I 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4773 
To direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to States and local 
educational agencies to establish teacher mentoring programs. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 16, 2006 
Mr. EMANUEL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to 
States and local educational agencies to establish teacher 
mentoring programs. 
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 ‘‘Preparing Excellent 
Teachers Act of 2006’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The shortage of qualified teachers in the 
United States has reached critical levels. 
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(2) Education experts predict that over the next 
decade, the United States will need more than 2 mil-
lion new teachers. 
(3) In urban districts, nearly 50 percent of new 
teachers leave teaching during their first five years. 
(4) These numbers have a direct impact on the 
quality of the education of the children of the United 
States. 
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR TEACHER MENTORING PROGRAMS. 
(a) AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS.—The Secretary 
of Education may make grants in accordance with sub-
sections (d) and (e) to States and local educational agen-
cies to assist such States and agencies, in cooperation with 
universities and colleges in accordance with subsection (b), 
to establish and support teacher mentoring programs in 
schools for the purpose of attracting and training teachers 
of exceptional ability who are mid-career professionals or 
recent college graduates. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN PROGRAM.—To 
be eligible to participate in a teacher mentoring program 
under this section, a mid-career professional or recent col-
lege graduate shall be enrolled in a masters degree pro-
gram in education or teaching in a university or college 
that— 
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(1) has entered into a written agreement relat-
ing to such program with the State or local edu-
cational agency that is the recipient of a grant under 
this section; 
(2) is located in such State or local educational 
agency; and 
(3) is accredited by the Council of Higher Edu-
cation Accreditation and the accrediting agency in 
the State, if any. 
(c) PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A mid-career professional or 
recent college graduate who participates in a teacher 
mentoring program shall, under the supervision of 
an experienced mentor teacher, complete not fewer 
than ten months teaching a class containing not 
more than 30 students and not fewer than 10 stu-
dents in a school chosen by the State or local edu-
cational agency that is the recipient of a grant under 
this section. 
(2) EXPERIENCED
MENTOR
TEACHER
DE-
FINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘experienced 
mentor teacher’’ means a teacher who— 
(A) has at least five years teaching experi-
ence teaching in a school in the State or local 
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educational agency that is the recipient of a 
grant under this section; and 
(B) has a masters degree in education or 
teaching. 
(d) TEACHER CERTIFICATION.—As a condition of re-
ceiving a grant under this section, a university or college 
shall award to a mid-career professional or recent college 
graduate who successfully completes a teacher mentoring 
program a teacher certification that is valid in the State 
or local educational agency in which such university or col-
lege is located. 
(e) AMOUNT, NUMBER, AND
DISTRIBUTION
OF 
GRANTS.— 
(1) AMOUNT.—A grant under this section shall 
be in an amount that is 50 percent of the cost of 
establishing and supporting a teacher mentoring 
program in a State or local educational agency, but 
such grant may not exceed $2,500,000. 
(2) NUMBER.—The Secretary may not make 
more than ten such grants each fiscal year, begin-
ning with fiscal year 2007. 
(3) DISTRIBUTION.—A State or local edu-
cational agency may receive not more than two 
grants each fiscal year. 
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(f) DURATION OF PROGRAM.—A teacher mentoring 
program under this section shall be for a period of one 
academic year. 
(g) AGREEMENT WITH TEACHERS FOR PLACEMENT 
IN A SCHOOL.—A mid-career professional or recent college 
graduate who successfully completes a teacher mentoring 
program under this section shall agree in writing to place-
ment as a teacher in a school chosen by the State or local 
educational agency. Such placement shall be for a period 
of five academic years beginning with the academic year 
that begins after the successful completion by such profes-
sional or graduate in the teacher mentoring program. 
(h) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under this sec-
tion, a State or local educational agency shall submit to 
the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary may 
prescribe. 
(i) COMPETITIVE BASIS FOR SELECTION.—The Sec-
retary shall award grants to States and local educational 
agencies on a competitive basis. 
(j) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011 
to carry out this section. Amounts appropriated are au-
thorized to remain available until expended, and may be 
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used by the Secretary to make additional grants, in ac-
cordance with this section, in a fiscal year beginning with 
fiscal year 2012. 
Æ 
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