To establish a National Remote Teacher Corps, and for other purposes.

Summary: Authorizes the Secretary of Education to establish the National Remote Teacher Corps of elementary and secondary school teachers to fill vacancies, reduce class sizes, and improve educational quality in certain remote areas in the U.S. territories.

Requires Corps applicants to have at least a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education (IHE), but gives priority to individuals who: (1) have at least a master's degree in education, science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; or (2) are highly qualified teachers with at least ten years of experience teaching elementary or secondary school students, or equivalent qualifications.

Directs the Secretary to place Corps teachers with local educational agencies or charter schools that have been designated as Corps sites.

Requires Corps teachers to agree to obtain certification or licensing as an elementary or secondary school teacher within such time as the Secretary may require and accept an offer to serve as a full-time teacher for at least three years at a Corps site.

Requires Corps sites to compensate Corps teachers as they would compensate other teachers having similar qualifications. Authorizes the Secretary to compensate Corps teachers for certain travel costs and award them annual or one-time cash bonuses.

Directs the Secretary and each Corps site to develop jointly and implement a high-quality alternative certification route for Corps teachers who are not certified teachers, unless the Corps site has an existing alternative certification program that is acceptable to the Secretary.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) develop a professional development and distance-learning certificate or degree program to assist individuals located in remote territorial areas in becoming highly qualified teachers; and (2) award grants to IHEs to implement such program and cover the program's tuition for teachers at Corps sites.

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL REMOTE TEACHER CORPS.

    The Secretary of Education may establish the National Remote 
Teacher Corps (in this Act referred to as the ``Corps'') to fill 
teacher vacancies, reduce class sizes, and improve educational quality 
in qualified remote areas.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION AS A CORPS SITE.

    (a) In General.--In order to be designated as a Corps site, a local 
educational agency or charter school located in a qualified remote area 
shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such 
manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
    (b) Contents.--An application submitted under subsection (a) shall 
demonstrate that the agency or charter school is--
            (1) experiencing a shortage of teachers;
            (2) willing to work with the Secretary to--
                    (A) promote teacher accountability and high 
                standards for teachers; and
                    (B) provide cooperation, support, and use of 
                facilities for the programs described in section 10;
            (3) willing to provide mentorship and professional 
        development programs to teachers;
            (4) willing to provide compensation in accordance with 
        section 8(a) for each Corps participant placed with the agency 
        or school under the Corps; and
            (5) willing to--
                    (A) work with the Secretary under section 9 to 
                develop and implement an alternative certification 
                route for individuals selected to be Corps 
                participants; or
                    (B) allow such individuals to participate in an 
                existing alternative certification program that is in 
                compliance with any requirements prescribed by the 
                Secretary.

SEC. 3. RECRUITMENT.

    The Secretary may--
            (1) conduct recruiting programs for the Corps at 
        institutions of higher education, including institutions that 
        offer majors in the fields of education, science, technology, 
        engineering, or mathematics; and
            (2) recruit current highly qualified elementary school or 
        secondary school teachers.

SEC. 4. APPLICATION; SELECTION CRITERIA; PRIORITY.

    (a) Application.--Selection of individuals to participate in the 
Corps shall be made on the basis of applications submitted to the 
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information 
as the Secretary may require.
    (b) Selection Criteria.--An individual selected to participate in 
the Corps shall--
            (1) have at least a bachelor's degree from an institution 
        of higher education; and
            (2) comply with such other criteria as the Secretary may 
        prescribe.
    (c) Priority.--In selecting individuals to participate in the 
Corps, the Secretary shall give priority to individuals--
            (1) with at least a master's degree in education (such as 
        special education or teaching English as a second language), 
        science, technology, engineering, or mathematics and who agree 
        to seek employment as science, technology, engineering, 
        mathematics, special education, or English as a second language 
        teachers in elementary schools or secondary schools; or
            (2) who are highly qualified teachers with--
                    (A) 10 or more years of experience teaching 
                students in elementary school or secondary school; or
                    (B) equivalent qualifications and experience, as 
                determined by the Secretary.

SEC. 5. COMPENSATION FOR APPLICANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary may reimburse an individual applying 
to participate in the Corps for the actual and reasonable expenses 
incurred--
            (1) in traveling to and from the individual's place of 
        residence to a Corps site at which the individual may be placed 
        under section 6 for the purpose of evaluating such site with 
        regard to being assigned at such site; and
            (2) for the travel of 1 family member to accompany the 
        individual to such site.
    (b) Maximum Amount.--The Secretary may establish a maximum total 
amount that may be paid to an individual as reimbursement for such 
expenses.

SEC. 6. PLACEMENT OF CORPS PARTICIPANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall place each individual selected 
to be a Corps participant with a local educational agency or charter 
school that is designated as a Corps site.
    (b) Considerations.--In placing a Corps participant at a Corps 
site, the Secretary shall take into account--
            (1) the preference of the Corps participant;
            (2) the preferences of local educational agencies and 
        charter schools that are Corps sites; and
            (3) the relative need among Corps sites with respect to 
        teacher shortages, including--
                    (A) the total number of open teaching positions;
                    (B) the number of teachers needed for class size 
                reductions; and
                    (C) the shortage of teachers with a particular 
                subject-matter expertise.

SEC. 7. PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT.

    (a) Participation Agreement.--
            (1) In general.--An individual selected to participate in 
        the Corps shall be required to enter into an agreement with the 
        Secretary under which the individual agrees--
                    (A) within such time as the Secretary may require, 
                to obtain certification or licensing as an elementary 
                school teacher or secondary school teacher under 
                section 9 or through another procedure approved by the 
                Secretary; and
                    (B) to accept an offer of full-time employment as 
                an elementary school teacher or secondary school 
                teacher for not less than 3 school years with a local 
                educational agency or charter school that is a Corps 
                site.
            (2) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive the 3-year commitment 
        described in paragraph (1)(B), or any other requirement under a 
        participation agreement described in paragraph (1), for a 
        participant if the Secretary determines such waiver to be 
        appropriate. If the Secretary provides the waiver to a 
        participant, the participant--
                    (A) shall not be considered to be in violation of 
                the agreement; and
                    (B) shall not be required to provide reimbursement 
                for any funds received as a Corps participant.
    (b) Agreement Renewal.--Upon completion of the 3-year commitment 
described in subsection (a)(1)(B), a Corp participant's participation 
agreement may be renewed in 1-year increments.

SEC. 8. COMPENSATION FOR CORPS PARTICIPANTS.

    (a) Salary.--A Corps participant shall be considered an employee of 
the local educational agency or charter school in which the participant 
is employed under the Corps and shall be compensated at the same rates, 
including periodic increases, as employees who are similarly situated 
in similar teaching positions and who have similar training, 
experience, and skills, and such rates shall be in accordance with 
applicable law.
    (b) Federal Benefits.--
            (1) Supplement, not supplant.--Any Federal funds a Corps 
        participant receives from the Secretary under this section or 
        section 5 shall supplement, not supplant, the compensation the 
        participant receives under subsection (a) of this section.
            (2) Travel stipends.--The Secretary may reimburse each 
        Corps participant for all or part of the actual and reasonable 
        expenses incurred by the participant and 1 family member when 
        traveling, not more than once per year of participation, from 
        the Corps site to any location in the continental United States 
        and from such location back to the Corps site.
            (3) Cash bonus.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary may award annual or 
                one-time cash bonuses to Corps participants, in amounts 
                determined by the Secretary.
                    (B) Priority.--In awarding cash bonuses under 
                subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall give priority to 
                Corps participants--
                            (i) with at least a master's degree in 
                        education (such as special education or 
                        teaching English as a second language), 
                        science, technology, engineering, or 
                        mathematics and who are participating in the 
                        Corps as science, technology, engineering, 
                        mathematics, special education, or English as a 
                        second language teachers in elementary schools 
                        or secondary schools; or
                            (ii) who are highly qualified teachers 
                        with--
                                    (I) 10 or more years of experience 
                                teaching students in elementary school 
                                or secondary school; or
                                    (II) equivalent qualifications and 
                                experience, as determined by the 
                                Secretary.
                    (C) Treatment of cash bonus.--A cash bonus paid 
                under subparagraph (A) to a Corps participant shall not 
                be taken into account in determining the eligibility of 
                the participant for Federal student financial 
                assistance provided under title IV of the Higher 
                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070).

SEC. 9. ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION ROUTE.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsection (d), the Secretary and each 
Corps site shall, jointly, develop and implement a high-quality 
alternative certification route for individuals selected to participate 
in the Corps who are not certified teachers.
    (b) Priority.--In selecting individuals described in subsection (a) 
to participate in the alternative certification route, the Secretary 
shall give priority to individuals--
            (1) who do not have a degree in education; and
            (2) who have expertise in a field in which there is a 
        shortage of teachers, such as mathematics, science, special 
        education, English language acquisition, or another high-need 
        subject.
    (c) Access.--All classes and materials available under the 
alternative certification route shall be accessible to all Corps 
participants.
    (d) Exception.--A Corps site that has an existing alternative 
certification program that complies with any requirements prescribed by 
the Secretary, may, in lieu of developing and implementing an 
alternative certification route under subsection (a), allow individuals 
described in subsection (a) participate in such program.

SEC. 10. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND DISTANCE LEARNING.

    (a) Development of Program.--From the amounts appropriated to carry 
out this subsection under section 12, the Secretary, in consultation 
with at least 1 institution of higher education that is a research 
university, as determined by the Secretary, shall develop a 
professional development and distance-learning certificate or degree 
program that offers academic credit through--
            (1) online classes;
            (2) classes through video- or tele-conference technology;
            (3) independent study;
            (4) in-person instruction at Corps sites; and
            (5) other distance learning methodologies as the Secretary 
        designates,
to assist individuals located in qualified remote areas in becoming 
highly qualified teachers.
    (b) Grants.--
            (1) In general.--From the amounts appropriated to carry out 
        this subsection under section 12, the Secretary shall award 
        grants to institutions of higher education that offer the 
        program developed under subsection (a) to students enrolled at 
        the institution.
            (2) Uses of funds.--An institution of higher education that 
        receives a grant under this subsection shall use such grant 
        funds to cover--
                    (A) the cost of administering the program developed 
                under subsection (a); and
                    (B) to the maximum extent practicable, the total 
                cost of program tuition for teachers at Corps sites 
                enrolled in the program at the institution.
            (3) Application.--
                    (A) In general.--To receive a grant under this 
                subsection, an institution of higher education shall 
                submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 
                such manner, and containing such information as the 
                Secretary may require.
                    (B) Articulation agreements.--An application 
                submitted under subparagraph (A) shall include an 
                assurance by the institution that the institution will 
                include the program in its articulation agreements 
                between or among other institutions of higher 
                education.

SEC. 11. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) In general.--Except as otherwise provided, any term 
        that is defined in section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) shall have the meaning 
        given such term in such section.
            (2) Articulation agreement.--The term ``articulation 
        agreement'' has the meaning given such term in section 486A of 
        the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1093a).
            (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001).
            (4) Qualified remote area.--The term ``qualified remote 
        area'' means an area--
                    (A) from which an institution of higher education 
                is located more than 3 hours away when using public or 
                private transportation (including rail or bus);
                    (B) to which the only method of access to the site 
                at least 6 months of the year is by boat or airplane; 
                or
                    (C) that is located in a United States Territory.
            (5) United states territory.--The term ``United States 
        Territory'' means the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, 
        American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands, and Puerto Rico.

SEC. 12. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.