US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 7, 2003]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 7, 2003 and December 19, 2003]
[CITE: 20USC6683]

 
                           TITLE 20--EDUCATION
 
 CHAPTER 70--STRENGTHENING AND IMPROVEMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY 
                                 SCHOOLS
 
SUBCHAPTER II--PREPARING, TRAINING, AND RECRUITING HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS 
                             AND PRINCIPALS
 
                 Part C--Innovation for Teacher Quality
 
                   subpart 1--transitions to teaching
 
               Division B--Transition to Teaching Program
 
Sec. 6683. 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) 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 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 division, 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 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.

(Pub. L. 89-10, title II, Sec. 2313, as added Pub. L. 107-110, title II, 
Sec. 201, Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 1656.)