Fellowships to Prepare the Next Generation of Teachers Act
This bill requires the Department of Education to award grants to institutions of higher education that will fund fellowships for graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees in teacher education.
To be eligible for such fellowships, graduate students must be preparing for the professorate in order to educate other individuals who will become elementary and secondary school science, technology, engineering, and math teachers, special education teachers, and English language teachers.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4422 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4422
To require the Secretary of Education to award grants for graduate
fellowship awards.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 19, 2019
Mr. Norcross (for himself, Ms. Escobar, and Mr. Stanton) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and
Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Education to award grants for graduate
fellowship awards.
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 ``Fellowships to Prepare the Next
Generation of Teachers Act''.
SEC. 2. GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS TO PREPARE FACULTY IN HIGH-NEED AREAS AT
COLLEGES OF EDUCATION.
(a) Grants by Secretary.--The Secretary shall award grants, on a
competitive basis, to eligible institutions to enable such institutions
to make graduate fellowship awards to qualified individuals in
accordance with the provisions of this section.
(b) Applications.--An eligible institution that desires 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 reasonably require.
(c) Types of Fellowships Supported.--
(1) In general.--An eligible institution that receives a
grant under this section shall use the grant funds to provide
graduate fellowships to individuals who are preparing for the
professorate in order to prepare individuals to become
elementary school and secondary school science, technology,
engineering, and math teachers, special education teachers, and
teachers who provide instruction for English-learners, who 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 (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(14)(C)).
(2) Types of study.--A graduate fellowship provided under
this section shall support an individual in pursuing
postbaccalaureate study, which leads to a doctoral degree and
may include a master's degree as part of such study, related to
teacher preparation and pedagogy in one of the following areas:
(A) Science, technology, engineering, mathematics,
and computer science, and their related subfields, if
the individual has completed a master's degree in
mathematics, engineering, science, or computer science
and is pursuing a doctoral degree in mathematics,
science, engineering, or education.
(B) Special education.
(C) The instruction of English-learners, including
postbaccalaureate study in language instruction
educational programs.
(d) Fellowship Terms and Conditions.--
(1) Selection of fellows.--The Secretary shall ensure that
an eligible institution that receives a grant under this
section--
(A) shall provide graduate fellowship awards to
individuals who plan to pursue a career in instruction
at an institution of higher education that has a
teacher preparation program; and
(B) may not provide a graduate fellowship to an
otherwise eligible individual--
(i) during periods in which such individual
is enrolled at an institution of higher
education unless such individual is maintaining
satisfactory academic progress in, and devoting
full-time study or research to, the pursuit of
the degree for which the fellowship support was
provided; or
(ii) if the individual is engaged in
gainful employment, other than part-time
employment related to teaching, research, or a
similar activity determined by the institution
to be consistent with and supportive of the
individual's progress toward the degree for
which the fellowship support was provided.
(2) Amount of fellowship awards.--
(A) In general.--An eligible institution that
receives a grant under this section shall award
stipends to individuals who are provided graduate
fellowships under this section.
(B) Awards based on need.--A stipend provided under
this section shall be in an amount equal to the level
of support provided by the National Science Foundation
graduate fellowships, except that such stipend shall be
adjusted as necessary so as not to exceed the
fellowship recipient's demonstrated need, as determined
by the institution of higher education where the
fellowship recipient is enrolled.
(3) Service requirement.--
(A) Teaching required.--Each individual who
receives a graduate fellowship under this section and
earns a doctoral degree shall teach for 1 year at an
institution of higher education that has a teacher
preparation program for each year of fellowship support
received under this section.
(B) Institutional obligation.--Each eligible
institution that receives a grant under this section
shall provide an assurance to the Secretary that the
institution has inquired of and determined the decision
of each individual who has received a graduate
fellowship to, within 3 years of receiving a doctoral
degree, begin employment at an institution of higher
education that has a teacher preparation program, as
required by this section.
(C) Agreement required.--Prior to receiving an
initial graduate fellowship award, and upon the annual
renewal of the graduate fellowship award, an individual
selected to receive a graduate fellowship under this
section shall sign an agreement with the Secretary
agreeing to pursue a career in instruction at an
institution of higher education that has a teacher
preparation program in accordance with subparagraph
(A).
(D) Failure to comply.--If an individual who
receives a graduate fellowship award under this section
fails to comply with the agreement signed pursuant to
subparagraph (C), the sum of the amounts of any
graduate fellowship award received by such recipient
shall, upon a determination of such a failure, be
treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan
under part D of title IV Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1087a et seq.), and shall be subject to
repayment, together with interest thereon accruing from
the date of the fellowship award, in accordance with
terms and conditions specified by the Secretary in
regulations under this section.
(E) Modified service requirement.--The Secretary
may waive or modify the service requirement of this
paragraph in accordance with regulations promulgated by
the Secretary with respect to the criteria to determine
the circumstances under which compliance with such
service requirement is inequitable or represents a
substantial hardship. The Secretary may waive the
service requirement if compliance by the fellowship
recipient is determined to be inequitable or represent
a substantial hardship--
(i) because the individual is permanently
and totally disabled at the time of the waiver
request; or
(ii) based on documentation presented to
the Secretary of substantial economic or
personal hardship.
(e) Institutional Support for Fellows.--An eligible institution
that receives a grant under this section may reserve not more than ten
percent of the grant amount for academic and career transition support
for graduate fellowship recipients and for meeting the institutional
obligation described in subsection (d)(3)(B).
(f) Restriction on Use of Funds.--An eligible institution that
receives a grant under this section may not use grant funds for general
operational overhead of the institution.
(g) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``eligible institution'' means an institution
of higher education, or a consortium of such institutions, that
offers a program of postbaccalaureate study leading to a
doctoral degree.
(2) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Education.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
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