Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Supporting Teaching and Learning through Better Data Act”.
Supporting Teaching and Learning through Better Data Act
A BILL
To authorize a study on educator workforce data to advance teaching and learning and a program to support increasing access to well-prepared and diverse educators.
Sec. 2 Definitions
In this Act:
Commissioner— The term Commissioner means the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics.
Local educational agency— The term local educational agency has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
Secretary— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.
State educational agency— The term State educational agency has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
Sec. 3 Study on educator workforce data to advance teaching and learning
Authorization of study—
In general— The Commissioner shall—
beginning not later than 3 months after the date of enactment of this Act, conduct a study on—
data collections and data requirements on the educator workforce in effect on the date of the study; and
data elements about the educator workforce that are not collected, but whose collection would strengthen the understanding of teacher supply, demand, distribution, and shortages; and
make recommendations through submission of a report under subsection (c) for improvements to data collection, analysis, and dissemination that aid policymakers, practitioners, students, educators, families, and others in improving access to a diverse, well-prepared, and stable educator workforce, including—
proposals for a comprehensive system of data elements that can be integrated and analyzed to allow for regular tracking and projections of educator supply, demand, shortages, and distribution at the national, regional, and State levels; and
recommendations for improvements in data quality, timeliness, and availability.
Completion— The Commissioner shall complete the study required under paragraph (1) not later than 30 months after the date of enactment of this Act.
Content of study—
Existing educator workforce data collections and data requirements— The study conducted under subsection (a) shall examine educator workforce data collections and data requirements in effect on the date of the study to ascertain how such collections and requirements contribute, or may contribute, to a data system that meets the goals outlined in subsection (a)(1)(B), as well as where there are limitations or redundancies. The study shall examine—
the Nationwide Teacher Shortage Areas Listing of the Department of Education;
the plan requirements for State educational agencies and local educational agencies under sections 1111(g)(1)(B) and 1112(b)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(g)(1)(B) and 6312(b)(2)) that are designed to ensure that low-income and minority children are not served at disproportionate rates by ineffective, out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers;
the requirements under paragraphs (1)(C)(ix), (2), and (5) of section 1111(h) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(h)) related to the professional qualifications of teachers and leaders included in annual reports;
the personnel requirements for related service personnel, paraprofessionals, and special education teachers under section 612(a)(14) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(14));
the requirement under section 3122(b)(5) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6843(b)(5)) related to the number of certified or licensed educators working in language instruction and educating English learners and the estimate of the number of educators that will be needed over the next 5 fiscal years;
the requirement under section 2104(a)(4) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6614(a)(4)) related to the annual retention rates of teachers, principals, and school leaders included in reports;
educator certification, experience, retention, presentism, and other educator information in the Civil Rights Data Collection of the Department of Education;
educator workforce information gathered under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 (20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.), including section 153(a)(1)(F) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 9543(a)(1)(F)), the National Teacher and Principal Survey of the Department of Education, and the School Pulse Panel of the Department of Education;
educator supply information, including—
educator preparation program enrollment and clinical experience information required under section 205(b)(1)(G) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022d(b)(1)(G));
information on completers of education preparation programs required under section 205(b)(1)(H) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022d(b)(1)(H)); and
other enrollment and completion data that includes demographic and diversity enrollment and completion information of educator preparation programs;
educators in training and in-service educators’ access to and completion of Federal service scholarship and loan forgiveness programs, including—
the TEACH Grants program subpart 9 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g et seq.);
teacher loan forgiveness or cancellation programs under sections 428J and 460 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1078–10 and 1087j);
the public service loan forgiveness program under section 455(m) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e(m)); and
educators accessing educational awards under subtitle D of title I of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.); and
data pertaining to the educator workforce collected under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (or the “CARES Act”) (Public Law 116–136), the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116–260), and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–2).
Identifying gaps and recommendations for closing gaps— The study conducted under subsection (a) shall examine whether there are gaps in information about the educator workforce that impacts educator supply, demand, distribution, and shortages and make recommendations for closing such gaps, which contribute to meeting the goals outlined in subsection (a)(1)(B). The study shall consider information concerning—
the types of pathways through which educators enter the profession, including the length and quality of coursework and clinical experience before a prospective educator is the educator of record;
the recruitment, supply, retention, demographics, geographic regions, subject areas taught, diversity, qualifications and credentials, satisfaction and attitudes, and working conditions, of the educator workforce;
induction, mentoring, early career supports, and access to teacher leadership opportunities;
compensation information, including pre-service (stipends, apprenticeship support, other compensation), starting, mid-career, and late-career salaries and benefits of teachers;
the number and percentage of in-service educators who have received a Federal Pell Grant under subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.) or a loan made, insured, or guaranteed under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.); and
whether there are, and any recommendations for, standard definitions for key educator workforce terms across State educational agencies, local educational agencies, Federal law, and federally funded research.
Report— The Commissioner shall publish and widely disseminate a report on the study conducted under subsection (a), which shall include—
publishing the report to the website of the Department of Education and the website of the Institute of Education Sciences;
sending the report to, and briefing, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, the Committee on Education and the Workforce of the House of Representatives, the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, and the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
presenting and disseminating the report to education stakeholders, including students, families, educators, administrators, civil rights organizations, educator organizations, and more.
Sec. 4 Program to support increasing access to well-prepared and diverse educators
In general— The Secretary—
shall provide technical assistance to State educational agencies and local educational agencies to support such agencies in increasing access to well-prepared and diverse educators; and
may reserve not more than 20 percent of funds available to carry out this section to award grants to State educational agencies to—
provide technical assistance to local educational agencies to increase access to well-prepared and diverse educators; and
improve State educator workforce data collection and analysis.
Technical assistance— The Secretary shall provide technical assistance to State educational agencies and local educational agencies on the following educator quality requirements and data collections:
Meeting and making progress on the plan requirements for State educational agencies and local educational agencies under sections 1111(g)(1)(B) and 1112(b)(2) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(g)(1)(B) and 6312(b)(2)) that are designed to ensure that low-income and minority children are not served at disproportionate rates by ineffective, out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers.
Meeting and making progress on the personnel requirements for related service personnel, paraprofessionals, and special education teachers under section 612(a)(14) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(14)).
Educator workforce information collected under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), the Education Sciences Reform Act (20 U.S.C. 9501 et seq.), the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.), the Civil Rights Data Collection, and other State and Federal educator workforce data collection requirements.