[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6236 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6236

  To elevate the teaching profession through systemic innovations in 
 teacher recruitment and retention to ensure that students, especially 
those from low-income families, are taught by excellent, well-prepared, 
          and well-supported teachers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 2016

   Mrs. Davis of California (for herself, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. 
Sablan, Mr. Polis, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Takano, Ms. Adams, Mr. DeSaulnier, 
   Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Hinojosa, Ms. Fudge, and Mr. Grijalva) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                      Education and the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To elevate the teaching profession through systemic innovations in 
 teacher recruitment and retention to ensure that students, especially 
those from low-income families, are taught by excellent, well-prepared, 
          and well-supported teachers, 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 ``Innovations to Recruit and Retain 
Excellent Teachers Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The rise of teacher shortages found across the Nation, 
        particularly in high-needs schools and high-needs fields, 
        including special education, STEM, and English language 
        learners, threatens the ability of schools to ensure our 
        Nation's students are prepared to participate in the 21st 
        century workforce.
            (2) Enrollment in educator preparation programs has dropped 
        significantly in recent years, jeopardizing the workforce 
        pipeline at a time when a large portion of the current 
        workforce is set to retire.
            (3) High-needs schools and field experience elevated levels 
        of teacher turnover, which negatively affects student 
        achievement and school culture.
            (4) Teacher retention is often undermined by low wages, 
        poor working conditions, lack of sufficient resources and 
        insufficient supports, which include mentoring, inductions, 
        meaningful professional development, and career advancement 
        opportunities.
            (5) 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, 
        according to a 2016 study by the Brookings Institute.
            (6) According to a 2016 study by the Learning Policy 
        Institute, America is on the brink of a teacher shortage 
        crisis, propelled by a decrease of 240,000 teachers in the last 
        five years. The Learning Policy Institute predicts that, unless 
        teacher workforce patterns change, our schools will face a 
        100,000 teacher shortage annually.
            (7) High-needs schools are often served by high percentages 
        of inexperienced, ineffective, and out-of-field teachers, which 
        can negatively impact both teacher retention and student 
        achievement.
            (8) Certain types of local educational agencies, including 
        those that are rural and those that are high-poverty, are 
        uniquely impacted by challenges of recruitment and retention, 
        making targeted support to address the unique challenges faced 
        by certain types of local educational agencies critical.
            (9) Structured, well-implemented career continuums for 
        teachers that include teacher leadership options (such as 
        hybrid roles whereby expert teachers both teach and contribute 
        other skills such as mentoring) have a positive impact on 
        teacher recruitment and retention.
            (10) Principals and other school leaders who are skilled in 
        supporting teachers and teacher leadership roles are critical 
        to the success of teaching and learning.
            (11) Stakeholders at the Federal, State, and local levels 
        must make targeted, purposeful efforts to address these 
        challenges to elevate, strengthen, and build the capacity of 
        the teaching profession.

SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To transform the profession of teaching to ensure that 
        every school, including high-needs schools, provides a 
        rewarding, sustainable, and successful experience for all 
        teachers through--
                    (A) strengthening recruitment of excellent and 
                diverse teacher candidates;
                    (B) supporting stronger teacher entry training and 
                onboarding; and
                    (C) increase teacher retention rates through the 
                provision of high quality professional development, 
                improved working conditions, professional leadership 
                opportunities, and improved compensation systems.
            (2) To study best practices for recruiting and retaining a 
        diverse and excellent teacher workforce, reducing beginning 
        teacher turnover and turnover due to low salaries, filling 
        teacher vacancies in high-need areas and in shortage subjects, 
        providing better pay and additional leadership opportunities to 
        teachers, and improving working conditions and teacher 
        satisfaction overall.

SEC. 4. TEACHER SUPPORT GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grants to Eligible Entities; Outlying Areas.--
            (1) Competitive grants.--For each fiscal year for which the 
        total amount appropriated under subsections (a) and (b) of 
        section 8 is less than or equal to $2,000,000,000, from the 
        total amount appropriated under such subsections, the Secretary 
        of Education--
                    (A) shall--
                            (i) reserve one-half of 1 percent to award 
                        grants, on a competitive basis, to outlying 
                        areas to carry out the activities under this 
                        section, and reallocate any amounts not awarded 
                        under this clause to award grants to eligible 
                        entities under clause (ii); and
                            (ii) award grants, on a competitive basis, 
                        to--
                                    (I) eligible entities that are 
                                State educational agencies to enable 
                                such eligible entities to make 
                                subgrants under subsection (f) to 
                                eligible recipients; and
                                    (II) eligible entities that are not 
                                State educational agencies and that do 
                                not (or will not) receive a subgrant 
                                under subsection (f) to enable such 
                                eligible entities to carry out teacher 
                                support programs; and
                    (B) may reserve not more than 5 percent to carry 
                out the activities under subsections (a) and (c) of 
                section 6.
            (2) Formula grants.--For each fiscal year for which the 
        total amount appropriated under subsections (a) and (b) of 
        section 8 is greater than $2,000,000,000, from the total amount 
        appropriated under such subsections, the Secretary--
                    (A) shall--
                            (i) reserve one-half of 1 percent for 
                        allotments for outlying areas, to be 
                        distributed among the outlying areas on the 
                        basis of their relative need, as determined by 
                        the Secretary, in accordance with the purposes 
                        under section 3; and
                            (ii) award grants to each eligible entity 
                        that is a State educational agency in the same 
                        manner in which the Secretary allots funds to 
                        the State of the State educational agency for 
                        such fiscal year under section 2101(b)(2) of 
                        the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
                        1965 (20 U.S.C. 6611(b)(2)); and
                    (B) may reserve not more than 1 percent to carry 
                out the activities under subsections (a) and (c) of 
                section 6.
    (b) Duration of Grants.--
            (1) In general.--A grant under subsection (a) shall be for 
        a period of 3 years.
            (2) Extension.--The Secretary may extend the 3-year grant 
        period of a grant awarded to an eligible entity under 
        subsection (a) for not more than an additional 2-year period, 
        upon request from the eligible entity, as determined by the 
        Secretary.
    (c) State Application.--An eligible entity that is a State 
educational agency desiring to receive a grant under subsection (a) 
shall submit an application to the Secretary, at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, 
which shall include a needs assessment to determine whether the 
eligible entity should be carrying out the activities described in 
sections 2101(c)(4) and 2103(b)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2611(c)(4); 6613(b)(3)).
    (d) Geographic Diversity of Awards.--In awarding grants under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall ensure, to the maximum extent 
practicable, an equitable geographic distribution of grants.
    (e)  State Uses of Funds.--In the case of an eligible entity that 
is a State educational agency, the eligible entity--
            (1) shall use the grant awarded under subsection (a) to--
                    (A) make subgrants to eligible recipients under 
                subsection (f);
                    (B) provide technical assistance to such eligible 
                recipients;
                    (C) work with the State to reduce State 
                bureaucratic barriers to ensure prompt implementation 
                of the activities to be carried out under the grant; 
                and
                    (D) evaluate under section 5(b) the teacher support 
                programs for which subgrants are awarded under 
                subsection (f); and
            (2) may use the grant awarded under subsection (a) to--
                    (A) provide student support to high-potential, 
                secondary school students who are seeking to become 
                teachers;
                    (B) implement rigorous standards for entry into 
                teacher preparation programs;
                    (C) improve teacher licensure exams;
                    (D) in partnership with teacher preparation 
                programs in the State, provide scholarship funding or 
                stipends for pre-service clinical training for high-
                potential, diverse teacher candidates to be hired as 
                teachers by eligible recipients that receive subgrants 
                under subsection (f);
                    (E) in the case of an eligible entity that 
                indicates under the needs assessment under subsection 
                (c) that the activities described in sections 
                2101(c)(4) and 2103(b)(3) of the Elementary and 
                Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 2611(c)(4); 
                6613(b)(3)) are needed in the schools or local 
                educational agencies served by the eligible entity, 
                carry out such activities;
                    (F) using not more than 5 percent of such grant, 
                carry out administrative activities relating to 
                awarding subgrants under subsection (f); or
                    (G) using not more than 1 percent of such grant, 
                enter into a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement 
                with an entity or individual to conduct the data 
                collection necessary to prepare the report under 
                section 5(a).
    (f) Subgrants to Eligible Recipients; Grants to Local Educational 
Agencies.--
            (1) Subgrant program authorized.--
                    (A) In general.--In the case of an eligible entity 
                that is a State educational agency, the eligible entity 
                shall use not less than 90 percent of the grant 
                received under subsection (a) to make subgrants to 
                eligible recipients to carry out the activities 
                described in paragraph (3).
                    (B) Geographic diversity; priority.--In awarding 
                subgrants under this subsection, an eligible entity 
                shall--
                            (i) ensure, to the maximum extent 
                        practicable, an equitable geographic 
                        distribution of subgrants, including between 
                        urban and rural areas, small and large local 
                        educational agencies, and different regions of 
                        the country; and
                            (ii) give priority to eligible recipients 
                        that--
                                    (I) serve a high proportion of low-
                                income students;
                                    (II) have--
                                            (aa) a teacher shortage; or
                                            (bb) a high proportion of 
                                        schools identified for 
                                        comprehensive support and 
                                        improvement or targeted support 
                                        and improvement as described in 
                                        subsection (c) or (d) of 
                                        section 1111 of the Elementary 
                                        and Secondary Education Act of 
                                        1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311); and
                                    (III) in the application submitted 
                                under paragraph (2), demonstrate the 
                                capacity to carry out more than one of 
                                the activities described in paragraph 
                                (3)(B).
            (2) Local application.--An eligible recipient desiring a 
        subgrant under this subsection, and an eligible entity desiring 
        a grant under subsection (a)(1)(A)(ii)(II) shall submit an 
        application, to the applicable eligible entity or, in the case 
        of an eligible entity desiring a grant, the Secretary at such 
        time, in such manner, and containing such information as such 
        eligible entity or the Secretary may require, including the 
        following:
                    (A) A description of the teacher support program 
                for which the eligible recipient or eligible entity is 
                seeking such subgrant or grant, including--
                            (i) a plan for the implementation of such 
                        teacher support program;
                            (ii) the evidence-based strategies 
                        contained in such program;
                            (iii) the expected outcomes of such teacher 
                        support program, which shall include the 
                        expected academic outcomes of students served 
                        by teachers participating in such program;
                            (iv) a plan for engaging stakeholders, 
                        including elementary school and secondary 
                        school teachers, principals and other school 
                        leaders, and paraprofessionals, and, if 
                        desired, teacher preparation programs, 
                        nonprofit organizations, and other relevant 
                        organizations in--
                                    (I) gathering input on local needs 
                                and program design for the teach 
                                support program;
                                    (II) implementing the teacher 
                                support program;
                                    (III) providing ongoing feedback to 
                                ensure effectiveness and continuous 
                                improvement of the teacher support 
                                program; and
                                    (IV) evaluating the teacher support 
                                program;
                            (v) how the eligible recipient or eligible 
                        entity will monitor, evaluate, and report on 
                        the teacher support program under section 5;
                            (vi) an estimate of the number of students 
                        who will be served by the teacher support 
                        program, including the percentage of low-income 
                        students;
                            (vii) the demographic diversity of the 
                        teachers (as determined by the applicable local 
                        educational agency), and the schools, to be 
                        served under the program, and the extent to 
                        which the program will leverage the strengths 
                        of effective teachers and support teachers in 
                        need of improvement;
                            (viii) if the eligible recipient or 
                        eligible entity plans to use funds for 
                        leadership pathways (described in paragraph 
                        (3)(A)(iii)), how such recipient or entity will 
                        develop and implement a fair, rigorous, 
                        reliable, and objective process to determine 
                        how leadership roles and opportunities will be 
                        granted to teachers; and
                            (ix) how the eligible recipient or eligible 
                        entity will strengthen support for teachers to 
                        effectively implement State challenging 
                        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)), 
                        such as strategies to--
                                    (I) engage students through 
                                personalized learning;
                                    (II) utilize effective family and 
                                community engagement to improve student 
                                learning;
                                    (III) improve student support 
                                services; or
                                    (IV) improve data collection and 
                                analysis to enhance data-driven 
                                instruction and continuous improvement.
                    (B) A needs analysis, created with stakeholder 
                input (including the stakeholders described in 
                subparagraph (A)(iv), that describes--
                            (i) the unique educational and teacher 
                        workforce needs of the eligible recipient or 
                        eligible entity and which strategies the 
                        eligible recipient or eligible entity will 
                        employ to meet such needs;
                            (ii) rates of teacher attrition, staffing 
                        patterns, and existing educator support systems 
                        in the schools or local educational agency to 
                        be served under the teacher support program 
                        carried out under the subgrant or grant; and
                            (iii) how teachers will be involved in--
                                    (I) identifying the problems or 
                                challenges to be addressed by the 
                                teacher support program, and
                                    (II) addressing such problems or 
                                challenges through implementation of 
                                the teacher support program.
                    (C) A description of how the subgrant or grant 
                funds will be used by the eligible recipient or 
                eligible entity, including how such funds will be used 
                to recruit and retain a diverse teacher workforce.
                    (D) A description of funds, other than the subgrant 
                or grant, that the eligible recipient or eligible 
                entity will use to carry out the teacher support 
                program, and any other activities under this subsection 
                that will be carried out beyond the subgrant or grant 
                period.
                    (E) A description of the logic model that 
                demonstrates a theory of action by visually connecting 
                the intervention to expected outcomes that are stated 
                as well-defined and measurable goals and clarifies how 
                the interventions will work, which will be used to--
                            (i) develop and evaluate the successes of 
                        the teacher support program; and
                            (ii) outline how the subgrant or grant and 
                        other financial resources will be allocated to 
                        carry out such program.
            (3) Required local uses of funds.--Each eligible recipient 
        receiving a subgrant under this subsection shall use the 
        subgrant, and each eligible entity receiving a grant under 
        subsection (a)(1)(A)(ii)(II) shall use the grant, to carry out 
        a teacher support program in the elementary schools and 
        secondary schools served by the eligible recipient or eligible 
        entity, respectively, that meets the following requirements:
                    (A) Strengthening teaching careers by--
                            (i) collaboratively reforming and improving 
                        compensation structures, including--
                                    (I) using the funds available to 
                                the eligible recipient or eligible 
                                entity (other than the subgrant or 
                                grant) to increase teacher compensation 
                                in order to attract and reward teachers 
                                as professionals; and
                                    (II) aligning compensation for 
                                teachers in leadership positions with 
                                their roles and responsibilities;
                            (ii) creating opportunities for 
                        personalized professional learning and 
                        enhancement for teachers, such as opportunities 
                        for advanced credentialing, that drive student 
                        learning gains;
                            (iii) creating leadership pathways for 
                        excellent teachers that allow participating 
                        teachers to maintain full-time or part-time 
                        teaching responsibilities during participation 
                        in the teacher support program and providing 
                        such teachers with opportunities to--
                                    (I) mentor new teachers or teachers 
                                in need of additional support;
                                    (II) lead a cohort of teachers;
                                    (III) develop curricula for their 
                                school or local educational agency; or
                                    (IV) review, develop, or implement 
                                policies at the school, local 
                                educational agency, State educational 
                                agency, or Federal level;
                            (iv) using strategies such as innovative 
                        scheduling and leadership pathways to support 
                        the improvement of teachers; and
                            (v) implementing teacher-led initiatives, 
                        such as communities of practice, that promote 
                        professional cultures of collaboration, 
                        openness to actionable feedback, and continuous 
                        improvement; and
                    (B) Carrying out at least one of the following 
                activities:
                            (i) Strengthening recruitment and selection 
                        of teachers by--
                                    (I) implementing targeted 
                                recruitment strategies, particularly 
                                for--
                                            (aa) diverse teacher 
                                        candidates;
                                            (bb) teachers who have 
                                        degrees in or are specifically 
                                        licensed for subjects for which 
                                        the eligible entity is 
                                        experiencing teacher shortages; 
                                        and
                                            (cc) secondary school 
                                        students through support for 
                                        high-quality opportunities for 
                                        such students to explore 
                                        teaching as a potential career 
                                        path;
                                    (II) setting up a hiring system 
                                where as many candidates as possible 
                                are hired prior to the end of the 
                                previous school year;
                                    (III) developing a priority hiring 
                                system for schools in which the 
                                majority of enrolled students are low-
                                income students, schools with teacher 
                                shortages, and schools identified for 
                                comprehensive support and improvement 
                                or targeted support and improvement as 
                                described in subsection (c) or (d) of 
                                section 1111 of the Elementary and 
                                Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
                                U.S.C. 6311);
                                    (IV) partnering with local teacher 
                                preparation programs or alternative 
                                certification programs, including 
                                minority-serving institutions;
                                    (V) collecting data on personnel 
                                needs, knowledge and skill 
                                expectations, vacancies, and hiring 
                                priorities;
                                    (VI) developing hiring procedures 
                                based on evidence-based practices in 
                                human capital; and
                                    (VII) developing recruitment 
                                strategies tailored to meeting unique 
                                challenges of certain types of local 
                                educational agencies, including rural 
                                local educational agencies and local 
                                educational agencies serving high-
                                concentrations of low-income students.
                            (ii) Strengthening the entry of new 
                        teachers into the teaching profession at a 
                        school served by the eligible recipient or 
                        eligible entity by--
                                    (I) partnering with local teacher 
                                preparation programs, including 
                                minority-serving institutions;
                                    (II) creating residency programs, 
                                in partnership with institutions of 
                                higher education or nonprofit 
                                organizations, as an option for such 
                                entry the school served; and
                                    (III) creating high-quality, 
                                intensive induction programs that 
                                include elements such as 
                                individualized, extensive mentoring and 
                                coaching, a reduced course load, or co-
                                teaching alongside a master teacher.
            (4) Authorized local uses of funds.--Each eligible entity 
        receiving a grant under subsection (a)(1)(A)(ii)(II) may use 
        not more than 2 percent of such grant to enter into a contract, 
        grant, or cooperative agreement with an entity or individual to 
        conduct the data collection necessary to prepare the report 
        under section 5(a).
    (g) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Any grant or subgrant funds provided 
under this section shall be used to supplement, not supplant, other 
Federal, State, or local funds available to carry out the purposes 
described in section 3.

SEC. 5. REPORTS AND EVALUATION.

    (a) Report.--Not less than once each year of a grant period of a 
grant awarded under section 4 to an eligible entity, the eligible 
entity shall submit a report to the Secretary, with respect to the most 
recent 1-year period, which shall include--
            (1) in the case of an eligible entity that is a State 
        educational agency, a description of the subgrants awarded by 
        the eligible entity under section 4(f), and the results of the 
        teacher support program assisted under the subgrants, 
        including--
                    (A) the percentage increase or decrease with 
                respect to--
                            (i) the teacher shortage, as measured by 
                        vacancies;
                            (ii) novice teachers earning a high score 
                        on a performance-based assessment or another 
                        measure indicative of excellent teaching;
                            (iii) teachers in residency or induction 
                        programs;
                            (iv) teachers participating in leadership 
                        pathways;
                            (v) teacher turnover due to low salaries, 
                        as reported by teachers leaving the eligible 
                        entity;
                            (vi) teachers employed by the eligible 
                        entity for not less than 3 years;
                            (vii) teachers with a postsecondary degree 
                        in the subject area which they teach; and
                            (viii) low-income students and minority 
                        students enrolled in schools who are taught by 
                        inexperienced, out-of-field, or ineffective 
                        teachers, as described in section 1111(g)(1)(B) 
                        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
                        of 1965;
                    (B) the number of teacher vacancies at the start of 
                the school year;
                    (C) any change in diversity of the teacher 
                workforce;
                    (D) the improvement in measures (which may include 
                measures of student academic proficiency or growth as 
                measured by standardized or formative assessments, or 
                measures of new and beginning teachers' skills) 
                including how such measures relate to improving student 
                learning;
                    (E) the reduction in beginning teacher turnover;
                    (F) the change in measures of teacher satisfaction;
                    (G) the average amount of time teachers spend each 
                week collaborating with their peers, as reported by 
                teachers; and
                    (H) any other information the Secretary may 
                require; and
            (2) in the case of an eligible entity that is not a State 
        educational agency, the results of the teacher support programs 
        assisted under the grant, including the metrics described in 
        subparagraphs (A) through (H) of paragraph (1).
    (b) Evaluations.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after an eligible 
        entity is awarded a grant under section 4, the eligible entity 
        shall enter into a contract with an independent evaluator to 
        conduct an evaluation of the teacher support programs carried 
        out under the grant or under the subgrants awarded under the 
        grant--
                    (A) during the third year of carrying out such 
                program; and
                    (B) 1 year after the final year of such program.
            (2) Requirements.--An evaluation of a teacher support 
        program conducted under paragraph (1) shall use the metrics the 
        described in subparagraphs (A) through (H) of subsection 
        (a)(1).
            (3) Report.--Not later than 30 days after an evaluation is 
        completed under paragraph (1), the eligible entity shall submit 
        a report of such results to the Secretary, and to the Committee 
        on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, 
        the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
        Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations of the House of 
        Representatives and the Senate.
    (c) Dissemination of Reports.--Each report prepared by an eligible 
entity under this section shall be widely disseminated, including by 
posting such report on the website of the eligible entity and by 
posting the portion of the report applicable to an eligible recipient 
on the website of such eligible recipient.

SEC. 6. ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARY OF EDUCATION; GAO STUDY.

    (a) Technical Assistance.--The Secretary may provide application 
support for eligible entities desiring a grant under section 4(a), and 
technical assistance to eligible entities awarded such a grant.
    (b) GAO Study.--
            (1) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
        shall review this Act, title II of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6601 et seq.), and title II of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) to 
        study the best practices for--
                    (A) recruiting and retaining an excellent and 
                diverse teacher workforce;
                    (B) reducing beginning teacher turnover and 
                turnover due to low salaries;
                    (C) filling teacher vacancies in high-need areas 
                and in shortage subjects;
                    (D) providing better pay and additional leadership 
                opportunities to teachers; and
                    (E) improving working conditions and overall 
                teacher satisfaction.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit a 
        report on the study to the Committee on Education and the 
        Workforce of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 
        Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, and the 
        Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
        and the Senate.
    (c) Annual Reports to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate, an annual report on 
implementation of the teacher support programs supported under this 
Act, including--
            (1) information provided by eligible entities to the 
        Secretary in the applications submitted under section 4(c);
            (2) the reports received from eligible entities under 
        section 5(a); and
            (3) the amount of the grant awarded to each eligible entity 
        under section 4(a).

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Diverse teacher candidates.--The term ``diverse teacher 
        candidates'' means teacher candidates from--
                    (A) underrepresented minority groups; or
                    (B) teachers who are linguistically and culturally 
                prepared to educate high-need students.
            (2) ESEA terms.--The terms ``elementary school'', ``English 
        learner'', ``local educational agency'', ``paraprofessional'', 
        ``poverty line'', ``secondary school'', ``Secretary'', ``State 
        educational agency'', and ``outlying area'' have the meanings 
        given the terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
            (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) a State educational agency;
                    (B) a local educational agency;
                    (C) a consortium of local educational agencies; or
                    (D) a local educational agency in partnership with 
                an institution of higher education or a nonprofit 
                organization with expertise relevant to teacher support 
                programs.
            (4) Eligible recipient.--The term ``eligible recipient'' 
        means--
                    (A) a local educational agency;
                    (B) a consortium of local educational agencies; or
                    (C) a local educational agency in partnership with 
                an institution of higher education or a nonprofit 
                organization with expertise relevant to teacher support 
                programs.
            (5) Evidence-based.--The term ``evidence-based'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 8101(21)(A) of the Elementary 
        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(21)(A)).
            (6) High-need student.--The term ``high-need student'' 
        means an elementary school or secondary school student who is 
        at risk of educational failure or otherwise in need of special 
        assistance and support, such as a student who--
                    (A) is a low-income student;
                    (B) attending a school in which not less than 75 
                percent of the enrolled students are minorities;
                    (C) is performing below grade level;
                    (D) has left school before receiving a regular high 
                school diploma;
                    (E) is at risk of not graduating with a diploma on 
                time;
                    (F) is homeless or is in foster care;
                    (G) has been incarcerated;
                    (H) has disabilities; or
                    (I) is an English learner.
            (7) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001).
            (8) Low-income student.--The term ``low-income student'' 
        means a student whose family's taxable income for the preceding 
        year did not exceed 150 percent of the poverty line.
            (9) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
        serving institution'' has the meaning given the term in section 
        371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1067q(a)).
            (10) School.--The term ``school'' means an elementary 
        school or secondary school.
            (11) Teacher residency program.--The term ``teacher 
        residency program'' has the meaning given the term in section 
        2002 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 6602).
            (12) Teacher support program.--The term ``teacher support 
        program'' means a program that meets the requirements of 
        section 4(f)(3).

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION AND APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated, and there 
are appropriated to carry out this Act (in addition to any other 
amounts appropriated to carry out this Act and out of any money in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated) $2,000,000,000 for fiscal year 
2017 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.
    (b) Additional Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to the 
amount authorized and appropriated under subsection (a), there are 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $1,000,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2017 and each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.

SEC. 9. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect 
the rights, remedies, and procedures afforded to school or local 
educational agency employees under Federal, State, or local laws 
(including applicable regulations or court orders) or under the terms 
of collective bargaining agreements, memoranda of understanding, or 
other agreements between such employers and their employees.
                                 <all>