[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5478 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5478
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
September 14, 2023
Mr. Gallego (for himself, Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Houlahan, and Ms. Adams)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the Honorable
Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Teacher Diversity and Retention
Act''.
SEC. 2. HONORABLE AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.
Part B of title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1031 et seq.) is amended to read as follows:
``PART B--ENHANCING TEACHER EDUCATION
``SEC. 230. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part
$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal
years.
``Subpart 1--Honorable Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence
``SEC. 231. FINDINGS.
``Congress finds the following:
``(1) Our Nation's schools are experiencing a severe
diversity gap that negatively impacts student achievement and
school culture--50 percent of current students are from
minority groups while only 18 percent of teachers are from such
groups, according to a 2016 study by the Brookings Institution.
``(2) A 2016 report conducted by the Department of
Education shows that teachers of color tend to provide more
culturally relevant teaching and better understand the
situations that students of color may face. These factors help
develop trusting teacher-student relationships. Researchers
from Vanderbilt University also found that greater racial and
ethnic diversity in the principal corps benefits students,
especially students of color.
``(3) Minority teachers and school leaders can also serve
as cultural ambassadors who help students feel more welcome at
school or as role models.
``(4) Research shows that increasing diversity in the
teaching profession can have positive impacts on student
educational experiences and outcomes. Students of color
demonstrate greater academic achievement and social-emotional
development in classes with teachers of color. Studies also
suggest that all students, including White students, benefit
from having teachers of color because they bring distinctive
knowledge, experiences, and role modeling to the student body
as a whole.
``SEC. 232. PURPOSE.
``The purpose of this subpart is to strengthen and expand the
recruitment, training, and retention of diverse candidates into the
teaching profession.
``SEC. 233. ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION DEFINED.
``In this subpart, the term `eligible institution' means an
institution of higher education that has a teacher or school leader
preparation program that is a accredited by the State and that is--
``(1) a part B institution (as defined in section 322);
``(2) a Hispanic-serving institution (as defined in section
502);
``(3) a Tribal college or university (as defined in section
316);
``(4) an Alaska Native-serving institution (as defined in
section 317(b));
``(5) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as defined in
section 317(b));
``(6) a predominantly Black institution (as defined in
section 318);
``(7) an Asian-American and Native American Pacific
Islander-serving institution (as defined in section 320(b));
``(8) a Native American-serving, nontribal institution (as
defined in section 319);
``(9) a consortium of any of the institutions described in
paragraphs (1) through (8); or
``(10) any institution described in paragraphs (1) through
(8) in which a center of excellence established under section
234 is located, in partnership with any other institution of
higher education.
``SEC. 234. AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE.
``(a) Program Authorized.--From the amounts provided to carry out
this subpart, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis,
to eligible institutions to establish centers of excellence.
``(b) Use of Funds.--An eligible institution shall use a grant
received under this subpart to ensure that programs offered at a center
of excellence established by such institution prepare current and
future teachers or school leaders to be profession-ready, and meet the
applicable State certification and licensure requirements, including
any requirements for certification obtained through alternative routes
to certification, or, with regard to special education teachers, the
qualifications described in section 612(a)(14) of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(14)(C)), by carrying out
one or more of the following activities:
``(1) Implementing reforms within teacher or school leader
preparation programs to ensure that such programs are preparing
teachers or school leaders who meet such applicable State
certification and licensure requirements or qualifications, are
using evidence-based instructional practices to improve student
academic achievement, by--
``(A) retraining or recruiting faculty; and
``(B) designing (or redesigning) teacher or school
leader preparation programs that--
``(i) prepare teachers or school leaders to
serve in low-performing schools and close
student achievement gaps, and that are based on
rigorous academic content, evidence-based
research, and challenging State academic
standards as described in section 1111(b)(1) of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)); and
``(ii) promote effective teaching skills.
``(2) Providing sustained and high-quality preservice
clinical experience, including the mentoring of prospective
teachers by teacher leaders, substantially increasing
interaction between faculty at institutions of higher education
and new and experienced teachers, principals, school leaders,
and other administrators at elementary schools or secondary
schools, and providing support, including preparation time, for
such interaction.
``(3) Developing and implementing initiatives to promote
retention of teachers who meet such applicable State
certification and licensure requirements or qualifications, and
principals and other school leaders, including minority
teachers, principals and other school leaders, including
programs that provide--
``(A) teacher or principal and other school leader
mentoring; and
``(B) induction and support for teachers and
principals and other school leaders during their first
three years of employment as teachers, principals, or
other school leaders, respectively.
``(4) Awarding scholarships based on financial need to help
students pay the costs of tuition, room, board, and other
expenses of completing a teacher or other school leader
preparation program, not to exceed the cost of attendance as
defined in section 472.
``(5) Disseminating information on effective practices for
teacher or other school leader preparation and successful
teacher or other school leader certification and licensure
assessment preparation strategies.
``(6) Activities authorized under section 202.
``(c) Application.--Any eligible institution desiring a grant under
this subpart shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time,
in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary
may require.
``(d) Limitation on Administrative Expenses.--An eligible
institution that receives a grant under this subpart may use not more
than 2 percent of the funds provided to administer the grant.
``(e) Regulations.--The Secretary shall prescribe such regulations
as may be necessary to carry out this subpart.
``Subpart 2--Preparing Well-Rounded Teachers
``SEC. 241. WELL-ROUNDED TEACHING GRANTS.
``(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
``(1) students have diverse learning needs and teachers
must be prepared to provide a high-quality, equitable education
to every child;
``(2) improving the pedagogical competencies, behavior
management skills, and cultural competencies of teacher
candidates prepares them to effectively teach students from
diverse backgrounds and increases the likelihood they will
remain in the profession; and
``(3) teachers who hold dual certification and receive
training in social and emotional learning competencies and
nonexclusionary, positive behavior management practices are
better prepared to create a supportive school climate and meet
the needs of all students, including English learners, racially
diverse students, students with disabilities, low-income
students, and students who have experienced trauma.
``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this subpart is to--
``(1) strengthen and expand teacher preparation programs
that embed dual certification for teacher candidates in special
education; and
``(2) strengthen and expand teacher preparation programs
that embed training on social and emotional learning
competencies and nonexclusionary, positive behavior management
practices to teacher candidates.
``(c) Authorization of Program.--
``(1) In general.--From the amounts provided to carry out
this subpart, the Secretary shall award grants, on a
competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to improve the
preparation of general education teacher candidates to ensure
that such teacher candidates possess the knowledge, skills, and
credentials necessary to effectively instruct students with
disabilities in general education classrooms, and an
understanding of positive behavior-management practices that
reduce the use of exclusionary and aversive disciplinary
practices and create a supportive school climate.
``(2) Duration of grants.--A grant under this subpart shall
be awarded for a period of not more than 5 years.
``(3) Non-federal share.--An eligible partnership that
receives a grant under this subpart shall provide not less than
25 percent of the cost of the activities carried out with such
grant from non-Federal sources, which may be provided in cash
or in-kind.
``(d) Definition of Eligible Partnership.--In this section, the
term `eligible partnership' means a partnership that--
``(1) shall include--
``(A) one or more departments or programs at an
institution of higher education--
``(i) that prepare elementary or secondary
general education teachers;
``(ii) that have a program of study that
leads to an undergraduate degree, a master's
degree, or completion of a postbaccalaureate
program required for teacher certification; and
``(iii) the profession-ready graduates of
which meet the applicable State certification
and licensure requirements, including any
requirements for certification obtained through
alternative routes to certification, or, with
regard to special education teachers, the
qualifications described in section
612(a)(14)(C) of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act;
``(B) a department or program that has expertise in
special education at an institution of higher
education; and
``(C) a high-need local educational agency; and
``(2) may include--
``(A) a department or program of mathematics, earth
or physical science, foreign language, or another
department at the institution that has a role in
preparing teachers; or
``(B) a nonprofit, research-based organization.
``(e) Activities.--An eligible partnership that receives a grant
under this section shall use the grant funds to--
``(1) develop or strengthen an undergraduate,
postbaccalaureate, or master's teacher preparation program by
integrating special education pedagogy into the general
education curriculum and academic content that result in
applicable dual State certification for teacher candidates who
complete the program;
``(2) develop or strengthen an undergraduate,
postbaccalaureate, or master's teacher preparation program by
embedding social and emotional learning strategies and
nonexclusionary, positive behavior-management practices into
the general education curriculum and academic content;
``(3) provide teacher candidates participating in the
program under paragraph (1) with skills related to--
``(A) response to intervention, positive behavioral
interventions and supports (including eliminating the
use of aversive interventions such as seclusion and
restraints), differentiated instruction, and data-
driven instruction (including the use of data to
identify and address disparities in rates of discipline
among student subgroups);
``(B) universal design for learning;
``(C) determining and utilizing accommodations for
instruction and assessments for students with
disabilities;
``(D) collaborating with stakeholders such as
special educators, related services providers, out-of-
school time providers, and parents, including
participation in individualized education program
development and implementation;
``(E) appropriately utilizing technology and
assistive technology for students with disabilities;
and
``(F) effectively and equitably using technology
for digital and blended learning;
``(4) provide teacher candidates participating in the
program under paragraph (2) with skills related to--
``(A) social and emotional learning competencies;
``(B) positive behavior interventions and supports
or multitiered systems of support;
``(C) trauma-informed care;
``(D) evidenced-based restorative justice
practices; and
``(E) culturally responsive teaching and anti-bias
training that is evidence-based; and
``(5) provide extensive clinical experience for
participants described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) with
mentoring and induction support throughout the program that
continues during the first 2 years of full-time teaching.
``(f) Application.--
``(1) Application requirements.--An eligible partnership
seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application
to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing
such information as the Secretary may require. Such application
shall include--
``(A) a self-assessment by the eligible partnership
of the existing teacher preparation program at the
institution of higher education and needs related to
preparing general education teacher candidates to
instruct students with disabilities; and
``(B) an assessment of the existing personnel needs
for general education teachers who instruct students
with disabilities, performed by the local educational
agency in which most graduates of the teacher
preparation program are likely to teach after
completion of the program under subsection (e)(1).
``(2) Peer review.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall convene a
peer review committee to review applications for grants
under this subpart and to make recommendations to the
Secretary regarding the selection of eligible
partnerships for such grants.
``(B) Membership.--Members of the peer review
committee shall be recognized experts in the fields of
special education, social and emotional learning,
teacher preparation, and general education and shall
not be in a position to benefit financially from any
grants awarded under this section.
``(g) Equitable Geographic Distribution.--In awarding grants under
this subpart, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent possible,
provide for an equitable geographic distribution of such grants.
``(h) Evaluations.--
``(1) By the partnership.--
``(A) In general.--An eligible partnership
receiving a grant under this subpart shall conduct an
evaluation at the end of the grant period to
determine--
``(i) the effectiveness of the general
education teachers who completed a program
under subsection (c)(1) with respect to
instruction of students with disabilities in
general education classrooms; and
``(ii) the systemic impact of the
activities carried out by such grant on how
each institution of higher education that is a
member of the partnership prepares teachers for
instruction in elementary schools and secondary
schools.
``(B) Report to the secretary.--Each eligible
partnership performing an evaluation under subparagraph
(A) shall report the findings of such evaluation to the
Secretary.
``(2) Report by the secretary.--Not later than 180 days
after the last day of the grant period for which an evaluation
was conducted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall make
available to the authorizing committees and the public the
findings of the evaluations submitted under paragraph (1), and
information on best practices related to effective instruction
of students with disabilities in general education
classrooms.''.
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