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STAT. 1425 PUBLIC LAW 107–110 — JAN. 8, 2002
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001
Public Law 107–110
TITLE
II — PREPARING, TRAINING, AND RECRUITING HIGH QUALITY TEACHERS AND
PRINCIPALS
Selected
Excerpts Specifically Pertaining to Alternative Certification
PART A — TEACHER AND PRINCIPAL TRAINING AND
RECRUITING FUND
SEC.
2101. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this part is to provide grants to State educational agencies,
local educational agencies, State agencies for higher education, and eligible
partnerships in order to —
(1) increase student academic achievement through strategies such as improving
teacher and principal quality and increasing the number of highly qualified
teachers in the classroom and highly qualified principals and assistant
principals in schools; and
(2) hold local educational agencies and schools accountable for improvements
in student academic achievement.
Subpart
1 — Grants to States
SEC.
2113. STATE USE OF FUNDS.
(c) STATE
ACTIVITIES. — The State educational agency for a State that receives
a grant under section 2111 shall use the funds described in subsection
(a)(3) to carry out one or more of the following activities, which may
be carried out through a grant or contract with a for-profit or nonprofit
entity:
(3) Carrying out programs that establish, expand, or improve alternative
routes for State certification of teachers and principals, especially
in the areas of mathematics and science, for highly qualified individuals
with a baccalaureate or master’s degree, including mid-career professionals
from other occupations, paraprofessionals, former military personnel,
and recent college or university graduates with records of academic distinction
who demonstrate the potential to become highly effective teachers or principals.
Subpart
2 — Subgrants to Local Educational Agencies
SEC.
2123. LOCAL USE OF FUNDS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—A local educational agency that receives a subgrant
under section 2121 shall use the funds made available through the subgrant
to carry out one or more of the following activities, including carrying
out the activities through a grant or contract with a for-profit or nonprofit
entity:
(2) Developing and implementing initiatives to assist in recruiting highly
qualified teachers (particularly initiatives that have proven effective
in retaining highly qualified teachers), and hiring highly qualified teachers,
who will be assigned teaching positions within their fields, including
—
(B) recruiting and hiring highly qualified teachers to reduce class size,
particularly in the early grades; and
(C) establishing programs that —
(iii) recruit qualified professionals from other fields, including highly
qualified paraprofessionals, and provide such professionals with alternative
routes to teacher certification, including developing and implementing
hiring policies that ensure comprehensive recruitment efforts as a way
to expand the applicant pool, such as through identifying teachers certified
through alternative routes, and using a system of intensive screening
designed to hire the most qualified applicants;
(7) Hiring highly qualified teachers, including teachers who become highly
qualified through State and local alternative routes to certification,
and special education teachers, in order to reduce class size, particularly
in the early grades.
Subpart
3 — Subgrants to Eligible Partnerships
PART
B — MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIPS
SEC.
2202. GRANTS FOR MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE PARTNERSHIPS.
(2) GRANTS
TO STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES. —
(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. — An eligible partnership shall use funds
provided under this part for one or more of the following activities related
to elementary schools or secondary schools:
(4) Recruiting mathematics, engineering, and science majors to teaching
through the use of —
(B) stipends provided to mathematics and science teachers for certification
through alternative routes;
PART
C — INNOVATION FOR TEACHER QUALITY
Subpart
1 — Transitions to Teaching
CHAPTER A — TROOPS-TO-TEACHERS PROGRAM
SEC.
2306. SUPPORT OF INNOVATIVE PRERETIREMENT TEACHER CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS.
(a) PURPOSE. — The purpose of this section is to provide funding
to develop, implement, and demonstrate teacher certification programs.
(b) DEVELOPMENT, IMPLEMENTATION AND DEMONSTRATION. — The Secretary
may enter into a memorandum of agreement with a State educational agency,
an institution of higher education, or a consortia of State educational
agencies or institutions of higher education, to develop, implement, and
demonstrate teacher certification programs for members of the Armed Forces
. . . for the purpose of assisting such members to consider and prepare
for a career as a highly qualified elementary school teacher, secondary
school teacher, or vocational or technical teacher upon retirement from
the Armed Forces.
(c) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—A teacher certification program under subsection
(b) shall —
(3) incorporate alternative approaches to achieve teacher certification,
such as innovative methods to gaining field-based teaching experiences,
and assessment of background and experience as related to skills, knowledge,
and abilities required of elementary school teachers, secondary school
teachers, or vocational or technical teachers;
CHAPTER
B — TRANSITION TO TEACHING PROGRAM
SEC. 2311. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this chapter are —
(1) to establish a program to recruit and retain highly qualified mid-career
professionals (including highly qualified paraprofessionals), and recent
graduates of an institution of higher education, as teachers in high-need
schools, including recruiting teachers through alternative routes to certification;
and
(2) to encourage the development and expansion of alternative routes to
certification under State-approved programs that enable individuals to
be eligible for teacher certification within a reduced period of time,
relying on the experience, expertise, and academic qualifications of an
individual, or other factors in lieu of traditional course work in the
field of education.
(d) APPLICATION. —
(1) IN GENERAL. — To be eligible to receive a grant under this section,
an entity described in subsection (b) shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require.
(2) CONTENTS. — The application shall describe —
(C) describe how the applicant will use funds received under this section
to develop a teacher corps or other program to recruit and retain highly
qualified mid-career professionals (which may include highly qualified
paraprofessionals), recent college graduates, and recent graduate school
graduates, as highly qualified teachers in high-need schools operated
by high-need local educational agencies;
(D) explain how the program carried out under the grant will meet the
relevant State laws (including regulations) related to teacher certification
or licensing and facilitate the certification or licensing of such teachers;
(g) USES OF FUNDS. —
(1) IN GENERAL. — An entity that receives a grant under this section
shall use the funds made available through the grant to develop a teacher
corps or other program in order to establish, expand, or enhance a teacher
recruitment and retention program for highly qualified mid-career professionals
(including highly qualified paraprofessionals), and recent graduates of
an institution of higher education, who are eligible participants, including
activities that provide alternative routes to teacher certification.
(2) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES. — The entity shall use the funds to carry
out a program that includes two or more of the following activities:
(A) Providing scholarships, stipends, bonuses, and other financial incentives,
that are linked to participation in activities that have proven effective
in retaining teachers in high-need schools operated by high-need local
educational agencies, to all eligible participants, in an amount not to
exceed $5,000 per participant.
(B) Carrying out pre- and post-placement induction or support activities
that have proven effective in recruiting and retaining teachers, such
as —
(i) teacher mentoring;
(ii) providing internships;
(G) Developing long-term recruitment and retention strategies including
developing —
(ii) administrative structures to develop and implement programs to provide
alternative routes to certification;
(2) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds made available under this section
shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, State and local public
funds expended for teacher recruitment and retention programs, including
programs to recruit the teachers through alternative routes to certification.
