SEC. 2243
SCHOOL LEADER RECRUITMENT AND SUPPORT
Section Summary
ESSA Update
``Subpart 4--Programs of National Significance
``SEC. 2243. <<NOTE: 20 USC 6673.>> SCHOOL LEADER RECRUITMENT AND
SUPPORT.
``(a) In General.--From the funds reserved under section 2241(2) for
a fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis,
to eligible entities to enable such entities to improve the recruitment,
preparation, placement, support, and retention of effective principals
or other school leaders in high-need schools, which may include--
``(1) developing or implementing leadership training
programs designed to prepare and support principals or other
school leaders in high-need schools, including through new or
alternative pathways or school leader residency programs;
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``(2) developing or implementing programs or activities for
recruiting, selecting, and developing aspiring or current
principals or other school leaders to serve in high-need
schools;
``(3) developing or implementing programs for recruiting,
developing, and placing school leaders to improve schools
implementing comprehensive support and improvement activities
and targeted support and improvement activities under section
1111(d), including through cohort-based activities that build
effective instructional and school leadership teams and develop
a school culture, design, instructional program, and
professional development program focused on improving student
learning;
``(4) providing continuous professional development for
principals or other school leaders in high-need schools;
``(5) developing and disseminating information on best
practices and strategies for effective school leadership in
high-need schools, such as training and supporting principals to
identify, develop, and maintain school leadership teams using
various leadership models; and
``(6) other evidence-based programs or activities described
in section 2101(c)(4) or section 2103(b)(3) focused on
principals or other school leaders in high-need schools.
``(b) Program Periods and Diversity of Projects.--
``(1) In general.--A grant awarded by the Secretary to an
eligible entity under this section shall be for a period of not
more than 5 years.
``(2) Renewal.--The Secretary may renew a grant awarded
under this section for 1 additional 2-year period.
``(3) Diversity of projects.--In awarding grants under this
section, the Secretary shall ensure that, to the extent
practicable, grants are distributed among eligible entities that
will serve geographically diverse areas, including urban,
suburban, and rural areas.
``(4) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not award more than 1
grant under this section to an eligible entity during a grant
competition.
``(c) Cost-sharing.--
``(1) In general.--An eligible entity that receives a grant
under this section shall provide, from non-Federal sources, not
less than 25 percent of the funds for the total cost for each
year of activities carried out under this section.
``(2) Acceptable contributions.--An eligible entity that
receives a grant under this section may meet the requirement of
paragraph (1) by providing contributions in cash or in kind,
fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, and services.
``(3) Waivers.--The Secretary may waive or modify the
requirement of paragraph (1) in cases of demonstrated financial
hardship.
``(d) Applications.--An eligible entity that desires a grant under
this section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time,
and in such manner, as the Secretary may require.
``(e) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity--
``(1) with a record of preparing or developing principals
who--
``(A) have improved school-level student outcomes;
``(B) have become principals in high-need schools;
and
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``(C) remain principals in high-need schools for
multiple years; and
``(2) who will implement evidence-based activities, defined
for the purpose of this paragraph as activities meeting the
requirements of section 8101(21)(A)(i).
``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) a local educational agency, including an
educational service agency, that serves a high-need
school or a consortium of such agencies;
``(B) a State educational agency or a consortium of
such agencies;
``(C) a State educational agency in partnership with
1 or more local educational agencies, or educational
service agencies, that serve a high-need school;
``(D) the Bureau of Indian Education; or
``(E) an entity described in subparagraph (A), (B),
(C), or (D) in partnership with 1 or more nonprofit
organizations or institutions of higher education.
``(2) High-need school.--The term `high-need school' means--
``(A) an elementary school in which not less than 50
percent of the enrolled students are from families with
incomes below the poverty line; or
``(B) a secondary school in which not less than 40
percent of the enrolled students are from families with
incomes below the poverty line.
NCLB Text
``SEC. 2151. NATIONAL ACTIVITIES OF DEMONSTRATED
EFFECTIVENESS. <<NOTE: 20 USC 6651.>>
``(a) National Teacher Recruitment Campaign.--The Secretary is
authorized to establish and carry out a national teacher recruitment
campaign, which may include activities carried out through the National
Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse, to assist
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high-need local educational agencies in recruiting teachers
(particularly those activities that are effective in retaining new
teachers) and training teachers and to conduct a national public service
campaign concerning the resources for, and the routes to, entering the
field of teaching. In carrying out the campaign, the Secretary may
promote and link the activities of the campaign to the information and
referral activities of the National Teacher Recruitment Clearinghouse.
The Secretary shall coordinate activities under this subsection with
State and regional recruitment activities.
``(b) School Leadership.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to establish
and carry out a national principal recruitment program to assist
high-need local educational agencies in recruiting and training
principals (including assistant principals) through such
activities as--
``(A) providing financial incentives to aspiring new
principals;
``(B) providing stipends to principals who mentor
new principals;
``(C) carrying out professional development programs
in instructional leadership and management; and
``(D) providing incentives that are appropriate for
teachers or individuals from other fields who want to
become principals and that are effective in retaining
new principals.
``(2) Grants.--If the Secretary uses sums made available
under section 2103(b) to carry out paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall carry out such paragraph by making grants, on a
competitive basis, to--
``(A) high-need local educational agencies;
``(B) consortia of high-need local educational
agencies; and
``(C) partnerships of high-need local educational
agencies, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of
higher education.
``(c) Advanced Certification or Advanced Credentialing.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to support
activities to encourage and support teachers seeking advanced
certification or advanced credentialing through high quality
professional teacher enhancement programs designed to improve
teaching and learning.
``(2) Implementation.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall make grants to eligible entities to--
``(A) develop teacher standards that include
measures tied to increased student academic achievement;
and
``(B) promote outreach, teacher recruitment, teacher
subsidy, or teacher support programs, related to teacher
certification or credentialing by the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards, the National Council on
Teacher Quality, or other nationally recognized
certification or credentialing organizations.
``(3) Eligible entities.--In this subsection, the term
`eligible entity' includes--
``(A) a State educational agency;
``(B) a local educational agency;
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``(C) the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards, in partnership with a high-need local
educational agency or a State educational agency;
``(D) the National Council on Teacher Quality, in
partnership with a high-need local educational agency or
a State educational agency; or
``(E) another recognized entity, including another
recognized certification or credentialing organization,
in partnership with a high-need local educational agency
or a State educational agency.
``(d) Special Education Teacher Training.--The Secretary is
authorized to award a grant to the University of Northern Colorado to
enable such university to provide, to other institutions of higher
education, assistance in training special education teachers.
``(e) Early Childhood Educator Professional Development.--
``(1) Purpose.--The purpose of this subsection is to enhance
the school readiness of young children, particularly
disadvantaged young children, and to prevent young children from
encountering difficulties once the children enter school, by
improving the knowledge and skills of early childhood educators
who work in communities that have high concentrations of
children living in poverty.
``(2) Program authorized.--
``(A) Grants to partnerships.--The Secretary is
authorized to carry out the purpose of this subsection
by awarding grants, on a competitive basis, to
partnerships consisting of--
``(i)(I) one or more institutions of higher
education that provide professional development
for early childhood educators who work with
children from low-income families in high-need
communities; or
``(II) another public or private entity that
provides such professional development;
``(ii) one or more public agencies (including
local educational agencies, State educational
agencies, State human services agencies, and State
and local agencies administering programs under
the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.), Head Start
agencies, or private organizations; and
``(iii) to the extent feasible, an entity with
demonstrated experience in providing training to
educators in early childhood education programs
concerning identifying and preventing behavior
problems or working with children identified as or
suspected to be victims of abuse.
``(B) Duration and number of grants.--
``(i) Duration.--The Secretary shall award
grants under this subsection for periods of not
more than 4 years.
``(ii) Number.--No partnership may receive
more than one grant under this subsection.
``(3) Applications.--
``(A) Applications required.--Any partnership that
desires to receive a grant under this subsection shall
submit
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an application to the Secretary at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary
may require.
``(B) Contents.--Each such application shall
include--
``(i) a description of the high-need community
to be served by the project proposed to be carried
out through the grant, including such demographic
and socioeconomic information as the Secretary may
request;
``(ii) information on the quality of the early
childhood educator professional development
program currently conducted (as of the date of the
submission of the application) by the institution
of higher education or another provider in the
partnership;
``(iii) the results of a needs assessment that
the entities in the partnership have undertaken to
determine the most critical professional
development needs of the early childhood educators
to be served by the partnership and in the broader
community, and a description of how the proposed
project will address those needs;
``(iv) a description of how the proposed
project will be carried out, including a
description of--
``(I) how individuals will be
selected to participate;
``(II) the types of professional
development activities, based on
scientifically based research, that will
be carried out;
``(III) how research on effective
professional development and on adult
learning will be used to design and
deliver project activities;
``(IV) how the project will be
coordinated with and build on, and will
not supplant or duplicate, early
childhood education professional
development activities in the high-need
community;
``(V) how the project will train
early childhood educators to provide
developmentally appropriate school-
readiness services that are based on the
best available research on early
childhood pedagogy and child development
and learning domains;
``(VI) how the project will train
early childhood educators to meet the
diverse educational needs of children in
the community, including children who
have limited English proficiency,
children with disabilities, or children
with other special needs; and
``(VII) how the project will train
early childhood educators in identifying
and preventing behavioral problems in
children or working with children
identified as or suspected to be victims
of abuse;
``(v) a description of--
``(I) the specific objectives that
the partnership will seek to attain
through the project, and the methods
that the partnership will use to measure
progress toward attainment of those
objectives; and
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``(II) how the objectives and the
measurement methods align with the
achievement indicators established by
the Secretary under paragraph (6)(A);
``(vi) a description of the partnership's plan
for continuing the activities carried out under
the project after Federal funding ceases;
``(vii) an assurance that, where applicable,
the project will provide appropriate professional
development to volunteers working directly with
young children, as well as to paid staff; and
``(viii) an assurance that, in developing the
application and in carrying out the project, the
partnership has consulted with, and will consult
with, relevant agencies, early childhood educator
organizations, and early childhood providers that
are not members of the partnership.
``(4) Selection of grant recipients.--
``(A) Criteria.--The Secretary shall select
partnerships to receive grants under this subsection on
the basis of the degree to which the communities
proposed to be served require assistance and the quality
of the applications submitted under paragraph (3).
``(B) Geographic distribution.--In selecting
partnerships to receive grants under this subsection,
the Secretary shall seek to ensure that communities in
different regions of the Nation, as well as both urban
and rural communities, are served.
``(5) Uses of funds.--
``(A) In general.--Each partnership receiving a
grant under this subsection shall use the grant funds to
carry out activities that will improve the knowledge and
skills of early childhood educators who are working in
early childhood programs that are located in high-need
communities and serve concentrations of children from
low-income families.
``(B) Allowable activities.--Such activities may
include--
``(i) professional development for early
childhood educators, particularly to familiarize
those educators with the application of recent
research on child, language, and literacy
development and on early childhood pedagogy;
``(ii) professional development for early
childhood educators in working with parents, so
that the educators and parents can work together
to provide and support developmentally appropriate
school-readiness services that are based on
scientifically based research on early childhood
pedagogy and child development and learning
domains;
``(iii) professional development for early
childhood educators to work with children who have
limited English proficiency, children with
disabilities, and children with other special
needs;
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``(iv) professional development to train early
childhood educators in identifying and preventing
behavioral problems in children or working with
children identified as or suspected to be victims
of abuse;
``(v) activities that assist and support early
childhood educators during their first 3 years in
the field;
``(vi) development and implementation of early
childhood educator professional development
programs that make use of distance learning and
other technologies;
``(vii) professional development activities
related to the selection and use of screening and
diagnostic assessments to improve teaching and
learning; and
``(viii) data collection, evaluation, and
reporting needed to meet the requirements of
paragraph (6) relating to accountability.
``(6) Accountability.--
``(A) Achievement indicators.--On the date on which
the Secretary first issues a notice soliciting
applications for grants under this subsection, the
Secretary shall announce achievement indicators for this
subsection, which shall be designed--
``(i) to measure the quality and accessibility
of the professional development provided;
``(ii) to measure the impact of that
professional development on the early childhood
education provided by the individuals who receive
the professional development; and
``(iii) to provide such other measures of
program impact as the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.
``(B) Annual reports; termination.--
``(i) Annual reports.--Each partnership
receiving a grant under this subsection shall
report annually to the Secretary on the
partnership's progress toward attaining the
achievement indicators.
``(ii) Termination.--The Secretary may
terminate a grant under this subsection at any
time if the Secretary determines that the
partnership receiving the grant is not making
satisfactory progress toward attaining the
achievement indicators.
``(7) Cost-sharing.--
``(A) In general.--Each partnership carrying out a
project through a grant awarded under this subsection
shall provide, from sources other than the program
carried out under this subsection, which may include
Federal sources--
``(i) at least 50 percent of the total cost of
the project for the grant period; and
``(ii) at least 20 percent of the project cost
for each year.
``(B) Acceptable contributions.--A partnership may
meet the requirements of subparagraph (A) by providing
contributions in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated,
including plant, equipment, and services.
``(C) Waivers.--The Secretary may waive or modify
the requirements of subparagraph (A) for partnerships in
cases of demonstrated financial hardship.
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``(8) Federal coordination.--The Secretary and the Secretary
of Health and Human Services shall coordinate activities carried
out through programs under this subsection with activities
carried out through other early childhood programs administered
by the Secretary or the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
``(9) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Early childhood educator.--The term `early
childhood educator' means a person providing, or
employed by a provider of, nonresidential child care
services (including center-based, family-based, and in-
home child care services) that is legally operating
under State law, and that complies with applicable State
and local requirements for the provision of child care
services to children at any age from birth through the
age at which a child may start kindergarten in that
State.
``(B) High-need community.--
``(i) In general.--The term `high-need
community' means--
``(I) a political subdivision of a
State, or a portion of a political
subdivision of a State, in which at
least 50 percent of the children are
from low-income families; or
``(II) a political subdivision of a
State that is among the 10 percent of
political subdivisions of the State
having the greatest numbers of such
children.
``(ii) Determination.--In determining which
communities are described in clause (i), the
Secretary shall use such data as the Secretary
determines are most accurate and appropriate.
``(C) Low-income family.--The term `low-income
family' means a family with an income below the poverty
line for the most recent fiscal year for which
satisfactory data are available.
``(f) Teacher Mobility.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary is authorized to
establish a panel to be known as the National Panel on Teacher
Mobility (referred to in this subsection as the `panel').
``(2) Membership.--The panel shall be composed of 12 members
appointed by the Secretary. The Secretary shall appoint the
members from among practitioners and experts with experience
relating to teacher mobility, such as teachers, members of
teacher certification or licensing bodies, faculty of
institutions of higher education that prepare teachers, and
State policymakers with such experience.
``(3) Period of appointment; vacancies.--Members shall be
appointed for the life of the panel. Any vacancy in the panel
shall not affect the powers of the panel, but shall be filled in
the same manner as the original appointment.
``(4) Duties.--
``(A) Study.--
``(i) In general.--The panel shall study
strategies for increasing mobility and employment
opportunities for highly qualified teachers,
especially for States with teacher shortages and
States with school districts or schools that are
difficult to staff.
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``(ii) Data and analysis.--As part of the
study, the panel shall evaluate the desirability
and feasibility of State initiatives that support
teacher mobility by collecting data and conducting
effective analysis concerning--
``(I) teacher supply and demand;
``(II) the development of
recruitment and hiring strategies that
support teachers; and
``(III) increasing reciprocity of
certification and licensing across
States.
``(B) <<NOTE: Deadline.>> report.--Not later than 1
year after the date on which all members of the panel
have been appointed, the panel shall submit to the
Secretary and to the appropriate committees of Congress
a report containing the results of the study.
``(5) Powers.--
``(A) Hearings.--The panel may hold such hearings,
sit and act at such times and places, take such
testimony, and receive such evidence as the panel
considers advisable to carry out the objectives of this
subsection.
``(B) Information from federal agencies.--The panel
may secure directly from any Federal department or
agency such information as the panel considers necessary
to carry out the provisions of this subsection. Upon
request of a majority of the members of the panel, the
head of such department or agency shall furnish such
information to the panel.
``(C) Postal services.--The panel may use the United
States mails in the same manner and under the same
conditions as other departments and agencies of the
Federal Government.
``(6) Personnel.--
``(A) Travel expenses.--The members of the panel
shall not receive compensation for the performance of
services for the panel, but shall be allowed travel
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at
rates authorized for employees of agencies under
subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States
Code, while away from their homes or regular places of
business in the performance of services for the panel.
Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States
Code, the Secretary may accept the voluntary and
uncompensated services of members of the panel.
``(B) Detail of government employees.--Any Federal
Government employee may be detailed to the panel without
reimbursement, and such detail shall be without
interruption or loss of civil service status or
privilege.
``(7) Permanent committee.--Section 14 of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the
panel.