Teacher and school leader incentive fund grants

20 U.S.C. § 6632
in effect
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(a) Grants authorizedFrom the amounts reserved by the Secretary under section 6621(1) of this title, the Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to enable the eligible entities to develop, implement, improve, or expand performance-based compensation systems or human capital management systems, in schools served by the eligible entity. (b) Duration of grants(1) In generalA grant awarded under this subpart shall be for a period of not more than 3 years. (2) RenewalThe Secretary may renew a grant awarded under this subpart for a period of not more than 2 years if the grantee demonstrates to the Secretary that the grantee is effectively using funds. Such renewal may include allowing the grantee to scale up or replicate the successful program. (3) LimitationA local educational agency may receive (whether individually or as part of a consortium or partnership) a grant under this subpart, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act,11 See References in Text note below. only twice. (c) ApplicationsAn eligible entity desiring a grant under this subpart shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may reasonably require. The application shall include—(1) a description of the performance-based compensation system or human capital management system that the eligible entity proposes to develop, implement, improve, or expand through the grant; (2) a description of the most significant gaps or insufficiencies in student access to effective teachers, principals, or other school leaders in high-need schools, including gaps or inequities in how effective teachers, principals, or other school leaders are distributed across the local educational agency, as identified using factors such as data on school resources, staffing patterns, school environment, educator support systems, and other school-level factors; (3) a description and evidence of the support and commitment from teachers, principals, or other school leaders, which may include charter school leaders, in the school (including organizations representing teachers, principals, or other school leaders), the community, and the local educational agency to the activities proposed under the grant; (4) a description of how the eligible entity will develop and implement a fair, rigorous, valid, reliable, and objective process to evaluate teacher, principal, or other school leader performance under the system that is based in part on measures of student academic achievement, including the baseline performance against which evaluations of improved performance will be made; (5) a description of the local educational agencies or schools to be served under the grant, including such student academic achievement, demographic, and socioeconomic information as the Secretary may request; (6) a description of the effectiveness of teachers, principals, or other school leaders in the local educational agency and the schools to be served under the grant and the extent to which the system will increase the effectiveness of teachers, principals, or other school leaders in such schools; (7) a description of how the eligible entity will use grant funds under this subpart in each year of the grant, including a timeline for implementation of such activities; (8) a description of how the eligible entity will continue the activities assisted under the grant after the grant period ends; (9) a description of the State, local, or other public or private funds that will be used to supplement the grant, including funds under part A, and sustain the activities assisted under the grant after the end of the grant period; (10) a description of—(A) the rationale for the project; (B) how the proposed activities are evidence-based; and (C) if applicable, the prior experience of the eligible entity in developing and implementing such activities; and (11) a description of how activities funded under this subpart will be evaluated, monitored, and publically reported. (d) Award basis(1) PriorityIn awarding a grant under this subpart, the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible entity that concentrates the activities proposed to be assisted under the grant on teachers, principals, or other school leaders serving in high-need schools. (2) Equitable distributionTo the extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure an equitable geographic distribution of grants under this subpart, including the distribution of such grants between rural and urban areas. (e) Use of funds(1) In generalAn eligible entity that receives a grant under this subpart shall use the grant funds to develop, implement, improve, or expand, in collaboration with teachers, principals, other school leaders, and members of the public, a performance-based compensation system or human capital management system consistent with this subpart. (2) Authorized activitiesGrant funds under this subpart may be used for one or more of the following:(A) Developing or improving an evaluation and support system, including as part of a human capital management system as applicable, that—(i) reflects clear and fair measures of teacher, principal, or other school leader performance, based in part on demonstrated improvement in student academic achievement; and (ii) provides teachers, principals, or other school leaders with ongoing, differentiated, targeted, and personalized support and feedback for improvement, including professional development opportunities designed to increase effectiveness. (B) Conducting outreach within a local educational agency or a State to gain input on how to construct an evaluation and support system described in subparagraph (A) and to develop support for the evaluation and support system, including by training appropriate personnel in how to observe and evaluate teachers, principals, or other school leaders. (C) Providing principals or other school leaders with—(i) balanced autonomy to make budgeting, scheduling, and other school-level decisions in a manner that meets the needs of the school without compromising the intent or essential components of the policies of the local educational agency or State; and (ii) authority to make staffing decisions that meet the needs of the school, such as building an instructional leadership team that includes teacher leaders or offering opportunities for teams or pairs of effective teachers or candidates to teach or start teaching in high-need schools together. (D) Implementing, as part of a comprehensive performance-based compensation system, a differentiated salary structure, which may include bonuses and stipends, to—(i) teachers who—(I) teach in—(aa) high-need schools; or (bb) high-need subjects; (II) raise student academic achievement; or (III) take on additional leadership responsibilities; or (ii) principals or other school leaders who serve in high-need schools and raise student academic achievement in the schools. (E) Improving the local educational agency’s system and process for the recruitment, selection, placement, and retention of effective teachers, principals, or other school leaders in high-need schools, such as by improving local educational agency policies and procedures to ensure that high-need schools are competitive and timely in—(i) attracting, hiring, and retaining effective educators; (ii) offering bonuses or higher salaries to effective educators; or (iii) establishing or strengthening school leader residency programs and teacher residency programs. (F) Instituting career advancement opportunities characterized by increased responsibility and pay that reward and recognize effective teachers, principals, or other school leaders in high-need schools and enable them to expand their leadership and results, such as through teacher-led professional development, mentoring, coaching, hybrid roles, administrative duties, and career ladders. (f) Matching requirementEach eligible entity that receives a grant under this subpart shall provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal to 50 percent of the amount of the grant (which may be provided in cash or in kind) to carry out the activities supported by the grant. (g) Supplement, not supplantGrant funds provided under this subpart shall be used to supplement, not supplant, other Federal or State funds available to carry out activities described in this subpart.

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