2024-07183.pdf

23573 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 66 / Thursday, April 4, 2024 / Notices

1 https://www.ed.gov/raisethebar/eliminating-educator-shortages-compensation-preparation-leadership.

(e) The number and percentage of program completers who were employed for the first time as teachers of record in the preceding year by the partner high-need schools or hard-to-staff schools and were retained for the current school year.

(f) The number and percentage of program completers who were employed by the partner high-need school or hard-to-staff school for three consecutive years after initial employment.

(g) The number and percentage of program completers who are employed by the partner high-need school or hard-to-staff school teaching in mathematics, science, bilingual education, special education, career and technical education, or any other field of expertise where the State education agency determines that there is a shortage of qualified teachers.

VII. Other Information

Accessible Format: On request to the program contact person listed under FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT,

individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format.

The Department will provide the requestor with an accessible format that may include Rich Text Format (RTF) or text format (txt), a thumb drive, an MP3 file, braille, large print, audiotape, compact disc, or other accessible format.

Electronic Access to This Document:

The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. You may access the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations at www.govinfo.gov. At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site.

You may also access documents of the Department published in the Federal Register by using the article search feature at www.federalregister.gov.

Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department.

Nasser Paydar, Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

[FR Doc. 2024–07132 Filed 4–3–24; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket No.: ED–2024–SCC–0053]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request;

Evaluation of Transition Supports for Youth With Disabilities

Correction

In notice document 2024–06753, appearing on pages 22133–22134 in the issue of Friday, March 29, 2024, make the following correction:

On page 22133, in the third column, in the DATES: section, the entry ‘‘June 28, 2024’’ should read ‘‘May 28, 2024’’.

[FR Doc. C1–2024–06753 Filed 4–2–24; 4:15 pm]

BILLING CODE 0099–10–D

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Applications for New Awards; Teacher Quality Partnership Grant Program

AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2024 for the Teacher Quality Partnership Grant (TQP) program, Assistance Listing Number 84.336S. This notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control number 1894–0006.

DATES:

Applications Available: April 4, 2024.

Deadline for notice of intent to apply:

Applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to submit a notice of intent to apply by May 6, 2024.

Deadline for transmittal of applications: June 3, 2024.

Deadline for intergovernmental review: August 2, 2024.

Pre-application webinars: The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education intends to post pre-recorded informational webinars designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants for grants under the TQP program. These informational webinars will be available on the TQP web page shortly after this notice is published in the Federal Register at https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/ effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-quality-partnership/ applicant-info-and-eligibility.

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary

Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on December 7, 2022 (87 FR 75045) and available at www.federalregister.gov/documents/ 2022/12/07/2022-26554/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mia Howerton, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202–5960. Email:

Mia.Howerton@ed.gov or TQPartnership@ed.gov.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7–1–1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The purposes of the TQP program are to improve student achievement; improve the quality of prospective and new teachers by improving the preparation of prospective teachers and enhancing professional development activities for new teachers; hold teacher preparation programs at institutions of higher education (IHEs) accountable for preparing teachers who meet applicable State certification and licensure requirements; and recruit highly qualified individuals, including individuals of color and individuals from other occupations, into the teaching force.

Background: The Department is committed to recruiting, preparing, and retaining racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse educators to the teaching workforce. This commitment includes promoting educator diversity and ensuring that education is a profession that people from all backgrounds can pursue by supporting comprehensive, high-quality and affordable pathways into the profession.

The Department thinks preparing, developing and supporting a diverse educator workforce is critical to strengthening student success.

Additionally, addressing high-need shortage areas helps to ensure all students have access to a high-quality, well-rounded education. Through Raise the Bar: Lead the World,1 the Department is working in partnership with States, Tribes, local educational agencies (LEAs), and educator preparation programs, including Historically Black Colleges and

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Apr 03, 2024 Jkt 262001 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM 04APN1dd ru m he lle r on D

S K

0R

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E S http://www.federalregister.gov http://www.federalregister.gov mailto:TQPartnership@ed.gov mailto:Mia.Howerton@ed.gov http://www.govinfo.gov https://www.ed.gov/raisethebar/eliminating-educator-shortages-compensation-preparation-leadership https://www.ed.gov/raisethebar/eliminating-educator-shortages-compensation-preparation-leadership https://www.ed.gov/raisethebar/eliminating-educator-shortages-compensation-preparation-leadership https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-quality-partnership/applicant-info-and-eligibility https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-quality-partnership/applicant-info-and-eligibility https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-quality-partnership/applicant-info-and-eligibility https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-quality-partnership/applicant-info-and-eligibility https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-ofdiscretionary-grants-support-services/effective-educator-development-programs/teacher-quality-partnership/applicant-info-and-eligibility

23574 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 66 / Thursday, April 4, 2024 / Notices

2 Silva, T., McKie, A., Knechtel, V., Gleason, P., & Makowsky, L. (2014). Teaching Residency Programs: A Multisite Look at a New Model to Prepare Teachers for High-Need Schools (NCEE 2015–4002). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

3 Grissom, J.A., Egalite, A.J., and Lindsay, C.A.

‘‘How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research,’’ February 2021. www.wallacefoundation.org/ knowledgecenter/pages/how-principals-affect-students-and-schools-a-systematic-synthesis-of-two-decades-of-research.aspx.

4 https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/ files/productfiles/Diversifying_Teaching_ Profession_REPORT_0.pdf.

5 https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cge;

and https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm.

6 Isenberg, E., Max, J., Gleason, P., Johnson, M., Deutsch, J., and Hansen, M. (2016). Do Low-Income Students Have Equal Access to Effective Teachers?

Evidence from 26 Districts (NCEE 2017–4007).

Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), to eliminate educator shortages in our nation’s schools and to strengthen and diversify the education profession. The priorities used in this FY 2024 TQP competition both highlight and advance the goals of Raise the Bar to ultimately improve student achievement by placing highly qualified, diverse educators in classrooms across the country. The TQP program supports ‘‘eligible partnerships’’ that pair a high-need LEA, a high-need school served by the LEA, or a high-need early childhood education (ECE) program with a partner institution that includes a school, department, or program of education within such partner institution, and a school or department of arts and sciences within such partner institution.

Such partnerships also may include certain other entities described below.

Under section 202(d) and (e) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), these partnerships must implement either (a) teacher preparation programs at the pre baccalaureate or ‘‘fifth-year’’ level that include specific reforms in IHEs’ existing teacher preparation programs;

or (b) teacher residency programs for individuals who are recent graduates with strong academic backgrounds or are mid-career professionals from outside the field of education.

In this FY 2024 TQP competition, through Absolute Priorities 1 and 2, we support pre-baccalaureate and teacher residency models that would emphasize the creation or expansion of high-quality, comprehensive pathways into the classroom. Through Absolute Priorities 3 and 4, we add a focus on school leadership. Absolute Priority 3 supports the development of school leader programs in conjunction with the preparation of a new pre-baccalaureate model for teachers under Absolute Priority 1. Absolute Priority 4 supports the development of school leader programs in conjunction with a new effective teacher residency model under Absolute Priority 2. Research on the TQP program shows that high-quality residency models can expand the pool of well-prepared applicants entering the teaching profession, promoting diversity of the workforce and bringing a wide range of experiences into the classroom to support students. In addition, the close partnership between school districts and IHEs required by the TQP program ensures that preparation programs are closely aligned with practice. A 2014 implementation study published by the Institute of Education Sciences shows that residents are more likely than nonresidents to report feeling prepared to enter the classroom, and that after program completion, more than 90 percent of residents stayed in their school district for three years.2 High-quality residency programs are a critical part of ensuring that all students have access to well-prepared and qualified educators.

The Department also recognizes that school leaders are an important school-based factor that affects student learning. As described further below, school leaders play a critically important role in students’ academic success, especially in underserved schools. School leaders serve as instructional leaders, shaping the schoolwide vision of academic success and creating the learning conditions that support strong teaching and learning, including providing feedback and coaching, creating opportunities for teacher collaboration, and connecting teachers with aligned professional development opportunities. By creating positive working conditions and cultivating enhanced teacher leadership opportunities, school leaders also play a pivotal role in recruiting and retaining highly effective teachers.

A 2021 report entitled ‘‘How Principals Affect Students and Schools:

A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research’’ details how strong principals affect students’ educational and social outcomes as well as other outcomes, including teacher retention.3 The report found principals’ contributions to student achievement were nearly as large as the average effects of teachers identified in similar studies—but larger in scope because they were distributed over an entire school rather than a single classroom.

The report notes that its findings on the importance of principals’ effects suggest the need for renewed attention to strategies for cultivating, selecting, preparing, and supporting a high-quality principal workforce.

This competition includes four competitive preference priorities.

Competitive Preference Priority 1 is from the Final Priorities—Effective Educator Development (EED) Division, published in the Federal Register on July 9, 2021 (86 FR 36217) (EED NFP), and focuses on projects that propose to increase educator diversity. Under Competitive Preference Priority 1, projects must be designed to diversify the teacher pipeline by addressing identified teacher shortage areas in partnership with HBCUs, TCCUs, HSIs, and other MSIs. Teachers of color benefit all students and can have a particularly strong positive impact on students of color.4 Today, more than half of K–12 public school students are students of color. The Department recognizes that diverse educators play a critical role in promoting equity in our education system.5

Competitive Preference Priorities 2, 3, and 4 are all from the Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities and Definitions for Discretionary Grants Programs, published in the Federal Register on December 10, 2021 (86 FR 70612) (Supplemental Priorities). Competitive Preference Priority 2 focuses on projects that propose to support a diverse educator workforce that is prepared with the necessary certification and credentialing to teach in shortage areas and high-need schools. Competitive Preference Priority 2 focuses on strengthening teacher recruitment, selection, preparation, support, development, and effectiveness in ways that are consistent with the Department’s policy goals of supporting teachers as professionals and improving outcomes for all students, by ensuring that underserved students have equal access to fully qualified, experienced, diverse, and effective educators. There is significant inequity in students’ access to fully qualified, experienced, and effective teachers, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, and children or students with disabilities.6 Teacher candidates deserve access to high-quality comprehensive preparation programs that are aligned with research-based practices, including providing extensive clinical experience, high standards and the necessary supports for successful completion. Additionally, VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Apr 03, 2024 Jkt 262001 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM 04APN1dd ru m he lle r on D

S K

0R

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E S https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/productfiles/Diversifying_Teaching_Profession_REPORT_0.pdf https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/productfiles/Diversifying_Teaching_Profession_REPORT_0.pdf https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/sites/default/files/productfiles/Diversifying_Teaching_Profession_REPORT_0.pdf https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cge https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat11.htm http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/pages/how-principals-affect-students-and-schools-a-systematic-synthesis-of-two-decades-of-research.aspx http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/pages/how-principals-affect-students-and-schools-a-systematic-synthesis-of-two-decades-of-research.aspx http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/pages/how-principals-affect-students-and-schools-a-systematic-synthesis-of-two-decades-of-research.aspx http://www.wallacefoundation.org/knowledge-center/pages/how-principals-affect-students-and-schools-a-systematic-synthesis-of-two-decades-of-research.aspx

23575 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 66 / Thursday, April 4, 2024 / Notices

7 Reyes, M.R., Brackett, M.A., Rivers, S.E., White, M., & Salovey, P. (2012). Classroom Emotional Climate, Student Engagement, and Academic Achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104 (3), 700.

8 Cross Francis, D., Liu, J., Bharaj, P.K., & Eker, A. (2019). ‘‘Integrating Social-emotional and Academic Development in Teachers’ Approaches to Educating Students,’’ Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 6 (2), 138–146;

Swanson, E., Melguizo, T., & Martorell, P. (2020).

Examining the Relationship between Psychosocial and Academic Outcomes in Higher Education: A Descriptive Analysis. (EdWorkingPaper: 20–286);

Robbins, S.B., Lauver, K., Le, H., Davis, D., Langley, R., & Carlstrom, A. (2004). Do Psychosocial and Study Skill Factors Predict College Outcomes? A Meta-Analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 130(2), 261– 288.

9 https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-public-and-private-sector-actions-strengthen-teaching-profession-and-help-schools-fill-vacancies.; https:// ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northwest/pdf/ strategies-for-educators.pdf.

10 Garcia, A. (2020). ‘‘A 50-State Scan of Grow Your Own Teacher Policies and Programs.’’ www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/ grow-your-own-teachers/.

11 https://www.apprenticeship.gov/ apprenticeship-industries/education.

12 https://www.apprenticeship.gov/sites/default/ files/22-0119-joint-dcl-signed-ed.pdf.

13 https://www.ed.gov/raisethebar/educators.

14 https://www.apprenticeship.gov/ apprenticeship-industries/education.

15 https://www.thepathwaysalliance.org/reports;

https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-labor-departments-announce-new-efforts-to-advance-teacher-preparation-programs-and-expand-registered-apprenticeships-educators.

it is crucial to support and retain educators through practices such as mentoring; creating or enhancing opportunities for professional growth, including leadership opportunities;

providing competitive compensation;

and creating conditions for successful teaching and learning. Finally, Competitive Preference Priority 2 emphasizes the need to increase the number of teachers with certification or dual certification in shortage areas, as well as advanced certifications from nationally recognized professional organizations.

Competitive Preference Priorities 3 and 4 focus on projects that propose to meet students’ social, emotional, and academic needs and support projects that propose to promote equity in student access to educational resources and opportunities. These competitive preference priorities recognize the social, emotional, and academic needs of teacher candidates, as well as the importance of preparing those teachers to create inclusive, supportive, equitable, unbiased, and identity-safe learning environments for their students.

Research has demonstrated that, in elementary and secondary schools, children learn, grow, and achieve at higher levels in safe and supportive environments and in the care of responsive adults they can trust.7 It is critical, then, to prioritize support for students’ social, emotional, and academic needs, not only to benefit students’ social and emotional wellness, but also to support their academic success. Mounting evidence suggests that supporting social and emotional learning can contribute to overall student development.8 Therefore, educators need to develop skills to effectively incorporate social and emotional learning into their instructional practice.

Lastly, this competition includes two invitational priorities for (1) applicants that propose evidence-based Grow Your

Own (GYO) projects that encourage members of the community to pursue teaching careers, including through registered apprenticeship programs for teachers; and (2) applicants that promote professional development opportunities for teachers of students in grades K–3.

GYO projects can help address teacher shortages by increasing retention rates while also enhancing educator diversity. The Biden Administration is committed to strengthening and diversifying teacher preparation, including by supporting evidence-based residency and GYO programs, which may be provided through a high-quality registered apprenticeship programs for teachers, to strengthen teacher pipelines and address shortages, increase the number of teachers of color, and support the growth of teachers.9 GYO programs encourage partnerships between LEAs and educator preparation programs to recruit and develop teachers from the communities the school or district serves. The effort to recruit and retain diverse educators, including through GYO programs, starts with such a collaboration. By fostering a shared reliance on the teacher preparation work that both the districts and IHEs provide, GYO models promote the preparation of local residents who will then be retained in that community and help to build capacity. A report from New America that reviewed GYO programs in all 50 states 10 suggests that homegrown teachers have higher rates of retention and GYO programs remove barriers that have kept some individuals from being able to access and persist in an educator preparation program. The Department believes GYO warrants investments through the TQP program for further learning and continued evidence-building, replication, and dissemination. GYO programs may include high school dual-enrollment or early college programs and may be provided through registered apprenticeship programs for teachers.

Registered apprenticeships can be an effective, high-quality ‘‘earn and learn’’ model that allows candidates to earn their teaching credential while earning pay by combining coursework with structured, paid on-the-job learning experiences with a mentor teacher, combined with coursework and other components of an evidence-based program.11 Registered apprenticeship programs for K–12 teachers can be used to establish, scale, and build on existing high-quality pathways into teaching that emphasize classroom-based experience, such as GYO and teacher residency programs. By reducing the cost of earning a license and offering flexible scheduling, registered apprenticeship programs are designed to open the doors to the profession to those who may otherwise face barriers, including people of color, people from low-income backgrounds, and individuals such as paraprofessionals who may already have decades of experience in the classroom but previously could not afford to become a teacher. Once registered with the U.S. Department of Labor or their State apprenticeship agency (requirements vary by State), these programs can access Federal workforce funding, such as Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V) funding, in addition to other Federal, State, and local education and workforce funds, bringing additional resources to help address educator shortages.

In August of 2022, Secretary Cardona and then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh issued a joint Dear Colleague Letter 12 calling on all States to establish registered apprenticeship programs for K–12 teachers to help eliminate educator shortages and outlining how States and other interested parties can learn more about this approach.

Applicants are encouraged to explore resources on registered apprenticeship programs for teachers on the Department’s Raise the Bar web page on eliminating educator shortages; 13 at the Department of Labor’s apprenticeship website focused on the education industry; 14 and through the resources of the Pathways Alliance, including National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards for K–12 Teacher Apprenticeships, approved by the Department of Labor and previously highlighted by the Department, to support high-quality programs.15

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Apr 03, 2024 Jkt 262001 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM 04APN1dd ru m he lle r on D

S K

0R

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E S https://www.apprenticeship.gov/sites/default/files/22-0119-joint-dcl-signed-ed.pdf https://www.apprenticeship.gov/sites/default/files/22-0119-joint-dcl-signed-ed.pdf http://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/grow-your-own-teachers/ http://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/grow-your-own-teachers/ https://www.apprenticeship.gov/apprenticeship-industries/education https://www.apprenticeship.gov/apprenticeship-industries/education https://www.apprenticeship.gov/apprenticeship-industries/education https://www.apprenticeship.gov/apprenticeship-industries/education https://www.thepathwaysalliance.org/reports https://www.ed.gov/raisethebar/educators https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-public-and-private-sector-actions-strengthen-teaching-profession-and-help-schools-fill-vacancies https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-public-and-private-sector-actions-strengthen-teaching-profession-and-help-schools-fill-vacancies https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-public-and-private-sector-actions-strengthen-teaching-profession-and-help-schools-fill-vacancies https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-public-and-private-sector-actions-strengthen-teaching-profession-and-help-schools-fill-vacancies https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northwest/pdf/strategies-for-educators.pdf https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northwest/pdf/strategies-for-educators.pdf https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northwest/pdf/strategies-for-educators.pdf https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-labor-departments-announce-new-efforts-to-advance-teacher-preparation-programs-and-expand-registered-apprenticeships-educators https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-labor-departments-announce-new-efforts-to-advance-teacher-preparation-programs-and-expand-registered-apprenticeships-educators https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-labor-departments-announce-new-efforts-to-advance-teacher-preparation-programs-and-expand-registered-apprenticeships-educators https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/education-labor-departments-announce-new-efforts-to-advance-teacher-preparation-programs-and-expand-registered-apprenticeships-educators

23576 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 66 / Thursday, April 4, 2024 / Notices

16 James S. Kim, Catherine M. Armstrong, and Thomas Kelley-Kemple. 2017. Practices matter:

major findings from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) teacher literacy survey. Cambridge, MA: READS Lab, Harvard Graduate School of Education.

17 Jenkins J.M., Watts T.W., Magnuson K, et al. Do High-Quality Kindergarten and First-Grade Classrooms Mitigate Preschool Fadeout? J. Res.

Educ. Eff. 2018; 11(3): 339–374.

18 REL Pacific, ‘‘What does the research say about grade 3 reading proficiency as a predictor of future success?,’’ November 1, 2018, https://ies.ed.gov/ ncee/rel/Products/Region/pacific/Ask-A-REL/ 70038; Chetty, R. et al., ‘‘How Does Your Kindergarten Classroom Affect Your Earnings?

Evidence From Project STAR.’’ NBER Working Paper No. 16381 September 2010, Revised August 2011 JEL No. H0,J0.

Finally, the Department seeks to strengthen professional development for early elementary educators and school leaders. Given the data on the widening opportunity and achievement gaps for students from low-income backgrounds during the kindergarten year that persists into and through the elementary grades,16 research suggests that gains in preschool are not sustained in kindergarten after preschool for students from low-income backgrounds,17 and the importance of students meeting 3rd grade outcomes to support their future success,18 elementary school leaders and K–2 educators would benefit from targeted professional development, supports, and strategies to ensure more early grade students experience early school success.

Priorities: This notice contains four absolute priorities, four competitive preference priorities, and two invitational priorities. In accordance with 34 CFR 75.105(b)(2)(iv), the absolute priorities are from section 202(d), (e), and (f) of the HEA (20 U.S.C.

1022a(d), (e) and (f)). Competitive Preference Priority 1 is from the EED NFP, and Competitive Preference Priorities 2, 3, and 4 are from the Supplemental Priorities.

Absolute Priorities: For FY 2024 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are absolute priorities.

All applications must address only one of the four absolute priorities. Each of the four absolute priorities constitutes its own funding category. Assuming that applications in each funding category are of sufficient quality, the Secretary intends to award grants under each absolute priority.

Applications will be scored and placed in rank order by absolute priority; thus, applications will be scored and ranked separately by absolute priority to create four funding slates. Applications that address more than one absolute priority or do not clearly identify the absolute priority being addressed will not be reviewed.

Absolute Priority 1—Partnership Grants for the Preparation of Teachers.

Under this priority, an eligible partnership must carry out an effective pre-baccalaureate teacher preparation program or a fifth-year initial licensing program that includes all of the following:

(a) Program Accountability.

Implementing reforms, described in paragraph (b) of this priority, within each teacher preparation program and, as applicable, each preparation program for ECE programs, of the eligible partnership that is assisted under this priority, to hold each program accountable for—

(1) Preparing—

(i) New or prospective teachers to meet the applicable State certification and licensure requirements, including any requirements for certification obtained through alternative routes to certification, or, with regard to special education teachers, the qualifications described in section 612(a)(14)(C) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (including teachers in rural school districts, special educators, and teachers of students who are limited English proficient);

(ii) Such teachers and, as applicable, early childhood educators, to understand empirically-based practice and scientifically valid research related to teaching and learning and the applicability of such practice and research, including through the effective use of technology, instructional techniques, and strategies consistent with the principles of universal design for learning, and through positive behavioral interventions and support strategies to improve student achievement; and

(iii) As applicable, early childhood educators to be highly competent; and

(2) Promoting strong teaching skills and, as applicable, techniques for early childhood educators to improve children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development.

Note: In addressing paragraph (a) of this priority, applicants may either discuss their implementation of reforms within all teacher preparation programs that the partner IHE administers and that would be assisted under this TQP grant, or selected teacher preparation programs that need particular assistance and that would receive the TQP grant funding.

(a) Required reforms. The reforms described in paragraph must include—

(1) Implementing teacher preparation program curriculum changes that improve, evaluate, and assess how well all prospective and new teachers develop teaching skills;

(2) Using empirically-based practice and scientifically valid research, where applicable, about teaching and learning so that all prospective teachers and, as applicable, early childhood educators—

(i) Understand and can implement research-based teaching practices in classroom instruction;

(ii) Have knowledge of student learning methods;

(iii) Possess skills to analyze student academic achievement data and other measures of student learning and use such data and measures to improve classroom instruction;

(iv) Possess teaching skills and an understanding of effective instructional strategies across all applicable content areas that enable general education and special education teachers and early childhood educators to—

(A) Meet the specific learning needs of all students, including students with disabilities, students who are limited English proficient, students who are gifted and talented, students with low literacy levels, and, as applicable, children in ECE programs; and

(B) Differentiate instruction for such students;

(v) Can effectively participate as a member of the individualized education program team, as defined in section 614(d)(1)(B) of the IDEA; and

(vi) Can successfully employ effective strategies for reading instruction using the essential components of reading instruction;

(3) Ensuring collaboration with departments, programs, or units of a partner institution outside of the teacher preparation program in all academic content areas to ensure that prospective teachers receive training in both teaching and relevant content areas in order to meet the applicable State certification and licensure requirements, including any requirements for certification obtained through alternative routes to certification, or, with regard to special education teachers, the qualifications described in section 612(a)(14)(C) of the IDEA, which may include training in multiple subjects to teach multiple grade levels as may be needed for individuals preparing to teach in rural communities and for individuals preparing to teach students with disabilities;

(4) Developing and implementing an induction program;

(5) Developing admissions goals and priorities aligned with the hiring objectives of the high-need LEA in the eligible partnership; and

(6) Implementing program and curriculum changes, as applicable, to

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Apr 03, 2024 Jkt 262001 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM 04APN1dd ru m he lle r on D

S K

0R

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E S https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/pacific/Ask-A-REL/70038 https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/pacific/Ask-A-REL/70038 https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/Products/Region/pacific/Ask-A-REL/70038

23577 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 66 / Thursday, April 4, 2024 / Notices ensure that prospective teachers have the requisite content knowledge, preparation, and degree to teach Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses successfully.

(c) Clinical experience and interaction. Developing and improving a sustained and high-quality preservice clinical education program to further develop the teaching skills of all prospective teachers and, as applicable, early childhood educators involved in the program. Such programs must do the following—

(1) Incorporate year-long opportunities for enrichment, including—

(i) Clinical learning in classrooms in high-need schools served by the high need LEA in the eligible partnership, and identified by the eligible partnership; and

(ii) Closely supervised interaction between prospective teachers and faculty, experienced teachers, principals, other administrators, and school leaders at ECE programs (as applicable), elementary schools, or secondary schools, and providing support for such interaction;

(2) Integrate pedagogy and classroom practice and promote effective teaching skills in academic content areas;

(3) Provide high-quality teacher mentoring;

(4) Be offered over the course of a program of teacher preparation;

(5) Be tightly aligned with course work (and may be developed as a fifth year of a teacher preparation program);

(6) Where feasible, allow prospective teachers to learn to teach in the same LEA in which the teachers will work, learning the instructional initiatives and curriculum of that LEA;

(7) As applicable, provide training and experience to enhance the teaching skills of prospective teachers to better prepare such teachers to meet the unique needs of teaching in rural or urban communities; and

(8) Provide support and training for individuals participating in an activity for prospective or new teachers described in this paragraph, paragraphs

(a) and (b), or paragraph (d) of this priority, and for individuals who serve as mentors for such teachers, based on each individual’s experience. Such support may include—

(i) With respect to a prospective teacher or a mentor, release time for such individual’s participation;

(ii) With respect to a faculty member, receiving course workload credit and compensation for time teaching in the eligible partnership’s activities; and

(iii) With respect to a mentor, a stipend, which may include bonus, differential, incentive, or performance pay, based on the mentor’s extra skills and responsibilities.

(d) Induction programs for new teachers. Creating an induction program for new teachers or, in the case of an ECE program, providing mentoring or coaching for new early childhood educators.

(e) Support and training for participants in ECE programs. In the case of an eligible partnership focusing on early childhood educator preparation, implementing initiatives that increase compensation for early childhood educators who attain associate or baccalaureate degrees in

ECE.

(f) Teacher recruitment. Developing and implementing effective mechanisms (which may include alternative routes to State certification of teachers) to ensure that the eligible partnership is able to recruit qualified individuals to become teachers who meet the applicable State certification and licensure requirements, including any requirements for certification obtained through alternative routes to certification, or, with regard to special education teachers, the qualifications described in section 612(a)(14)(C) of the IDEA through the activities of the eligible partnership, which may include an emphasis on recruiting into the teaching profession—

(1) Individuals from underrepresented populations;

(2) Individuals to teach in rural communities and teacher shortage areas, including mathematics, science, special education, and the instruction of limited English proficient students; and

(3) Mid-career professionals from other occupations, former military personnel, and recent college graduates with a record of academic distinction.

(g) Literacy training. Strengthening the literacy teaching skills of prospective and, as applicable, new elementary school and secondary school teachers—

(1) To implement literacy programs that incorporate the essential components of reading instruction;

(2) To use screening, diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments to determine students’ literacy levels, difficulties, and growth in order to improve classroom instruction and improve student reading and writing skills;

(3) To provide individualized, intensive, and targeted literacy instruction for students with deficiencies in literacy skills; and

(4) To integrate literacy skills in the classroom across subject areas.

Absolute Priority 2—Partnership Grants for the Establishment of Effective Teaching Residency Programs.

(a) In general. Under this priority, an eligible partnership must carry out an effective teaching residency program that includes all of the following activities:

(1) Supporting a teaching residency program described in paragraph II for high-need subjects and areas, as determined by the needs of the high-need LEA in the partnership.

(2) Placing graduates of the teaching residency program in cohorts that facilitate professional collaboration, both among graduates of the teaching residency program and between such graduates and mentor teachers in the receiving school.

(3) Ensuring that teaching residents who participate in the teaching residency program receive—

(i) Effective pre-service preparation as described in paragraph II;

(ii) Teacher mentoring;

(iii) Support required through the induction program as the teaching residents enter the classroom as new teachers; and

(iv) The preparation described below:

(A) Incorporate year-long opportunities for enrichment, including—

(1) Clinical learning in classrooms in high-need schools served by the high-need LEA in the eligible partnership, and identified by the eligible partnership; and

(2) Closely supervised interaction between prospective teachers and faculty, experienced teachers, principals, other administrators, and school leaders at ECE programs (as applicable), elementary schools, or secondary schools, and providing support for such interaction.

(B) Integrate pedagogy and classroom practice and promote effective teaching skills in academic content areas.

(C) Provide high-quality teacher mentoring.

(b) Teaching Residency Programs.

(1) Establishment and design. A teaching residency program under this priority is a program based upon models of successful teaching residencies that serves as a mechanism to prepare teachers for success in the high-need schools in the eligible partnership and must be designed to include the following characteristics of successful programs:

(i) The integration of pedagogy, classroom practice, and teacher mentoring.

(ii) Engagement of teaching residents in rigorous graduate-level course work leading to a master’s degree while

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Apr 03, 2024 Jkt 262001 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM 04APN1dd ru m he lle r on D

S K

0R

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E S

23578 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 66 / Thursday, April 4, 2024 / Notices undertaking a guided teaching apprenticeship.

(iii) Experience and learning opportunities alongside a trained and experienced mentor teacher—

(A) Whose teaching must complement the residency program so that classroom clinical practice is tightly aligned with coursework;

(B) Who must have extra responsibilities as a teacher leader of the teaching residency program, as a mentor for residents, and as a teacher coach during the induction program for new teachers; and for establishing, within the program, a learning community in which all individuals are expected to continually improve their capacity to advance student learning; and

(C) Who may be relieved from teaching duties as a result of such additional responsibilities.

(iv) The establishment of clear criteria for the selection of mentor teachers based on measures of teacher effectiveness and the appropriate subject area knowledge. Evaluation of teacher effectiveness must be based on, but not limited to, observations of the following—

(A) Planning and preparation, including demonstrated knowledge of content, pedagogy, and assessment, including the use of formative and diagnostic assessments to improve student learning.

(B) Appropriate instruction that engages students with different learning styles.

(C) Collaboration with colleagues to improve instruction.

(D) Analysis of gains in student learning, based on multiple measures that are valid and reliable and that, when feasible, may include valid, reliable, and objective measures of the influence of teachers on the rate of student academic progress.

(E) In the case of mentor candidates who will be mentoring new or prospective literacy and mathematics coaches or instructors, appropriate skills in the essential components of reading instruction, teacher training in literacy instructional strategies across core subject areas, and teacher training in mathematics instructional strategies, as appropriate.

(v) Grouping of teaching residents in cohorts to facilitate professional collaboration among such residents.

(vi) The development of admissions goals and priorities—

(A) That are aligned with the hiring objectives of the LEA partnering with the program, as well as the instructional initiatives and curriculum of such agency, in exchange for a commitment by such agency to hire qualified graduates from the teaching residency program; and

(B) Which may include consideration of applicants who reflect the communities in which they will teach as well as consideration of individuals from underrepresented populations in the teaching profession.

(vii) Support for residents, once the teaching residents are hired as teachers of record, through an induction program, professional development, and networking opportunities to support the residents through not less than the residents’ first two years of teaching.

(2) Selection of individuals as teacher residents.

(i) Eligible individual. In order to be eligible to be a teacher resident in a teaching residency program under this priority, an individual must—

(A) Be a recent graduate of a four-year IHE or a mid-career professional from outside the field of education possessing strong content knowledge or a record of professional accomplishment; and

(B) Submit an application to the teaching residency program.

(ii) Selection criteria for teaching residency program. An eligible partnership carrying out a teaching residency program under this priority must establish criteria for the selection of eligible individuals to participate in the teaching residency program based on the following characteristics—

(A) Strong content knowledge or record of accomplishment in the field or subject area to be taught.

(B) Strong verbal and written communication skills, which may be demonstrated by performance on appropriate tests.

(C) Other attributes linked to effective teaching, which may be determined by interviews or performance assessments, as specified by the eligible partnership.

(3) Stipends or salaries; applications;

agreements; repayments.

(i) Stipends or salaries. A teaching residency program under this priority must provide a one-year living stipend or salary to teaching residents during the teaching residency program.

(ii) Applications for stipends or salaries. Each teacher residency candidate desiring a stipend or salary during the period of residency must submit an application to the eligible partnership at such time, and containing such information and assurances, as the eligible partnership may require.

(iii) Agreements to serve. Each application submitted under paragraph (b)(3)(ii) of this priority must contain or be accompanied by an agreement that the applicant will—

(A) Serve as a full-time teacher for a total of not less than three academic years immediately after successfully completing the teaching residency program;

(B) Fulfill the requirement under paragraph (b)(3)(iii)(A) of this priority by teaching in a high-need school served by the high-need LEA in the eligible partnership and teach a subject or area that is designated as high need by the partnership;

(C) Provide to the eligible partnership a certificate, from the chief administrative officer of the LEA in which the resident is employed, of the employment required under paragraph (b)(3)(iii)(A) and (B) of this priority at the beginning of, and upon completion of, each year or partial year of service;

(D) Meet the applicable State certification and licensure requirements, including any requirements for certification obtained through alternative routes to certification, or, with regard to special education teachers, the qualifications described in section 612(a)(14)(C) of the IDEA, when the applicant begins to fulfill the service obligation under paragraph (b)(3)(iii) of this priority; and

(E) Comply with the requirements set by the eligible partnership under paragraph (b)(4) of this priority if the applicant is unable or unwilling to complete the service obligation required by paragraph (b)(3)(iii) of this priority.

(4) Repayments.

(i) In general. A grantee carrying out a teaching residency program under this priority must require a recipient of a stipend or salary under paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this priority who does not complete, or who notifies the partnership that the recipient intends not to complete, the service obligation required by paragraph (b)(3)(iii) of this priority to repay such stipend or salary to the eligible partnership, together with interest, at a rate specified by the partnership in the agreement, and in accordance with such other terms and conditions specified by the eligible partnership, as necessary.

(ii) Other terms and conditions. Any other terms and conditions specified by the eligible partnership may include reasonable provisions for pro-rata repayment of the stipend or salary described in paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this priority or for deferral of a teaching resident’s service obligation required by paragraph (b)(3)(iii) of this priority, on grounds of health, incapacitation, inability to secure employment in a school served by the eligible partnership, being called to active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, or other extraordinary circumstances.

VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:01 Apr 03, 2024 Jkt 262001 PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\04APN1.SGM 04APN1dd ru m he lle r on D

S K

0R

N

P R

O D w ith

N O

T

IC

E

23579 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 66 / Thursday, April 4, 2024 / Notices

(iii) Use of repayments. An eligible partnership must use any repayment received under paragraph (b)(4) of this priority to carry out additional activities that are consistent…