TITLE: Relating to the award of grants by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for innovative principal preparation programs.

SUMMARY: Relating to the award of grants by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for innovative principal preparation programs.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to the award of grants by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for innovative principal preparation programs. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 61.0767 to read as follows: Sec. 61.0767. PRINCIPAL PREPARATION GRANT PROGRAM. (a) The board shall establish and administer the principal preparation grant program to provide grants to schools of education at institutions of higher education and non-degree granting organizations to provide funding to develop, support, or expand and administer innovative principal preparation programs. (b) In awarding grants under this section, the board shall give priority to programs that demonstrate: (1) a defined competency framework, including the set of skills, knowledge, and disposition required of a principal to drive high levels of student achievement for all children; (2) a strategic, proactive, and targeted recruitment and admission strategy that reflects the competency framework described in Subdivision (1); (3) highly selective, clear criteria and rigorous processes to evaluate a principal preparation program applicant's disposition, skills, and knowledge; (4) experiential training and development; (5) ongoing support for principals who graduate from the program to help the principal transition and grow on the job; (6) a commitment to continuous improvement and use of data to assess the effectiveness of the program and principals who complete the program; and (7) any additional reasonable criteria prescribed by board rule. (c) A grant provided under this section must be used for: (1) financial aid for participants in the principal preparation program; (2) rigorous assessment of principal preparation program applicants through leadership simulation experiences rated by trained assessors; (3) the acquisition and use of technology by the institution or organization to support measures of competency in the field for principal preparation program participants; (4) recruiting, hiring, and training educational leaders to provide ongoing support to principal preparation program participants on-site during a participant's residency; (5) hiring experts to design and instruct in select areas of the principal preparation program; and (6) other permissible uses as determined by the board. (d) The legislature may appropriate money for purposes of this section. The board may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations from any public or private source for purposes of this section. (e) The board shall adopt rules for the administration of this section, including rules for governing applications for grants, establishing procedures and criteria for evaluating applications and awarding grants, and verifying that grant funds awarded under this section are used appropriately. SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.