article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Equal Access to Quality Education Act of 2011''. 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 develop and strengthen high-quality pathways for the teaching and education leadership professions, to create professional induction programs for the teaching profession, and to 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 a State, including teachers from under-represented minority groups; (2) close the achievement gap for students within subgroups that are not showing expected performance; (3) decrease shortages of highly qualified teachers in poor urban and rural areas; (4) decrease high turnover rates for educators in high-need schools; (5) increase the number of highly qualified teachers in shortage areas, including special education, bilingual education, and education for English language learners, and in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology; (6) increase opportunities for enhanced and ongoing professional development that-- (A) improves the academic content knowledge of teachers in the subject areas in which teachers are certified or licensed to teach or in which the teachers are working toward certification or licensure to teach; (B) promotes strong teaching skills, including 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 diverse learners, including English language learners and students with disabilities. (c) Use of Funds.-- (1) Required uses.--A partnership that receives a grant under this section shall use the funds to-- (A) establish or support a teacher preparation program that-- (i) requires participants in the program to complete at least one year of residency at a high-need school in the local educational agency participating in the eligible partnership; (ii) requires participants in the program to teach in a high-need school in such local educational agency for at least 3 years after completing residency; and (iii) awards a teaching credential, an undergraduate degree, or a Masters degree that meets State requirements for a teaching license or certification upon completion of the program; (B) establish or support a teacher induction and retention program that-- (i) provides high-quality professional development to teachers to assist them in improving their knowledge, skills, and teaching practices in order to help students to improve their achievement and meet State academic standards; (ii) provides teachers with updated information on developments in curricula, assessments, and educational research, including the manner in which the research and data can be used to improve teaching skills and practice; (iii) provides a mentor teacher and other support for new teachers; and (iv) provides leadership opportunities for teachers, including access to career ladders and roles as curriculum and instructional leaders, mentors, and coaches; and (C) otherwise fulfill the purposes described in subsection (b). (2) Authorized uses.--In addition to the activities described in paragraph (1), a partnership that receives a grant under this section may use the funds for any of the following: (A) Providing support to each mentor teacher working with new teachers. (B) Providing preparation in effective, evidence- based instructional assessment practices and classroom management strategies for general 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 interactions regarding instruction assessment. (D) Paying for release time and substitute teachers in order to enable teachers to participate in professional development and mentoring activities. (E) Creating libraries of professional material, catalogues of expert instruction, and education technology. (F) Providing high-quality professional development for other instructional staff, such as paraprofessionals, librarians, and counselors. (G) Developing partnerships with businesses and community-based organizations. (H) Providing tuition assistance, scholarships, or student loan repayment to teachers. (I) Providing stipends to participants in the teacher preparation program under paragraph (1)(A). (J) Providing support for home visitation, parenting education, and family engagement, especially for parents who have limited English proficiency. (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible partnerships that-- (1) demonstrate a plan to recruit teachers from among minority and local candidates and from individuals with disabilities; (2) demonstrate the use of a valid and reliable teacher performance assessment; or (3) include-- (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 defined in section 316(b)(3) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)(3)); (C) an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, as defined in section 320(a) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059g(a)); (D) a Hispanic-serving institution, as defined in section 502(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)); or (E) a historically Black college and university, as defined in section 631(a)(5) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1132(a)). (e) 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. (f) Definitions.--In this section: (1) Eligible partnership.--The term ``eligible 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 organization or a nonprofit educational organization. (2) Family engagement.--The term ``family engagement'' means a shared responsibility of families 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 through young adulthood and reinforces learning that takes place in the home, school, and community. (3) High-need local educational agency.--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-income children; or (iii) that has a percentage of low-income children that is above the highest quartile among such agencies in the State; and (B)(i) for which one or more schools served by the agency has a high percentage of teachers who are not highly qualified; or (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 Education 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 respect 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 annually 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 reduced price lunches under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act. (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; and (C) is recommended by the principal and other current master and mentor teachers on the basis of-- (i) instructional excellence through observations and other evidence of classroom practice, including standards-based evaluations, such as certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; (ii) an ability, as demonstrated by evidence of student learning in high-need schools, to increase student learning; and (iii) excellent instruction and communication with an understanding of how to facilitate growth in other teachers, including new teachers. (8) Teacher performance assessment.--The term ``teacher performance assessment'' means a program, based on State or national professional teaching standards, that will measure teachers' curriculum planning, instruction, and assessment of students, including appropriate plans and adaptations for English language learners and students with disabilities, and multiple sources of evidence about student learning. Such assessment will be validated against professional assessment standards and reliably scored by trained external evaluators with appropriate auditing of scoring to ensure consistency. (9) Teaching credential.--The term ``teaching credential'' means a program of instruction for individuals who have completed a baccalaureate degree, that does not lead to a graduate degree, and that consists of courses required by a State for a teacher candidate to receive a professional certification or license that is required for employment as a teacher in an elementary school or secondary school in that State.
summary: Equal Access to Quality Education Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive matching grants to partnerships between high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to: (1) establish or support teacher preparation programs, and (2) establish or support teacher induction and retention programs. Requires the teacher preparation programs to: (1) require participants to complete at least one year of residency followed by at least three years of teaching at the LEA's high-need schools, and (2) award participants a teaching credential or degree that meets state requirements for a teaching license or certification upon their completion of the program. Requires the teacher induction and retention programs to provide teachers with: (1) high-quality professional development; (2) updated information on developments in curricula, assessments, and educational research; (3) a mentor teacher and other support if they are new teachers; and (4) leadership opportunities. Allows the grants to be used for certain other activities designed to improve the quality of education in high-need areas. Gives grant priority to partnerships that: (1) have a plan to recruit teachers from among minority and local candidates and the disabled; (2) use a valid and reliable teacher performance assessment; or (3) include an IHE eligible to participate in the TEACH Grant program, a Tribal College or University, an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, an Hispanic-serving institution, or an historically Black college and university.