I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5056 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for a teacher 
leader development program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 26, 2025 
Mr. SCHNEIDER (for himself, Ms. UNDERWOOD, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. 
MANNION, and Mr. FLEISCHMANN) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide 
for a teacher leader development program, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Teachers Are Leaders 
Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. TEACHER LEADER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (f) of section 202 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022a) is 
amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘(f) TEACHER LEADER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A teacher leader develop-
ment program carried out with a grant awarded 
under this section shall provide for the professional 
development of teachers, as described in paragraph 
(2), who maintain their roles as classroom teachers 
and who also carry out formalized leadership respon-
sibilities to increase the academic achievement of 
students and promote data-driven instructional prac-
tices that address the demonstrated needs at the ele-
mentary schools and secondary schools in which the 
teachers are employed, such as— 
‘‘(A) development of curriculum and cur-
ricular resources; 
‘‘(B) facilitating the work of committees 
and teams; 
‘‘(C) family and community engagement; 
‘‘(D) school discipline and culture; 
‘‘(E) peer observations and coaching; 
‘‘(F) dual enrollment instruction; or 
‘‘(G) cultural competencies. 
‘‘(2) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—The pro-
fessional development of teachers in a teacher leader 
development program carried out with a grant 
awarded under this section shall include— 
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‘‘(A) one year of professional development, 
training, and support that may— 
‘‘(i) include— 
‘‘(I) the engagement of teachers 
in rigorous coursework and fieldwork 
relevant to their role as a teacher 
leader, including available teacher 
leader standards; and 
‘‘(II) regular observations and 
professional support from— 
‘‘(aa) a principal, vice prin-
cipal, or a designated instruc-
tional leader of the school; 
‘‘(bb) a representative from 
the institution of higher edu-
cation that is a partner in the eli-
gible partnership; 
‘‘(cc) a representative from 
another entity that is a partner 
in the eligible partnership; and 
‘‘(dd) another member of 
the teacher leader cohort, if ap-
plicable, or a peer teacher; and 
‘‘(ii) result in the awarding of a cre-
dential in teacher leadership; and 
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‘‘(B) one or 2 additional years of support 
from a principal, vice principal, or a designated 
instructional leader of the school, a representa-
tive from the institution of higher education 
that is a partner in the eligible partnership, and 
a representative from another entity that is a 
partner in the eligible partnership. 
‘‘(3) TEACHER
LEADER
DEVELOPMENT
PRO-
GRAM PLAN.—In carrying out a teacher leader devel-
opment program under this section, an eligible part-
nership shall develop a plan that shall describe— 
‘‘(A) how the work hours of teacher leaders 
will be allocated between their classroom re-
sponsibilities and responsibilities as a teacher 
leader, which shall include a description of 
whether the teacher leader will be relieved from 
teaching duties during their participation in the 
teacher leader development program; 
‘‘(B) how the partnership will support 
teacher leaders after the first year of profes-
sional development in the program; and 
‘‘(C) how teacher leader activities could be 
sustained by the eligible partnership after the 
program concludes, which may include a de-
scription of opportunities for the teacher lead-
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ers to assist in the educator preparation pro-
gram at the institution of higher education in 
the partnership. 
‘‘(4) SELECTION OF TEACHER LEADERS; USE 
OF FUNDS.—In carrying out a teacher leader devel-
opment program under this section, an eligible part-
nership— 
‘‘(A) shall select a teacher for participation 
in the program— 
‘‘(i) who— 
‘‘(I) is fully certified to teach in 
the State of the high-need local edu-
cational agency that is a partner in 
the eligible partnership; 
‘‘(II) is employed by such high- 
need local educational agency; 
‘‘(III) has not less than 3 years 
of teaching experience; and 
‘‘(IV) submits an application for 
participation to the eligible partner-
ship; and 
‘‘(ii) based on selection criteria that 
includes— 
‘‘(I) demonstration of strong con-
tent knowledge or a record of accom-
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plishment in the field or subject area 
the teacher will support as a teacher 
leader; and 
‘‘(II) demonstration of attributes 
linked to effective teaching that is de-
termined through interviews, observa-
tions, artifacts, student achievement, 
or performance assessments, such as 
those leading to an advanced creden-
tial; 
‘‘(B) may develop admissions goals and 
priorities for the teacher leader development 
program that— 
‘‘(i) are aligned with the demonstrated 
needs of the school or high-need local edu-
cational agency in which the teacher is em-
ployed; 
‘‘(ii) considers cultural competencies 
that would make the applicant effective in 
the applicant’s teacher leader role; and 
‘‘(iii) considers whether the teacher 
has substantial teaching experience in the 
school in which the teacher is employed or 
in a school that is similar to the school in 
which the teacher is employed; 
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‘‘(C) shall use the grant funds to pay for 
costs of training and supporting teacher leaders 
for not less than 2 years and not more than 3 
years; 
‘‘(D) may use the grant funds to pay for 
a portion of a stipend for teacher leaders if 
such grant funds are matched by additional 
non-Federal public or private funds as follows: 
‘‘(i) during each of the first and sec-
ond years of the grant period, grant funds 
may pay not more than 50 percent of such 
stipend; and 
‘‘(ii) during the third year of the 
grant period, grant funds may pay not 
more than 33 percent of such stipend; and 
‘‘(E) may require teacher leaders to pay 
back the cost of attaining the credential de-
scribed in paragraph (2)(A)(ii) if they do not 
complete their term of service in the teacher 
leader development program. 
‘‘(5) TEACHER LEADER DEFINED.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘teacher leader’ means a highly ef-
fective educator who carries out formalized leader-
ship responsibilities based on the demonstrated 
needs of the elementary school or secondary school 
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in which the teacher is employed, while maintaining 
a role as a classroom instructor who— 
‘‘(A) is trained in and practices teacher 
leadership; and 
‘‘(B) fosters a collaborative culture to— 
‘‘(i) support educator development, ef-
fectiveness, and student learning; 
‘‘(ii) support access and use research 
to improve practice and student learning; 
‘‘(iii) promote professional learning 
for continuous improvement; 
‘‘(iv) facilitate improvements in in-
struction and student learning; promote 
the appropriate use of assessments and 
data for school and district improvement; 
‘‘(v) improve outreach and collabora-
tion with families and community; 
‘‘(vi) advance the profession by shap-
ing and implementing policy; 
‘‘(vii) advocate for increased access to 
great teaching and learning for all stu-
dents; and 
‘‘(viii) 
demonstrate 
cultural 
com-
petencies and provide instruction and sup-
port as such.’’. 
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(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 202(c)(2) 
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1022a) 
is amended by striking ‘‘leadership development program’’ 
and inserting ‘‘teacher leader development program’’. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
209 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1022h) is amended by striking ‘‘for fiscal year 2009 and 
such sums as may be necessary for each of the two suc-
ceeding fiscal years’’ and inserting ‘‘for fiscal year 2025 
and such sums as may be necessary for each of the 5 suc-
ceeding fiscal years’’. 
Æ 
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