Growing Education Achievement Training Academies for Teachers and Principals Act or the GREAT Teachers and Principals Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to states to: (1) create or approve teacher or principal preparation academies and create or designate authorizers of those academies; (2) support the creation and operation of such academies; and (3) award subgrants to nonprofit entities to establish or expand such academies, measure their effectiveness, or recruit enrollees who have demonstrated strong potential to be effective teachers or principals.
Requires each academy to enter into a charter with an authorizer that specifies the goals and outcomes expected of the academy and the obligations of the authorizer. Prohibits authorizers from renewing an academy's charter if it fails to produce the minimum number or percentage of effective teachers or principals specified in its charter.
Requires each academy to provide: (1) enrollees with a significant portion of their training through clinical preparation that partners them with successful teacher or principal mentors, and (2) certificates of completion only to graduates who demonstrate a track record of success in preparing students for college and careers.
Requires state grantees to recognize a certificate of completion from an academy as at least the equivalent of a master's degree in education for the purposes of teacher or principal hiring, retention, compensation, and promotion in the state.
Directs the Secretary to enter into an interagency agreement with the Corporation for National and Community Service under which the Corporation approves national service positions for candidates at each teacher or principal preparation academy receiving financial assistance under this Act.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2196 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2196
To create and expand innovative teacher and principal preparation
programs known as teacher and principal preparation academies.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 23, 2013
Mr. Petri (for himself and Mr. Polis) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To create and expand innovative teacher and principal preparation
programs known as teacher and principal preparation academies.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Growing Education
Achievement Training Academies for Teachers and Principals Act'' or the
``GREAT Teachers and Principals Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Purpose.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. State grants.
Sec. 5. Subgrants to teacher or principal preparation academies.
Sec. 6. Coordination with the Corporation for National and Community
Service.
Sec. 7. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to encourage innovation in the field of
teacher and principal preparation by creating and expanding teacher or
principal preparation academies that will increase the number of
effective teachers and principals serving in high-needs schools and
hard-to-staff subjects, such as science, technology, engineering,
mathematics, and computer science.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Principal preparation academy.--The term ``principal
preparation academy'' means a public or other nonprofit
institution for preparing principals that--
(A) enters into a charter with a State authorizer
that specifies the goals and outcomes expected of the
principal preparation academy and the obligations of
the State authorizer, including--
(i) a requirement that--
(I) principal candidates, or
principals serving on alternative
certificates, licenses, or credentials,
who are enrolled in the principal
preparation academy receive a
significant part of their training
through clinical preparation that
partners the principal candidate with a
mentor principal; and
(II) the academy will provide
instruction to the principal candidate
that links to the clinical preparation
experience;
(ii) the number of principals the principal
preparation academy will produce and the
minimum number and percentage of effective
principals with a demonstrated track record of
success in getting a school's students on track
to being career and college ready;
(iii) a requirement that a certificate of
completion (or degree, if the principal
preparation academy is, or is affiliated with,
an institution of higher education) will be
conferred upon a graduate from the principal
preparation academy only after the graduate
demonstrates a track record of success in
getting a school's students on track to being
college and career ready;
(iv) a requirement that the principal
preparation academy survey the academy's alumni
not less than once every 3 years to track the
number of alumni employed as principals and in
education; and
(v) timelines for producing cohorts of
graduates and conferring certificates of
completion (or degrees, if the principal
preparation academy is, or is affiliated with,
an institution of higher education) from the
principal preparation academy;
(B) shall not have unnecessary restrictions on the
methods the principal preparation academy will use to
train principal candidates, including restrictions or
requirements--
(i) obligating the faculty of the principal
preparation academy faculty to hold advanced
degrees;
(ii) obligating such faculty to conduct
academic research;
(iii) related to the physical
infrastructure of the principal preparation
academy; or
(iv) related to the number of course
credits required as part of the program of
study; and
(C) limits admission to its program to candidates
who demonstrate strong potential to be effective
principals, based on a rigorous, competency-based
selection process that reviews a candidate's prior
academic achievement or record of professional
accomplishment.
(2) State authorizer.--The term ``State authorizer'' means
an entity designated by the State to recognize teacher or
principal preparation academies within the State that--
(A) may be a nonprofit organization, State
educational agency, or other public entity, or
consortium of such entities (including a consortium of
States); and
(B) does not renew a teacher or principal
preparation academy's charter if the academy fails to
produce the minimum number or percentage of effective
teachers or principals, respectively, identified in the
academy's charter.
(3) Teacher or principal preparation academy.--The term
``teacher or principal preparation academy'' means a teacher
preparation academy or a principal preparation academy.
(4) Teacher preparation academy.--The term ``teacher
preparation academy'' means a public or other nonprofit
institution for preparing teachers that--
(A) enters into a charter with a State authorizer
that specifies the goals and outcomes expected of the
teacher preparation academy and the obligations of the
State authorizer, including--
(i) a requirement that--
(I) teacher candidates, or teachers
teaching on alternative certificates,
licenses, or credentials, who are
enrolled in the teacher preparation
academy receive a significant part of
their training through clinical
preparation that partners teacher
candidates with mentor teachers with a
demonstrated track record of success in
improving academic achievement in the
classroom; and
(II) the academy will provide
instruction to teacher candidates that
links to the clinical preparation
experience;
(ii) the number of teachers the teacher
preparation academy will produce and the
minimum number and percentage of effective
teachers with a demonstrated track record of
success in getting students on track to being
college and career ready, based on multiple
measures of student achievement;
(iii) a requirement that a teacher
preparation academy will only award a
certificate of completion (or degree, if the
teacher preparation academy is, or is
affiliated with, an institution of higher
education) after the graduate demonstrates the
track record of success described in clause
(ii), either as a student teacher or teacher-
of-record on an alternative certificate,
license, or credential;
(iv) a requirement that the teacher
preparation academy survey the academy's alumni
not less than once every 3 years to track the
number of alumni employed as teachers and in
education; and
(v) timelines for producing cohorts of
graduates and conferring certificates of
completion (or degrees, if the teacher
preparation academy is, or is affiliated with,
an institution of higher education) from the
teacher preparation academy;
(B) shall not have unnecessary restrictions on the
methods or inputs the teacher preparation academy will
use to train teacher candidates or teachers teaching on
alternative certificates, licenses, or credentials,
including restrictions or requirements--
(i) obligating the faculty of the teacher
preparation academy to hold advanced degrees;
(ii) obligating such faculty to conduct
academic research;
(iii) related to the physical
infrastructure of the teacher preparation
academy;
(iv) related to the number of course
credits required as part of the program of
study;
(v) related to the undergraduate coursework
completed by teachers teaching on alternative
certificates, licenses, or credentials, as long
as such teachers have successfully passed all
relevant State-approved content area
examinations; or
(vi) related to obtaining additional
accreditation from a national accrediting body;
and
(C) limits admission to its program to candidates
who demonstrate strong potential to be effective
teachers, based on a rigorous selection process that
reviews a candidate's prior academic achievement or
record of professional accomplishment.
SEC. 4. STATE GRANTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary is authorized to award grants to
States having applications approved under subsection (b) to enable such
States to create or expand teacher or principal preparation academies.
(b) Applications.--Each State that desires a grant under this Act
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably
require. The application shall include--
(1) an assurance that the State does not have in place
legal, statutory, or regulatory barriers to the creation or
operation of teacher or principal preparation academies;
(2) a description of how the State will promote the
creation and expansion of teacher or principal preparation
academies;
(3) a description of how the authorization and approval of
teacher or principal preparation academies is separate and
distinct from the requirements otherwise established by the
State for approval of other teacher or principal preparation
programs;
(4) a description of the process the State authorizer will
use to authorize and approve a teacher or principal preparation
academy that--
(A) enables participants in the academy to be
eligible for State financial aid to the same extent as
participants in other State-approved teacher or
principal preparation programs, including alternative
certification, licensure, or credential programs;
(B) enables teachers who are teaching on
alternative certificates, licenses, or credentials to
teach in the State while enrolled in a teacher
preparation academy; and
(C) enables graduates from teacher preparation
academies to be eligible to teach in such State and
graduates from principal preparation academies to be
eligible to be a principal in a school in such State;
(5) a description of the process the State authorizer will
use to monitor the success of--
(A) a teacher preparation academy in--
(i) producing effective teachers that
demonstrate a track record of success in
getting students on track to being college and
career ready, based on multiple measures of
student achievement; and
(ii) preparing teachers to teach in high-
needs schools or hard-to-staff subjects; and
(B) a principal preparation academy in--
(i) producing effective principals that
demonstrate a track record of success in
getting students in a school on track to being
career and college ready; and
(ii) preparing principals to serve in high-
needs schools or hard-to-staff subjects;
(6) the criteria the State authorizer will apply in
renewing or denying a teacher or principal preparation
academy's charter, including the minimum number and percentage
of effective teachers or principals such academy must produce
in order to renew its charter; and
(7) an assurance that the State will recognize a
certificate of completion (from a teacher or principal
preparation academy that is not, or is unaffiliated with, an
institution of higher education), as at least the equivalent of
a master's degree in education for the purposes of teacher or
principal hiring, retention, compensation, and promotion in the
State.
(c) Uses of Funds.--A State receiving a grant under this Act shall
use grant funds to--
(1) implement a process by which to--
(A) create or designate State authorizers; and
(B) create or approve teacher or principal
preparation academies;
(2) support, directly or through a nonprofit intermediary
organization, the establishment and operation of teacher or
principal preparation academies by assisting entities with the
planning, program design, and implementation of such programs;
and
(3) award subgrants to teacher or principal preparation
academies in the State in accordance with section 5.
SEC. 5. SUBGRANTS TO TEACHER OR PRINCIPAL PREPARATION ACADEMIES.
(a) In General.--From the amounts made available under section
4(c)(3), a State shall award subgrants to nonprofit entities to carry
out activities described in subsection (d).
(b) Applications.--Each nonprofit entity desiring a subgrant under
this section from a State shall submit an application to a State
authorizer designated by the State to receive such applications. The
application shall include, at a minimum--
(1) a description of the teacher or principal preparation
academy's proposed curriculum, training of teacher or principal
candidates (including clinical training), and approach to
teacher or principal development;
(2) the student achievement outcomes the entity will
require of academy graduates before conferring a degree or
certificate of completion from the program, with timelines for
obtaining such outcomes;
(3) a multi-year financial and operating model for the
entity;
(4) the qualifications of the entity's chief executive
officer or organization leader; and
(5) a description of how the teacher or principal
preparation academy is designed to prepare teachers or
principals to serve in high-need areas (including rural areas
and Native American communities), or hard-to-staff subjects.
(c) Priority.--In awarding subgrants under this section, a State
shall give a priority to entities proposing to expand previously
existing teacher or principal preparation programs, as of the date of
application, with a demonstrated track record of success in getting
students on track to being college and career ready.
(d) Uses of Funds.--An entity that receives a subgrant under this
section shall use its subgrant--
(1) to establish a teacher or principal preparation
academy;
(2) to expand the capacity of a teacher or principal
preparation academy;
(3) to measure the effectiveness of a teacher or principal
preparation academy in improving student academic achievement,
as demonstrated by getting students on track to be college and
career ready; or
(4) to recruit candidates for a teacher or principal
preparation academy who have demonstrated strong potential to
be effective teachers or principals, based on a rigorous,
competency-based selection process that reviews a candidate's
prior academic achievement or record of professional
accomplishment.
SEC. 6. COORDINATION WITH THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY
SERVICE.
(a) Interagency Agreement.--The Secretary shall enter into an
interagency agreement with the Corporation for National and Community
Service under section 121(b) of the National and Community Service Act
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571(b)) under which the Corporation shall approve
positions, for candidates at each teacher or principal preparation
academy that receives financial assistance under this Act, as approved
national service positions, as defined in section 101 of the National
and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511). Such interagency
agreement shall specify how a degree or certificate of completion for a
term of service as a participant at a teacher or principal preparation
academy will be submitted to the Corporation.
(b) Special Rule.--Notwithstanding section 148 of the National and
Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12604), the Secretary and the
Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community
Service shall develop a program under which national service
educational awards may be disbursed to a teacher or principal
preparation academy to cover or reimburse the costs of attending the
academy.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such
sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E750-751)
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
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