STRIVE Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1866 To better support our early childhood educators and elementary school and secondary school teachers, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 13, 2019 Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mr. SCHATZ, and Ms. HARRIS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance A BILL To better support our early childhood educators and elemen- tary school and secondary school teachers, 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 AND FINDINGS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Supporting the Teaching profession through Revitalizing 5 Investments in Valuable Educators Act’’ or the ‘‘STRIVE 6 Act’’. 7 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 8 (1) States identified significant teacher short- 9 ages in their reports to the Department of Edu- 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 1866 IS cation during the 2017–2018 school year, with 46 1 States and the District of Columbia identifying 2 shortages in special education, 47 States and the 3 District of Columbia identifying teacher shortages in 4 mathematics, 43 States identifying teacher shortages 5 in science, 32 States identifying shortages in teach- 6 ers of English learners, and 32 States identifying 7 teacher shortages in career and technical education. 8 One reason for the shortages in these areas is be- 9 cause mathematics and science teachers can earn 10 significantly higher starting salaries in the private 11 sector. Further, rural communities face limitations 12 in recruiting and retaining teachers for reasons such 13 as funding issues, limited teacher supply, and geo- 14 graphic isolation. 15 (2) Students in high-poverty and high-minority 16 schools, both urban and rural, typically feel the larg- 17 est impact of teacher shortages. These schools often 18 experience difficulty hiring and high turnover on a 19 regular basis, and they are the most severely af- 20 fected when teacher shortages become widespread. 21 This happens, in part, because inequitable funding 22 of schools leaves many low-wealth urban and rural 23 communities with inadequate resources, so they 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 1866 IS must pay lower salaries and typically have poorer 1 working conditions. 2 (3) According to a study by Mathematica, when 3 high-performing teachers were offered large financial 4 incentives to transfer to low-performing schools, 5 their students’ scores climbed 10 points in reading 6 and 9 points in math compared to students state- 7 wide over 2 years. 8 (4) According to a survey conducted by Scho- 9 lastic, 97 percent of teachers list supportive school 10 leadership as essential or very important for retain- 11 ing strong teachers and improving student achieve- 12 ment, more than any other factor. 13 (5) Research suggests that incurring postsec- 14 ondary education debt can decrease the likelihood 15 that high-achieving students, lower-income students, 16 and students of color choose to work in lower-wage 17 professions in general, especially in the education 18 system. Therefore, loan forgiveness and service 19 scholarships for educators may be especially effective 20 for recruiting teachers and school leaders from di- 21 verse, lower-income backgrounds. 22 (6) According to the Learning Policy Institute, 23 teacher loan forgiveness and service scholarship pro- 24 grams can be successful in both recruiting and re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 1866 IS taining teachers. To be effective, these programs 1 should provide a financial benefit that meaningfully 2 offsets the cost of a teacher’s professional prepara- 3 tion. This includes covering licensing and certifi- 4 cation costs. 5 (7) A 2015 Government Accountability Office 6 study and a 2018 follow up study by the Depart- 7 ment of Education of Federal grant and loan for- 8 giveness programs for teachers found that the struc- 9 ture of these programs matters. Further research 10 shows effective loan forgiveness and service scholar- 11 ship programs follow 5 design principles. These pro- 12 grams— 13 (A) cover all or a large percentage of tui- 14 tion; 15 (B) target high-need fields or schools, or 16 both; 17 (C) recruit candidates who are academi- 18 cally strong, committed to teaching, and well- 19 prepared; 20 (D) commit recipients to teach with rea- 21 sonable incentives to fulfill their commitment; 22 and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 1866 IS (E) are bureaucratically manageable for 1 participating teachers, local educational agen- 2 cies, and institutions of higher education. 3 (8) The TEACH grant program under subpart 4 9 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act 5 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g et seq.) provides up to 6 $16,000 in grants to prospective teachers who agree 7 to teach in low-income schools and high-need subject 8 areas for 4 years. This is far below the Department 9 of Education’s most recent estimate of the average 10 annual cost of approximately $25,409 in tuition, 11 fees, and room and board at the average full-time 12 undergraduate 4-year institution. 13 (9) The National Center for Education Statis- 14 tics found that more than 2⁄3 of the individuals en- 15 tering the education field borrow money to pay for 16 their higher education. Teachers with a bachelor’s 17 degree have an average debt of $20,000 and teach- 18 ers with a master’s degree have an average debt of 19 $50,000. Teachers also start out earning 20 percent 20 less than their peers with comparable degrees who 21 pursue jobs outside of education. According to a re- 22 port by the Center for American Progress, in more 23 than 30 States, a mid-career teacher heading a fam- 24 ily of 4 is eligible for several forms of government 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 1866 IS assistance, including the free and reduced-price 1 lunch program for their children. These 2 compounding factors can disincentivize prospective 3 teachers from entering the profession. 4 (10) In evaluating the TEACH grant program, 5 the Government Accountability Office found that al- 6 most 2⁄3 of the requests for assistance under the pro- 7 gram from October 2011 through March 2014 cited 8 problems submitting certification paperwork. The 9 Government Accountability Office recommended im- 10 provements in the program’s design, including re- 11 ducing burdensome annual paperwork, increasing 12 awareness about the program, and streamlining the 13 dispute process. 14 (11) Spending by teachers on school supplies 15 adds up to $1,600,000,000 per year nationally. Ac- 16 cording to the Education Market Association, most 17 teachers spend around $500, with 10 percent spend- 18 ing $1,000 or more. 19 (12) Teacher quality partnerships are designed 20 to strengthen higher education-based teacher and 21 school leader preparation. Studies show that teach- 22 ers who are better prepared to enter the classroom 23 stay longer and perform better than their underpre- 24 pared peers. Teacher quality partnerships also fund 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 1866 IS programs like induction and mentoring that have 1 been shown to increase teacher and school leader re- 2 tention. Research indicates that the ongoing support 3 for teachers provided by teacher quality partner- 4 ships, including mentoring and coaching, is an im- 5 portant part of early childhood education programs. 6 (13) According to the Center for Education 7 Data and Research, a more diverse teaching work- 8 force leads to better student outcomes, particularly 9 in high-poverty environments with significant at-risk 10 student populations. Further, researchers from Van- 11 derbilt University found that greater racial and eth- 12 nic diversity in the principal corps benefits students, 13 especially children of color. Three commonly cited 14 rationales for this benefit are— 15 (A) students of color benefit from seeing 16 minority adult role models in a position of au- 17 thority; 18 (B) the higher expectations that teachers 19 of color tend to place on students of color; and 20 (C) the effect of cultural differences be- 21 tween teachers of different backgrounds on in- 22 structional strategies and interpretation of stu- 23 dents’ behavior. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 1866 IS (14) According to the report entitled ‘‘Empow- 1 ered Educators: How Leading Nations Design Sys- 2 tems for Teaching Quality’’, effective teacher prepa- 3 ration successfully integrates theory and practice 4 components. Further, according to the ‘‘Preparing 5 Teachers for a Changing World’’ report sponsored 6 by the National Academy Foundation, highly effec- 7 tive teachers vary in styles, yet have many teaching 8 strategies in common. Research has identified a set 9 of knowledge, skills, and dispositions essential for 10 beginning teachers that should be incorporated into 11 the teacher education curriculum. This includes the 12 opportunity and capacity to reflect on and evaluate 13 skills and to learn from practice. Evidence-based 14 teacher preparation includes developing teacher 15 skills, content knowledge, inquiry, and the capacity 16 to provide effective learning experiences for a diverse 17 set of students. 18 (15) As it does in medicine, the Federal Gov- 19 ernment should maintain a substantial, sustained 20 program of service scholarships or loan forgiveness 21 programs that cover training costs in high-quality 22 preparation programs at the undergraduate or grad- 23 uate level for those who will teach in a high-need 24 field or location for at least 4 years, as candidates 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 1866 IS are much more likely to remain in the profession 1 and to make a difference for student achievement 2 after 3 years of teaching. State governments can 3 augment such an approach with programs targeted 4 to specific local needs. 5 (16) Research has shown the impact cultural 6 competence can have on closing student achievement 7 gaps and improving student outcomes by incor- 8 porating racial and ethnic minority contributions in 9 curricula and diversifying pedagogical practices. Cul- 10 tural competence is both a moral and ethical respon- 11 sibility to create a welcoming environment for stu- 12 dents to succeed. The impact of having educators 13 who have the ability to challenge and motivate di- 14 verse student populations can dramatically improve 15 our educational system and student outcomes. 16 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 1866 IS TITLE I—IMPROVING TEACHER 1 SUPPORT UNDER THE ELE- 2 MENTARY AND SECONDARY 3 EDUCATION ACT OF 1965 4 SEC. 101. MANDATORY FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS PRE- 5 PARING, TRAINING, AND RECRUITING HIGH- 6 QUALITY TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS, OR OTHER 7 SCHOOL LEADERS. 8 Section 2003 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu- 9 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6603) is amended— 10 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘AU- 11 THORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS’’ and insert- 12 ing ‘‘FUNDING’’; and 13 (2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 14 following: 15 ‘‘(a) APPROPRIATIONS FOR PART A.— 16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For fiscal year 2020 and 17 each subsequent fiscal year, there are authorized to 18 be appropriated, and there are appropriated, out of 19 any funds not otherwise appropriated, 20 $3,200,000,000 to carry out part A. 21 ‘‘(2) RESERVATION FOR MENTORING GRANTS.— 22 For each fiscal year for which the total amount ap- 23 propriated under paragraph (1) is greater than 24 $2,200,000,000, the Secretary shall, after making 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 1866 IS any reservations under section 2101(a), reserve 50 1 percent of the additional amount to establish a grant 2 program that awards grants, on a competitive basis, 3 to States for the establishment of a mentoring pro- 4 gram for all beginning elementary school and sec- 5 ondary school teachers and beginning early child- 6 hood educators in all local educational agencies in 7 the States. 8 ‘‘(3) RESERVATION FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVEL- 9 OPMENT GRANTS.—For each fiscal year for which 10 the total amount appropriated under paragraph (1) 11 is greater than $2,200,000,000 the Secretary shall, 12 after making any reservations under section 13 2101(a), reserve 10 percent of the additional 14 amount to award grants to States, based on allot- 15 ments through a formula determined by the Sec- 16 retary to best accomplish the purposes of this title, 17 to enable such States to establish or enhance profes- 18 sional development in-service and pre-service oppor- 19 tunities for school leaders, including efforts to re- 20 cruit and retain school leaders who are underrep- 21 resented in the school leader profession, such as 22 members of racial and ethnic minority groups. 23 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL AMOUNT.—In this subsection, 24 the term ‘additional amount’ means the amount by 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:21 Jun 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1866.IS S1866 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 1866 IS which the funds appropriated under paragraph (1) 1 for a fiscal year exceeds $2,200,000.’’. 2 TITLE II—TEACHER LOAN 3 FORGIVENESS PROGRAMS 4 SEC. 201. TEACHER LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAMS AND 5 GRANTS. 6 (a) REPAYMENT PLAN FOR QUALIFYING TEACH- 7 ERS.— 8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 455 of the Higher 9 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e) is amend- 10 ed by adding at the end the following: 11 ‘‘(r) REPAYMENT PLAN FOR QUALIFYING TEACH- 12 ERS.— 13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall cancel 14 [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]