 competencies and nonexclusionary, positive behavior 24 management practices are better prepared to create 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1197 IH a supportive school climate and meet the needs of all 1 students, including English learners, racially diverse 2 students, students with disabilities, low-income stu- 3 dents, and students who have experienced trauma. 4 ‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subpart is to— 5 ‘‘(1) strengthen and expand teacher preparation 6 programs that embed dual certification for teacher 7 candidates in special education; and 8 ‘‘(2) strengthen and expand teacher preparation 9 programs that embed training on social and emo- 10 tional learning competencies and nonexclusionary, 11 positive behavior management practices to teacher 12 candidates. 13 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF PROGRAM.— 14 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts pro- 15 vided to carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall 16 award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 17 partnerships to improve the preparation of general 18 education teacher candidates to ensure that such 19 teacher candidates possess the knowledge, skills, and 20 credentials necessary to effectively instruct students 21 with disabilities in general education classrooms, and 22 an understanding of positive behavior-management 23 practices that reduce the use of exclusionary and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1197 IH aversive disciplinary practices and create a sup- 1 portive school climate. 2 ‘‘(2) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grant under 3 this subpart shall be awarded for a period of not 4 more than 5 years. 5 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—An eligible part- 6 nership that receives a grant under this subpart 7 shall provide not less than 25 percent of the cost of 8 the activities carried out with such grant from non- 9 Federal sources, which may be provided in cash or 10 in-kind. 11 ‘‘(d) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—In 12 this section, the term ‘eligible partnership’ means a part- 13 nership that— 14 ‘‘(1) shall include— 15 ‘‘(A) one or more departments or programs 16 at an institution of higher education— 17 ‘‘(i) that prepare elementary or sec- 18 ondary general education teachers; 19 ‘‘(ii) that have a program of study 20 that leads to an undergraduate degree, a 21 master’s degree, or completion of a 22 postbaccalaureate program required for 23 teacher certification; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1197 IH ‘‘(iii) the profession-ready graduates 1 of which meet the applicable State certifi- 2 cation and licensure requirements, includ- 3 ing any requirements for certification ob- 4 tained through alternative routes to certifi- 5 cation, or, with regard to special education 6 teachers, the qualifications described in 7 section 612(a)(14)(C) of the Individuals 8 with Disabilities Education Act; 9 ‘‘(B) a department or program that has 10 expertise in special education at an institution 11 of higher education; and 12 ‘‘(C) a high-need local educational agency; 13 and 14 ‘‘(2) may include— 15 ‘‘(A) a department or program of mathe- 16 matics, earth or physical science, foreign lan- 17 guage, or another department at the institution 18 that has a role in preparing teachers; or 19 ‘‘(B) a nonprofit, research-based organiza- 20 tion. 21 ‘‘(e) ACTIVITIES.—An eligible partnership that re- 22 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds 23 to— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:36 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1197.IH H1197 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 1197 IH ‘‘(1) develop or strengthen an undergraduate, 1 postbaccalaureate, or master’s teacher preparation 2 program by integrating special education pedagogy 3 into the general education curriculum and academic 4 content that result in applicable dual State certifi- 5 cation for teacher candidates who complete the pro- 6 gram; 7 ‘‘(2) develop or strengthen an undergraduate, 8 postbaccalaureate, or master’s teacher preparation 9 program by embedding social and emotional learning 10 strategies and nonexclusionary, positive behavior- 11 management practices into the general education 12 curriculum and academic content; 13 ‘‘(3) provide teacher candidates participating in 14 the program under paragraph (1) with skills related 15 to— 16 ‘‘(A) response to intervention, positive be- 17 havioral interventions and supports (includi [Text truncated for display. 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