article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Transition to Teaching Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds as follows: (1) School districts will need to hire more than 2,000,000 teachers in the next decade. The need for teachers in the areas of mathematics, science, foreign languages, special education, and bilingual education, and for those able to teach in high- poverty school districts will be particularly high. To meet this need, talented Americans of all ages should be recruited to become successful, qualified teachers. (2) Nearly 28 percent of teachers of academic subjects have neither an undergraduate major nor minor in their main assignment fields. This problem is more acute in high-poverty schools, where the out-of-field percentage is 39 percent. (3) The Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS) ranked United States high school seniors last among 16 countries in physics and next to last in mathematics. It is also evident, mainly from the TIMSS data, that based on academic scores, a stronger emphasis needs to be placed on the academic preparation of our children in mathematics and science. (4) One-fourth of high-poverty schools find it very difficult to fill bilingual teaching positions, and nearly half of public school teachers have students in their classrooms for whom English is a second language. (5) Many career-changing professionals with strong content- area skills are interested in a teaching career, but need assistance in getting the appropriate pedagogical training and classroom experience. (6) The Troops to Teachers model has been highly successful in linking high-quality teachers to teach in high-poverty districts. SEC. 3. PURPOSE. The purpose of this Act is to address the need of high-poverty school districts for highly qualified teachers in particular subject areas, such as mathematics, science, foreign languages, bilingual education, and special education, needed by those school districts, by-- (1) continuing and enhancing the Troops to Teachers model for recruiting and supporting the placement of such teachers; and (2) recruiting, preparing, placing, and supporting career- changing professionals who have knowledge and experience that will help them become such teachers. SEC. 4. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. (a) Authority.--Subject to subsection (b), the Secretary is authorized to use funds appropriated under subsection (c) for each fiscal year to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to institutions of higher education and public and private nonprofit agencies or organizations to carry out programs authorized by this Act. (b) Troops to Teachers.-- (1) In general.--Before making awards under subsection (a) for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall first-- (A) consult with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Transportation regarding the appropriate amount of funding needed to continue and enhance the Troops to Teachers program; and (B) upon agreement, transfer that amount to the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) to carry out the Troops to Teachers program. (2) Continuation of program.--The Secretary may enter into a written agreement with the Departments of Defense and Transportation, or take such other steps as the Secretary determines are appropriate to ensure effective continuation of the Troops to Teachers program. (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of carrying out this Act, there are authorized to be appropriated $18,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2000 through 2005. SEC. 5. APPLICATION. Each applicant that desires an award under section 4(a) shall submit an application to the Secretary containing such information as the Secretary requires, including-- (1) a description of the target group of career-changing professionals upon which the applicant will focus in carrying out its program under this Act, including a description of the characteristics of that target group that shows how the knowledge and experience of its members are relevant to meeting the purpose of this Act; (2) a description of how the applicant will identify and recruit program participants; (3) a description of the training that program participants will receive and how that training will relate to their certification as teachers; (4) a description of how the applicant will ensure that program participants are placed and teach in high-poverty local educational agencies; (5) a description of the teacher induction services (which may be provided through existing induction programs) the program participants will receive throughout at least their first year of teaching; (6) a description of how the applicant will collaborate, as needed, with other institutions, agencies, or organizations to recruit, train, place, and support program participants under this Act, including evidence of the commitment of those institutions, agencies, or organizations to the applicant's program; (7) a description of how the applicant will evaluate the progress and effectiveness of its program, including-- (A) the program's goals and objectives; (B) the performance indicators the applicant will use to measure the program's progress; and (C) the outcome measures that will be used to determine the program's effectiveness; and (8) an assurance that the applicant will provide to the Secretary such information as the Secretary determines necessary to determine the overall effectiveness of programs under this Act. SEC. 6. USES OF FUNDS AND PERIOD OF SERVICE. (a) Authorized Activities.--Funds under this Act may be used for-- (1) recruiting program participants, including informing them of opportunities under the program and putting them in contact with other institutions, agencies, or organizations that would train, place, and support them; (2) training stipends and other financial incentives for program participants, not to exceed $5,000 per participant; (3) assisting institutions of higher education or other providers of teacher training to tailor their training to meet the particular needs of professionals who are changing their careers to teaching; (4) placement activities, including identifying high- poverty local educational agencies with a need for the particular skills and characteristics of the newly trained program participants and assisting those participants to obtain employment in those local educational agencies; and (5) post-placement induction or support activities for program participants. (b) Period of Service.--A program participant in a program under this Act who completes his or her training shall serve in a high- poverty local educational agency for at least 3 years. (c) Repayment.--The Secretary shall establish such requirements as the Secretary determines appropriate to ensure that program participants who receive a training stipend or other financial incentive under subsection (a)(2), but fail to complete their service obligation under subsection (b), repay all or a portion of such stipend or other incentive. SEC. 7. EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION. To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall make awards under this Act that support programs in different geographic regions of the Nation. SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: (1) High-poverty local educational agency.--The term ``high-poverty local educational agency'' means a local educational agency in which the percentage of children, ages 5 through 17, from families below the poverty level is 20 percent or greater, or the number of such children exceeds 10,000. (2) Program participants.--The term ``program participants'' means career-changing professionals who-- (A) hold at least a baccalaureate degree; (B) demonstrate interest in, and commitment to, becoming a teacher; and (C) have knowledge and experience that are relevant to teaching a high-need subject area in a high-need local educational agency.
summary: Authorizes the Secretary of Education to use funds under this Act to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to institutions of higher education (IHEs) and public and private nonprofit entities to carry out Transition-to-Teaching programs. Requires the Secretary, before making such awards, to: (1) consult with the Secretaries of Defense and of Transportation with respect to the appropriate amount of funding necessary to continue and enhance the Troops-to-Teachers program; and (2) transfer such amount to the Department of Defense to carry out such program. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into a written agreement with the Departments of Defense and of Transportation, or take other appropriate steps to ensure effective continuation of such program. Authorizes appropriations. Sets forth requirements for applications for Transition-to-Teaching program assistance. Authorizes use of such funds for: (1) recruitment of program participants; (2) training stipends and other financial incentives for program participants; (3) assistance to IHEs or other teacher training providers to meet particular needs of professionals changing their careers to teaching; (4) placement activities, including identifying high-poverty local educational agencies (LEAs) with needs for particular skills and characteristics of the newly trained program participants and assisting those participants to obtain employment in those LEAs; and (5) post-placement induction or support activities for program participants. Requires program participants who complete training to teach in a high-poverty LEA for at least three years, or else repay all or a portion of their training stipend or other incentive.