§1021 Definitions

Summary

Defines the main words used in the subchapter. Arts and sciences means the college department that offers majors for the subjects teachers teach, or the subject areas those departments cover. Children from low-income families means the children described in section 6333(c)(1)(A) of this title. Core academic subjects are English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography. An early childhood educator is someone who has primary responsibility for educating children in an early childhood program. An educational service agency has the meaning given in section 7801 of this title. An eligible partnership must include a high-need local educational agency, a high-need school or high-need early childhood program served by that agency, a partner institution, the partner’s school or department of education, and its arts and sciences school or department; it may also include state officials or agencies, businesses, nonprofits, educational service agencies, teacher organizations, high-performing LEAs, charter schools, certain university departments, or alternative certification providers. Essential components of reading instruction has the meaning in section 6368 of this title as in effect the day before December 10, 2015. Exemplary teacher has the meaning in section 7801 of this title as in effect the day before December 10, 2015. A high-need early childhood education program is one that serves children from low-income families and is in the area served by a high-need local educational agency. A high-need local educational agency is one that has at least 20 percent of its children from low-income families, or serves at least 10,000 such children, or meets eligibility under section 7345(b) or section 7351(b) of this title, and also has many teachers teaching out of their trained subject/grade or has high teacher turnover or many teachers with emergency or temporary certification. A high-need school is either in the top quartile of schools in the LEA by percent of low-income students (measured by census poverty, free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, families receiving the State program under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act, Medicaid eligibility, or a composite), or an elementary school with at least 60 percent free/reduced lunch eligibility or another school with at least 45 percent; the Secretary may also designate other schools as high-need if an eligible partnership applies with data on poverty measures, student achievement, and, for secondary schools, graduation rates. Highly competent, for an early childhood educator, means having specialized education and training for children birth through kindergarten, plus either a bachelor’s degree in an arts and sciences major or an associate’s in a related area, and proven strong knowledge and teaching skills. An induction program is a formal support program for new teachers for at least their first two years that includes mentoring, structured collaboration time, use of research-based practices, access to faculty and researchers, skills development in instructional and behavioral interventions, faculty modeling, interdisciplinary teamwork, help using student data, and regular observation and evaluation by multiple evaluators. Limited English proficient means “English learner” as defined in section 7801 of this title. Parent, professional development, and educational service agency refer to the meanings in section 7801 of this title. A partner institution is a higher education institution whose teacher-preparation graduates pass State qualifying assessments at a rate of 80 percent or more or are ranked among the State’s highest-performing programs under the State report card, and whose program requires high academic standards, intensive clinical experience, State certification for teacher candidates (including alternative routes), and degree and competency requirements for early childhood educators. Principles of scientific research are rigorous, systematic, and objective methods that use empirical evidence, adequate data analysis, reliable measurements, causal claims only with strong designs (for example, random-assignment experiments), clear reporting for replication, peer review, and consistency across studies. Scientifically valid research includes applied, basic, and field-initiated research that follow those principles. Teacher mentoring is a program that uses careful mentor selection, high-quality mentor training, regular classroom observation between mentor and mentee in high-need schools, paid release time when needed, same-field mentoring, emphasis on research-based practice, common planning time, and joint professional development. A teaching residency program is a school-based preparation program where a prospective teacher spends one academic year teaching alongside a mentor teacher, receives concurrent instruction from the partner institution, gains effective teaching skills, achieves full State certification before finishing the program (and for special education meets the qualifications in section 1412(a)(14)(C) of this title), and earns a master’s degree not later than 18 months after starting. Teaching skills are the abilities that increase student learning, teach subject matter clearly, teach higher-order thinking and problem solving, use research-based strategies tailored to students’ needs (including students with disabilities, English learners, gifted students, and low-literacy students), assess learning continuously (including formative and performance-based methods), manage classrooms (including positive behavioral supports), work with parents, and, for early childhood educators, use age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate practices.