20 U.S.C. § 6861

Current through P.L. 118-106 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/04/2024)
Section 6861 - National professional development project

The Secretary shall use funds made available under section 6821(c)(1)(C) of this title to award grants on a competitive basis, for a period of not more than 5 years, to institutions of higher education or public or private entities with relevant experience and capacity (in consortia with State educational agencies or local educational agencies) to provide for professional development activities that will improve classroom instruction for English learners and assist educational personnel working with English learners to meet high professional standards, including standards for certification and licensure as teachers who work in language instruction educational programs or serve English learners. Grants awarded under this section may be used-

(1) for effective preservice or inservice professional development programs that will improve the qualifications and skills of educational personnel involved in the education of English learners, including personnel who are not certified or licensed and educational paraprofessionals, and for other activities to increase teacher and school leader effectiveness in meeting the needs of English learners;
(2) for the development of curricula or other instructional strategies appropriate to the needs of the consortia participants involved;
(3) to support strategies that strengthen and increase parent, family, and community member engagement in the education of English learners;
(4) to develop, share, and disseminate effective practices in the instruction of English learners and in increasing the student academic achievement of English learners, such as through the use of technology-based programs;
(5) in conjunction with other Federal need-based student financial assistance programs, for financial assistance, and costs related to tuition, fees, and books for enrolling in courses required to complete the degree involved, to meet certification or licensing requirements for teachers who work in language instruction educational programs or serve English learners; and
(6) as appropriate, to support strategies that promote school readiness of English learners and their transition from early childhood education programs, such as Head Start or State-run preschool programs, to elementary school programs.

20 U.S.C. § 6861

Pub. L. 89-10, title III, §3131, as added Pub. L. 107-110, §301, Jan. 8, 2002, 115 Stat. 1706; amended Pub. L. 114-95, §3003, 129 Stat. 1964.

EDITORIAL NOTES

PRIOR PROVISIONSA prior section 6861, Pub. L. 89-10, title III, §3141, as added Pub. L. 103-382, §101, 108 Stat. 3649, related to regional technical support and professional development, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107-110.A prior section 3131 of Pub. L. 89-10 was classified to section 6841 of this title, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 107-110.

AMENDMENTS2015- Pub. L. 114-95 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to grants to be used for preservice professional development programs, for development of curricula, and for financial assistance for certain language teachers.

STATUTORY NOTES AND RELATED SUBSIDIARIES

EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2015 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 114-95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114-95, set out as a note under section 6301 of this title.

Secretary
The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Education.
State
The term "State" means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each of the outlying areas.
elementary school
The term "elementary school" means a nonprofit institutional day or residential school, including a public elementary charter school, that provides elementary education, as determined under State law.
parent
The term "parent" includes a legal guardian or other person standing in loco parentis (such as a grandparent or stepparent with whom the child lives, or a person who is legally responsible for the child's welfare).
professional development
The term "professional development" means activities that-(A) are an integral part of school and local educational agency strategies for providing educators (including teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, paraprofessionals, and, as applicable, early childhood educators) with the knowledge and skills necessary to enable students to succeed in a well-rounded education and to meet the challenging State academic standards; and(B) are sustained (not stand-alone, 1-day, or short term workshops), intensive, collaborative, job-embedded, data-driven, and classroom-focused, and may include activities that-(i) improve and increase teachers'-(I) knowledge of the academic subjects the teachers teach;(II) understanding of how students learn; and(III) ability to analyze student work and achievement from multiple sources, including how to adjust instructional strategies, assessments, and materials based on such analysis;(ii) are an integral part of broad schoolwide and districtwide educational improvement plans;(iii) allow personalized plans for each educator to address the educator's specific needs identified in observation or other feedback;(iv) improve classroom management skills;(v) support the recruitment, hiring, and training of effective teachers, including teachers who became certified through State and local alternative routes to certification;(vi) advance teacher understanding of-(I) effective instructional strategies that are evidence-based; and(II) strategies for improving student academic achievement or substantially increasing the knowledge and teaching skills of teachers;(vii) are aligned with, and directly related to, academic goals of the school or local educational agency;(viii) are developed with extensive participation of teachers, principals, other school leaders, parents, representatives of Indian tribes (as applicable), and administrators of schools to be served under this chapter;(ix) are designed to give teachers of English learners, and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and appropriate language and academic support services to those children, including the appropriate use of curricula and assessments;(x) to the extent appropriate, provide training for teachers, principals, and other school leaders in the use of technology (including education about the harms of copyright piracy), so that technology and technology applications are effectively used in the classroom to improve teaching and learning in the curricula and academic subjects in which the teachers teach;(xi) as a whole, are regularly evaluated for their impact on increased teacher effectiveness and improved student academic achievement, with the findings of the evaluations used to improve the quality of professional development;(xii) are designed to give teachers of children with disabilities or children with developmental delays, and other teachers and instructional staff, the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and academic support services, to those children, including positive behavioral interventions and supports, multi-tier system of supports, and use of accommodations;(xiii) include instruction in the use of data and assessments to inform and instruct classroom practice;(xiv) include instruction in ways that teachers, principals, other school leaders, specialized instructional support personnel, and school administrators may work more effectively with parents and families;(xv) involve the forming of partnerships with institutions of higher education, including, as applicable, Tribal Colleges and Universities as defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)), to establish school-based teacher, principal, and other school leader training programs that provide prospective teachers, novice teachers, principals, and other school leaders with an opportunity to work under the guidance of experienced teachers, principals, other school leaders, and faculty of such institutions;(xvi) create programs to enable paraprofessionals (assisting teachers employed by a local educational agency receiving assistance under part A of subchapter I) to obtain the education necessary for those paraprofessionals to become certified and licensed teachers;(xvii) provide follow-up training to teachers who have participated in activities described in this paragraph that are designed to ensure that the knowledge and skills learned by the teachers are implemented in the classroom; and(xviii) where practicable, provide jointly for school staff and other early childhood education program providers, to address the transition to elementary school, including issues related to school readiness.
school leader
The term "school leader" means a principal, assistant principal, or other individual who is-(A) an employee or officer of an elementary school or secondary school, local educational agency, or other entity operating an elementary school or secondary school; and(B) responsible for the daily instructional leadership and managerial operations in the elementary school or secondary school building.
technology
The term "technology" means modern information, computer and communication technology products, services, or tools, including, the Internet and other communications networks, computer devices and other computer and communications hardware, software applications, data systems, and other electronic content (including multimedia content) and data storage.