A bill to support the establishment and operations of Teachers Professional Development Institutes.

Teaching is central to the educational process and the ongoing professional development of teachers in the subjects they teach is essential for improved student learning.

Attaining the goal of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107–110)—having a classroom teacher who is highly qualified in every academic subject the teacher teaches—will require innovative and effective approaches to improving the quality of teaching.

The Teachers Institute Model focuses on the continuing academic preparation of schoolteachers and the application of what they study to their classrooms and potentially to the classrooms of other teachers.

The Teachers Institute Model was developed initially by the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute and has successfully operated there for 30 years.

The Teachers Institute Model has also been successfully demonstrated over a 3-year period in a national demonstration project in cities larger than New Haven.

to improve student learning; and

to enhance the quality of teaching and strengthen the subject matter mastery and the pedagogical skills of current teachers through continuing teacher preparation.

to award grants to encourage the establishment and operation of Teachers Institutes; and

to provide technical assistance, either directly or through the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, to assist local educational agencies and institutions of higher education in preparing to establish and in operating Teachers Institutes.

the extent to which the proposed Institute will serve a community or communities that have a significant low-income population;

the extent to which the proposed Institute will follow the understandings and necessary procedures that have been developed following the National Demonstration Project, as described in section 2166;

the extent to which the local educational agency has a high percentage of teachers who are unprepared or underprepared to teach the core academic subjects they are assigned to teach; and

the extent to which the proposed Teachers Institute will receive a level of support from the community and other sources that will ensure the requisite long-term commitment for the success of a Teachers Institute.

In general

In evaluating applications under subsection (b), the Secretary may request the advice and assistance of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute or other Teachers Institutes.

State agencies

If the Secretary receives 2 or more applications from local educational agencies within the same State, the Secretary shall consult with the State educational agency regarding the applications.

shall provide grant funds for a period not to exceed 5 years; and

shall not exceed 50 percent of the total costs of the eligible activities, as determined by the Secretary.

for the planning and development of proposals for the establishment of Teachers Institutes;

for additional assistance to the Teachers Institutes established during the National Demonstration Project for their further development and for their support of the planning and development of proposals under paragraph (1);

for the salary and necessary expenses of a full-time director to plan and manage the Teachers Institute and to act as liaison between the local educational agency or agencies and the institution or institutions of higher education participating in the Institute;

to provide suitable office space, staff, equipment, and supplies, and to pay other operating expenses, for the Teachers Institute;

to provide a stipend for teachers participating in collaborative seminars in the sciences and humanities and to provide remuneration for members of the faculty of the participating institution of higher education leading the seminars; and

to provide for the dissemination through print and electronic means of curriculum units prepared in the seminars conducted by the Teachers Institute.

meets the requirement of this subpart and any regulations under this subpart;

includes a description of how the Teachers Institute intends to use funds provided under the grant;

includes such information as the Secretary may require to apply the criteria described in section 2164(b);

includes measurable objectives for the use of the funds provided under the grant; and

contains such other information and assurances as the Secretary may require.

promptly evaluate an application received for a grant under this subpart; and

notify the applicant within 90 days of the receipt of a completed application of the Secretary’s determination.