Grow your own program grant

(a)

Program authorized

From the amounts appropriated to carry out this Act, the Secretary of Education shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible partnerships to expand, or establish and implement, A Grow Your Own Program to increase access to specialized instructional support personnel.(b)

Grant period; Priority

(1)

Grant period

A grant under this section shall be awarded for a 6-year period.(2)

Priority

In awarding grants under this Act, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible partnerships in which a high-need local educational agency is in the partnership or that seeks to use the grant to serve a community with a high-need local educational agency.(c)

Application

To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an eligible partnership shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, which shall include the following with respect to the local educational agency, the consortium of local educational agencies, or the State educational agency in such eligible partnership, and disaggregated by the specific occupation: (1)The number of specialized instructional support personnel employed as of the date of application.(2)The number of specialized instructional support personnel who are so employed and who have an emergency or temporary credential.(3)The ratio of specialized instructional support personnel to students.(d)

Uses of funds

(1)

In general

An eligible partnership that receives a grant under this section shall use such grant to expand, or establish and implement, a Grow Your Own Program that meets the requirements of paragraph (2) to increase, through respecialization or re-training—(A)access to specialized instructional support personnel in the schools served by the local educational agency or the consortium of local educational agencies in such eligible partnership, or the local educational agencies under the jurisdiction of the State educational agency in such eligible partnership; or(B)the diversity of specialized instructional support personnel in such schools.(2)

Grow Your Own Program requirements

An eligible partnership shall ensure that a Grow Your Own Program expanded, or established and implemented, under paragraph (1) provides the following to each participant of the program:(A)The skills needed to complete a relevant degree or training—(i)to be credentialed by the State educational agency, or relevant regulatory body; or(ii)in the case of a profession for which there is no State credential, to meet the professional standards as articulated by the relevant national organization for such profession.(B)Relevant clinical experience, during the period in which the participant completes and earns the credential provided under the program, that is—(i)connected to the coursework provided under the program; and(ii)located in elementary schools or secondary schools in such community, with priority given to elementary schools or secondary schools in the eligible partnership.(C)A high-quality mentoring program that—(i)provides mentoring by a fully credentialed professional of the occupation for which the participant is pursuing a credential; and(ii)continues through the period that is 2 years after the participant receives a credential under the program.(D)Supportive services (which may include housing subsidies, stipends, and tuition assistance and other financial assistance).(E)Academic, counseling, and programmatic supports.(3)

Additional requirements

In expanding, or establishing and implementing A Grow Your Own Program under paragraph (1), an eligible partnership shall carry out each of the following:(A)Identify the needs for specialized instructional support personnel in the local educational agency, the consortium of local educational agencies, or the State educational agency in the eligible partnership. (B)Recruit and incentivize individuals to enter, and to pursue training to enter, a specialized instructional support personnel profession that meets the needs identified in subparagraph (A), especially for the purpose of serving in high-need local educational agencies.(e)

Reporting requirements

(1)

Reports by eligible partnerships

Each eligible partnership that receives a grant under this section shall submit, for each of the third through sixth years of the grant period, a report to the Secretary that includes—(A)the number of participants of the program funded by such grant who are working in a high-need local educational agency during such year and the preceding year, disaggregated by specific occupation; and(B)in a year in which the number of such participants who are working in a high-need local educational agency decreases from the preceding year by more than 50 percent, an improvement plan for increasing such number as soon as practicable.(2)

Reports by the Secretary

Not later than 1 year after the first grant is awarded under this section, and on an annual basis thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on—(A)the impact of grants awarded under this section in increasing specialized instructional support personnel, and lowering the ratio of specialized instructional support personnel to students, in the local educational agencies, the consortium of local educational agencies, and the State educational agencies in the eligible partnerships that were awarded such grants; (B)best practices for expanding, or establishing and implementing eligible partnerships and Grow Your Own Programs that meet the requirements of subsection (d)(2); and(C)recommendations for strengthening the eligible partnerships and Grow Your Own Programs served the grants awarding under this Act, such as improving recruitment and retention of participants and increasing the number of specialized instructional support personnel in the community, especially in high-need schools.(f)

Definitions

In this Act:(1)

Eligible partnership

The term eligible partnership means a partnership among each of the following:(A)A school, department, or program of education (including a graduate level program) within an institution of higher education that is State-accredited and is eligible to receive Federal funds under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.), which may include a program that provides the training or credentials required for specialized instructional support personnel.(B)A local educational agency, a consortium of local educational agencies, or a State educational agency.(C)A State-accredited nonprofit educational organization or professional licensure organization that provides alternative routes to State certification or licensure, or credentialing for specialized instructional support personnel.(2)

ESEA terms

The terms local educational agency, State educational agency, and specialized instructional support personnel have the meanings given such terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).(3)

High-need local educational agency

The term high-need local educational agency has the meaning given the term in section 200 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021). (4)

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).(5)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.