HR 1331119th CongressIn Committee

Teacher and School Leader Quality Partnership Grants Act

Introduced: Feb 13, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

H.R. 1331, the Teacher and School Leader Quality Partnership Grants Act, would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand and intensify federal partnership grants aimed at improving educator preparation and ongoing professional development. The bill broadens the scope beyond prospective teachers to include school leaders, teacher leaders, and other educators, and it strengthens accountability measures for educator preparation programs. It lays out a comprehensive framework for partnerships among colleges or universities (partner institutions), high-need local educational agencies, high-need schools, and a wide range of potential partners (state agencies, businesses, non‑profits, ESAs, etc.). The core idea is to create equitable, evidence-based preparation and ongoing development that improves teaching, school leadership, and ultimately student learning in high-need settings. Key features include a detailed redefinition of terms, expanded purposes (recruitment and staffing for high-need areas, accountability for programs, and close collaboration between educator preparation and K-12 settings), and enhanced program requirements for partnership grants. The bill emphasizes high-quality clinical experiences, mentoring, induction for new teachers and leaders, data-informed practice, literacy and inclusive education supports, and the use of evidence-based practices and multiple measures of student learning to guide improvements.

Key Points

1Expands the scope of partnership grants to explicitly cover school leaders and other educators in addition to teachers, with aims to improve preparation and professional development for all of these roles.
2Significantly broadens who can participate in an eligible partnership. The bill defines an “eligible partnership” as including a high-need local educational agency, a high-need school or group of schools, a partner higher education institution, and a school/education-related unit within that institution, plus a wide set of potential additional partners such as a state agency, business, nonprofits, ESAs, teacher/principal organizations, charter schools, and other relevant entities.
3Tightens accountability for educator preparation programs and school leader programs. The bill directs partnerships to hold teacher and school leader preparation programs accountable for producing effective graduates and to meet staffing needs in high-need areas through strong collaboration with educator preparation programs.
4Requires emphasis on equity and a broad set of preparation components. The grant program must address preparation for diverse learners, including students with disabilities and English learners; and it requires attention to induction, mentoring, collaboration, evidence-based instructional practices, and leadership competencies. It also prioritizes effective use of data, ongoing professional development, and alignment with high standards for teaching and leadership.
5Establishes detailed components for induction and mentoring. Induction programs must include high-quality mentoring, structured collaboration time, access to research and evidence-based practices, and ongoing observation and feedback; mentoring must include paid release time and alignment with subject-area specialties and relevant disciplines.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Students in high-need local educational agencies and high-need schools, through improved teaching quality and school leadership.- Prospective and current educators (teachers, school leaders, and other educators) who participate in enhanced preparation, induction, mentoring, and professional development.Secondary group/area affected- Higher education institutions and partner organizations that prepare teachers and school leaders, by expanding eligibility, collaboration requirements, and program expectations.- State and local education agencies, which would participate as eligible partners and oversee state-level alignment with the program.Additional impacts- Emphasis on equitable distribution of funds and resources to high-need settings.- Enhanced focus on evidence-based practices, multiple measures of student learning, and universal design for learning to guide improvement.- Potential improvements in teacher retention, classroom practice, school leadership effectiveness, and overall student achievement in participating districts and schools.The bill’s definitions section creates a broad and detailed vocabulary for what counts as “arts and sciences,” “evidence-based” practices, “high-need” designations, and many other terms to guide program design and evaluation.The exact funding levels, grant formulas, and implementation timelines would be clarified in the sections referenced (e.g., Section 202 on Partnership Grants) and any subsequent regulations if the bill progresses.

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