Title II — Institutional aid

S. 1161 · 116th Congress · Apr 11, 2019 · Lineage

II Institutional aid

A Professional development grants for Native-serving elementary schools and secondary schools

Sec. 201 National Board certification incentive program

Subpart 2 of part A of title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7441 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“6123. National Board certification incentive program

“(a) Purposes—The purposes of this section are—

“(1) to improve the skills of qualified individuals who are Indian (as defined by section 103 of the Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2902)) or who teach Indian people;

“(2) to provide an incentive for qualified educators to continue to utilize their enhanced skills in elementary schools and secondary schools serving Indian communities; and

“(3) to increase the retention of highly skilled Indian educators in elementary schools and secondary schools seeking to better incorporate Indian culture and history into the general curriculum.

“(b) Definitions—In this section:

“(1) Bureau-funded school—The term Bureau-funded school has the meaning given the term in section 1141 of the Education Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C. 2021).

“(2) Eligible entity—The term eligible entity means—

“(A) a State educational agency in consortium with an institution of higher education;

“(B) a local educational agency in consortium with an institution of higher education;

“(C) an Indian tribe or organization, in consortium with a local educational agency and an institution of higher education;

“(D) an Indian tribe or organization, in consortium with a Bureau-funded school and an institution of higher education; or

“(E) a Bureau-funded school in consortium with an institution of higher education.

“(3) Eligible educator—The term eligible educator means—

“(A) a teacher who teaches a minimum number of Indian students, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with Indian tribes; or

“(B) a teacher who is Indian.

“(4) Indian tribe—The term Indian tribe has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).

“(c) Program authorized—The Secretary is authorized to award grants to eligible entities having applications approved under this section to enable such eligible entities to—

“(1) reimburse eligible educators for out-of-pocket costs associated with obtaining teacher certification or credentialing by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; and

“(2) provide an increase in annual compensation, in an amount equal to not less than $5,000 and not more than $10,000, for eligible educators with a certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for the duration of the grant under this section.

“(d) Application

“(1) In general—Each eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information, as the Secretary may reasonably require.

“(2) Special rule—In the case of an eligible entity desiring to utilize all or a portion of a grant under this section for eligible educators identified in subparagraph (B) of subsection (b)(3) who would not also qualify as an eligible educator under subparagraph (A) of subsection (b)(3), the eligible entity shall provide an assurance that grant funds will support only those educators who are tribally enrolled or affiliated with an Indian tribe.

“(e) Awarding of grants—In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall determine the amount and length of each grant, which shall not exceed 5 years.

“(f) Restrictions on compensation increases—The Secretary shall require and ensure that individuals who obtain a certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards under this section continue to teach at a school served by the eligible entity through which funding for such certification was obtained as a condition of receiving annual compensation increases provided for in this section.

“(g) Progress reports

“(1) In general—For every year for which Congress allocates funds for grants under this section, the Secretary shall provide a report on the progress of the eligible entities receiving grants under this section in meeting applicable progress standards, as determined by the Secretary.

“(2) Dissemination—The Secretary shall disseminate the report described in this subsection to each of the following:

“(A) The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate.

“(B) The Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate.

“(C) The Subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples of the United States of the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives.

“(D) The Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives.”

B Native language teacher training program grants for Native-serving institutions of higher education

Sec. 211 Native language teacher training program development grants for tribal colleges and universities and institutions of higher education that serve significant numbers of Native students

Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1051 et seq.) is amended—

(1)

by redesignating part G as part H; and

(2)

by inserting after part F the following:

“G Native American language teacher training program development

“381. Native American language teacher training program development

“(a) Purpose—The purpose of this section is to establish a grant program that seeks—

“(1) to increase the number of well-trained and pedagogically effective Native American language speakers in teaching and other education professions that serve Indian people;

“(2) to provide ongoing training and professional development to Native American immersion and language instructors to improve their linguistic and pedagogical skills; and

“(3) to support the efforts of American Indian and Alaska Native communities to effectively revitalize, maintain, and teach their languages, as envisioned in the Native American Languages Act (25 U.S.C. 2901 et seq.) and section 803C of the Native American Programs Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 2991b–3).

“(b) Definition of eligible institution—In this section, the term eligible institution means any of the following:

“(1) An institution eligible to receive funding under section 316, 317(b), or 319(b).

“(2) A consortium of 2 or more institutions described in paragraph (1).

“(c) Grant program authorized

“(1) In general—The Secretary shall establish a program, to be known as the Native American Language Teacher Training Program, under which the Secretary shall provide grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible institutions to promote the recruitment and training of Native immersion and language teachers to further support the revitalization, maintenance, and use of Native American languages in the classroom.

“(2) Duration—A grant under paragraph (1) shall be for a period of not more than 5 years.

“(3) Application

“(A) In general—To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, an eligible institution shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require.

“(B) Application paperwork reduction

“(i) In general—The Secretary shall establish application requirements in such a manner as to simplify and streamline the process for applying for grants under this section.

“(ii) Prohibiting additional forms—The Secretary shall not require any Tribal College or University, as defined in section 316(b), applying individually for a grant under this section, to submit any separate, preliminary, or additional grant eligibility application or information because of the institution's status as a Tribal College or University.

“(C) Inclusion—An application under this paragraph shall include a plan for the program proposed to be carried out by the eligible institution, including—

“(i) a description of a 5-year strategy for meeting the Native immersion teacher recruitment and training needs of American Indians or Alaska Natives, as appropriate, in the population served by the institution, including a description of any partnerships with tribal educational agencies, local educational agencies, or Bureau-funded schools;

“(ii) an identification of the American Indian or Alaska Native population to be served by the eligible institution;

“(iii) an identification of the status of the target Native American language or languages used within the population;

“(iv) a description of the professional development and degree services to be provided under the program, including the manner in which the services will be integrated with other appropriate activities and programs; and

“(v) a description, to be prepared in consultation with the Secretary, of the performance measures to be used to assess the performance of the eligible institution carrying out the program.

“(D) Requirement—A program plan under subparagraph (C) shall be consistent with the purposes of this section, as determined by the Secretary.

“(d) Use of funds

“(1) Required activities—A grantee shall use grant funds provided under this section to carry out the following activities:

“(A) Development of a new Native American immersion and language teacher training program that leads to State or tribal teacher certification.

“(B) Support and expansion of an existing Native American immersion and language teacher training program that leads to a State or tribal teacher certification.

“(C) Development and delivery of professional development workshops and courses aimed at improving the immersion and language acquisition pedagogical practices of Native American immersion and language teachers.

“(2) Allowable activities—A grantee may use grant funds provided under this section to carry out additional activities, including—

“(A) curriculum development and academic instruction, including educational activities, programs, and partnerships relating to students in prekindergarten through grade 12;

“(B) development and establishment of a national Native American immersion and language teacher best practices guideline or certification;

“(C) professional development for institutional faculty or for elementary and secondary education administrators and educational support staff; and

“(D) innovative Native American language and immersion program classroom research for students in prekindergarten through grade 12.

“(e) Concurrent funding—An eligible institution that receives a grant under this section may concurrently receive funds under section 316, 317, or 319.

“(f) Authorization of appropriations—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024.”