II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2370 

To better support our early childhood educators and elementary school and 

secondary school teachers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 5, 2018 

Mr. BOOKER (for himself and Mr. SCHATZ) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To better support our early childhood educators and elementary school and secondary school teachers, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND FINDINGS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Supporting the Teaching Profession through Revitalizing 

6 Investments in Valuable Educators Act’’ or the ‘‘STRIVE 

7 Act’’. 

8 (b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

9 (1) States identified significant teacher short10 ages in their reports to the Department of EduVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 06, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2370.IS S2370

SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 2370 IS

1 cation during the 2015–2016 school year, with 48 

2 States identifying shortages in special education, 42 

3 identifying teacher shortages in mathematics, and 

4 40 identifying teacher shortages in science. One rea5 son for the shortages in these areas is because math6 ematics and science teachers can earn significantly 

7 higher starting salaries in the private sector. Fur8 ther, rural communities face limitations in recruiting 

9 and retaining teachers for reasons such as funding 

10 issues, limited teacher supply, and geographic isola11 tion. 

12 (2) Students in high-poverty and high-minority 

13 schools, both urban and rural, typically feel the larg14 est impact of teacher shortages. These schools often 

15 experience difficulty hiring and high turnover on a 

16 regular basis, and they are the most severely af17 fected when teacher shortages become widespread. 

18 This happens, in part, because inequitable funding 

19 of schools leaves many low-wealth urban and rural 

20 communities with inadequate resources, so they 

21 must pay lower salaries and typically have poorer 

22 working conditions. 

23 (3) According to a study by Mathematica, when 

24 high-performing teachers were offered large financial 

25 incentives to transfer to low-performing schools, 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 2370 IS

1 their students’ scores climbed 10 points in reading 

2 and 9 points in math compared to students state3 wide over 2 years. 

4 (4) According to a survey conducted by Scho5 lastic, 97 percent of teachers list supportive school 

6 leadership as essential or very important for retain7 ing strong teachers and improving student achieve8 ment, more than any other factor. 

9 (5) Research suggests that incurring postsec10 ondary education debt can decrease the likelihood 

11 that high-achieving students, lower-income students, 

12 and students of color choose to work in lower-wage 

13 professions in general, especially in the education 

14 system. Therefore, loan forgiveness and service 

15 scholarships for teachers may be especially effective 

16 for recruiting teachers and school leaders from di17 verse, lower-income backgrounds. 

18 (6) According to the Learning Policy Institute, 

19 teacher loan forgiveness and service scholarship pro20 grams can be successful in both recruiting and re21 taining teachers. To be effective, these programs 

22 should provide a financial benefit that meaningfully 

23 offsets the cost of a teacher’s professional prepara24 tion. This includes covering licensing and certifi25 cation costs. 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 2370 IS

1 (7) A 2015 Government Accountability Office 

2 study of Federal grant and loan forgiveness pro3 grams for teachers found that the structure of these 

4 programs matters. Further research shows effective 

5 loan forgiveness and service scholarship programs 

6 follow 5 design principles. These programs— 

7 (A) cover all or a large percentage of tui8 tion; 

9 (B) target high-need fields or schools, or 

10 both; 

11 (C) recruit candidates who are academi12 cally strong, committed to teaching, and well13 prepared; 

14 (D) commit recipients to teach with rea15 sonable incentives to fulfill their commitment; 

16 and 

17 (E) are bureaucratically manageable for 

18 participating teachers, local educational agen19 cies, and institutions of higher education. 

20 (8) The TEACH grant program under subpart 

21 9 of part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act 

22 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g et seq.) provides up to 

23 $16,000 in grants to prospective teachers who agree 

24 to teach in low-income schools and high-need subject 

25 areas for 4 years. This is far below the Department 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 2370 IS

1 of Education’s most recent estimate of the average 

2 annual cost of approximately $25,409 in tuition, 

3 fees, and room and board at the average full-time 

4 undergraduate 4-year institution. 

5 (9) The National Center for Education Statistics found that more than 2 6 ⁄3 of the individuals en7 tering the education field borrow money to pay for 

8 their higher education. Teachers with a bachelor’s 

9 degree have an average debt of $20,000 and teach10 ers with a master’s degree have an average debt of 

11 $50,000. Teachers also start out earning 20 percent 

12 less than their peers with comparable degrees who 

13 pursue jobs outside of education. These 

14 compounding factors can disincentivize prospective 

15 teachers from entering the profession. 

16 (10) In evaluating the TEACH grant program, 

17 the Government Accountability Office found that almost 2 18 ⁄3 of the requests for assistance under the pro19 gram from October 2011 through March 2014 cited 

20 problems submitting certification paperwork. The 

21 Government Accountability Office recommended im22 provements in the program’s design, including re23 ducing burdensome annual paperwork, increasing 

24 awareness about the program, and streamlining the 

25 dispute process. 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 2370 IS

1 (11) Spending by teachers on school supplies 

2 adds up to $1,600,000,000 nationally. According to 

3 the Education Market Association, most teachers 

4 spend around $500, with 10 percent spending 

5 $1,000 or more. 

6 (12) Teacher quality partnerships are designed 

7 to strengthen higher education-based teacher and 

8 school leader preparation. Studies show that teach9 ers who are better prepared to enter the classroom 

10 stay longer and perform better than their underpre11 pared peers. Teacher quality partnerships also fund 

12 programs like induction and mentoring that have 

13 been shown to increase teacher and school leader re14 tention. Research indicates that the ongoing support 

15 for teachers provided by teacher quality partner16 ships, including mentoring and coaching, is an im17 portant part of early childhood education programs. 

18 (13) According to the Center for Education 

19 Data and Research, a more diverse teaching work20 force leads to better student outcomes, particularly 

21 in high-poverty environments with significant at-risk 

22 student populations. Further, researchers from Van23 derbilt University found that greater racial and eth24 nic diversity in the principal corps benefits students, 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 2370 IS

1 especially children of color. Three commonly cited 

2 rationales for this benefit are— 

3 (A) students of color benefit from seeing 

4 minority adult role models in a position of au5 thority; 

6 (B) the higher expectations that teachers 

7 of color tend to place on students of color; and 

8 (C) the effect of cultural differences be9 tween teachers of different backgrounds on in10 structional strategies and interpretation of stu11 dents’ behavior. 

12 (14) According to the report entitled ‘‘Empow13 ered Educators: How Leading Nations Design Sys14 tems for Teaching Quality’’, effective teacher prepa15 ration successfully integrates theory and practice 

16 components. Further, according to the ‘‘Preparing 

17 Teachers for a Changing World’’ report sponsored 

18 by the National Academy Foundation, highly effec19 tive teachers vary in styles, yet have many teaching 

20 strategies in common. Research has identified a set 

21 of knowledge, skills, and dispositions essential for 

22 beginning teachers that should be incorporated into 

23 the teacher education curriculum. This includes the 

24 opportunity and capacity to reflect on and evaluate 

25 skills and to learn from practice. Evidence-based 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 2370 IS

1 teacher preparation includes developing teacher 

2 skills, content knowledge, inquiry, and the capacity 

3 to provide effective learning experiences for a diverse 

4 set of students. 

5 (15) As it does in medicine, the Federal Gov6 ernment should maintain a substantial, sustained 

7 program of service scholarships or loan forgiveness 

8 programs that cover training costs in high-quality 

9 preparation programs at the undergraduate or grad10 uate level for those who will teach in a high-need 

11 field or location for at least 4 years, as candidates 

12 are much more likely to remain in the profession 

13 and to make a difference for student achievement 

14 after 3 years of teaching. State governments can 

15 augment such an approach with programs targeted 

16 to specific local needs. 

17 (16) Research has shown the impact cultural 

18 competence can have on closing student achievement 

19 gaps and improving student outcomes by incor20 porating racial and ethnic minority contributions in 

21 curricula and diversifying pedagogical practices. Cul22 tural competence is both a moral and ethical respon23 sibility to create a welcoming environment for stu24 dents to succeed. The impact of having educators 

25 who have the ability to challenge and motivate diVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 06, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2370.IS S2370

SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 2370 IS

1 verse student populations can dramatically improve 

2 our educational system and student outcomes. 

3 TITLE I—IMPROVING TEACHER 

4 SUPPORT UNDER THE ELE5 MENTARY AND SECONDARY 

6 EDUCATION ACT OF 1965 

7 SEC. 101. MANDATORY FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS PRE8 PARING, TRAINING, AND RECRUITING HIGH9 QUALITY TEACHERS, PRINCIPALS, OR OTHER 

10 SCHOOL LEADERS. 

11 Section 2003 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu12 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6603) is amended— 

13 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘AU14 THORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘FUNDING’’; and 

16 (2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(a) APPROPRIATIONS FOR PART A.—For fiscal year 

19 2018 and each subsequent fiscal year, there are authorized 

20 to be appropriated, and there are appropriated, out of any 

21 funds not otherwise appropriated, $3,200,000,000.’’. 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 2370 IS

1 TITLE II—TEACHER LOAN 

2 FORGIVENESS PROGRAMS 

3 SEC. 201. TEACHER LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAMS AND 

4 GRANTS. 

5 (a) REPAYMENT PLAN FOR QUALIFYING TEACH6 ERS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 455 of the Higher 

8 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087e) is amend9 ed by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(r) REPAYMENT PLAN FOR QUALIFYING TEACH11 ERS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall cancel 

13 a portion, in accordance with paragraph (2), of the 

14 balance of interest and principal due on any eligible 

15 Federal Direct Loan not in default for a borrower 

16 who, in a 12-month time period— 

17 ‘‘(A) has made 12 consecutive on-time 

18 monthly payments on the eligible Federal Di19 rect Loan, in an amount equal to or greater 

20 than the amount of payments for the borrower 

21 under an income-based repayment plan under 

22 section 493C (regardless of whether some or all 

23 of those payments were made before the effec24 tive date of the Supporting the Teaching ProVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 06, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2370.IS S2370

SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 2370 IS

1 fession through Revitalizing Investments in Val2 uable Educators Act); and 

3 ‘‘(B)(i) is employed in a qualifying teach4 ing position at the time of such forgiveness; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) has been employed in a qualifying 

6 teaching position during the period in which the 

7 borrower made each of the 12 payments de8 scribed in subparagraph (A). 

9 ‘‘(2) LOAN CANCELLATION AMOUNT.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The portion to be can11 celled under this paragraph shall be— 

12 ‘‘(i) for each of— 

13 ‘‘(I) the first 5 years that the 

14 borrower qualifies under paragraph 

15 (1), in the case of a borrower em16 ployed for such year in a full-time 

17 qualifying teaching position in the 

18 subject of English as a second lan19 guage, science, technology, engineer20 ing, mathematics, special education, 

21 or career and technical education, 15 

22 percent of the balance of principal and 

23 interest due on all of the eligible Fed24 eral Direct Loans of the borrower, as 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 2370 IS

1 of the final day of that 1-year employ2 ment period; or 

3 ‘‘(II) the first 6 years (or the 

4 equivalent calculated under subpara5 graph (B)(i)) that the borrower quali6 fies under paragraph (1)— 

7 ‘‘(aa) in the case of a bor8 rower employed for such year in 

9 a full-time qualifying teaching 

10 position in a subject that is not 

11 described in subclause (I), 10 

12 percent of the balance of prin13 cipal and interest due on all of 

14 the eligible Federal Direct Loans 

15 of the borrower, as of the final 

16 day of that 1-year employment 

17 period; or 

18 ‘‘(bb) in the case of a bor19 rower employed for such year in 

20 a part-time qualifying teaching 

21 position (regardless of subject), 5 

22 percent of the balance of prin23 cipal and interest due on all of 

24 the eligible Federal Direct Loans 

25 of the borrower, as of the final 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 2370 IS

1 day of that 1-year employment 

2 period; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) after the borrower has received 

4 partial loan cancellation described in clause 

5 (i)— 

6 ‘‘(I) for 5 years, in the case of a 

7 borrower described in clause (i)(I), 

8 and then qualifies for loan cancella9 tion under paragraph (1) for a sixth 

10 year, all of the borrower’s remaining 

11 obligation to repay the balance of 

12 principal and interest due, as of the 

13 date of such calculation, on all of the 

14 eligible Federal Direct Loan made to 

15 a borrower; or 

16 ‘‘(II) for 6 years (or the equiva17 lent calculated under subparagraph 

18 (B)(i)), in the case of a borrower de19 scribed in clause (i)(II), and then 

20 qualifies for loan cancellation under 

21 paragraph (1) for a seventh year (or 

22 the equivalent calculated under sub23 paragraph (B)(ii)), all of the bor24 rower’s remaining obligation to repay 

25 the balance of principal and interest 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 2370 IS

1 due, as of the date of such calculation, 

2 on all of the eligible Federal Direct 

3 Loan made to a borrower. 

4 ‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE REGARDING PART5 TIME TEACHING.— 

6 ‘‘(i) GENERAL RULE.—In the case of 

7 a borrower who qualifies for loan cancella8 tion under subparagraph (A) for one or 

9 more years through a part-time qualifying 

10 teaching position, the Secretary shall de11 termine when the equivalent of 6 years of 

12 partial cancellation for full-time employ13 ment has been met for purposes of sub14 paragraph (A)(ii)(II) by giving the bor15 rower credit for one-half of a year for each 

16 year that the borrower receives partial 

17 part-time cancellation under subparagraph 

18 (A)(i)(II)(bb). 

19 ‘‘(ii) RULE FOR FINAL CANCELLA20 TION.—A borrower who wishes to complete 

21 the equivalent of the seventh year of teach22 ing necessary for complete cancellation 

23 under subparagraph (A)(ii)(II) through 

24 employment in a part-time qualifying 

25 teaching position— 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 2370 IS

1 ‘‘(I) shall be required to qualify 

2 for loan cancellation through a part3 time qualifying teaching position for 2 

4 additional years; and 

5 ‘‘(II) notwithstanding subpara6 graph (A), shall receive partial can7 cellation, in accordance with subpara8 graph (A)(i)(II)(bb), for the first of 

9 such 2 years. 

10 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY PROVISIONS.— 

11 ‘‘(A) CERTIFICATION.—A borrower who 

12 desires to participate in the repayment plan 

13 under this subsection shall submit to the Sec14 retary an employer certification, as required by 

15 the Secretary, of the employment dates for the 

16 qualifying service. 

17 ‘‘(B) INELIGIBILITY FOR DOUBLE BENE18 FITS.— 

19 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—No borrower may, 

20 for the same service, receive a reduction of 

21 loan obligations under both this subsection 

22 and section 428J, 428K, 428L, or 460. 

23 ‘‘(ii) INELIGIBILITY OF EDUCATION

24 AWARD.—No borrower may count any pay25 ments made from an education award reVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 06, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2370.IS S2370

SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 2370 IS

1 ceived under subtitle D of title I of the Na2 tional and Community Service Act of 1990 

3 (42 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.) toward the pay4 ments required under paragraph (1). 

5 ‘‘(C) CONTINUED ELIGIBILITY.—A teacher 

6 who is employed, for consecutive years (exclud7 ing a documented medical leave of absence or 

8 military service), in a qualifying teaching posi9 tion at a school that meets the requirements of 

10 paragraph (6)(C)(i) for a school year but fails 

11 to meet such requirements in subsequent years, 

12 shall be deemed to be in a qualifying teaching 

13 position, for purposes of this subsection, for all 

14 of the consecutive subsequent years during 

15 which the teacher remains at the school. 

16 ‘‘(4) STATE CERTIFICATION.— 

17 ‘‘(A) STATE RESPONSIBILITIES.—Each 

18 State educational agency that receives assist19 ance under part A of title I of the Elementary 

20 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 shall 

21 provide to the Secretary an annual list of the 

22 elementary schools and secondary schools in the 

23 State that meet the requirements of subclauses 

24 (I) and (II) of paragraph (6)(C)(i). 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
17 

•S 2370 IS

1 ‘‘(B) DISSEMINATION OF SCHOOL LISTS.— 

2 The Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(i) in coordination with the Secretary 

4 of the Interior, develop a list of elementary 

5 schools and secondary schools that meet 

6 the requirement of paragraph 

7 (6)(C)(i)(III); and 

8 ‘‘(ii) make the lists developed under 

9 clause (i) and provided under subpara10 graph (A) easily accessible for applicants 

11 and recipients of TEACH Grants. 

12 ‘‘(5) SPECIAL DEFERRAL.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any 

14 deferment for which a borrower of an eligible 

15 Federal Direct Loan may be eligible under sec16 tion 455(f), a borrower shall be eligible for 

17 deferment, as described in section 455(f)(1), for 

18 a period not in excess of 2 years if— 

19 ‘‘(i) the borrower has qualified for 

20 partial loan forgiveness under paragraph 

21 (1) for the immediately preceding year; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(ii) the borrower is unable to con24 tinue working in a qualified teaching posiVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 06, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2370.IS S2370

SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
18 

•S 2370 IS

1 tion during the period of deferment, due 

2 to— 

3 ‘‘(I) extenuating or unforeseen fi4 nancial circumstances or health rea5 sons; or 

6 ‘‘(II) other extraordinary cir7 cumstances as determined by the Sec8 retary. 

9 ‘‘(6) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

10 ‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE FEDERAL DIRECT LOAN.— 

11 The term ‘eligible Federal Direct Loan’ means 

12 a Federal Direct Stafford Loan, Federal Direct 

13 PLUS Loan, Federal Direct Unsubsidized Staf14 ford Loan, or Federal Direct Consolidation 

15 Loan. 

16 ‘‘(B) PART-TIME.—The term ‘part-time’, 

17 when used in reference to a teacher for a par18 ticular school year, means a teacher who works 

19 in such year a number of hours that is not less 

20 than 50 percent, but less than 100 percent, of 

21 the hours worked by an average full-time teach22 er in the local educational agency that serves 

23 the area where the teacher is employed. 

24 ‘‘(C) QUALIFYING TEACHING POSITION.— 

25 The term ‘qualifying teaching position’ means 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
19 

•S 2370 IS

1 part-time or full-time employment (not includ2 ing a substitute teaching assignment)— 

3 ‘‘(i) in— 

4 ‘‘(I) a public or nonprofit private 

5 elementary school or secondary school, 

6 that, for the purpose of this para7 graph and for that year— 

8 ‘‘(aa) has been determined 

9 by the Secretary (pursuant to 

10 regulations of the Secretary and 

11 after consultation with the State 

12 educational agency of the State 

13 in which the school is located) to 

14 be a school in which the number 

15 of children meeting a measure of 

16 poverty under section 1113(a)(5) 

17 of the Elementary and Secondary 

18 Education Act of 1965, exceeds 

19 70 percent of the total number of 

20 children enrolled in such school; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(bb) is in the school district 

23 of a local educational agency that 

24 is eligible in such year for assist25 ance pursuant to part A of title 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
20 

•S 2370 IS

1 I of the Elementary and Sec2 ondary Education Act of 1965; 

3 ‘‘(II) a public or nonprofit pri4 vate elementary school or secondary 

5 school served by an educational serv6 ice agency, or a location operated by 

7 an educational service agency, that, 

8 for the purpose of this paragraph and 

9 for that year, has been determined by 

10 the Secretary (pursuant to regulations 

11 of the Secretary and after consulta12 tion with the State educational agency 

13 of the State in which the educational 

14 service agency operates) to be a school 

15 or location at which the number of 

16 children taught who meet a measure 

17 of poverty under section 1113(a)(5) of 

18 the Elementary and Secondary Edu19 cation Act of 1965, exceeds 30 per20 cent of the total number of children 

21 taught at such school or location; 

22 ‘‘(III) an elementary school or 

23 secondary school that is funded by the 

24 Bureau of Indian Education; or 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
21 

•S 2370 IS

1 ‘‘(IV) in the case of an individual 

2 who is an early childhood educator, an 

3 early childhood education program; 

4 ‘‘(ii) through which the individual pro5 vides direct classroom teaching, or class6 room-type teaching in a nonclassroom set7 ting, including— 

8 ‘‘(I) special education teachers; 

9 ‘‘(II) career and technical edu10 cation teachers; 

11 ‘‘(III) teachers in the field of 

12 science, technology, engineering, 

13 mathematics, or other subjects; 

14 ‘‘(IV) early childhood educators; 

15 ‘‘(V) English as a second lan16 guage teachers; and 

17 ‘‘(VI) teachers of a Native Amer18 ican language (as defined in section 

19 103 of the Native American Lan20 guages Act (25 U.S.C. 2902)); and 

21 ‘‘(iii) with respect to which the indi22 vidual meets the requirements of an effec23 tive teacher or effective early childhood ed24 ucator, as determined by the State in ac25 cordance with part A of title I and title II 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
22 

•S 2370 IS

1 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu2 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et 

3 seq., 6601 et seq.).’’. 

4 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 

5 by this subsection shall be effective on the date that 

6 is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act. 

7 (b) TAX TREATMENT OF CANCELLATION OF STU8 DENT LOANS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (f) of section 108 

10 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by 

11 adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

12 ‘‘(6) CANCELLATIONS UNDER STRIVE ACT

13 TEACHER LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAMS.—In the 

14 case of an individual, gross income does not include 

15 any amount which (but for this subsection) would be 

16 includible in gross income for the taxable year by 

17 reasons of the cancellation (in whole or in part) 

18 under section 455(r) of the Higher Education Act of 

19 1965 of any eligible Federal Direct Loan (as defined 

20 in section 455(r)(6)(A) of such Act).’’. 

21 (2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 

22 by this subsection shall apply to cancellations of in23 debtedness after the date that is 1 year after the 

24 date of the enactment of this Act. 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
23 

•S 2370 IS

1 SEC. 202. TEACH GRANTS. 

2 (a) AMENDMENTS.—Subpart 9 of part A of title IV 

3 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g 

4 et seq.) is amended— 

5 (1) in section 420M (20 U.S.C. 1070g–1)— 

6 (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking 

7 ‘‘$4,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$12,000’’; and 

8 (B) in subsection (d)— 

9 (i) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking 

10 ‘‘$16,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$48,000’’; and 

11 (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking 

12 ‘‘$8,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$16,000’’; and 

13 (2) in section 420N (20 U.S.C. 1070g–2)— 

14 (A) in subsection (a)(2)(B), in the matter 

15 preceding clause (i), by inserting ‘‘, including 

16 an early childhood teacher (defined in this sec17 tion as a teacher who has primary responsibility 

18 for the learning and development of children 

19 within an early childhood education program),’’ 

20 after ‘‘prospective teacher’’; 

21 (B) in subsection (b)— 

22 (i) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking 

23 ‘‘4 academic years within 8 years’’ and in24 serting ‘‘8 academic years within 10 

25 years’’; and 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
24 

•S 2370 IS

1 (ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) and 

2 (C) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) teach in an elementary school, sec4 ondary school, or an early childhood education 

5 program; 

6 ‘‘(C) teach in— 

7 ‘‘(i) a school described in section 

8 465(a)(2)(A); and 

9 ‘‘(ii) any of the following fields— 

10 ‘‘(I) mathematics; 

11 ‘‘(II) science; 

12 ‘‘(III) technology; 

13 ‘‘(IV) engineering; 

14 ‘‘(V) career and technical edu15 cation; 

16 ‘‘(VI) a foreign language; 

17 ‘‘(VII) a Native American lan18 guage (as defined in section 103 of 

19 the Native American Languages Act 

20 (25 U.S.C. 2902)); 

21 ‘‘(VIII) bilingual education; 

22 ‘‘(IX) special education; 

23 ‘‘(X) as a reading specialist; 

24 ‘‘(XI) as a writing specialist; or 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
25 

•S 2370 IS

1 ‘‘(XII) another field designated 

2 as high need by the most recent list 

3 described in subsection (d)(1);’’; 

4 (C) in subsection (c)— 

5 (i) by striking ‘‘SERVICE’’ and all that 

6 follows through ‘‘event’’ and inserting the 

7 following: ‘‘SERVICE.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the event’’; 

9 (ii) by inserting ‘‘paragraph (2) and 

10 the’’ after ‘‘in accordance with’’; and 

11 (iii) by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(2) PARTIAL FORGIVENESS OF REPAYMENT.— 

14 In the event that a recipient described in paragraph 

15 (1) has fulfilled a portion of the service obligation in 

16 the agreement under subsection (b), the amount that 

17 is treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford 

18 Loan under part D of title IV and subject to repay19 ment (together with the interest thereon) for that 

20 recipient shall be reduced by an amount that bears 

21 the same ratio to the total amount of the recipient’s 

22 grant under this subpart as the amount of time the 

23 recipient has fulfilled of the recipient’s service obli24 gation bears to the total amount of time of the servVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 06, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2370.IS S2370

SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
26 

•S 2370 IS

1 ice obligation in the agreement under subsection 

2 (b).’’; and 

3 (D) in subsection (d)— 

4 (i) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 

5 and (2) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respec6 tively; 

7 (ii) in paragraph (2), as redesignated 

8 by clause (i), by striking ‘‘subsection 

9 (b)(1)(C)(vii)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph 

10 (1)’’; and 

11 (iii) by inserting before paragraph (2), 

12 as redesignated by clause (i), the following: 

13 ‘‘(1) HIGH-NEED DESIGNATION.—The Sec14 retary shall develop, periodically update, and publish 

15 a list of designated high-need fields for purposes of 

16 this subpart.’’. 

17 (b) SIMPLIFICATION OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS

18 AND STREAMLINING THE TEACH GRANT DISPUTE PROC19 ESS.—Section 420P of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

20 (20 U.S.C. 1070g–4) is amended— 

21 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘; PRO22 GRAM IMPROVEMENT’’ after ‘‘PROGRAM RE23 PORT’’; 

24 (2) by striking ‘‘Not later’’ and inserting the 

25 following: 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
27 

•S 2370 IS

1 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM REPORT.—Not later’’; and 

2 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM IMPROVEMENT.—By not later than 6 

4 months after the date of enactment of the Supporting the 

5 Teaching Profession through Revitalizing Investments in 

6 Valuable Educators Act, and periodically thereafter, the 

7 Secretary shall— 

8 ‘‘(1) work with States to identify and imple9 ment a process for increasing awareness of, and sim10 plifying the application process for— 

11 ‘‘(A) TEACH Grants; 

12 ‘‘(B) loan forgiveness, in accordance with 

13 section 420N(c)(2), for any amount of a 

14 TEACH Grant to a student that is converted to 

15 a loan under section 420N(c)(1); and 

16 ‘‘(C) waivers of the service obligation for 

17 TEACH Grants, in accordance with section 

18 420N(d)(3); and 

19 ‘‘(2)(A) review the procedures, including the 

20 dispute resolution procedures, of the process through 

21 which the service obligation of a recipient of a 

22 TEACH grant is converted to a loan under section 

23 420N(c)(1) or waived under such 420N(d)(3); and 

24 ‘‘(B) disseminate and make publicly available 

25 and easily accessible to the appropriate audiences 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
28 

•S 2370 IS

1 clear, consistent information on the procedures, in2 cluding— 

3 ‘‘(i) an explanation that recipients have an 

4 option to dispute the conversion or waiver deci5 sion; 

6 ‘‘(ii) how a recipient can initiate a dispute; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(iii) the specific criteria considered in the 

9 adjudicating process.’’. 

10 (c) DATA REGARDING FEDERAL LOAN FORGIVENESS

11 AND SERVICE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS.—Each year, the 

12 Secretary of Education shall prepare and make publicly 

13 available data on the Federal loan forgiveness and service 

14 scholarship programs administered by the Secretary, in15 cluding, for each program and for the most recent year 

16 for which data are available, the rates of loan cancellation 

17 under such program, the rates of completion of any service 

18 requirement required for the program, and the conversion 

19 rate regarding how many grants or scholarships are con20 verted to loans for repayment based on the student’s fail21 ure to complete the program or any required service obli22 gation. 

23 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section, and the amend24 ments made by this section, shall take effect on July 1, 

25 2018. 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
29 

•S 2370 IS

1 SEC. 203. PROGRAM TO SUBSIDIZE TEACHER CERTIFI2 CATION AND LICENSING FEES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart 9 of part A of title IV 

4 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g 

5 et seq.), as amended by this title, is further amended by 

6 adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 420Q. PROGRAM TO SUBSIDIZE TEACHER CERTIFI8 CATION AND LICENSING FEES. 

9 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 ‘‘(1) LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUAL.—The term 

11 ‘low-income individual’ has the meaning given the 

12 term in section 402A(h). 

13 ‘‘(2) TEACHING PROFESSION.—The term 

14 ‘teaching profession’ includes elementary education, 

15 secondary education, and early childhood education. 

16 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From amounts ap17 propriated under subsection (g), the Secretary shall carry 

18 out a program of awarding grants to State educational 

19 agencies, through allotments described in subsection (c), 

20 to enable the State educational agencies to subsidize 

21 teacher certification and licensing fees for low-income indi22 viduals who are entering the teaching profession. 

23 ‘‘(c) ALLOTMENTS.—Each State submitting an ap24 proved application under this section for a fiscal year shall 

25 receive an allotment that bears the same ratio to the total 

26 amount made available under this section for such fiscal 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
30 

•S 2370 IS

1 year as the number of local educational agencies located 

2 in the State bears to the total number of local educational 

3 agencies in all States with approved applications. 

4 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—A State educational agency de5 siring a grant under this section shall submit to the Sec6 retary an application at such time, in such manner, and 

7 containing such information as the Secretary may require. 

8 ‘‘(e) USE OF FUNDS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State educational agency 

10 receiving a grant under this section for a fiscal year 

11 shall use grant funds to reimburse or subsidize the 

12 teacher or early childhood educator examination and 

13 other certification or licensure fees for a low-income 

14 individual entering the teaching profession who re15 sides in, and attended a teacher preparation pro16 gram in, the State, which may include fees for— 

17 ‘‘(A) additional certification or licensure 

18 for the individual in a high-need field included 

19 on the list described in section 420N(d)(1); 

20 ‘‘(B) National Board certification; 

21 ‘‘(C) maintaining active status with a pro22 fessional disciplinary organization aligned with 

23 the high-need field included on the list de24 scribed in section 420N(d)(1); or 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
31 

•S 2370 IS

1 ‘‘(D) in the case of early childhood edu2 cators, further education necessary in order to 

3 become highly competent and successfully take 

4 such examination or obtain such certification or 

5 licensure (such as English as a second language 

6 classes, community college courses, and con7 tinuing and distance education). 

8 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY IN REIMBURSEMENT.—A State 

9 educational agency receiving a grant under this sec10 tion shall, in reimbursing or subsidizing fees in ac11 cordance with paragraph (1), give a priority to 

12 teachers and early childhood educators who are 

13 members of populations underrepresented in the 

14 teaching or early childhood care profession, respec15 tively. 

16 ‘‘(f) ADDITIONAL FUNDS.—Grant funds made avail17 able under this section to a State educational agency shall 

18 remain available to the State until expended. 

19 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

20 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

21 $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2019 and each of the 5 suc22 ceeding fiscal years.’’. 

23 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

24 this section shall take effect on July 1, 2018. 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
32 

•S 2370 IS

1 TITLE III—TEACHER QUALITY 

2 PARTNERSHIPS 

3 SEC. 301. PURPOSE. 

4 The purposes of this title are— 

5 (1) to ensure that early childhood educators 

6 have the financial and academic support needed to 

7 remain in the profession; and 

8 (2) to strengthen the quality of early childhood 

9 education teaching supports. 

10 SEC. 302. PROVIDING ACCESS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD 

11 EDUCATORS TO TRAINING PROGRAMS. 

12 (a) DEFINITION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

13 PROGRAM.—Section 103(8)(C)(i) of the Higher Education 

14 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1003(8)(C)(i)) is amended by 

15 striking ‘‘age six’’ and inserting ‘‘age six, or the age of 

16 entry into elementary school, and’’. 

17 (b) BROADENING DEFINITIONS.—Section 200 of the 

18 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021) is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘and includes 

21 an individual employed as a master teacher, lead 

22 teacher, or classroom aide’’ before the period at the 

23 end; 

24 (2) in paragraph (6)(A)(ii)(II), by striking ‘‘as 

25 applicable,’’; 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
33 

•S 2370 IS

1 (3) in paragraph (14)— 

2 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

3 (A)— 

4 (i) by inserting ‘‘, and for new early 

5 childhood educators during not less than 

6 the educators’ first two years of teaching,’’ 

7 after ‘‘two years of teaching’’; and 

8 (ii) by inserting ‘‘or beginning early 

9 childhood educators’’ after ‘‘beginning 

10 teachers’’; 

11 (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

12 ‘‘teacher mentoring’’ and inserting ‘‘teacher and 

13 educator mentoring’’; 

14 (C) in subparagraph (B)— 

15 (i) by inserting ‘‘or early childhood 

16 educators, as the case may be,’’ after ‘‘with 

17 teachers’’; 

18 (ii) by striking ‘‘mentor teachers’’ and 

19 inserting ‘‘mentor teachers or early child20 hood educators’’; and 

21 (iii) by inserting ‘‘or early childhood 

22 educators’’ after ‘‘among teachers’’; 

23 (D) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘new 

24 teachers’’ and inserting ‘‘new teachers and new 

25 early childhood educators’’; 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
34 

•S 2370 IS

1 (E) in subparagraph (F)(ii), by inserting 

2 ‘‘and early childhood educators’’ after ‘‘teach3 ers’’; 

4 (F) in subparagraph (G)— 

5 (i) by inserting ‘‘and exemplary early 

6 childhood educators’’ after ‘‘exemplary 

7 teachers’’; and 

8 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and early childhood 

9 educators’’ after ‘‘new teachers’’; and 

10 (G) in subparagraph (I), by inserting ‘‘and 

11 early childhood educators’’ after ‘‘new teach12 ers’’; 

13 (4) in paragraph (21)— 

14 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

15 ‘‘TEACHER MENTORING’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘TEACHER AND EDUCATOR MENTORING’’; 

17 (B) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

18 (A)— 

19 (i) by striking ‘‘teacher mentoring’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘teacher and educator men21 toring’’; and 

22 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and early childhood 

23 educators’’ after ‘‘prospective teachers’’; 

24 (C) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

25 ‘‘teacher mentors’’ and inserting ‘‘mentor 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
35 

•S 2370 IS

1 teachers or, in the case of prospective early 

2 childhood educators, mentor early childhood 

3 educators,’’; and 

4 (D) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘, 

5 or in a high-need early childhood education pro6 gram,’’ after ‘‘local educational agency’’; and 

7 (5) in paragraph (22)— 

8 (A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 

9 ‘‘TEACHING RESIDENCY PROGRAM’’ and insert10 ing ‘‘TEACHER AND EDUCATOR RESIDENCY

11 PROGRAM’’; 

12 (B) in the matter preceding subclause 

13 (A)— 

14 (i) by striking ‘‘teaching residency 

15 program’’ and inserting ‘‘teacher or educa16 tor residency program’’; 

17 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, or an early child18 hood education program-based preparation 

19 program for early childhood educators,’’ 

20 after ‘‘teacher preparation program’’; and 

21 (iii) by inserting ‘‘or early childhood 

22 educator’’ after ‘‘prospective teacher’’; 

23 (C) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

24 ‘‘mentor teacher’’ and inserting ‘‘mentor teach25 er or early childhood educator’’; 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
36 

•S 2370 IS

1 (D) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘or 

2 early childhood educator’’ after ‘‘the teacher’’; 

3 and 

4 (E) by striking subparagraph (D) and in5 serting the following: 

6 ‘‘(D) prior to completion of the program— 

7 ‘‘(i) in the case of a prospective teach8 er— 

9 ‘‘(I) attains full State certifi10 cation or licensure and, with respect 

11 to a special education teacher, meets 

12 the qualifications described in section 

13 612(a)(14)(C) of the Individuals with 

14 Disabilities Education Act; and 

15 ‘‘(II) acquires a master’s degree 

16 not later than 18 months after begin17 ning the program; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a prospective early 

19 childhood educator— 

20 ‘‘(I) becomes highly competent; 

21 ‘‘(II) attains full State certifi22 cation or licensure; and 

23 ‘‘(III) acquires a baccalaureate 

24 degree or an associate’s degree not 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
37 

•S 2370 IS

1 later than 6 years after beginning the 

2 program.’’. 

3 (c) EXPANDING PURPOSES.—Section 201 of the 

4 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022) is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

7 (A) by inserting ‘‘and early childhood edu8 cators’’ after ‘‘prospective and new teachers’’; 

9 (B) by inserting ‘‘and early childhood edu10 cators’’ after ‘‘prospective teachers’’; and 

11 (C) by inserting ‘‘and early childhood edu12 cators’’ after ‘‘for new teachers’’; 

13 (2) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘and early 

14 childhood educators’’ after ‘‘preparing teachers’’; 

15 and 

16 (3) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘and early 

17 childhood education’’ before ‘‘force’’. 

18 (d) INCLUDING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS IN

19 PARTNERSHIP GRANTS.—Section 202 of the Higher Edu20 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022a) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘, as ap23 plicable,’’; 

24 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘and 

25 early childhood educators’’ after ‘‘teachers’’; 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
38 

•S 2370 IS

1 (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘and 

2 early childhood educators’’ after ‘‘teachers’’; 

3 (D) in paragraph (4)— 

4 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

5 ‘‘or early childhood educator’’ after ‘‘teach6 er’’; and 

7 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

8 ‘‘or early childhood educator’’ after ‘‘teach9 er’’; 

10 (E) in paragraph (6)— 

11 (i) in subparagraph (E)(i), by striking 

12 ‘‘, as appropriate,’’; 

13 (ii) in subparagraph (F), by inserting 

14 ‘‘and early childhood educators’’ after 

15 ‘‘general education teachers’’; and 

16 (iii) in subparagraph (G), by inserting 

17 ‘‘and early childhood educators’’ after 

18 ‘‘special education teachers’’; and 

19 (F) in paragraph (7)— 

20 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

21 ‘‘and early childhood educators’’ after 

22 ‘‘prepare teachers’’; and 

23 (ii) in subparagraph (C)— 

24 (I) by striking ‘‘new teachers’’ 

25 each place the term appears and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:24 Feb 06, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2370.IS S2370

SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
39 

•S 2370 IS

1 serting ‘‘new teachers and new early 

2 childhood educators’’; 

3 (II) by striking ‘‘high-need local 

4 educational agency’’ each place the 

5 term appears and inserting ‘‘high6 need local educational agency or early 

7 childhood education program’’; and 

8 (III) by striking ‘‘new teachers’ 

9 teaching skills’’ and inserting ‘‘teach10 ing skills of the new teachers and new 

11 early childhood educators’’; 

12 (2) in subsection (c)(1)— 

13 (A) by inserting ‘‘and early childhood edu14 cators’’ after ‘‘teachers’’; and 

15 (B) by striking ‘‘teaching residency pro16 gram’’ and inserting ‘‘teacher and educator 

17 residency program’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (d)— 

19 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

20 (i) in subparagraph (A)— 

21 (I) in the matter preceding clause 

22 (i), by striking ‘‘, as applicable,’’; 

23 (II) in clause (i)— 

24 (aa) in subclause (II), by 

25 striking ‘‘, as applicable,’’; and 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
40 

•S 2370 IS

1 (bb) in subclause (III), by 

2 striking ‘‘as applicable,’’; and 

3 (III) in clause (ii), by striking 

4 ‘‘and, as applicable, techniques for 

5 early childhood educators’’ and insert6 ing ‘‘and, for early childhood edu7 cators, techniques,’’; and 

8 (ii) in subparagraph (B)(ii)— 

9 (I) in the matter preceding sub10 clause (I), by striking ‘‘, as applica11 ble,’’; and 

12 (II) in subclause (IV)— 

13 (aa) in item (aa), by striking 

14 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

15 (bb) in item (bb), by insert16 ing ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

17 and 

18 (cc) by adding at the end 

19 the following: 

20 ‘‘(cc) provide culturally re21 sponsive and inclusive learning 

22 environments for all students;’’; 

23 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (i) in the matter preceding subpara25 graph (A), by striking ‘‘, as applicable,’’; 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
41 

•S 2370 IS

1 (ii) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by strik2 ing ‘‘(as applicable)’’; and 

3 (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

4 ‘‘teacher mentoring’’ and inserting ‘‘teach5 er and educator mentoring’’; 

6 (C) in paragraph (5)— 

7 (i) in the paragraph heading, by in8 serting ‘‘AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCA9 TOR’’ after ‘‘TEACHER’’; 

10 (ii) in the matter preceding subpara11 graph (A)— 

12 (I) by inserting ‘‘or early child13 hood educators’’ after ‘‘become teach14 ers’’; and 

15 (II) by striking ‘‘teaching profes16 sion’’ and inserting ‘‘teaching and 

17 early childhood education profession’’; 

18 and 

19 (iii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

20 ‘‘or early childhood educator’’ after ‘‘teach21 er’’; and 

22 (D) in paragraph (6), in the matter pre23 ceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘and 

24 early childhood educators’’ after ‘‘teachers’’; 

25 (4) in subsection (e)— 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
42 

•S 2370 IS

1 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

2 ‘‘TEACHING RESIDENCY’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘TEACHER AND EDUCATOR RESIDENCY’’; 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘teaching residency’’ each 

5 place the term appears and inserting ‘‘teacher 

6 and educator residency’’; 

7 (C) in paragraph (1)— 

8 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

9 ‘‘or high-need early childhood education 

10 program’’ before ‘‘in the partnership’’; 

11 (ii) in subparagraph (B)— 

12 (I) by inserting ‘‘or early child13 hood education program’’ after ‘‘re14 ceiving school’’; and 

15 (II) by striking ‘‘mentor teach16 ers’’ and inserting ‘‘mentor teachers 

17 or early childhood educators’’; and 

18 (iii) in subparagraph (C)— 

19 (I) in the matter preceding clause 

20 (i), by striking ‘‘teaching residents’’ 

21 and inserting ‘‘teacher or early child22 hood educator residents’’; 

23 (II) in clause (ii), by striking 

24 ‘‘teacher mentoring’’ and inserting 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
43 

•S 2370 IS

1 ‘‘teacher and educator mentoring’’; 

2 and 

3 (III) in clause (iii), by striking 

4 ‘‘new teachers’’ and inserting ‘‘new 

5 teachers or early childhood edu6 cators’’; and 

7 (D) in paragraph (2)— 

8 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik9 ing ‘‘TEACHING’’ and inserting ‘‘TEACHER

10 AND EDUCATOR’’; 

11 (ii) in subparagraph (A)— 

12 (I) in the matter preceding clause 

13 (i)— 

14 (aa) by striking ‘‘teaching 

15 residencies’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘teacher and educator 

17 residencies’’; 

18 (bb) by inserting ‘‘and early 

19 childhood educators’’ after 

20 ‘‘teachers’’; and 

21 (cc) by inserting ‘‘and high22 need early childhood education 

23 programs’’ after ‘‘high-need 

24 schools’’; 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
44 

•S 2370 IS

1 (II) in clause (i), by striking 

2 ‘‘teacher mentoring’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘teacher and educator mentoring’’; 

4 (III) in clause (iii)— 

5 (aa) in the matter preceding 

6 subclause (I), by striking ‘‘men7 tor teacher’’ and inserting ‘‘men8 tor teacher or early childhood ed9 ucator’’; 

10 (bb) in subclause (II), by in11 serting ‘‘and early childhood edu12 cators’’ after ‘‘new teachers’’; 

13 (cc) in subclause (III), by 

14 striking ‘‘teaching duties’’ and 

15 inserting ‘‘teaching or educating 

16 duties’’; and 

17 (dd) in subclause (IV), by 

18 inserting ‘‘or early childhood edu19 cators’’ after ‘‘teachers’’; 

20 (IV) in clause (iv), by striking 

21 ‘‘mentor teachers’’ and inserting 

22 ‘‘mentor teachers and early childhood 

23 educators’’; 

24 (V) in clause (vi)— 

25 (aa) in subclause (I)— 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
45 

•S 2370 IS

1 (AA) by inserting ‘‘or 

2 early childhood education 

3 program’’ after ‘‘local edu4 cational agency’’; and 

5 (BB) by inserting ‘‘or 

6 program’’ after ‘‘such agen7 cy’’; and 

8 (bb) in subclause (II), by in9 serting ‘‘or early childhood edu10 cation’’ after ‘‘teaching’’; and 

11 (VI) in clause (vii)— 

12 (aa) by striking ‘‘teaching 

13 residents’’ and inserting ‘‘teacher 

14 or educator residents’’; 

15 (bb) by inserting ‘‘or early 

16 childhood educators’’ after 

17 ‘‘teachers’’; and 

18 (cc) by inserting ‘‘or work as 

19 an early childhood educator’’ 

20 after ‘‘two years of teaching’’; 

21 and 

22 (iii) in subparagraph (C)— 

23 (I) in clause (i), by striking 

24 ‘‘teaching residents’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘teacher and educator residents’’; 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
46 

•S 2370 IS

1 (II) in clause (ii), by striking 

2 ‘‘teacher residency’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘teacher or educator residency’’; 

4 (III) in clause (iii)— 

5 (aa) in subclause (I), by in6 serting ‘‘or early childhood edu7 cator’’ after ‘‘teacher’’; 

8 (bb) by striking subclause 

9 (II) and inserting the following: 

10 ‘‘(II)(aa) in the case of a teacher 

11 applicant, fulfill the requirement 

12 under subclause (I) by teaching in a 

13 high-need school served by the high14 need local educational agency in the 

15 eligible partnership and teach a sub16 ject or area that is designated as high 

17 need by the partnership; or 

18 ‘‘(bb) in the case of an early 

19 childhood educator applicant, fulfill 

20 the requirement under subclause (I) 

21 by teaching in a high-need early child22 hood education program;’’; and 

23 (cc) in subclause (IV), by in24 serting ‘‘, or, in the case of an 

25 early childhood educator, will be 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
47 

•S 2370 IS

1 highly competent,’’ after ‘‘Act,’’; 

2 and 

3 (IV) in clause (iv)— 

4 (aa) in subclause (I), by 

5 striking ‘‘A grantee carrying out’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘Subject to sub7 clause (II), a grantee carrying 

8 out’’; 

9 (bb) by redesignating sub10 clauses (II) and (III) as sub11 clauses (III) and (IV), respec12 tively; 

13 (cc) by inserting after sub14 clause (I) the following: 

15 ‘‘(II) EXCEPTIONS TO REPAY16 MENT REQUIREMENT.—An eligible 

17 partnership carrying out a teacher 

18 and educator residency program 

19 under this paragraph shall not require 

20 repayment under this clause by a re21 cipient if the recipient is unable to 

22 complete the teacher and educator 

23 residency program, or the service re24 quirement, due to— 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
48 

•S 2370 IS

1 ‘‘(aa) extenuating or unfore2 seen financial circumstances, 

3 health reasons, or personal or 

4 family obligations; 

5 ‘‘(bb) incapacitation; 

6 ‘‘(cc) inability to secure em7 ployment in a school served by 

8 the eligible partnership; 

9 ‘‘(dd) being called to active 

10 duty in the armed forces of the 

11 United States; or 

12 ‘‘(ee) other extraordinary 

13 circumstances.’’; and 

14 (dd) in subclause (III), as 

15 redesignated by item (bb), by 

16 striking ‘‘on grounds’’ and all 

17 that follows through the period at 

18 the end and inserting ‘‘on 

19 grounds not covered under sub20 clause (II).’’; 

21 (5) in subsection (f)(1)— 

22 (A) in subparagraph (B)— 

23 (i) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘or early 

24 childhood education program’’ after 

25 ‘‘school’’; 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
49 

•S 2370 IS

1 (ii) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘or 

2 early childhood educators’’ after ‘‘teach3 ers’’; 

4 (iii) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘teach5 er instruction and drive teacher and stu6 dent learning’’ and inserting ‘‘teacher or 

7 early childhood educator instruction and 

8 drive the learning of teachers or early 

9 childhood educators, and students’’; and 

10 (iv) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘school 

11 environment’’ and inserting ‘‘school or 

12 early childhood education program environ13 ment’’; and 

14 (B) in subparagraph (D)(i)— 

15 (i) in subclause (I), by inserting ‘‘, or 

16 in high-need early childhood education pro17 grams’’ before the semicolon at the end; 

18 and 

19 (ii) in subclause (II)— 

20 (I) by inserting ‘‘or early child21 hood educators’’ after ‘‘teachers’’; and 

22 (II) by inserting ‘‘or high-need 

23 early childhood education programs’’ 

24 before the period at the end; and 

25 (6) in subsection (g)— 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
50 

•S 2370 IS

1 (A) by inserting ‘‘or early childhood educa2 tor’’ after ‘‘pre-baccalaureate teacher’’; and 

3 (B) by inserting ‘‘or early childhood edu4 cators’’ before the period at the end. 

5 (e) ACCOUNTABILITY, EVALUATION, AND INFORMA6 TION.—Section 204 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

7 (20 U.S.C. 1022c) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)— 

9 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or 

10 early childhood educators’’ after ‘‘teachers’’; 

11 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘, and 

12 early childhood educator retention in the first 

13 three years of an early childhood educator’s ca14 reer’’ before the semicolon at the end; 

15 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

16 (i) by inserting ‘‘(A)’’ before ‘‘im17 provement’’; and 

18 (ii) by adding at the end the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘(B) in the case of eligible partnerships of21 fering programs that lead to State certification 

22 or licensure of early childhood educators, im23 provement in the pass rates and scaled scores 

24 for initial State certification or licensure of 

25 early childhood educators; and’’; and 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
51 

•S 2370 IS

1 (D) in paragraph (4)(F), by striking ‘‘as 

2 applicable,’’; and 

3 (2) in subsection (b)— 

4 (A) by striking ‘‘shall ensure’’ and insert5 ing the following: ‘‘shall— 

6 ‘‘(1) ensure’’; and 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘part.’’ and inserting the 

8 following: ‘‘part; and 

9 ‘‘(2) in the case of an eligible partnership that 

10 offers an early childhood education program that 

11 does not lead to State licensure or certification as an 

12 early childhood educator, clearly indicate that fact in 

13 the information provided regarding the early child14 hood program through the grant and any reports 

15 submitted under this part.’’. 

16 (f) ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PREPARATION PRO17 GRAMS.—Section 205 of the Higher Education Act of 

18 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022d) is amended— 

19 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘AND

20 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS’’ after ‘‘TEACH21 ERS’’; 

22 (2) by redesignating subsections (c) through (e) 

23 as subsections (d) through (f), respectively; 

24 (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol25 lowing: 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
52 

•S 2370 IS

1 ‘‘(c) STATE REPORT CARD ON THE QUALITY OF

2 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each State that receives 

4 funds under this Act shall provide to the Secretary, 

5 and make widely available to the general public, in 

6 a uniform and comprehensible manner that conforms 

7 with the definitions and methods established by the 

8 Secretary, an annual State report card on the qual9 ity of early childhood educator preparation programs 

10 that lead to early childhood educator licensure or 

11 certification in the State. 

12 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL CONTENT.—Each State re13 port card issued under this subsection shall also in14 clude an explanation of— 

15 ‘‘(A) how the State is making early child16 hood educators aware of available tax credit 

17 programs, scholarship programs, and loan pro18 grams; and 

19 ‘‘(B) how the State is implementing or de20 signing flexible early childhood educator prepa21 ration programs.’’; and 

22 (4) in subsection (e), as redesignated by para23 graph (2)— 

24 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and on 

25 early childhood educator qualifications and 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
53 

•S 2370 IS

1 preparation in the United States, including the 

2 information described in subsection (c)(2)’’ 

3 after ‘‘subsection (b)(1)’’; and 

4 (B) in each of subparagraphs (A) and (B) 

5 of paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘teaching force’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘teacher and early childhood edu7 cator force’’. 

8 SEC. 303. MANDATORY FUNDING FOR TEACHER QUALITY 

9 PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. 

10 Section 209 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

11 U.S.C. 1022h) is amended to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘SEC. 209. AUTHORIZATION AND APPROPRIATIONS. 

13 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

14 this part, and there are appropriated, out of any money 

15 in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $300,000,000 

16 for fiscal year 2018 and each subsequent fiscal year.’’. 

17 TITLE IV—INCREASING AND EX18 PANDING TAX DEDUCTION 

19 FOR TEACHERS 

20 SEC. 401. INCREASE IN AND EXPANSION OF DEDUCTION 

21 FOR EXPENSES OF ELEMENTARY AND SEC22 ONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS. 

23 (a) INCREASE.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subparagraph (D) of section 

25 62(a)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
54 

•S 2370 IS

1 amended by striking ‘‘$250’’ and inserting ‘‘$500 

2 ($1,500 in the case of an eligible educator teaching 

3 in a high-need school, as described in section 

4 465(2)(A) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, or 

5 as an early childhood educator)’’. 

6 (2) INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.—Section 

7 62(d)(3) of such Code is amended— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘2015’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘2018’’; 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘the $250 amount’’ and in11 serting ‘‘each of the dollar amounts’’; and 

12 (C) by striking ‘‘2014’’ in subparagraph 

13 (B) thereof and inserting ‘‘2017’’. 

14 (b) EXPANSION TO EARLY CHILDHOOD EDU15 CATORS.—Section 62(d)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code 

16 of 1986 is amended— 

17 (1) by striking ‘‘who is a kindergarten’’ and in18 serting ‘‘who is— 

19 ‘‘(A) a kindergarten’’; 

20 (2) by striking the period at the end and insert21 ing ‘‘, and’’; and 

22 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub23 paragraph: 

24 ‘‘(B) an early childhood educator (as de25 fined in section 200 of the Higher Education 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS
55 

•S 2370 IS

1 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021)) in an early 

2 childhood education program (as defined in sec3 tion 103 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1003)) for at 

4 least 1,020 hours during a year.’’. 

5 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

6 this section shall apply to amounts paid or incurred in tax7 able years beginning after the date of the enactment of 

8 this Act. 

Æ 


SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with BILLS