Beginning Educator Mentorship and Retention Act

This Act may be cited as the “Beginning Educator Mentorship and Retention Act”.

Congress finds the following:

(1) A high rate of teacher turnover, when teachers move to another school or leave the profession altogether, is a primary contributor to teacher shortages at the local, State, and national levels. Moreover, teachers with the fewest years of experience have the highest rates of turnover. In the 2020–2021 school year, almost 12 percent of all public school teachers had 3 years or fewer of teaching experience. By the next school year, 1 in 5 novice teachers had moved to another school or left the profession entirely. Teacher inexperience and turnover can—

(A) negatively impact student learning;

(B) disrupt school stability, negatively impacting collegial relationships, collaboration, and the accumulation of institutional knowledge; and

(C) result in significant financial costs to replace teachers who leave.

(2) Studies have shown that beginning teachers who go through 2-year mentoring and induction programs are more effective in improving student learning and achievement, particularly on reading and mathematics assessments. Studies have also found that intensive mentoring and induction is significantly associated with decreased turnover and improved teaching practices.

(3) Students of color are more likely to be taught by inexperienced teachers. According to data from the Department of Education’s Civil Rights Data Collection analyzed by the Learning Policy Institute, nearly 1 in 6 teachers are just beginning their career at schools with the highest concentrations of students of color, compared to 1 in 10 teachers in schools serving the greatest proportions of white students.

(4) Schools in rural settings often have more beginning teachers, and the challenges they face are often amplified compared to beginning teachers in suburban or urban contexts. Providing strong mentoring and induction in rural settings is also uniquely challenging, in part because beginning educators in these schools often lack qualified mentors that are matched to their grade or subject, carry high teaching loads, and experience a heightened sense of professional and personal isolation.

(5) Induction programs for school leaders have significant positive effects for teacher retention and student outcomes. A panel study in Pennsylvania found that principals’ participation in an induction program was associated with improved teacher retention, as well as student achievement and teacher effectiveness in mathematics. The strongest relationships were concentrated among the most economically and academically disadvantaged schools in the State and when principals participated during their first 2 years of principalship.

In this Act:

(1) ESEA definitions.— The terms child with a disability, educational service agency, elementary school, English learner, local educational agency, outlying area, school leader, secondary school, and State educational agency have the meanings given the terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(2) Educator preparation program.— The term educator preparation program means a school, department, or program of education within an institution of higher education that prepares teachers or school leaders.

(3) Eligible entity.— The term eligible entity means a State educational agency.

(4) Eligible subgrantee.— The term eligible subgrantee means—

(A) a local educational agency or a consortium of local educational agencies;

(B) a local educational agency or a consortium of local educational agencies that partners with 1 or more educator preparation programs;

(C) a local educational agency or a consortium of local educational agencies that partners with 1 or more nonprofit entities with a proven track record in providing high-quality induction and mentoring support;

(D) an educational service agency, by itself or in partnership with 1 or more educator preparation programs; or

(E) an educational service agency, by itself or in partnership with 1 or more nonprofit entities with a proven track record in providing high-quality induction and mentoring support.

(5) Fully certified and licensed.— The term fully certified and licensed means—

(A) with respect to a public school teacher, a teacher who—

(i) has met all certification or licensure requirements for a standard certificate or license from the State in which the teacher is employed and has a regular, standard certificate, license, or endorsement issued by the State for each subject in which the teacher is employed to teach;

(ii) has not had such certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis; and

(iii) in the case of a special education teacher, meets the personnel qualifications under section 612(a)(14) of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(14)); or

(B) with respect to a public school leader, a school leader who—

(i) has met all certification or licensure requirements for a standard certificate or license from the State in which the school leader is employed and has a regular, standard certificate, license, or endorsement issued by the State for such employment; and

(ii) has not had such certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis.

(6) Induction program.— The term induction program means a formalized program for new teachers or school leaders in public schools during not less than the teachers’ or school leaders’ first 2 years of teaching or leading, respectively, that—

(A) is designed to provide support for, and improve the professional performance and advance the retention of, beginning teachers or school leaders;

(B) promotes effective teaching and leadership skills, respectively; and

(C) includes the following components for new teachers and leaders:

(i) High-quality and structured teacher or school leader mentoring led by a mentor.

(ii) Periodic, structured time for collaboration with teachers or school leaders in the same department or field, including teacher or school leader mentors, as well as time for information-sharing among teachers, principals, administrators, other appropriate instructional staff, and if applicable, participating faculty in the educator preparation program participating in the eligible entity.

(iii) Regular and structured formative observation of, and opportunities for, expert feedback in order to inform efforts to support new teachers and school leaders and improve their practice.

(iv) Support in the development and application of evidence-based instructional strategies, including the ability to differentiate instruction and support the learning needs of students, including students who are children with disabilities and students who are English learners.

(v) Assistance for general and special education teachers and school leaders to support the learning of students who are children with disabilities, including—

(I) for general and special education teachers, guidance and instruction related to participation as a member of individualized education program teams, as defined in section 614(d)(1)(B) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(1)(B)); and

(II) for school leaders, guidance and instruction in ensuing that students who are children with disabilities receive special education and related services, consistent with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.), that are needed for those students to meet the challenging State academic standards under section 1111(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(1)).

(vi) Opportunities for new teachers or school leaders to draw directly on the expertise of mentors and, if applicable, other experts to support the integration of evidence-based instructional practices.

(vii) Support in the development of evidence-based skills in instructional and behavioral supports and interventions, including alignment with State standards on teaching and school leadership.

(viii) The modeling of—

(I) the integration of research and practice in the classroom;

(II) differentiated instruction; and

(III) the effective use and integration of technology in the classroom or public school to support instruction.

(ix) Interdisciplinary collaboration among exemplary teachers, school leaders, faculty, researchers, and other staff who prepare new teachers or school leaders with respect to the learning process and the assessment of learning, including the development, analysis, and use of formative, interim, and summative assessments.

(x) The development of skills to implement and support evidence-based practices that create a positive school culture and climate.

(xi) Assistance with the understanding of data, particularly student achievement and classroom engagement data (such as attendance and discipline rates and other measures of school climate), and the applicability of such data in classroom and public school instruction and design.

(7) Institution of higher education.— The term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).

(8) Mentor.— The term mentor means—

(A) with respect to a teacher mentor, a teacher who—

(i) is fully certified and licensed for each subject for which the teacher will provide mentorship;

(ii) has demonstrated high skill and effectiveness, which may be demonstrated through advanced certification such as the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification or local evaluation systems;

(iii) has at least 3 years of teaching experience;

(iv) has demonstrated skill collaborating with others and facilitating adult learning;

(v) teaches or has taught in the same or similar field, grade, or subject as the mentee; and

(vi) receives formalized and structured training prior to becoming a mentor; or

(B) with respect to a school leader mentor, a school leader who—

(i) is fully certified and licensed for school leadership;

(ii) has demonstrated high skill and effectiveness;

(iii) has at least 3 years of school leadership experience;

(iv) has served as a school leader in a school that serves students in the same or similar grade spans as the mentee's school;

(v) receives formalized and structured training prior to becoming a mentor; and

(vi) has demonstrated skill collaborating with others and facilitating adult learning.

(9) Public school.— The term public school means a public elementary school or secondary school.

(10) Secretary.— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Education.

(11) State.— The term State means each of the several States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and each of the outlying areas.

(12) Teacher or school leader mentoring.— The term teacher or school leader mentoring means the mentoring of new or prospective teachers or school leaders by teacher or school leader mentors, respectively, through a program that—

(A) includes clear criteria for the selection of mentors who will provide role model relationships for mentees, which criteria shall be developed based on measures of teacher or school leader effectiveness;

(B) provides high-quality training for such mentors, including—

(i) instructional strategies for comprehensive literacy instruction;

(ii) differentiating instruction;

(iii) supporting the learning of students who are children with disabilities and students who are English learners; and

(iv) creating inclusive and supportive classroom environments (including least restrictive environments for students with disabilities and approaches that improve the schoolwide climate for learning, which may include positive behavioral interventions and supports, including trauma-informed care and social and emotional learning);

(C) provides regular and ongoing opportunities for mentors and mentees to observe each other’s teaching or leadership methods in classroom and school settings during the school day;

(D) adequately compensates mentors by—

(i) reducing the teaching or leading responsibilities, and related workload, of mentors in exchange for the mentorship responsibilities and providing paid release time for mentors;

(ii) providing an increase to mentors' salaries commensurate with additional responsibilities; or

(iii) providing a stipend to mentors commensurate with additional responsibilities;

(E) promotes the empirically based practice of, and evidence-based research on, where applicable—

(i) teaching and learning;

(ii) assessment of student learning;

(iii) the development of teaching skills through the use of instructional and behavioral interventions; and

(iv) the improvement of the mentees’ capacity to measurably advance student learning; and

(F) includes—

(i) common planning time or regularly scheduled collaboration for the mentor and mentee; and

(ii) joint professional development opportunities.

(a) Grants authorized.— From the total amount appropriated under section 8 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall, for such fiscal year—

(1) reserve 2 percent of such amount for program administration and evaluation and to provide technical assistance to eligible entities in operating induction programs in public schools;

(2) reserve 1 percent of such amount for the Secretary of the Interior to support programs similar to induction programs for schools operated or funded by the Bureau of Indian Education; and

(3) use the funds remaining after the reservations under paragraphs (1) and (2) to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities.

(b) Required match.—

(1) In general.— Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), an eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall provide, toward the cost of the activities assisted under the grant, an amount equal to 50 percent of the amount of the grant.

(2) Exemptions.— The matching requirement under paragraph (1) shall not apply to an eligible entity representing an outlying area or an eligible entity awarded a grant under subsection (a)(2) from the Secretary of the Interior.

(3) Waiver.— The Secretary may waive all or part of the matching requirement described in paragraph (1) for any fiscal year for an eligible entity if the Secretary determines that applying the matching requirement to the eligible entity would be inequitable due to—

(A) exceptional or uncontrollable circumstances, such as a natural disaster or a change in the organizational structure of the eligible entity;

(B) a precipitous decline in the financial resources of the eligible entity; or

(C) the inability to carry out the authorized activities described in section 6.

(a) In general.— Each eligible entity desiring a grant under section 4 shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.

(b) Contents.— Each application submitted under this section shall include the following:

(1) An assurance that the eligible entity will ensure that subgrantees receiving subgrants under section 6(a) will provide induction programs that meet the criteria described in section 3(6).

(2) An assurance that the eligible entity will target funding in accordance with section 6(a)(2) if the funding is not sufficient to provide all teachers and school leaders who are in their first 2 years of teaching in the public schools served by the eligible entity with an induction program, and a description of how the eligible entity will target funding to local educational agencies and public schools with the highest need in accordance with such section.

(3) An assurance that mentors participating in the program will—

(A) have their mentorship roles constructed as part of their contracted and compensated responsibilities; or

(B) receive additional compensation if mentorship for an induction program supported under this Act is in addition to their other responsibilities.

(4) A description of—

(A) how the eligible entity will involve organizations that represent teachers and school leaders in crafting and supporting induction programs, including how such programs will adequately compensate mentors;

(B) how the eligible entity will require local educational agencies to publicly post the requirements, and compensation provided, for serving as a mentor in an induction program supported under the grant; and

(C) how the eligible entity will communicate with major educator preparation programs (and other major preparation providers) so that induction programs build on and complement any high-quality training first- and second-year teachers received before entering their respective induction program.

(5) An assurance that the eligible entity will meet the fiscal accountability requirements of section 7.

(a) Subgrants to local educational agencies, consortia, and educational service agencies.—

(1) In general.— Each eligible entity that receives a grant under section 4 shall reserve not less than 90 percent of the amounts available to carry out the grant (including any matching funds required under section 4(b)) to make subgrants to eligible subgrantees to enable the eligible subgrantees to plan, implement, improve, or expand induction programs in public schools in accordance with paragraph (4).

(2) Targeting funds.—

(A) In general.— To the extent that funds to carry out a grant under section 4 (including any matching funds required under section 4(b)) are available, an eligible entity receiving a grant under section 4 shall award subgrants to all eligible subgrantees that have submitted complete applications, to enable the eligible subgrantees to provide an induction program to all teachers and school leaders in public schools who are employed by the eligible subgrantees and are in their first 2 years of teaching or leading.

(B) Insufficient amounts.— If the amount of funds available to carry out a grant under section 4 (including any required matching funds under section 4(b)) is not sufficient to enable an eligible entity to fully carry out subparagraph (A), the eligible entity shall target the use of its grant funds by—

(i) awarding the subgrants to eligible subgrantees that are local educational agencies that—

(I) have the highest percentages of economically disadvantaged students in the State, on the basis of the most recent satisfactory data available from the Department of Commerce (or, for local educational agencies for which no such data are available, such other data as the Secretary determines are satisfactory); and

(II)

(aa) have the highest concentration of teachers and school leaders in their first or second year of teaching or leading, respectively; or

(bb) have the highest rates of teacher and school leader turnover for teachers and school leaders in their first or second year of teaching or leading, respectively; and

(ii) ensuring that eligible subgrantees receiving the subgrants target their subgrant funding for public schools that—

(I) with respect to the local educational agency that serves a specific public school, are in the highest 50 percent of schools served by such local educational agency, based on the percentage of economically disadvantaged students served; and

(II)

(aa) have the highest concentration of teachers and school leaders in their first or second year of teaching or leading, respectively; or

(bb) have the highest rates of teacher and school leader turnover for teachers and school leaders in their first or second year of teaching or leading, respectively.

(3) Application.— An eligible subgrantee that desires a subgrant under paragraph (1) shall submit an application to the eligible entity at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the eligible entity may require, which shall include—

(A) an assurance that the eligible subgrantee will provide induction programs that meet the criteria described in section 3(6), including a description of how the eligible subgrantee plans to do so;

(B) an assurance that, if the funding is not sufficient to provide every teacher and school leader described in paragraph (2)(A) with an induction program, the eligible subgrantee will target funding as described in paragraph (2)(B), including a description of how the eligible subgrantee plans to do so;

(C) an assurance that mentors participating in the induction program will—

(i) have their mentorship roles constructed as part of their contracted and compensated responsibilities; or

(ii) receive additional compensation if mentorship for an induction program supported under this Act is in addition to their other responsibilities;

(D) a description of—

(i) how the eligible subgrantee will involve organizations that represent teachers and school leaders in crafting and supporting induction programs, including how such programs will adequately compensate mentors;

(ii) how the eligible subgrantee will publicly post the requirements, and compensation provided, for serving as a mentor in an induction program supported under the subgrant; and

(iii) how the eligible subgrantee will communicate with major educator preparation programs (and other major preparation providers) so that induction programs build on and complement any high-quality training first- and second-year teachers received before entering their respective induction program; and

(E) an assurance that the eligible subgrantee will meet the fiscal accountability requirements of section 7.

(4) Use of subgrant funds.— An eligible subgrantee that receives a subgrant under paragraph (1)—

(A) shall use the subgrant funds to plan for, implement, improve, or expand induction programs in public schools; and

(B) may use the subgrant funds for—

(i) any use authorized under subsection (b); or

(ii) compensating mentors.

(b) Program administration, technical assistance, and initiatives.— Each eligible entity that receives a grant under section 4 shall reserve not less than 5 percent of such grant for any of the following:

(1) Administration of the program supported under the grant.

(2) Supporting eligible subgrantees receiving subgrants in operating induction programs in public schools, which may include the following activities:

(A) Providing technical assistance.

(B) Assisting with the redesign of school schedules to allow for greater collaboration and planning time for educators.

(C) Ensuring that induction programs operated by subgrantees are of high quality and meet the criteria described in section 3(6).

(3) Statewide or regional initiatives to support teacher and school leaders in their first 2 years of teaching or leading in public schools, which may include—

(A) induction programs for school leaders;

(B) induction programs for teachers or school leaders in their first 2 years of teaching or leading, respectively, who are—

(i) serving in rural or remote areas; or

(ii) teaching or leading in fields for which there are few local mentors; and

(C) creating affinity networks for teachers or school leaders in their first 2 years of teaching or leading, respectively, that are from backgrounds that are underrepresented in teaching and leading, respectively.

(a) Supplement, not supplant.— An eligible entity receiving a grant under section 4, and an eligible subgrantee receiving a subgrant under section 6(a), shall ensure that funds made available under this Act are used to supplement, and not supplant, funds that would otherwise be used for activities authorized under this Act.

(b) Rule of construction for collective bargaining.—

(1) In general.— Subject to paragraph (2), nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter or otherwise affect the rights, remedies, and procedures afforded to public school or local educational agency employees under Federal, State, or local laws (including applicable regulations or court orders) or under the terms of collective bargaining agreements, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements between such employers and their employees.

(2) Compliance.— Paragraph (1) shall not be construed to exempt a State, local educational agency, or public school from complying with this Act or from negotiating in compliance with State labor laws to comply with this Act.

There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2027 and each subsequent fiscal year.