I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5478 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish the Honorable 

Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 

Mr. GALLEGO (for himself, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. HOULAHAN, and Ms. ADAMS) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Education and the Workforce 

A BILL 

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to establish 

the Honorable Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Teacher Diversity and 

5 Retention Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. HONORABLE AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS CENTERS OF 

2 EXCELLENCE. 

3 Part B of title II of the Higher Education Act of 

4 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1031 et seq.) is amended to read as fol5 lows: 

6 ‘‘PART B—ENHANCING TEACHER EDUCATION 

7 ‘‘SEC. 230. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

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

9 this part $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each of 

10 the 5 succeeding fiscal years. 

11 ‘‘Subpart 1—Honorable Augustus F. Hawkins Centers 

12 of Excellence 

13 ‘‘SEC. 231. FINDINGS. 

14 ‘‘Congress finds the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) Our Nation’s schools are experiencing a 

16 severe diversity gap that negatively impacts student 

17 achievement and school culture—50 percent of cur18 rent students are from minority groups while only 

19 18 percent of teachers are from such groups, accord20 ing to a 2016 study by the Brookings Institution. 

21 ‘‘(2) A 2016 report conducted by the Depart22 ment of Education shows that teachers of color tend 

23 to provide more culturally relevant teaching and bet24 ter understand the situations that students of color 

25 may face. These factors help develop trusting teach26 er-student relationships. Researchers from VanderVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:02 Sep 16, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5478.IH H5478

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1 bilt University also found that greater racial and 

2 ethnic diversity in the principal corps benefits stu3 dents, especially students of color. 

4 ‘‘(3) Minority teachers and school leaders can 

5 also serve as cultural ambassadors who help stu6 dents feel more welcome at school or as role models. 

7 ‘‘(4) Research shows that increasing diversity in 

8 the teaching profession can have positive impacts on 

9 student educational experiences and outcomes. Stu10 dents of color demonstrate greater academic achieve11 ment and social-emotional development in classes 

12 with teachers of color. Studies also suggest that all 

13 students, including White students, benefit from 

14 having teachers of color because they bring distinc15 tive knowledge, experiences, and role modeling to the 

16 student body as a whole. 

17 ‘‘SEC. 232. PURPOSE. 

18 ‘‘The purpose of this subpart is to strengthen and 

19 expand the recruitment, training, and retention of diverse 

20 candidates into the teaching profession. 

21 ‘‘SEC. 233. ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION DEFINED. 

22 ‘‘In this subpart, the term ‘eligible institution’ means 

23 an institution of higher education that has a teacher or 

24 school leader preparation program that is a accredited by 

25 the State and that is— 


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1 ‘‘(1) a part B institution (as defined in section 

2 322); 

3 ‘‘(2) a Hispanic-serving institution (as defined 

4 in section 502); 

5 ‘‘(3) a Tribal college or university (as defined in 

6 section 316); 

7 ‘‘(4) an Alaska Native-serving institution (as 

8 defined in section 317(b)); 

9 ‘‘(5) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as 

10 defined in section 317(b)); 

11 ‘‘(6) a predominantly Black institution (as de12 fined in section 318); 

13 ‘‘(7) an Asian-American and Native American 

14 Pacific Islander-serving institution (as defined in 

15 section 320(b)); 

16 ‘‘(8) a Native American-serving, nontribal insti17 tution (as defined in section 319); 

18 ‘‘(9) a consortium of any of the institutions de19 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (8); or 

20 ‘‘(10) any institution described in paragraphs 

21 (1) through (8) in which a center of excellence es22 tablished under section 234 is located, in partner23 ship with any other institution of higher education. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 234. AUGUSTUS F. HAWKINS CENTERS OF EXCEL2 LENCE. 

3 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts 

4 provided to carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall 

5 award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible institu6 tions to establish centers of excellence. 

7 ‘‘(b) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible institution shall 

8 use a grant received under this subpart to ensure that pro9 grams offered at a center of excellence established by such 

10 institution prepare current and future teachers or school 

11 leaders to be profession-ready, and meet the applicable 

12 State certification and licensure requirements, including 

13 any requirements for certification obtained through alter14 native routes to certification, or, with regard to special 

15 education teachers, the qualifications described in section 

16 612(a)(14) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 

17 Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(14)(C)), by carrying out one or 

18 more of the following activities: 

19 ‘‘(1) Implementing reforms within teacher or 

20 school leader preparation programs to ensure that 

21 such programs are preparing teachers or school lead22 ers who meet such applicable State certification and 

23 licensure requirements or qualifications, are using 

24 evidence-based instructional practices to improve 

25 student academic achievement, by— 

26 ‘‘(A) retraining or recruiting faculty; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) designing (or redesigning) teacher or 

2 school leader preparation programs that— 

3 ‘‘(i) prepare teachers or school leaders 

4 to serve in low-performing schools and 

5 close student achievement gaps, and that 

6 are based on rigorous academic content, 

7 evidence-based research, and challenging 

8 State academic standards as described in 

9 section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and 

10 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

11 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)); and 

12 ‘‘(ii) promote effective teaching skills. 

13 ‘‘(2) Providing sustained and high-quality 

14 preservice clinical experience, including the men15 toring of prospective teachers by teacher leaders, 

16 substantially increasing interaction between faculty 

17 at institutions of higher education and new and ex18 perienced teachers, principals, school leaders, and 

19 other administrators at elementary schools or sec20 ondary schools, and providing support, including 

21 preparation time, for such interaction. 

22 ‘‘(3) Developing and implementing initiatives to 

23 promote retention of teachers who meet such appli24 cable State certification and licensure requirements 

25 or qualifications, and principals and other school 


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1 leaders, including minority teachers, principals and 

2 other school leaders, including programs that pro3 vide— 

4 ‘‘(A) teacher or principal and other school 

5 leader mentoring; and 

6 ‘‘(B) induction and support for teachers 

7 and principals and other school leaders during 

8 their first three years of employment as teach9 ers, principals, or other school leaders, respec10 tively. 

11 ‘‘(4) Awarding scholarships based on financial 

12 need to help students pay the costs of tuition, room, 

13 board, and other expenses of completing a teacher or 

14 other school leader preparation program, not to ex15 ceed the cost of attendance as defined in section 

16 472. 

17 ‘‘(5) Disseminating information on effective 

18 practices for teacher or other school leader prepara19 tion and successful teacher or other school leader 

20 certification and licensure assessment preparation 

21 strategies. 

22 ‘‘(6) Activities authorized under section 202. 

23 ‘‘(c) APPLICATION.—Any eligible institution desiring 

24 a grant under this subpart shall submit an application to 


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1 the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accom2 panied by such information as the Secretary may require. 

3 ‘‘(d) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 

4 An eligible institution that receives a grant under this sub5 part may use not more than 2 percent of the funds pro6 vided to administer the grant. 

7 ‘‘(e) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall prescribe 

8 such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this 

9 subpart. 

10 ‘‘Subpart 2—Preparing Well-Rounded Teachers 

11 ‘‘SEC. 241. WELL-ROUNDED TEACHING GRANTS. 

12 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

13 ‘‘(1) students have diverse learning needs and 

14 teachers must be prepared to provide a high-quality, 

15 equitable education to every child; 

16 ‘‘(2) improving the pedagogical competencies, 

17 behavior management skills, and cultural com18 petencies of teacher candidates prepares them to ef19 fectively teach students from diverse backgrounds 

20 and increases the likelihood they will remain in the 

21 profession; and 

22 ‘‘(3) teachers who hold dual certification and 

23 receive training in social and emotional learning 

24 competencies and nonexclusionary, positive behavior 

25 management practices are better prepared to create 


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1 a supportive school climate and meet the needs of all 

2 students, including English learners, racially diverse 

3 students, students with disabilities, low-income stu4 dents, and students who have experienced trauma. 

5 ‘‘(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this subpart is to— 

6 ‘‘(1) strengthen and expand teacher preparation 

7 programs that embed dual certification for teacher 

8 candidates in special education; and 

9 ‘‘(2) strengthen and expand teacher preparation 

10 programs that embed training on social and emo11 tional learning competencies and nonexclusionary, 

12 positive behavior management practices to teacher 

13 candidates. 

14 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF PROGRAM.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts pro16 vided to carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall 

17 award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 

18 partnerships to improve the preparation of general 

19 education teacher candidates to ensure that such 

20 teacher candidates possess the knowledge, skills, and 

21 credentials necessary to effectively instruct students 

22 with disabilities in general education classrooms, and 

23 an understanding of positive behavior-management 

24 practices that reduce the use of exclusionary and 


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1 aversive disciplinary practices and create a sup2 portive school climate. 

3 ‘‘(2) DURATION OF GRANTS.—A grant under 

4 this subpart shall be awarded for a period of not 

5 more than 5 years. 

6 ‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—An eligible part7 nership that receives a grant under this subpart 

8 shall provide not less than 25 percent of the cost of 

9 the activities carried out with such grant from non10 Federal sources, which may be provided in cash or 

11 in-kind. 

12 ‘‘(d) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—In 

13 this section, the term ‘eligible partnership’ means a part14 nership that— 

15 ‘‘(1) shall include— 

16 ‘‘(A) one or more departments or programs 

17 at an institution of higher education— 

18 ‘‘(i) that prepare elementary or sec19 ondary general education teachers; 

20 ‘‘(ii) that have a program of study 

21 that leads to an undergraduate degree, a 

22 master’s degree, or completion of a 

23 postbaccalaureate program required for 

24 teacher certification; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) the profession-ready graduates 

2 of which meet the applicable State certifi3 cation and licensure requirements, includ4 ing any requirements for certification ob5 tained through alternative routes to certifi6 cation, or, with regard to special education 

7 teachers, the qualifications described in 

8 section 612(a)(14)(C) of the Individuals 

9 with Disabilities Education Act; 

10 ‘‘(B) a department or program that has 

11 expertise in special education at an institution 

12 of higher education; and 

13 ‘‘(C) a high-need local educational agency; 

14 and 

15 ‘‘(2) may include— 

16 ‘‘(A) a department or program of mathe17 matics, earth or physical science, foreign lan18 guage, or another department at the institution 

19 that has a role in preparing teachers; or 

20 ‘‘(B) a nonprofit, research-based organiza21 tion. 

22 ‘‘(e) ACTIVITIES.—An eligible partnership that re23 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds 

24 to— 


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1 ‘‘(1) develop or strengthen an undergraduate, 

2 postbaccalaureate, or master’s teacher preparation 

3 program by integrating special education pedagogy 

4 into the general education curriculum and academic 

5 content that result in applicable dual State certifi6 cation for teacher candidates who complete the pro7 gram; 

8 ‘‘(2) develop or strengthen an undergraduate, 

9 postbaccalaureate, or master’s teacher preparation 

10 program by embedding social and emotional learning 

11 strategies and nonexclusionary, positive behavior12 management practices into the general education 

13 curriculum and academic content; 

14 ‘‘(3) provide teacher candidates participating in 

15 the program under paragraph (1) with skills related 

16 to— 

17 ‘‘(A) response to intervention, positive be18 havioral interventions and supports (including 

19 eliminating the use of aversive interventions 

20 such as seclusion and restraints), differentiated 

21 instruction, and data-driven instruction (includ22 ing the use of data to identify and address dis23 parities in rates of discipline among student 

24 subgroups); 

25 ‘‘(B) universal design for learning; 


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1 ‘‘(C) determining and utilizing accom2 modations for instruction and assessments for 

3 students with disabilities; 

4 ‘‘(D) collaborating with stakeholders such 

5 as special educators, related services providers, 

6 out-of-school time providers, and parents, in7 cluding participation in individualized education 

8 program development and implementation; 

9 ‘‘(E) appropriately utilizing technology and 

10 assistive technology for students with disabil11 ities; and 

12 ‘‘(F) effectively and equitably using tech13 nology for digital and blended learning; 

14 ‘‘(4) provide teacher candidates participating in 

15 the program under paragraph (2) with skills related 

16 to— 

17 ‘‘(A) social and emotional learning com18 petencies; 

19 ‘‘(B) positive behavior interventions and 

20 supports or multitiered systems of support; 

21 ‘‘(C) trauma-informed care; 

22 ‘‘(D) evidenced-based restorative justice 

23 practices; and 

24 ‘‘(E) culturally responsive teaching and 

25 anti-bias training that is evidence-based; and 


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1 ‘‘(5) provide extensive clinical experience for 

2 participants described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) 

3 with mentoring and induction support throughout 

4 the program that continues during the first 2 years 

5 of full-time teaching. 

6 ‘‘(f) APPLICATION.— 

7 ‘‘(1) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.—An eligi8 ble partnership seeking a grant under this section 

9 shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 

10 time, in such manner, and containing such informa11 tion as the Secretary may require. Such application 

12 shall include— 

13 ‘‘(A) a self-assessment by the eligible part14 nership of the existing teacher preparation pro15 gram at the institution of higher education and 

16 needs related to preparing general education 

17 teacher candidates to instruct students with dis18 abilities; and 

19 ‘‘(B) an assessment of the existing per20 sonnel needs for general education teachers who 

21 instruct students with disabilities, performed by 

22 the local educational agency in which most 

23 graduates of the teacher preparation program 

24 are likely to teach after completion of the pro25 gram under subsection (e)(1). 


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1 ‘‘(2) PEER REVIEW.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

3 convene a peer review committee to review ap4 plications for grants under this subpart and to 

5 make recommendations to the Secretary regard6 ing the selection of eligible partnerships for 

7 such grants. 

8 ‘‘(B) MEMBERSHIP.—Members of the peer 

9 review committee shall be recognized experts in 

10 the fields of special education, social and emo11 tional learning, teacher preparation, and gen12 eral education and shall not be in a position to 

13 benefit financially from any grants awarded 

14 under this section. 

15 ‘‘(g) EQUITABLE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—In 

16 awarding grants under this subpart, the Secretary shall, 

17 to the maximum extent possible, provide for an equitable 

18 geographic distribution of such grants. 

19 ‘‘(h) EVALUATIONS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) BY THE PARTNERSHIP.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible partner22 ship receiving a grant under this subpart shall 

23 conduct an evaluation at the end of the grant 

24 period to determine— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the effectiveness of the general 

2 education teachers who completed a pro3 gram under subsection (c)(1) with respect 

4 to instruction of students with disabilities 

5 in general education classrooms; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) the systemic impact of the activi7 ties carried out by such grant on how each 

8 institution of higher education that is a 

9 member of the partnership prepares teach10 ers for instruction in elementary schools 

11 and secondary schools. 

12 ‘‘(B) REPORT TO THE SECRETARY.—Each 

13 eligible partnership performing an evaluation 

14 under subparagraph (A) shall report the find15 ings of such evaluation to the Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(2) REPORT BY THE SECRETARY.—Not later 

17 than 180 days after the last day of the grant period 

18 for which an evaluation was conducted under para19 graph (1), the Secretary shall make available to the 

20 authorizing committees and the public the findings 

21 of the evaluations submitted under paragraph (1), 

22 and information on best practices related to effective 

23 instruction of students with disabilities in general 

24 education classrooms.’’. 

Æ 


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