No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states congressional findings on the causes and effects of high teacher turnover, the benefits of two-year mentoring and induction programs for improving student outcomes and reducing turnover, disparities in access to experienced teachers for students of color and in rural schools, and the positive effects of principal induction programs on teacher retention and student achievement.
This section defines terms used in the Act, incorporating ESEA definitions for child with a disability, English learner, local educational agency, and related terms. It establishes educator preparation program as a school, department, or program within an institution of higher education that prepares teachers or school leaders; eligible entity as a State educational agency; eligible subgrantee as a local educational agency, educational service agency, or their specified partners; fully certified and licensed as meeting all standard State requirements without emergency waivers; and induction program as a formalized support structure for new teachers or school leaders during their first 2 years that includes mentoring, collaboration, observation, evidence-based strategies, and other specified components.
This section establishes a competitive grant program to support induction programs in public schools. It reserves 2 percent of appropriated funds for administration, evaluation, and technical assistance and 1 percent for similar programs in schools operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Education. Grantees must provide a 50 percent match, with exemptions for outlying areas and waivers for exceptional circumstances such as natural disasters or financial declines.
This section requires eligible entities seeking grants to submit applications with assurances that subgrantees will deliver induction programs meeting specified criteria, that funding will prioritize highest-need local educational agencies and schools if resources are insufficient for all first- and second-year teachers, and that mentors will receive contracted compensation or additional pay. It also requires descriptions of involving teacher and school leader organizations, publicly posting mentor requirements and pay, coordinating with educator preparation programs, and complying with fiscal accountability rules.
This section requires eligible entities receiving grants to reserve at least 90 percent of funds, including required matching funds, for subgrants to local educational agencies, consortia, and educational service agencies to plan, implement, improve, or expand induction programs for all teachers and school leaders in their first two years. It directs subgrantees to prioritize schools with the highest percentages of economically disadvantaged students and the highest concentrations or turnover rates of new teachers and leaders, compensate mentors as part of contracted duties or with additional pay, involve teacher organizations, and publicly post mentor requirements. It further requires entities to reserve at least 5 percent of grant funds for program administration, technical assistance, and statewide or regional initiatives supporting new educators.
This section requires eligible entities receiving grants under the Act, and subgrantees, to use such funds to supplement and not supplant other funds for authorized activities. It preserves the rights, remedies, and procedures of public school and local educational agency employees under Federal, State, or local laws and collective bargaining agreements while requiring compliance with the Act and applicable State labor laws.