I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2149 
To establish a grant program to ensure that students in high-need schools 
have equal access to a quality education delivered by an effective, diverse 
workforce. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 30, 2015 
Ms. JUDY CHU of California (for herself, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. BROWN of Flor-
ida, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. 
HONDA, Ms. TITUS, and Mr. TED LIEU of California) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 
Workforce 
A BILL 
To establish a grant program to ensure that students in 
high-need schools have equal access to a quality edu-
cation delivered by an effective, diverse workforce. 
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 ‘‘Equal Access to Qual-
ity Education Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. EQUAL ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION GRANT 
PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall 
make grants on a competitive basis to eligible partnerships 
in high-need areas to— 
(1) develop and strengthen high-quality path-
ways for the teaching and education leadership pro-
fessions; 
(2) create professional induction programs for 
the teaching profession; and 
(3) provide a stable and collaborative learning 
environment for educators and students. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the grant program 
established under this section shall be to— 
(1) increase the percentage of highly qualified 
teachers in States, including teachers from under 
represented minority groups and teachers with dis-
abilities; 
(2) close the achievement gap for students with-
in subgroups that are not showing expected perform-
ance; 
(3) decrease shortages of highly qualified teach-
ers in poor urban and rural areas; 
(4) decrease high turnover rates for educators 
in high-need schools; 
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(5) increase the number of highly qualified 
teachers in shortage areas, including special edu-
cation, bilingual education, and education for 
English language learners, and in science, mathe-
matics, engineering, and technology; 
(6) increase opportunities for enhanced and on-
going professional development that— 
(A) improves the academic content knowl-
edge of teachers in the subject areas in which 
teachers are certified or licensed to teach or in 
which the teachers are working toward certifi-
cation or licensure to teach; 
(B) promotes strong teaching skills, includ-
ing instructional strategies that address diverse 
needs, the use of data to inform instruction, 
and strategies to improve student achievement; 
and 
(C) provides time for teachers to share 
their knowledge and innovation; and 
(7) provide all educators with the knowledge 
base and professional skills to meet the needs of di-
verse learners, including English language learners 
and students with disabilities. 
(c) APPLICATION.— 
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(1) 
APPLICATIONS
REQUIRED.—An 
eligible 
partnership that desires to receive a grant under 
this Act shall submit an application to the Secretary 
at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary may require. 
(2) 
CONTENTS.—An 
application 
submitted 
under paragraph (1) include— 
(A) a description of— 
(i) how the eligible partnership will 
meet the purposes under subsection (b); 
(ii) how the partnership will carry out 
the activities required under subsection 
(d), including— 
(I) how the partnership will de-
sign, implement, or enhance a year- 
long and rigorous teaching residency 
program component; and 
(II) how the partnership will de-
sign, implement, or enhance a rig-
orous teacher induction and retention 
program; 
(iii) a description of the partnership’s 
plan for continuing the activities carried 
out under a grant received under this Act 
after the grant funding ceases; 
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(iv) how the grant will increase the 
number of highly qualified teachers — 
(I) in high-need schools operated 
by high-need local educational agen-
cies (in urban or rural school dis-
tricts); and 
(II) in high-need academic sub-
jects; and 
(v) with respect to the teacher induc-
tion and retention program that will be 
carried out using the grant— 
(I) the partnership’s capability 
and commitment to, and the accessi-
bility to and involvement of teachers 
in, the use of empirically based prac-
tice and scientifically valid research on 
teaching and learning; and 
(II) a description of how the 
partnership will design and implement 
an induction program to support, 
through not less than the first 2 years 
of teaching, all new teachers who are 
prepared by the teacher preparation 
program in the partnership and who 
teach in the high-need local edu-
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cational agency in the partnership, 
and, to the extent practicable, all new 
teachers who teach in such high-need 
local educational agency, in the fur-
ther development of the new teachers’ 
teaching skills, including the use of 
mentors who are trained and com-
pensated by such program for the 
mentors’ work with new teachers. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 
(1) REQUIRED USES.—An eligible partnership 
that receives a grant under this section shall use the 
funds to carry out the following: 
(A) Establish or support a teacher prepa-
ration program that— 
(i) requires participants in the pro-
gram to complete at least one year of resi-
dency at a high-need school in the local 
educational agency participating in the eli-
gible partnership; 
(ii) requires participants in the pro-
gram to teach in a high-need school in 
such local educational agency for at least 3 
years after completing such residency; and 
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(iii) awards a teaching credential, an 
undergraduate degree, or a Masters degree 
that meets State requirements for a teach-
ing license or certification upon completion 
of the program. 
(B) Establish or support a teacher induc-
tion and retention program that provides sup-
port and advances the retention of beginning 
teachers and principals during not less than the 
first 2 years of participation in such program, 
which promotes effective teaching and leader-
ship skills and includes— 
(i) high-quality mentoring; 
(ii) periodic, structured time for col-
laboration and classroom observation op-
portunities with teachers in the same de-
partment or field, including mentor teach-
ers, as well as time for information-sharing 
among teachers, principals, administrators, 
other appropriate educators, and partici-
pating faculty in the partner institution of 
higher education; 
(iii) the application of empirically 
based practice and scientifically valid re-
search on instructional practices; 
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(iv) opportunities for new teachers 
and principals to draw directly on the ex-
pertise of mentors, faculty, local edu-
cational agency personnel, and researchers 
to support the integration of empirically 
based practice and scientifically valid re-
search with practice; 
(v) the development of skills in in-
structional and behavioral interventions de-
rived from empirically based practice, and 
where applicable, scientifically valid re-
search; and 
(vi) faculty who— 
(I) model the integration of re-
search and practice in the classroom; 
and 
(II) assist new teachers and prin-
cipals with the effective use and inte-
gration of technology in instruction. 
(C) Otherwise fulfill the purposes described 
in subsection (b). 
(2) AUTHORIZED USES.—In addition to the ac-
tivities described in paragraph (1), a partnership 
that receives a grant under this section may use the 
funds for any of the following: 
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(A) Providing support to each mentor 
teacher working with new teachers. 
(B) Providing preparation in effective, evi-
dence-based instructional assessment practices 
and classroom management strategies for gen-
eral education teachers serving students with 
disabilities and students with limited English 
proficiency. 
(C) Enabling teachers to engage in study 
groups, professional learning communities, and 
other collaborative activities and collegial inter-
actions regarding instruction assessment. 
(D) Paying for release time and substitute 
teachers in order to enable teachers to partici-
pate in professional development and mentoring 
activities. 
(E) Creating libraries of professional mate-
rial, catalogues of expert instruction, and edu-
cation technology. 
(F) Providing high-quality professional de-
velopment for other instructional staff, such as 
paraprofessionals, librarians, and counselors. 
(G) Developing partnerships with busi-
nesses and community-based organizations. 
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(H) Providing tuition assistance, scholar-
ships, or student loan repayment to teachers. 
(I) Providing stipends or another financial 
incentive to participants in the teacher prepara-
tion program under paragraph (1)(A). 
(J) Providing support for home visitation, 
parenting education, and family engagement, 
especially for parents who have limited English 
proficiency. 
(e) REPAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall establish 
such requirements as the Secretary determines to be ap-
propriate to ensure that each participant of a teacher 
preparation program under this Act who receives a stipend 
or other financial incentive as described in subsection 
(d)(2)(I), but fails to complete the participant’s teaching 
obligation under subsection (d)(1)(A)(ii), repays all or a 
portion of such stipend or incentive to the eligible partner-
ship that awarded such stipend or incentive. 
(f) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible partner-
ships that meet the requirements of one of the following 
paragraphs: 
(1) Demonstrating— 
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(A) a plan to recruit teachers from among 
minority and local candidates and from individ-
uals with disabilities; and 
(B) the use of a valid and reliable teacher 
performance assessment. 
(2) Meeting the requirements of paragraph 
(1)(B) and including in the partnership— 
(A) an institution of higher education that 
is an ‘‘eligible institution’’ for purposes of the 
TEACH Grant program under subpart 9 of 
part A of title IV of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070g et seq.); 
(B) a Tribal College or University, as de-
fined in section 316(b)(3) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3)); 
(C) an Asian American and Native Amer-
ican Pacific Islander-serving institution, as de-
fined in section 320(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
1059g(b)); 
(D) a Hispanic-serving institution, as de-
fined in section 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 
U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)); or 
(E) a historically Black college and univer-
sity, as defined in section 631(a)(5) of such Act 
(20 U.S.C. 1132(a)(5)). 
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(g) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 
the cost of any activities funded by a grant received 
under this section shall not exceed 75 percent. 
(2) PAYMENT OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The 
non-Federal share may be paid in cash or in kind, 
fairly evaluated, including services. 
(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘‘eligi-
ble partnership’’ means a partnership— 
(A) between a high-need local educational 
agency and an institution of higher education; 
and 
(B) that may include a teacher organiza-
tion or a nonprofit educational organization. 
(2) FAMILY ENGAGEMENT.—The term ‘‘family 
engagement’’ means a shared responsibility of fami-
lies and schools for student success, in which schools 
and community-based organizations are committed 
to reaching out to engage families, especially parents 
of non-Native English speakers, in meaningful ways 
that encourage the families to actively support their 
children’s learning and development, as well as the 
learning and development of other children. The 
shared responsibility is continuous from birth 
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through young adulthood and reinforces learning 
that takes place in the home, school, and commu-
nity. 
(3) HIGH-NEED
LOCAL
EDUCATIONAL
AGEN-
CY.—The term ‘‘high-need local educational agency’’ 
means a local educational agency— 
(A)(i) that serves not fewer than 10,000 
low-income children; 
(ii) for which not less than 20 percent of 
the children served by the agency are low-in-
come children; 
(iii) that meets the eligibility requirements 
for receiving funding under the Small, Rural 
School Achievement Program under section 
6211(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7345(b)) or the 
Rural and Low-Income School Program under 
section 6221(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 
7351(b)); or 
(iv) that has a percentage of low-income 
children that is in the highest quartile among 
such agencies in the State; and 
(B)(i) for which one or more schools served 
by the agency is persistently low achieving; or 
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(ii) for which one or more schools served 
by the agency has a high teacher turnover rate. 
(4) HIGHLY
QUALIFIED.—The term ‘‘highly 
qualified’’ has the meaning given the term in section 
9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act (20 U.S.C. 7801(23)). The definition 
given the term ‘‘highly qualified teacher’’ in section 
163 of Public Law 111–242 shall not apply with re-
spect to this section. 
(5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 102 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965. 
(6) LOW-INCOME CHILDREN.—The term ‘‘low- 
income children’’ means— 
(A) children from families with incomes 
below the poverty line (as defined by the Office 
of Management and Budget and revised annu-
ally in accordance with section 673(2) of the 
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981) 
applicable to a family of the size involved; or 
(B) children who are eligible for free or re-
duced price lunches under the Richard B. Rus-
sell National School Lunch Act. 
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(7) MENTOR
TEACHER.—The term ‘‘mentor 
teacher’’ means a teacher who— 
(A) is highly qualified; 
(B) has a minimum of 3 years of teaching 
experience; 
(C) is recommended by the principal and 
other current master and mentor teachers on 
the basis of— 
(i) instructional excellence through ob-
servations and other evidence of classroom 
practice, including standards-based evalua-
tions, such as certification by the National 
Board for Professional Teaching Stand-
ards; 
(ii) an ability, as demonstrated by evi-
dence of student learning in high-need 
schools, to increase student learning; and 
(iii) excellent instruction and commu-
nication with an understanding of how to 
facilitate growth in other teachers, includ-
ing new teachers; and 
(D) participates in training and ongoing 
professional development on how to— 
(i) help teachers learn to improve stu-
dent achievement; 
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(ii) help teachers learn to improve in-
struction; and 
(iii) facilitate mentor-to-mentor col-
laboration and coaching. 
(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
(9) TEACHER
PERFORMANCE
ASSESSMENT.— 
The term ‘‘teacher performance assessment’’ means 
a program, based on State or national professional 
teaching standards, that will measure teachers’ cur-
riculum planning, instruction, and assessment of 
students, including appropriate plans and adapta-
tions for English language learners and students 
with disabilities, and multiple sources of evidence 
about student learning. Such assessment will be vali-
dated against professional assessment standards and 
reliably scored by trained external evaluators with 
appropriate auditing of scoring to ensure consist-
ency. 
(10) 
TEACHING
CREDENTIAL.—The 
term 
‘‘teaching credential’’ means a program of instruc-
tion for individuals who have completed a bacca-
laureate degree, that does not lead to a graduate de-
gree, and that consists of courses required by a 
State for a teacher candidate to receive a profes-
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sional certification or license that is required for em-
ployment as a teacher in an elementary school or 
secondary school in that State. 
Æ 
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